Carrie and I spent a week living at the Arba Mistika guesthouse in Hampi, India, next to a giant teepee that some travelers slept in.

Arba Mistika Guesthouse - Hampi, India
A full moon lights up the hippie hangout teepee at the Arba Mistika Guesthouse in Hampi, India

On the night of the full moon, a giant drum circle and bonfire happened just outside it.An excerpt from Making a Home in Hampi in Front of a Tee-Pee:

Essentially two towns in one, the Hampi Bazaar area is a bustling tourist area with temples, countless overpriced hotels and shops and the feel of a large city. Most visitors stay here and are in and out in a day. The more adventurous, and those with more time, take a three minute boat ride across the river to Hampi Island, which is a tranquil and laid back sub-community with only one dirt street.

The island is filled with rice patties, rivers, lakes, hiking, restaurants, guesthouses, Internet cafes, little shops selling only essentials and tons of hippies…mostly Israeli. No one is in a rush, everyone gets along and the entire island has a great vibe.

 

A full moon drum circle at the Arba Mistika Guesthouse in Hampi, India
A full moon drum circle at the Arba Mistika Guesthouse in Hampi, India

 

The teepee at Arba Mistika in Hampi, India
The teepee at Arba Mistika in Hampi, India

 

Hippies hanging out in Hampi, India
Hippies hanging out in Hampi, India

To continue the story, I turn to another excerpt. This one is from Hangin’ With the Hippie Community in Hampi

Music, jam sessions and drum circles are also an integral part of the hippie culture. Most restaurants have some sort of instruments laying around that are often picked up and played by random patrons. Some times this leads to a collection of people playing, sometimes not. Once in a while a place will plan and advertise a formal jam session, but for the most part they are spontaneous and break out at random times.

One night, during a full moon, about 30 hippies convened on the tepee outside our room and we were treated to a massive drum circle complete with flutes, digaridoos and guitars that lasted well into the am hours.

 

A light trail from a headlamp outside the Arba Mistika teepee
A light trail from a headlamp outside the Arba Mistika teepee

Finally, a video of the drum circle outside the Arba Mistika guesthouse in Hampi, India.