Shoeless in Hampi

I arrived in Hampi yesterday. It's a World Heritage site in the middle of the Indian state of Karnataka, famous with tourists for its many temples



and awesome bouldering opportunities.



I'm utterly exhausted after a bumpy, wild overnight bus ride on a "luxury sleeper" that was neither luxurious nor sleepable. I spent the whole night clinging to a tiny ledge just big enough for my body, with my knees strategically wedged wherever possible to keep from falling to the floor when the bus turned a corner.

There's a huge three-day festival here now, the annual Hampi Utsav. I've got a guesthouse across the river from the action and I'm laying low. I can hear the bands and see the fireworks from my couch swing, though.



(Yes, my room comes with its own outdoor swing in the garden. Awesome. I've been laying there reading "Shantaram" - which I highly recommend - all day.)

During the festival, there are lights trained on all the temples at night. That takes an ancient structure like the Virupaksha Temple here



and turns it into the aesthetic equivalent of my dear friend Rachel's vintage aluminum Christmas tree.

Now it's purple!

Now it's orange! (And super blurry.)

Now it's purple again!

Last night, I was planning to head out to the Utsav when two British girls burst into the restaurant where I was having dinner and announced the river ferry had capsized because there were so many people crammed on it. No one was hurt, but everyone was wet. That was pretty discouraging, since I needed the ferry to get there. Then I left the restaurant to discover someone had stolen my sandals while I was eating. Clear signs that it was time for bed.

For those of you keeping score on Becca vs. India, this would be the third pair of sandals India has claimed from me in a month - two pairs broken and one pair absconded with. In fact, every single time I change locations, the first thing I have to do is buy shoes again. I guess that's on the agenda for tomorrow, after a barefoot breakfast.