Palm trees, massive rice paddies, huge lakes and an extensive network of canals.  Since my arrival, local Indians suggesting travel destinations have consistently asked, "Have you been to Kerala?"  Finally, I can say, "YES!"  And now I know why - what a wonderfully relaxing place!  Matt, Casey, Kiran and I all rented a traditional houseboat and cruised what is known as the "Kerala Backwaters" for a couple of days, then spent Sunday afternoon checking out Kerala's capital Cochin.

Over the weekend, I took just over 700 photos.  I deleted many, and have uploaded 619 in Flickr.  Below is a link for my set titled "Kerala." 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevesoutherland/sets/72157594204397696

I hope you enjoy!

The other morning, I was walking through my living room when I saw what I thought was a cat run along the wall at the back of my garden.  After looking harder, I saw MONKEYS!  I ran and grabbed my camera and stood at my glass back door in my underwear and took pictures of monkeys for about 20 minutes.  I added them to flickr...

Lisa came to India!  Of course, it was great to see her, and we had a great time!  While here, we went to Hampi, Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.  She brought an incredible amount of stuff - I didn't know one could fit so much into two suitcases.  And, she was pretty much a trooper through the hot weather and Indian cultural differences.

Hampi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi).  You'll notice on the Wikipedia page the LONG list of "Important Sites at and Near Hampi."  The place was fantastic - Ruins from the 14th-17th centuries.  Hampi was the home of hundreds and hundreds of temples, and at one time was the richest kingdom in India.  In some of the photos, you'll see a line of little shops outside a temple, selling water, little toys, souvenirs, etc.  600 years ago, in that same stretch of shops, was a bazaar selling precious gems, gold, silver, bronze, etc.  Around 500 years ago, Hampi was invaded by a Muslim ruler who sacked and destroyed most of the Hindu temples.  Much of the gods/statues were destroyed or damaged.  Once a god/statue is damaged, it is no longer fit for worship, so, as a tourist, I'm allowed to walk around with my shoes on and take pictures inside the sanctums.  After the invasion, Hampi was abandoned and left to slowly disintegrate.  Over time, local villagers and farmers have used some of the stone to build other things, or used the temples as shelter.  Only recently has Hampi been recognized as an important historical location, but still, the Indian archeological organizations have neglected much of what's left.  There are, however, some sites that are quite well preserved and groomed.  Actually, some of the damage was repaired by archeological organizations, but that was stopped by a movement of those who want Hampi to remain as it is today, the damage evident.

We had a fantastic guide, a brilliant authority on Hampi, having studied Hindu theology, the history of Hampi, and the historical literature of Kannada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kannada).  I am posting around 380 pictures to flickr.  I hope you enjoy them.

I added new pics to my Flickr.  Yahoo! and Progeon celebrated the 2-year anniversary of the business.  My boss's boss, David Lasky, came to India to help with the festivities.  I took a bunch of pics at the party (and somehow avoiding being the obnoxious camera guy).  It was a great time!