My favorite sun protection

I love the sun, the beach and the sea! But I never expose myself to the sun without layering up on sun screen, because of the damage it does to your skin in general and the increased risk of skin cancer in particular.

So I thought I'd share with you my favorite sun screen:

 

Anthelios from French brand La Roche-Posay:

 

I don't buy sun screens with diffrent LSF and match them to how tanned I am already, instead I buy LSF 50 and wear it all year round. Ok, all yearround is a lie, because without beeing able to see the sun from October to March, I certainly don't wear extra sun screen during those months.

 

Anthelios is paraben free, parfume free and water proof - what more can you ask for really?

 

You can pick it up in pharmcies (Germany) or most major drug stores (UK and USA), the price is ab around 20€ for 400ml (which literally lasts me all summer, even when I go on holidays for a month or so).

 

Are you protecting your skin from the sun? Are you more the sun screen and sticking to the shadow kind or the sunbathing kind?

Living in the UK

As some of you might know, I moved from Germany to the UK about a bit more than one month ago. It has been quiet a change, but I managed to settle in and will provide you with regular posts from now on!

 

Keep your eyes out for some UK-related posts in the next months! And of course some general travel posts about other places, spaces and things.

 

With winter just around the corner, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite pictures I took so far. It's taken on the island Titipan, a Carribean island near the Colombian coast.

 

Eating out in Barcelona

As you might know, I've been to Barcelona last month. I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite restuarants. I must admit, it took me a bit to discover them, but they are absolutely worth trying. The quality of the food is generally very good plus they are reasonably priced, so if you are looking for decent food without going over board with the costs they might be for you!
 

Breakfast/ Brunch

 

Vitamias'

C/. Hospital, 81 - Telefone: 933 128 855

This is a small corner café with delicious baguettes, bread rolls, croissants, little sweet treats and exceptionally good coffee. The prices are reasonable (3€ for a huge baguette + coffee) and it is situated just a few meters of La Rambla de Catalunya. Definetly love the atmosphere, because it is such a small cosy place and the two owners are very nice and friendly.

 

Lunch/Dinner
 

Organic

Junta Comerc, 11 - Telefone: 933 428 103

www.restaurantorganic.es

This is a vegetarian restaurant which cooks with organic ingredientes. A set lunch with soup, salad, main course and dessert is around 10-12€. The quality of the food is quiet good and I definetly did not miss having meat. (near La Rambla de Catalunya as well)

 

 

Maitea

Carrer de Casanova, 157 - Telefone: 934 395 107

(between CarrerParís and Carrer Córcega)

www.maitea.es

This is where you can get proper Spanish food and you won't find a lot of tourists. Definetly don't miss out on the tapas and the delicous fish dishes.

 

Bar/ Restaurant
 

Dos Trece

Calle Carme, 40 - Telefone: 933 017 067

www.dostrece.net

Love their tapas that you can order until 9pm, and their cocktails are very good as well. It is open from 10am until 3am. I definetly recommend this place if you are looking to have a nice dinner and want to stay for a good drink afterwards. The atmosphere is very nice, and the waiters were more than attentive.

Market

La Boqueria is a nice food market situated on La Rambla de Catalunya. (this is where the photos were taken!) It is good to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies, but I don't necessarily recommend it for proper eating out because there are very few places to sit. But it is definetly worth having a look at it, even though you might not be up to buying something.

By the way, apologies for the long absence. I just moved to England and it took me a while to get settled in and to get Internet around the house!

Geneva from above

Let me share with you some pictures I took when flying in trough Geneva a few weeks ago. It was a rather sunny day, so I had the chance to capture quiet a bit of the beautiful setting and scenery the city of Geneva is set within. 

 

The Alpes in the background

 

The famous Lake Geneva

If you aks me, Switzerland is definetly underrated as a holiday destination. We (me anyways) always want to go South, somewhere warm and sunny (the Carribean for example), and miss out on the beauty that is so close...

 

Ever been to Switzerland? Can you recommend it?

Lincoln

I promised to reveal where I will be moving in 5 days: Lincoln, located in England and capital of the region Lincolnshire.

Lincoln is a rather small city, with little over 80.000 inhabitants and a stunningly beautiful cathedral.

Thought I'd give you a brief overview about Lincoln now, but stay definetly tuned for the occasional update once I have settled in.

How to get there?

