A Packed Day

It was a busy day today. I finally had a good nights sleep. I seem to be recuperating from the smog in Kathmandu. The bed is so comfortable compared to the normal Nepali beds.

We had a major sightseeing day. Bhutan is beautiful, but full of tourists. I guess I had assumed that there would not be a lot of tourists and was I ever wrong. I am trying to beat the big tourist bus so I can enjoy the scenery.

Interesting facts about Bhutan: Since the population is all Buddhist, they have little theft and really no killings. There is a speed limit, but there is no police monitoring it because everyone follows it. I guess we could learn something from the Bhutan society.

We started out at a beautiful old monastery. Apparently you can roll the dice to see if you are lucky. I hit 13, which is very lucky and happens to be my lucky number. What a great start to the day.

In each monastery they have you take some healing water. You drink some and put the rest over your head. It is to heal you inside and out. I think I am starting to feel better and I am assuming the water is healing me.

After we left there we visited a nunnery. The girls were practicing their Mantras. The Mantras are very long and most monks or nuns know them by heart. They were printing mantras on handmade paper on to but in the statues.

Next we visited a paper mill, a textile museum, market, and an art school. The art school is amazing. The kids learn painting, sculpture, embroidery, woodwork, etc. We were able to visit all the classrooms.

The market was something to see. I bought pepper (red and black) and incense. The incense is sold in large bags because they put it in their special fireplace. The produce was amazing. The only non-vegetable was dried fish, although many eat meat.

Prices in general are much higher than Nepal. I doubt that I will be buying too much, but I do hope to get some weaving.

All this sightseeing was before lunch!!!

After lunch we went out to one of the oldest monasteries up in the hillside. It was a steep one-hour walk up, but worth the effort. There are about 30 select monks that live and go to school up there. The area is very holy. You can see caves in the hillside where the monks meditate. You can see all of Thimphu from the top.

I was lucky and caught an archery contest when I returned. The prince was in the competition. I finally realized that all these pictures around town are not models for a certain product; they are the King and Queen. A really good looking couple.

Last and definitely not least was my massage. Two women worked on me at the same time. I guess it would be a guys dream. They used this great lotion. When they were done, they sent me to the sauna, steam room, and shower. It was one of the best overall massages I have had. Not deep tissue, but definitely relaxing.

Tonight is hair night. Definitely see the grey. It is real easy to do it myself, especially since I have light.

I will sleep like a baby tonight.

Namaste, Paula