A few notes still about yesterday:
FARMHOUSE VISIT JAN. 13
At the farmhouse, only two women, sisters-in-laws, lived as children had all moved to the cities. When asked who would inherit the farm, she said a niece. Not many want to farm any more. It’s a concern because they have to import a lot of food already to feet the 700,000 Bhutanese.
She served us butter tea and then arak, a strong alcoholic drink from fermented rice or wheat. I just took a sip - I’m not much for hard liquor. We also had a “rice krispies” he called it - puffed up kernels of rice. One whole room on the farm was an altar room where only distinguished guests would sleep. The other guest room people would just throw down a pad and sleep wherever they could find floor space.
I asked the woman how old she was - 73. She was chewing a red beetle nut that left her teeth all red.
Met some young girls today on the bridge and they wanted a picture with me. They TOO had red teeth. Most unattractive! I don't know if it's like chewing tobacco or what, as far as a chemical effect.
At the nunnery we visited, student nuns study for 9-10 years memorizing prayer books and learning the rituals and instruments. They were very shy about playing the instruments. Lee makes and plays flutes so he tried the long flute inside the temple. Mick was able to get a sound out of the conch shell. The nuns watching us were giggling. Finally a couple of them played a few sounds for us. We got 4 of them to pose outside the temple for us.
BACK TO TODAY, JAN. 14
We are doing a long drive back to Paro, where we arrived at the airport a few days ago. So we are driving back over the pass where I got those beautiful shots of the Himalayan peaks on the way over. Today the sky is full of clouds so were very glad we already got pictures. Also there is snow and as we came to a short, shadowed, icy curve one of the cars had spun out and hit a truck, crossing the road. By the time we arrived, they were waiting for the police before they could move anything and there was a long line both directions stopped. We maybe waited 1/2 an hour and only the little cars were squeezing through. Then trucks started to make it but C Ring was afraid we didn’t have enough clearance. We all got out and walked past and then our driver Nima made it around the truck. We were on our way.
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| Everyone checking out accident - small car spun on the ice; hit a truck |
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| When we first arrived. |
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| Bridge over river in Paro |
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| Finally got a picture of the beautifully decorated trucks! |
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| These Indians had to get off their bus and walk past the accident while their bus maneuvered around. |
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| Heated floors in an awesome bath! |
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| Village Lodge room! Love having a room all to myself at night, with no extra single supplement! |
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| National Museum entrance |
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| Barbara and rest of group walking around accident. Nima in white van is a great driver! |
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| Old fort and temple that's been restored. |
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| Paro Valley from the fort |
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| Stone piles outside fort, to scare away the snake spirits!! Think I'll do that in MY gardens! |
Our stop at the pass was a quick pee, no tea! We have a full schedule of visits when we get to Paro. I still want to get the 108 beads (looks like a rosary), and some prayer flags, white ones to put by Mom and Dad in my garden and some other colored ones.
Had a long day driving back to Paro (where airport is), over the mountain pass, getting stopped maybe an hour for an accident where snow and ice were (NOT us! a little car and truck) and a couple of other waits for construction. They are widening the only mountain pass road.
Tomorrow is the real test! We'll be hiking up around 10,000 ft. to Tiger's Nest monastery on a cliff. We have options. We can stay in the hotel, we can hike up 90 minutes (I have two walking sticks to help) to the cafeteria and wait there for the rest and read a book, see the Nest across the valley, or continue up another 45 minutes to a lookout point that actually looks DOWN on the Next, or hike down 485 steps and then up 300+ to get to the actual Nest and temple. And then do the whole thing in reverse. It's a 5 or 6 hour event!! I'll judge what to do when I get there and how the altitude affects me. I have been taking the altitude tablets so I'm hopeful I can do it. And we've been doing quite a bit of walking so we'll see. ONly one person, Mick, is taking the option horse ride up for the first 90 minutes. But they said if you have vertigo issues, the horses go close to the edge so I'd rather stay on my own feet! :) Wish me luck!!
Barking dogs: I forgot to mention all the dogs here that are just wandering. They sleep in the sun all day, curled up. Then they bark and roam all night. Everyone feeds them; no one owns them. They look very healthy and if they have a clipped ear, they are a male that has been neutered (cheaper than spaying).
In Paro this afternoon we also visited the National Museum
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