Bed Fellows

Pic from Teak Heirlooms

Choosing a mattress can be a pain but it is better than suffering pain all through your sleep life( which is a good 1/3 rd of your life, if not more)

There is ample to choose from- cotton, coir, foam and rubberized coir and various combinations thereon. You can indulge with a spring one though the back may be more relaxed with rubberized coir or a ortho approved mattress . I am not even stepping on water( beds) yet.

Just as i began to feel that I should sleep on the floor befitting any Indian living in humid weather, I saw this. .... BTW I am yet to decide which mattress to opt for.

This is my 350th post and I can see my readers are dwindling sharply, given tha number of wishes I got on my Bday from the blog world. :- ((

Re-registration

For anyone who cares/ needs to know, here is the vehicle re-registration procedure:
- NOC from source state
- NOC from Destination state - be shocked by how the 20 Rs form fee multiplies 10 fold
- Commercial/ Sales tax to be paid at destination state ( varies with age and type of vehicle)- excellent staff interaction here - pay the tax at a nominated bank
- Lifetime Road tax to be paid yet again ( varies with age and type of vehicle)- Be prepared to be appalled by officials who tell you" Why did you not sell off before coming here? Sentiment-aaaa?"
- Get an agent to do the rest- some 3 -4 forms and trips later and a little less bank balance you will in all probability have the new registration in place.

It is still worthwhile to have your papers in order but you will really wonder if TN and MH are in the same country

Culture Trip

Finally we went to Hampi!!

And Anush's vocab now includes- Water Fountain, Tungabadhra, Hampi, Hospet, Pig, Ruins, Shall we get down? Rail gaadi. . . .

While I should update on the travel blog , since hardly anyone seems to visit there or leave comments, I thought I would post it right here.

We took a train to Bangalore and then the connecting overnight train( Hampi Express) to Hospet and parked at Hotel Malligai, a very comfortable modern option.

The car hired at the hotel took us to Hampi about 10 kms away. An English speaking guide walked us through the ruins and there were so many anecdotes that he had to offer.

The area is split into Hampi and Vijaynagara. Apart from Krishna Deva Raya the religious claim to fame is that Kishkinda was somewhere in the vicinity. You need to be prepared for a lot of walking even if you have a vehicle to take you up to a point.

Being the Hampi festival time there were lots of people and stages put up and concerts in progress, apart from a light and sound show on Karnataka history.

Hampi is awe inspiring from the lofty rocks that balance so easily to the chariot which has wheels that move.

Virupaksha Temple houses Shiva and Parvati- Pampadevi. It is next to Madurai in terms of the Gopuram height and a must see is the pin hole camera kind of inverted shadow. Also the three headed Nandi.

Hampi Bazar All the roads adjoining important sites form this and being the festival time it was crowded more with Rajsthani wares than those from Karnataka.

Vittala Temple is under renovation but it speaks of a glorious past. It has intriguing musical pillars and many mythical creatures. Interesting was the blue print on stone - a mini replica at the base of the main structure. Also the stone chariot which has wheels that move has been plastered now.

Queens' Zanana houses the Lotus Mahal with its ingenious AC system and is beautifully laid out. There is also a lovely pool a short distance away as also elephant stables.

The Hazara Ram temple with 3 versions of the Ramayan in sculpture is a treat.

A lot of foreign traders specially from Islamic countries have left an impact in terms of the architecture which is often a combination of Indo-Islamic styles in the administrative and residential segments.

One experience that we missed was a coracle ride on the Tungabhadra as it began to rain by the time we got there.

A must is the Mango Tree- a quaint restaurant with stone step seating under a grand old mango tree. The seating is such that if you are careless the small food table may land on the next customer's head. But the pasta was awesome as was the view.

Back near Hospet is the Tungabhadra dam and the musical fountain - a treat for little kids- begins at 7pm.

We also caught a Kannada movie- Milana -on day 2- some culture trip this.

HAPPY DIWALI!!

Matchmakers

I found these matchboxes from ITC rather interesting – they offer trivia on kites and can serve as collectibles