And thank you wordpress for hosting me all along.

While I am yet to a buy a book online, the book catalogue is very comprehensive and most importantly functional – most titles I searched for are available.

The website is very organized.  Unlike Amazon, it is difficult to get lost here and no other distractions – only books . Navigability can be improved – for example there is no “cancel” button on account settings page. It’s not possible to return to main page in case you don’t want to save your changes.

Am sure this will be a successful website to reckon as internet adoption increases in India. While the idea of online book store is as old as .com biz itself, this start up differentiates itself due to the geography (India) it operates. I would love to see books of regional languages also to be available on the website – this makes it easy for people like me who wait to go on my annual vacation to my native place to buy books . Huge business potential !!

Btw, per the website itself, the founder & CEO Mr. Anand Rao, is a founding member of Amazon India as well.

Add this for a topping – you can sms the source and destination to a given number and the directions will be smsed back to you!

Go through the “tips” section of the website to know various other features.

I really loved this site and look forward to a full fledged launch of this (right now it is in Alpha stage and the website design could be improved).

Kudos to the founders (Chandra, Ravi and Muralidhara!) for this innovation and wish them all the success!

I first saw a print advertisement of namastay.in portal on Corner House in Koramangala. I was mighty impressed by the poster. I visited the portal as soon as I came back home. Alas, the website was down. I tried multiple times the next day and every time it was down.  A very bad thing to happen for some one who is spending money in advertising thier website. May be the money should first be invested in proper web hosting provider.

Any way, after repeated attempts one fine day, I was able to access the website. It looked sleek. But felt that the landing page seems too simple.  There is no link for even registering one self. There is only a “sign in” link and it does not even tell how to register. Looks like the registration is possible only at the time of payment (not sure as I did not attempt any payment).

Overall, a very useful portal, except that the landing page can have more content and site map can be made slightly better from usability perspective.

I read at http://www.metacafe.com/channels/namastay.in/ that, Ashish Mehra and Rekha Goyal, folks who started this are able to sustain themselves with this!

I am really happy to learn that and it only gives me inspiration to start doing something I am more passionate about, than spend entire life in a full time job.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/07/porn-industry-seeks-federal-bailout/

Hope that 2009 ends all the gloom of 2008 and that the world will be a safer place to live.

This blog has hit 700 viewers in this month of December. And the viewer count has been steadily increasing for past 4-5 months. Compared to last year, the viewer count has increased by almost 525%!

Hope to blog on more thoughts in progress next year and make this blog more interesting!

It is going to be an absolutely futile exercise by me to describe the Hampi experience as it can only be felt and can never really be described.

Instead, I will focus on the actual planning for the trip – which can help new visitors.

We started off on Day 1 around 7:00 AM from Bangalore and reached Hospet around 3:30 PM.  There was around 1 hour break in between for late break fast / early lunch @ Kamat Upachar near Sira. The road was not bad but gets narrower once you cross Chitra Durga. So, one has to slow down considerably. There were lots of windmills and sunflower farms we have seen on the way.

Hampi is around 13 km from Hospet. There is only one hotel worth mentioning in Hampi which run by state tourism division – Mayura Bhuvaneswari (Tel: 08394 – 41574). This is the hotel that is closest to the ruins and you can consider yourself lucky if you get a room to stay in this. Else, you will have to stay in Hospet. I stayed in Hospet @ Hotel Priyadarshini and shuttled every day to Hampi.

After check in and slight relaxation, we first went to Tungabhadra Dam. The dam was full at the time of our visit and we enjoyed the sight of water gushing ut with full force from the gates. There is a small garden/park from where one can see the other side of the dam filled with water. One has to walk quite a distance from where one parks the car to the dam gates.

Next, around 5:45pm, we started to Hampi. We were in a dilemma if we should visit Hampi next day morning, but decided to go ahead in the late evening itself to get an glimpse of what is in the offer. Just drove around the periphery and came back to hotel.

On Day 2, started off by 8:00 AM, went to Hampi, booked a guide who showed all places and explained significance of most places. Spent time till evening and returned to hotel. Significant time was spent @ Virupaksha tempe and Vitthala temple. One cannot help but wonder at the architectural marvel of Vitthala temple by looking at the stone chariot and the musical pillars.

Long pillared Ganesha Temple - Look at the length of pillars! - You can see Virupaksha temple tower in the background

Elephants Stable - If Elephants had such grand place to stay, what about the Royal family?

On Day 3, woke up early by 5:00 AM, went to Hampi to climb Matunga hillock for a sunrise view. Unfortunately, there were too many clouds and the sunrise was not as spectacular as I anticipated, but the view of ruins from such height compensated the loss.

Arial view of Krishna Temple Ruins as seen from Matunga Hilltop

After that, we revisited some of the places like Hazare Rama temple, Mahanavami Dibba – the Royal Court, again at our own pace. One can only imagine how grand that place would have looked when the King Krishnadevaraya held the Court.

