ok so im back for another installment but before i do i would like to address globetrackers comment:

Mardon loves goa just as i do now! we would never do or say anything that would offend anyone from india, we are not that kind of people!! we are sorry if you took part of mardons report offensively but truly it was not meant in that way and i hope you will see from the rest of our reports that we love goa!!

ok so now back to hampi!!

we spent 4 days there and it was sensational, every day was amazing!! the temple at the top of the main bizarre is lovely and the guides that take you round are really really nice!! our guide was so lovely and made the whole experience even more special!! when you go in they take you to the elephant they have there who blesses you by putting his trunk on your head - shes really clever because as you put out a ten rupee note she takes it off you, hands it to her keeper and then puts the trunk on your head!! its really cool!! i wont tell you all about it the tour in case anyone goes on it but trust me its amazing!!!

after our magical days we went back to baga on the train!! the train is a great experience, being able to hang out of the doors as you go through the countryside!! you feel like you're in a film almost! the scenary you fly past is amazing!! i was lucky enough to watch a carnival go through a village as we stopped in a station!!

as you can tell baga was our place to go and regroup after an adventure and relax before the next one so the next few days were no exception!! on the day we went to wildernest we had a nightmare!!! mark went to remove the money for wildernest from an atm - half way through, the atm froze so mark got the card and went to another atm but it wouldnt let him remove any money so he called the bank and they said that the money he tried to take out had come off his account even though the atm didnt give any out!! so we panicked but there was another couple in our transfer and they were only staying for one night so we were really aware that they were only staying 1 night whereas we had 2 but they were great as we had to go to mapusa to get to the main branch!! but they were lovely about it all and we ended up spending alot of time with them!!

the shacks at wildernest are amazing and have incredible views of the western ghats!! we went on the sunset trek on the first night we were there and it was beautiful!! mark made me laugh by getting a stick and turning over every single rock we went passed, desperate to find a scorpion or snake!! we didnt see any of them but he did find some extremely odd looking insects!! after we watched the sunset we went back and watched a folk dance! there were 9 girls dressed in beautiful red saris, balancing lit candlesticks on their heads! there was a group of men singing and playing instruments and the girls were dancing and getting into all kinds of positions whilst still balancing the sticks!! after they performed a few pf us had a go of doing it and it was alot harder than it looked!!!

ok have to nip off again - the next installment of wildernest soon!!!

hi,hampi sounds wonderfull but please excuse my ignorance where is it in relation to baga,and what`s the attraction

Noted,I always helped with my views in this forum,Goa as a tourist place needs guests but what guests see India is a different let me tell you.Indians know one word called "savings",current senario of bankrupcy is never possible here,an average Indian middle class home you will find Gold as an investment since generations,western world now realised value of Gold where we Indian eat gold and silver since ages(yes we eat!),his line may be have different meaning but somehow I felt offended hence I posted my views.We are the best host and some of you must already had an idea of our hospitality during your vists to Goa or Rajasthan but be careful not to heart feelings of us which may not be done in this case intentionaly.
thank you.

Mardon loves goa just as i do now! we would never do or say anything that would offend anyone from india, we are not that kind of people!! we are sorry if you took part of mardons report offensively but truly it was not meant in that way and i hope you will see from the rest of our reports that we love goa!!

Mardon and O/H this is a great report, thanks
chilly

I don't know how long you have been on here globtracker but you obviously do not know me or my attitude towards India. Or in this case India's tourism trade (which is quite clearly what I was talking about in this instance). Why would india as a whole need our help?

Whether you like it or not tourism trade relies on tourist... from my 4 years of going to Goa it is quite clear that the local Goan's who rely on a tourism trade do like the English. Due to the rather large (Around 40%) drop in numbers this year they really are suffering. I think you have misunderstood what I meant, so I will clarify my statement. "Goa is still magic, despite the bad press and experiences people have suffered lately, their tourism trade needs our support if it is to flourish".

Rach thanks for adding to the report. Its good to hear it from a different angle

I think globetracker in his last post has said that he took it the wrong way. And the written word can often be misinterpreted. We can all be patriotic The whole of India does not rely on tourism but of course Goa certainly does and is suffering.

Hi Mardon and Pixie, great reports sounds like you had a really active holiday. I wish I could manage that level of energy but unfortunately as soon as I get up in the morning I end up in a sort of hypnotic trance where the sun loungers just call to me and I am irresistibly drawn to spend the day there. I intend though to have a night down at Dwarka this time so it was good to see the pics and hear your views. Do they sell drinks at reasonable prices, I know with some places once they have you 'captive' they can take advantage.

Dave

So far so good, keep it coming Did you stay at Emannuel resort at any time Mardon ?

Tried to but it was fully booked when we went the first time. I did email him but never actually booked anything
Ah well maybe next time. It did look nice though!

Roverdave, the drinks were more than on the beach but certainly not a rip off.

Ok here is the latest slideshow

hampi's boulders http://s724.photobucket.com/albums/ww243/mardon85/Hampis%20Boulders/?albumview=slideshow

Great pictures Mardon.

Love the photos - thanks

Wow, what wonderful photos, thanks for sharing

Super photo,s must go to Hampi some time
ann

Great report. You certainly packed a lot in. No matter how much we plan to do, we always end up being dead lazy when we get to Goa. Your photos are really lovely.
Gail

Enjoyed your report and pics, Mardon. Hampi is amazing, isn't it? It's not only the ruins and the strange geology of the area, it's the whole atmosphere of the place - really magical.

Thanks for sharing!

cant wait we will be going to Hampi on the 19th of March ...

Wish I was! Have a great time, Colleen. There's lots of mossies up there so take plenty of Odomos!!

Ive just read this whole report for the first time from start to finish ... its magical. Thanks so much to Mardon and Pixie for taking the time to post and of course for adding all their photos, which are fantastic.