Unfortunately since Lincoln is rather small, there are not a lot of airlines that serve the three nearest airports: Robin Hood Airport, Humberside Airport and East Midlands Airport. You can get there fast and easily by taking a train from London's Kings Cross train station, although prices vary a lot and train tickets can get quiet expensive. The fastest connection takes little over two hours with one change in the nearby town of Newark. Taking the National Express (bus) is far less expensive but it also takes a lot longer, between 4:50 and 5:30 hours.

Sights?

The Cathedral Quarter is quiet nice and the cathedral itself of course. Apart from that, there is a castle and apparently the anual Christmas Market is said to be a highlight but since I’ve visited in August I did not have a chance to see it for myself. But I am very much looking forward to the Christmas Market this winter.

Accomodation?

For a town being so small, I was quiet surprised of how expensive accommodation is. However, there is a large variety of Bed and Breakfasts to chose from and also some upscale hotels, but a youth hostel is nowhere to be found. (prices from 40 Pounds for a double room with ensuite bathroom)

My recommendation:

If you are already near Lincoln, or very interested in catholic cathedrals it is definetly worth visition for a day. Anyways, I assume it would be a good starting point for excursions to the British countryside. I have just been there for a few days, but since I will live there fore nearly one year, be sure there will be a lot more recommentations to come!

If you are hungry, try the Italian restaurant Pomodoro e Basilico (12-13 Guildhall Street) near the Waterside Shopping Mall. It is delicious and excellent value for money, especially their lunch deals.

Where will I move?

 



The next and last set of hints about where I will be moving next week is this photograph and a set of clues:

1. It is a city located within a European country.

2. I do speak the language of my new home rather fluently. (If only you'd know what languages I speak :p)

 

This is an easy one, right? I think the picture says it all... Let me know what you think! I will reveal the name and location of my new home at the beginning of next week.

Can you guess?

I will drop some hints during this week: Can you guess where I will be moving on September 15th?

The first hint are the following two pictures:
 

 

Good luck guessing, I'm sure you won't disappoint me!

Anjuna, Goa, India

Anjuna, famous for it’s full moon parties in the 70s, is Goa's nightlife spot number one. The beach really is not that special. In fact, I did not like it at all.
 

Anjuna beach

What I liked about Anjuna was the fact that there was at least some nightlife going on, opposed to all the other places I've visited in South India. For me, it was a nice change at that time to go out for the first time in weeks. It wasn't a very big or very special party, just a bar that also had a dancefloor. (called Curly's ) Since I was there during the off-season, the party wasn't very big or very special. But I heared (try typing in “Curly's Anjuna” into Youtube) that during high-season the parties should be pretty big.

I looked very much forward to the weekly Anjuna flea market taking place every Wednesday, but upon arrival we were told that this event only takes place during high-season.

Accomodation:

In Anjuna, we stayed at two different accommodations. First at Villa Anjuna, one of the only hotels in Anjuna, which was ok but nothing to write home about. After 2 or 3 nights, we moved on to a private accommodation which is located in the backyard of a very big house next to “Chill Out”, just ring the bell and ask for their bungalows. Very good quality and reasonably priced with flatscreen TV, small kitchen area and a small terrace.

How can you reach it?

Anjuna can be reached by local transport via Mapusa when coming from the South.

Next to Anjuna are the two beaches Vagator and little Vagator, which are similar to Anjuna but without the infrastructure that makes Anjuna attractive (to me). It all depends what you are looking for really but I myself did not really like Vagator or little Vagator.

Standing right between Vagator beach and Little Vagator Beach, looking into the direction of Little Vagator
 

Little Vagator beach, you can't see it but it really is "little"

I always see people visited the posts I made but nobody ever leaves comments. I would love if you could leave a comment telling me if you like the topics I write about or if there are other topics you would be more interested in, in terms of travelling.

Palolem and Patnem, Goa, India

Let's get on with the remaining beaches of India I wanted to give you a brief overview of.
Today's topic: Palolem and Patnem.



cows at Patnem beach

These two stunning strips of sand are located directly next to each other and are just separated from each other by a formation of stones.

Palolem is a small beach town, consistent of about 2 to 3 streets. It has a variety of good restaurants and some decent accommodation possibilities.

Patnem is by far my favorite beach of all the Indian beaches I’ve seen. When I was there, during September, it was very quiet and very few people there. Though I guess this might change during high season.

