ODDS and ENDINGS

Time to say good bye to our almost year and a half sojourn in The Kingdom of Bhutan.
Is it shangri-la?  Well, no.
Is it a most wonderful place? Absolutely.
But if you've been reading these blogs, then I don't need to tell you that.

Here are some scattered pictures and stories that I thought you might enjoy.

Here is the view from our balcony in the Punakha valley.  I came here to do some health care training to the staff of this 5 star resort.  I still can't quite believe they pay me to do this.  It's rainy season and the river is white foam.

There is every imaginable shade of green in the rice paddies and on the mountainside.

Two very happy campers---not roughing it at all!

And just in case you get tired of ALL

THAT green, why there is a golden temple on the hill side!

Or just another beautiful dzong...

Of course, rainy reason also means rock slide season...

We hope the Bhutanese version of fuzzy dice will protect us!

And it's a time to say good-bye to new friends.

Rick's IT department took us out to dinner at a place called The Yak.

Glad to report there was not a single yak there, unless you count the stuffed ones in the front window.

They are a fun bunch.  I will miss being called Madame Phyllis.

Afterward, they insisted on karaoke, and who are we to say NO to making fools of ourselves? 

 The odd part was that 1/3 of the songs were in Dzonka (duh), another third in Hindi(and they all knew the words) and finally the English songs were all pop culture that we had never heard.  We finally found an Elvis song, and lowered the bar as low as it would go.

You may remember that I once told you that driving was the most difficult thing I have done here.

There are NO traffic lights in this country and only a handful of cross walks.  But I do

love this sign for one--the man is wearing his traditional national costume!

Not that anyone pays any attention to the sign or the crosswalk!

I loved having a car---but maybe I should have done more of this:

There is an average of 7 curves in the road per kilometer here.  Not a place for the car sick.

But it also means that almost every curve presents an OMG moment.

Take for example, this one:

This is Dobji Monastery---not a tourist destination, not famous---but what a view!

Our 14 y/o Monk/guide.

 One last road sign picture:

Does this mean that you can speed if you're single??

It is the Indian Army that develops the roads in Bhutan.  The job is herculean--but they do have a sense of humor. Some other signs I remember:

Better to be Mister Late, than late Mister.
Be gentle on my curves.
Watch out for shooting stones. (landslides!)
Take Whisky, drive Risky.
This is a roadway, not a runway.

So, it's good bye the Land of the Thunder Dragon and hello to The Land of Enchantment.

(It will be wonderful to get back to the Land of Good Peanut Butter.)

But mostly, it will be more than great to see many of you again!

We've missed you.

Tashi Delek and love to all,

Phyllis and Rick