Carvings on Compound wall of Hazare Rama Temple

Towards the evening, we spent some quiet time at the twin stories overlooking the Virupaksha temple before signing off.

Twin Storied Ruins - How long have they been standing like this!?

On Day 4, had breakfast, checked out of hotel and started back to Bangalore around 9:30 AM. Reached Chitradurga around 12:00 noon. A pleasant surprise was waiting there. After seeing some sign boards of “Chitra Durga Fort”, we decided to pay a visit to that fort and what a treat it was! It was most spectacular fort I have ever visited. It is absolutely in perfect condition and one can clearly see how the fort walls protect the people inside. There is a gripping legend at the other end of fort of how one old woman killed an entire enemy army one by one. Caution: Take a guide with out fail and remember you need to really walk a lot. Please budget at least 3 hours to visit the entire fort. We reached there at noon and it was blazing sun. Had we known it, we could have timed it well. After the visit to fort, had late lunch in Chitradurga and drove back to Bangalore.

If you are like me, you would be visiting Hampi armed with information you would have gathered on Hampi after reading some books like Outlook Weekend Getaways, travelogues/blogs. So, you should have fair idea that Hampi is a heritage site, a ruined city, list of significant spots to visit etc. In case you are still wondering what to expect in Hampi  -  it is just rocks, rocks and more rocks – of various sizes from a pebble to mammoth boulders – there is little greenery in that area – only rocks fill the vastness – and if you have ear to hear – each rock has a story to tell about the glorious past, the architectural splendor, the grandeur of a by gone era.

Points to remember -

1. Note that Hampi is not a regular sight seeing trip – it is an experience to be cherished. It is really not fun – unless you have deep passion for emptiness, vastness, wilderness, ruins, a little bit of history and plenty of walking.

2. There are just too many points to be seen. As per ASI map, there are at least 83 points to be seen.

Hampi Sight Seeing Spots

Hire a local guide on your first day who will show you most points of interest. Once you got a hang of the landscape, you can visit each point of your interest separately and enjoy at your own pace. To me, Hampi requires at least 5 days to do justice. But most people are not like me and can get easily bored with all the rocks and ruins. So, it is all your interest levels

3. Temperatures in Hampi can reach to very high levels and it is important to remember this while planning the day. It is usually best to visit Hampi from Oct-Feb timeframe when Sun is not blazing. Any case to beat the Sun, it is better to visit the points early in the day – say like 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM and then start again at 3:00pm to continue till late in the evening. Remember this land is barren and there is NO shade other than what the huge boulders can offer.

4. There are five hillocks surrounding Hampi. They are – Matunga, Anjeneya, Hemakuta, Malyavanta & Rishyamuka. Each one of them has a story behind it and associated legends with them. Remember to trek at least one of them – easiest one is Matunga for a sunrise or sunset. Be extra cautious and go in a group - NEVER venture alone to any of the hillocks. Malyavanta is the easiest to visit as you can drive till the hilltop!

5. Note that across the river Tungabhadra, opposite to Hampi, there is a site, Anegondi, with ruins – which was a part of Vijayanagara Empire. Access to this place is tricky, but do visit this place. Check with locals on how to reach Anegondi. It can be a simple caracole ride across the river at times. Some of the hillocks mentioned above can only be accessed from Anegondi.

6. There is an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) museum near the entrance to Hampi from Kamalapura side. It shows Hampi some 25 (?) years back and current state  – with photos of exactly the same locations from same view points. This indicates the work done ASI to restore this beauty. You will be amazed to see how perfectly ASI excavated and restored the bathing area/water tank near the Mahanavami Dibba. It was covered under ruins till few years back and with out ASI’s work, one would have never known this marvel.

7. There are quite a few monkeys around and they can pose danger if you are not cautious.

8. It is best to drive around in your own vehicle to visit the places. Though bicycles are availale for rent, it can be very daunting to cycle the vast area.

9. Food options are pretty limited. You get some basic stuff like dosa/puri/omlette near the small bazaar outside Virupaksha temple. For lunch, be sure to visit the restaurant at Mayura Bhuvaneswari (near Kamalanagar entrance).

10. Hampi is a photographer’s paradise. Be sure to take lots of rolls/memory cards. Camera can be taken freely to most places (except inside the functional temples) and video can be shot free for all non-commercial uses. There are not many areas in Hampi where you can upload photos. Even if you find one, internet speed will be a issue. It is better to carry extra memory cards (or your laptop to download the photos). Most places do not allow tripods.

Legends of Hampi:

1. It is said that Hampi is same place as what was mentioned as “Kishkindha” – the monkey kingdom of epic Ramayana. Rishyamuka hillock is where Lord Rama met Hanuman – when Rama was searching for Sita in forests. Anjaneya hillock is believed to be the birth place of Lord Hanuman.