Patnem

 

These two beaches are located at the Southern tip of Goa and can be reached by local transport as well as by taxi from the major Goan train stations.

What is so special about Palolem and Patnem:

Nothing really, those are just two excellent beaches with some nice beach town infrastructure provided in Palolem. I can really recommend the restaurant “Cheeky Chapatti” which serves excellent quality food. There also can be found some decent accommodation, but don’t expect anything too fancy.

Nightlife: As Goa is famous for it’s excessive parties, you might wonder about the nightlife going on in Palolem. Since I was there in low-season, there wasn’t going on anything except for one bar which was open all night. I can imagine this to change in the busy season.

I stayed at Oversee’s Travel which had quiet a good standard for a reasonable price. It is located next to Cheeky Chapatti. For a good breakfast, check out Casa Fiesta which is a bit cheaper than Cheeky Chapatti and right next door.

Palolem beach

How can you reach it?

Since Goa is the smallest of all Indian states, you can reach almost any part in 2,5 hours or less by taxi. Palolem is about 1 hour by taxi from Madgoa, one of the major train stations. You can also travel by local bus service, which takes a bit longer and is a bit less convenient but a lot cheaper.

The sea at Patnem beach

My recommendation:

If you ask me, Patnem was the most beautiful beach of all the beaches I have seen in India. Paired with the nice beach town of Palolem, it makes a great getaway to relax a few days from a tiresome journey or just enjoy the nice surf.

London

Big Ben

On my way back from Lincoln last week, I had the chance to spent two days in London.

What can I say really, London is a great city. I did not do any sightseeing this time, as I have spent several weeks in London before but it is as MUST for every traveler. It is such a vibrant, modern city and the Londoners are sights themselves. Not at last is it one of the major fashion capitals of the world. It has more to offer than would fit this post, so I will just share with you a few pictures I took while being there.

 

Westminster Abbey

By the way, I spent Monday to Friday of this week in Barcelona so stay tuned for one or two posts about this lovely Spanish metropole. 



My Apologies,

I have to postpone the series about the beaches of South India for a bit because I spontaneously traveled to England this week and forgot to take the pictures with me, of the different beaches and beach towns.

But I can offer some footage from England and Spain instead, which I will try to get up while still in England and close after I got back from Spain.

Until then, how about this beautiful beach, which is not actually a beach but a lake near from where I live.  Germany is actually quiet nice in summer… it’s the winters I dread. 

Cherai Beach - Kerala

This very long (10km) beach is located about 25km from Cochin (Kochi) on Vypin Island.

The biggest advantage, if you ask me, is it's proximity to the beautiful old colonial town of Fort Cochi, an absolute MUST SEE when visiting Kerala.

How can you reach Cherai Beach?

Take a ferry to Vypin Island, then a rickshaw to Cherai Beach. Ferrys to Vypin depart from Ernakulum and Fort Cochi. Getting from the port of Vypin to the beach takes about 40 minutes.

Honestly...

there is not that much to say about this beach. It is a fairly clean for Indian standards, you can swim, it is a nice beach. There are not (palm) trees directly on the beach, so do not forget to bring sun screen and a hat to protect yourself from the sun.

Some parts of the beach are kind of lonely, with just very few people, wheras some parts are really crowded. The crowded part is especially near the restaurants and little food stalls. Especially during festivals like Onam this is a popular place for Indian tourists. The later it gets, the more crowded. Although the beach is so long, I there were very few hotels and restaurants there. I immagine this place to get absoulutly quiet at night, don't expect any nightlife!!!

My recommendation: I recommend to stay in the beautiful colonial city of Fort Cochin (Fort Kochi) and make a day trip to Cherai beach. Fort Cochin offers all kinds of accomodation, ranging from cheap hostels to 5* hotels. Same with restaurants: some of the most fancy restaurants of Kerala are situated in Fort Chochin.

Andreas Altmann: Reise durch einen einsamen Kontinent

Let me share with you another book I can recommend! This is a real love-hate-relationship, because I really honestly love some parts of this book and I do absolutly not agree with some other parts.

First of all I'm sad I have to say that this book, until now at least, has not been translated into any other languages and therefore is just available in German. But since a fair share of my readers are German, I thought I'd post it anyway.

What I liked about the book:

It is very inspirational, easy to read and contains some interesting stories and information about Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Chile.

