Friday, February 15, 2013

Catching Up???



Internet scarcity has prevented postings lately. Maybe one day I will catch up. Looks like no photos for a while. Hey, I think I got one to load!

            During our final weekend in Thimphu the Sunday was the no car day for the month. Quite a treat to wander the streets normally choked with traffic and enjoy the idle of the street while watching an impromptu badminton match or a bit of soccer. Orientation wound up with a few last sessions, including travel details and the all important work permit.
            We loaded up a couple of borrowed school buses with everyone’s households. Looking a bit like refugees we headed for Punakah via Docho La which is the 10,000 foot pass between Thimphu and Punakah. The stop on the summit allowed us time to circle the 108 Stupas which were built to atone for a military action which the Bhutanese King felt he was pressured into undertaking. A rather different take on how the victors might normally commemorate a military success. Atop the pass the sky was blue and the Himalayan peaks along the Tibetan border were a spectacle worth enjoying for a little while.
            The trip down from the pass is long, windy, and bumpy dropping from over 10,000’ to below 3,000’. A few flowers, some green in some of the terraced fields, and a warmth to the air which seems foreign to February greets us as we unload for the day.


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