2. It is said that the Sultans who finally conquered Hampi had spent 6 months to loot the wealth of Hampi and the killing of people was so brutal that river Tungabhadra was flowing in red color for few months. This has prompted people never to return to Hampi again thus ruining the city forever.

More than 182 people died in just bomb blasts in india in 2008 alone (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE49T3US20081030?sp=true). Citizens continue to die due to naxal attacks, due to law & order issues like Singur & Mumbaikers vs North Indians. More people continue to die due to total failure of adminstration in situations like Bihar & Orissa floods. All in just past 11 months.

If only the govts are working, will we really have any of the above situations at the scale they happened?

Instead of accepting total failure of his govt, we have our educated and elite PM blaming other countries for the current crisis. What’s the point in having a elected government when it fails to do basic tasks that are expected. Are we as citizens totally immune to all the mayhem thats happening around us? Don’t we citizens have any responsibility towards all these? Can we not do anything to change this?

Like this excellent introspective article in Asian Age states, http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/opinion/op-ed/we-must-solemnly-admit-to-failing-the-constitution.aspx, the foundation  of constitution is shaken and has failed.

Classic example of why computers still require humans to operate them.

Its high time the govt gets its act together in countering this and make the country safe place to live.

We Indians lack civic sense… well is it a harsh statement?… may be not!
when we are on road with a vehicle; most of us just forget that it is a public place and we should play by the rules… instead we honk mindlessly, do not follow any lanes, do not obey traffic signs, over take from both sides, use high beams night time, park anywhere we want, throw garbage onto the road from the vehicle….. we do not many a time even maintain our vehicle so that it will not cause pollution, have a proper tail lamp, proper break lights, head light, blinkers…. More specially the transport vehicles (buses, lorries, tempo travelers) are at their best during night time…. one can only see one of the head lights functioning and in full beam mode; from a distance it appears as if it is a two wheeler approaching…. I have rarely seen a lorry with proper tail lamp… and I have heard and seen accidents when these Lorries are parked on the road side without any indication and vehicles coming directly bumping into these…. these transport vehicles just do not care how much pollution they are causing… I wish these vehicles are made such that the exhaust pipe ends right before the vehicle so that the driver will have to breathe all the stuff his vehicle is emitting….. (you will know what I am talking if you ever by passed an overloaded lorry/bus emitting thick black smoke on a two wheeler)…. I even see cops standing right in middle of the road and will not even do anything about these vehicles… I wonder why!?
One more issue that I have seen is throwing garbage from bus/car on to the road. I have seen many well educated people driving in posh cars and carelessly throw cigarette butts outside on to the road. worse, these typically are still lit and not put off…. do they really have any sense of what happens if it falls on to people coming behind the vehicle…
yes… we have to change.. .we will have to change…to take our country forward…

As per this article sent to me by Sathish yesterday, Baboons and Chimps can program in VB!

Thank God! I am a java programmer
Looks like these chimps might take some more time to understand java and I hope that keeping upto the pace of J2EE specs is relatively difficult, even for Chimps! In the mean time, I will have to seriously think about changing the profession. Hmmm… may be “Chimp body shopping” or “Chimp Breeding Farms” might be lucarative options in coming days
I wonder what will MS say when they hear that chimps’ favorite is VB6.0
“Even Chimps can program in VB!”… and
Sun’s comment …  “*ONLY* Chimps can progam in VB!”
Sun might even come out with another java edition “J2CE – Java 2 Chimp Edition” so that it will easy for Chimps to pick up java! pretty amusing to think…
Seriously, if at all this becomes a reality, it definitely has the potential to change the course of current dynamics in software industry rather drastically! All the software progammers might be out of job soon and be replaced by monkeys!
Yes, human race is indeed progressing…

Comments

#1

‘‘ posted this on Thu 17 Jul 2003, 2:14 am I saw that article. It was very funny and too “complicated” to be true. Some one picking up the “poor” M$ folks. But, if what they say is true(imagine), I may soon need to look for a job. having said that, whats the guarantee that the “invasion of the apes” will not happen in that profession? hmmm looks like we will be a planet of apes soon..murali [smurali76@yahoo.com]

#2

‘‘ posted this on Fri 25 Jul 2003, 4:59 am Excellent article and a brilliant example of contortion of facts. Say it convincingly and you can get away with anything. If you take any of the link on the article, it leads to a site related to the primates, but none of them substantiate what the article states. If you visit the web site of Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary, you will find at this link http://www.iowagreatapes.org/bonobo/language/index.htm# the language used for communicating with the primates is very rudimentary. And their site does not talk about this great research on primates doing computer coding..Pheeww … Atleast my job is still a little secure.. and my paycheck is not a booklet of coupons for bananas!! ) Have fun !! Gokul