What I did not like:

I would have wished for a more poetic, even sophisticated language at times. Some topics or places, that in my opinion are very interesting, have been held a bit shortly. Visiting a city of 9 Million in 3 days - possible but I bet you won't be able to see everything.

Conclusion:

This is a book for all kinds of people. It is written in a rather simple language, don't expect it to enrich your life like books from some Nobel Prize winners do. It will certainly entertain you and it is definetly not boring at all!

My home town: Frankfurt am Main, Germany

I always blog about places far away from home, so today I want to share with you a picture of my home town: Frankfurt am Main/ Germany. Yesterday evening we took a boat ride along the river and I took this picture. You can see a small part of the skyline on the right.

Frankfurt is a rather small (690.000 inhabitants) but popular city. It is known world-wide because it has hosted the largest location of the German Stock Exchange for many, many years. Frankfurt International Airport is also one of the largest airports of the world, and third-largest in Europe. A lot of people just have been to the airport but did not take time to visit the city, although there are some quiet beautiful places (primarily located on the river Main).

I'm thinking about doing an extra blogpost dedicated to my home town, to provide you with some more useful information. Anyone interested in that?

The beaches of Kerala and Goa: Varkala

As previously promised, I will be posting a series about the beaches of Kerala and Goa.

I already posted a picture taken from the North Cliff of Varkala, located in the state of Kerala, in my last post but I thought I'd give you some more eye candy since this really is a beautiful strip of sand.

As always...

How can you reach it? The train station of Varkala, has several connections to other South Indian cities like Kochi, Trivandrum or Kollam. I recommend you to take a rickshaw to get from the train station to the cliff, because it is quiet a distance. (around 30 to 40 minutes to the North Cliff, South Cliff is a bit less, also depending on your walking pace). Ask the driver to bring you to the heli pad, then when facing the sea go right for the North Cliff and left for the South Cliff.

What makes it special?
One word: The atmosphere! It is a touristy place, indeed, but there of course is a reason for it. The Cliffs are just plain beautiful, and the atmosphere is very laid-back and relaxed. Varkala attracts a lot of "hippies" who just want to chill all day long, read a book and lie in their hammock.

The downside? Where there is light, there must be shadow... Especially during Monsoon Season, when you can't always go into the sea because the current is so strong, threre is not a lot to do in this small town. Of course Yoga and Arjurvedic Treatments are offered around every courner, but in my opinion they were nothing to write home about. Maybe it was just bad luck though...

Where to stay? There are all categories of places to stay, just walk around a bit and have a look about some different options. I'm sure everybody will find something suitable for his/her wallet and desired comfort. Oh and by the way, there are also some nice restaurants located on the cliff, the picture below was taken during dinner as well.

My recommendation:

I'd say Varkala is definetly a MUST! I have not seen equally picturesque scenery very often. Stay 2-3 days, relax (maybe from an exhausting train journey) and enjoy the incredible beauty of nature. If you get bored easily, there are things you can do like taking a walk to Varkala town, maybe for lunch or dinner since food is a lot cheaper and more authentic in the town.

Don't expect a lot of nightlife going on in low season, since restaurants are selling alcohol without licences and the only two bars close early.

Varkala - Kerala - India

Thought I'd give you a quick sneak peek about an upcomming post next week, which will be about the beaches of South India. The picture above is taken from the North Cliff of Varkala, a small laid-back town in the state of Kerala, India. It was taken very early in the morning, around 6 or 7am, which is the reason why it is so foggy. I will provide you with some more information about Varkala and some other beach towns in the states of Kerala and Goa around the beginning of next week, so stay tuned!

What about you? Do you like vacationing on the beach, or do you prefere to spend your vacation somewhere else? Are there any particular topics you want me to write about? Let me know in the comments below.

Sarah Macdonald: Holy Cow - An Indian Adventure

I read this book while travelling trough India last year. There are very few books I'm really impressed with and this book is not one of those. This said at the beginning...

You might wonder: Why are you writing about it then?

What I like about it:

I apreciate that this book presents the main religions that are prominent in India and gives a small insight to them. There are far more religions in India than Hinduism and Islam. Religions one might even have never heared about.

What I don't really like :

I don't really like the language used because it is written in very simple, colloquial English. I often prefere books written in a very beautiful, carefully selected language. But this is just me... The book reflects the experience of the author and is a little bit judgemental at times. (but hey, opions are always subjective)

I took this picture from amazon, click on the link to get to their website. 

