Hampi
Today’s surreal boulderscape of
Hampi was once the glorious
and cosmopolitan Vijayanagar,
capital of a powerful Hindu empire.
Still glorious in ruins, its temples and
royal structures combine sublimely
with the terrain: giant rocks balance
on skinny pedestals near an ancient
elephant garage; temples tuck into
crevices between boulders; and round
coracle boats fl oat by rice paddies
and bathing buff aloes near a gargantuan
bathtub for a queen. While in India, watching
the sunset cast a rosy glow over the
dreamy landscape, you might just
forget what planet you’re on.
Cuppa in a Hill Station
The valleys, deserts, and palmlined
beaches are all well and
good, but it can get hot down there!
India’s princes and British colonials
long used the country’s cool
mountain towns as refuges from
the summer heat, and today the hill
stations still have lush forests, crisp
mountain air and picturesque tea
plantations. Curl up under a blanket
with a steaming cup of local tea,
look out over misty hills at swooping
mountain birds, and experience
India’s cool side.
Neighbourhood Markets
Shopaholics: be careful not
to lose control. Those with no
interest in shopping: get in touch with
your consumerist side. India’s markets
have something you want, guaranteed
(though you may not have known this
beforehand), with a fun haggle to go
with it. The range of technicolor saris,
glittering gold and silver bling, mounds
of rainbow vermilion, aromatic fresh
spices, stainless-steel head massagers,
bangles and bobby pins, motorcycle
bumper stickers, heaping piles
of fruit, Bollywood-star-silk-screened
pajamas, and marigold and coconut
off erings is, well, astounding.
Riding the Rails
India’s quintessential journey is still the long train ride. Domestic flights are increasingly common, but as the train’s 20 million daily passengers will tell you, you can’t watch the Indian landscape change from dry valley to lush mountain forest to limegreen rice paddies on a plane. The train’s also where you can hang out with families and other domestic travellers, learning about Indian culture the old-fashioned way – over a cup of tea, to the rhythm of the rails.
Puducherry Savoir Faire
A little pocket of France in Tamil Nadu? Pourquoi pas? In this former French colony, yellow houses line cobblestone streets, grand cathedrals are adorned with architectural frou-frou, and the croissants are the real deal. But Puducherry’s also a Tamil town – with all the history, temples and hustle and bustle that go along with that – and a classic retreat town, too, with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at its heart. Turns out that yoga, pain chocolat, Hindu gods and colonial-era architecture make for an atmospheric melange, in India.
