Hampi Miscellany

The ruins at Hampi make me think of the future of the US. This was once the capital city of the Vijayanagar empire, and in its heyday it was bigger and more impressive than Paris or Rome. The ruins here aren't very old -- the oldest structures were build about 700 years ago, and the city didn't go into decline until the end of the 16th century.

I was sitting at the edge of what was once the queen's private swimming pool. It's easy to project 500 years in the future and imagine myself a tourist from some future culture, bumbling around what's left of New York. Sitting on the edge of the Rockefeller Center ice rink or something (honestly besides the difference in quality of decor, it doesn't feel too different from visiting modern day McCarren Pool). I felt similarly at the big temple I visited yesterday. This could be St. John the Devine in another 300 years.

How much longer can our American empire last? Will the last New Yorkers make a living as tour guides based out of Staten Island, a minor outpost in the far reaches of southern Canada?

On a lighter note, guys, don't worry about me. The previous post was meant to share the insanity of the first few hours in a new place, not necessarily to indicate that I'm not happy or that things are going badly. I woke up this morning to discover that I'm in love with this little town.

Oh, and for Ranbir. Hampi is a HUGE backpacker destination, especially for those obnoxious Australians and Israelis who ironically enough have zero interest in the history, religion, or culture of India (if I see one more kid with dreadlocks order spaghetti at a famous thali joint, I might scream). As a result, the local touts and vendors really hassle anyone who happens to be white, under 40, and wearing a big pack. I think it's worse if you have dreadlocks, and REALLY bad if you look culturally clueless (girls wearing tube tops, for instance). Since I found a guesthouse and thus was able to shed the pack, I haven't attracted nearly the attention that the dreadlocked Israelis do.

Hampi is actually an even bigger domestic tourist attraction. It's a holiday weekend right now (Republic Day?), and the town is PACKED with both religious pilgrims headed for the major Hanuman temple in the center of town and middle class IT types bringing the wife and kids to look at the ruins. The whole rest of my guesthouse is occupied by a big extended family from Hyderabad who seem to be here to kill both of those birds with one stone. They have a bunch of adorable kids, about whom I'll probably post tomorrow.

Oh, and more about the monkey fight -- No idea why, but both evenings I've been here I noticed some aggressive monkey activity right around 5:30 or 6:00. Though India is notorious for aggressive monkey activity, anyway. It's hilarious, because the monkeys are extremely cute, but they're also really scary when they put their minds to it.