The Wishlist

So, I thought I'd share with you places and/or countries I am dying to visit.

The first entry of this kind is about San Andrés/ Colombia. Since I have not visited this place yet, I do not have any own pictures that  could share with you.

Why do I want to go there? I think the video says it all, really. I expect breathtaking beauty of nature paired with the laid-back atmosphere of the Carribean. Let's hope I won't be disappointed once I get there! I found some more nice pictures online, but if you type in "San Andrés" in Google's search engine, there are thousands of pictures like those. (also on pinterest, I checked already)

Where is this small paradise located?

Although it belongs to Colombia, it is located 220km from the coast of Nicaragua.

It consists of 2 groups of islands and 8  outlaying banks and reefs.

How can it be reached?

Well, I have never been there, but I guess it can be reached via boat or plane. Although I much prefere going by plane since I find taking boats extremly boring and tiring.

How about you? Would this be a destination you might consider as well? Let me know in the comment section below!

Note:I  did not take any of the pictures in this entry myself since I have not been to San Andrés/Providencia yet! If you are the owner of one of the featured pictures, let me know and I will remove it or add the source.

Similan Islands - Thailand

I've been to Southern Thailand 4 times and seriously: This is the most beautiful place I've seen of all the beautiful places in Thailand. It is a group of 9 islands in the Phan Nga Province which were made a National Park in 1982. (Similan means 9)

Because the islands are made into a National Park, and are mainly visitable during the time of November until May (because of the strong monsun) the flora and fauna in this area is preserved like next to nowhere else.

(okok, there are some places similar to this - for example the islands of San Blas/ Panama, but that's another story)

How to reach it? You can reach it via speedboat from Kao Lack (around 70mins) or from Phuket.

What to do? Enjoying the beauty of nature, snorkeling and scuba diving, taking a swin in the pristine water and relaxing at the white beaches.

My recommendation: Stay one or two nights at one of the islands to enjoy the beauty without the relatively large amount of other tourists there. A lot of tourists are just doing day trips.

This place seriously is a small paradise. I don't think there is a lot more to say...

The Ashram Experience

Last year, during my trip trough India, I visited the Ashram of Mata Amritanandamayi, also known as Amma (which means Mother). She is one of the few female Gurus, and one of the most popular and well-known ones, even outside India.

Ashram: An Ashram is a spiritual hermitage. In the Indian languages it is usually a religious place, often for meditation.

Guru: The spiritual leader of an Ashram, in the case of the Amritapuri Ashram it is Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma).

Bhajans: Religious songs that will be chanted at special times, usually during sunset. All people staying in the Ashram are asked to participate.

Darshan: Darshan is Sanskrit and means "sight" or "vision of the divine". This means the direct contact with a Guru and can also refer to a blessing. In the case of Amma, the blessing is given via a hug.

Sadly, I am not able to post any pictures. Taking pictures in and around the Ashram is forbidden, since it is a place of spirituality. The Ashram of Amma is located next to a small fishing village, Parayakadavu, today known as Amritapuri, in Kerala, Mata Amritanandamayi's home town.

It consists of two very tall buildings that provide most of the housing to the over 3.000 people staying there every night. (I do not have any source to confirm this number! this is what the people working at the Ashram told us!)

The Ashram is located at the beautiful backwaters of Kerala between Kollam and Kochi.

How to reach it? You can reach it with the ferry boat leaving once daily from Allepey to Kollam and the other way round. The boat ride takes about 6 hours from Alleppey and 2 from Kollam.

You can also take a bus from Kollam to Alleppey and get off at Parayakadavu/ Amritapuri. This is a lot faster and just takes around 3 hours from Alleppey and 4 from Kollam.

What to expect? I was honestly impressed by the whole atmosphere. Although I am not at all a religious person I was touched by the ceremony surrounding the Darshan. I got blessed from Amma myself, but I did not experience anything special during the blessing (which was only about 20 or 30 seconds). There are really a lot of people in the Ashram. For about 3€ you can sleep there and they provide 3 basic meals a day. You are, however, asked to participate in voluntary service.

Dresscode: Yes, there is, of course, a special dresscode for spiritual places like this one.The monks and nuns of Amma are dressed entirely in white, whereas the people who are just visiting for a short time wear their usual cloths. Women should cover their body appropriately, including the shoulders and calves, which means first of all no tight clothes. The head, however, is not needed to be covered.

As much as I loved the Ashram, I am also critical and a bit suspicious. There are a lot of rules the "children" of Amma should follow, which also include turning aways from critics of Amma and people who do not live according to Amma's rules, including their friends and family. Of course, things like Alcohol, chily and garlic are also a no-go for Amma's spiritual children, as is speaking for the pleasure of speaking. The voice should only be used for the Bhajans and chanting mantras.

I liked the experience, but I do not think I will ever visit Amma's Ashram again because I do not think that her rules are reasonable. To me, it even looks similar to a sect, at least in some ways.  

But I think it is a truly special experience that should not be missed out!

By the way, I booked my next trip a few weeks ago! I will spent a few days in Barcelona, Spain.

And comming september, I will also leave Germany to live elsewhere. So stay tuned!

Sunset at Bogmalo Beach

Hey guys,

so today I've got a small piece of eye candy for you. This picture was taken at Bogmalo beach in Goa/ India. Some things are best described without words, so I guess there is nothing more to say about it... However, if you might have a question nontheless - do not hesitate to contact me!

Cartagena de Indias

I promised to share the secret about the most beautiful city I have been to with you. So here we go!
It is the incredibly beautiful City of Cartagena de Indias, located on the Carribean coast of Colombia in the Departamento de Bolívar.

This is what the streets in Santo Domingo (part of the Old City of Cartagena) look like

Barrio Getsemaní

How can you reach Cartagena? Cartagena has an international airport with flights hourly flights to and from Bogotá. There are also connections to mayor Latin-American and US-American destinations. There are also bus connections to a large variety of Colombian cities and to Maracaibo (Venezuela).

What is so special about Cartagena? It is the mixture that makes this city special.The beautiful colonial Ciudad Amurallada (The Walled City), the city's Carribean beaches and the modern districts of Boca Grande and Laguito paired with the fascinating Colombian culture and hospitality makes Cartagena, at least for me, to one of the most beautiful places on earth.

What is there to do? First of all, the Walled City of Cartagena is the biggest and most impressive sight. There is also a castle (Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas) and some convents to visit. For example the Convento de la Popa, located on a hill overlooking the city. Do not miss to have a look at the monument of La India Catalina, situated at the entrance of the city comming from Manga.
Apart from the sights, there is a lot to do in Cartagena, like hanging out at one of the city's beaches, shopping in one of the malls or going to the cinema. I highly recommend a night out. Cartagena is said to be THE domicile for the rich and famous of Colombia and there sure is a lot to see.
Famous Colombians like Juanes (musician), Shakira (musician) and Gabriel García Marquez (Nobel Price in Literature winner 1982) have houses in Cartagena.

There are also some very interesting places to visit near Cartagena, but this will make another blogpost.
I spent two whole months doing an internship in Cartagena, so if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me!

My favorite... city



Do you want to know where to find this gemstone of a city?
I will give you a little hint: it is a city of millions and it has a lot more faces than the pictures above might suggest. A post abot the most beautiful city I have been to is going to follow soon.

Hampi - Holy Town

Of all the places in India I have been too, this might be my favorite one. The holy town of Hampi is located in the state of Karnataka, South West India. It is a holy place with a truly unique atmosphere and an amazing landcape. Seriously, the pictures do not do this place justice.

How to reach it?

Take a train to Hosped, then a taxi or rikshaw to Hampi which is about 12 km.
What to keep in mind?
It is a holy town, so smoking, alcohol and any kind of meat (even chicken etc.) is forbidden. Restaurants do not offer alcohol or meat for that reason. Apart from that, just the usal things like dressing appropriately when visiting the ruins (a lot of them are temples).
Some extra information:
Hampi was the capital of Vijayanagar, the last big Hindi Empire and is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight since 1986. Because it is situated at the riverside (Tungabhadra River) there can be a lot of mosquitos, which CAN transmit Malaria so be sure to protect yourself.
Definetly bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen! The sun is very strong and temperatures of 40°C are nothing special.
How long to stay?
I recommend at least 3 days, more if possible. The ruins are distributed over 26 m², so you will definetly need more than one day. You can do a tour, or rent a scooter but I recommend walking or renting bisicles because that way you can enjoy the beautiful scenery a lot better. (just my opinion of course!)

What about you? Ever been to India? Are you planning a trip to India?