 Cathy Briner's Journal
copyrighted by Cathy Briner, June 2001
Briner Journals
176 Thomason Lane
Eugene, OR 97404
541-689-1833
Part IV:
Paro, National Museum, Chomolhari, Drukgel Dzong, Taktsang Lhakhang, Dungtse Lhakhang, Paro Dzong, Key people in Bhutan's history, Images of Bhutan, Bhutan Quotes
Songs with familiar tunes and Bhutanese-inspired lyrics
(17)Wednesday, May 2 (cloudy early, then sunny)
Awoke sad that this would be our last full day in Bhutan. Ate standard buffet breakfast at the hotel; learned that Anne had gotten locked in the bar the night before with another guest of the hotel watching CNN on TV!
On the way to our first stop of the day, the clouds dispersed & we could clearly see, against a beautiful sky-blue background, snowy Jhomolhari ("Holy Mountain," also spelled Chomolhari), the second-largest mountain (24,000 feet) & the most sacred in Bhutan! Sonam told us how lucky we were because even the locals rarely see it at this time of year. When Bhutan was first opened to tourism in 1974, climbers were allowed to climb this & Jichu Drakey & a few other mountains, but after a series of floods that year, the farmers, who believed the deities who dwell in the mountains were offended, appealed to the National Assembly & King who then closed the mountains to climbing (designated tourist treks led by Bhutanese guides are allowed in the foothills & lower mountains; the most popular one starts from Paro & goes to Thimphu, using horses & then yaks at higher elevations). We also learned that May 2 was indeed an auspicious day because it is a double holiday (with no school), celebrating the Shabdrung's birthday & the anniversary of the birth of the third King (who was known as "the Father of the Modern Nation" for his farsightedness, starting schools, building roads, etc.).
Stopped for pictures of Drukgel Dzong from a distance, with the mountains as background; this dzong was built in 1649 (its name means "Fortress of the Victorious Drukpas"); of the 12 major battles fought between the Tibetans & the Bhutanese, 3 of them were fought here; the Tibetans wanted to destroy the Shabdrung (who was away meditating in a monastery), but his 2 lieutenants led the Bhutanese army & won, so the Shabdrung ordered that this dzong be built to commemorate the victory; it was designed very strategically with a false entrance; when the Tibetan army came back a second time, the Bhutanese pretended to be scared & ran through the false door, so that when the Tibetans followed, they were trapped in a closed courtyard; in the 1950's, a butter lamp fell & the resulting fire ruined the dzong; a roof was placed over the ruins in the 1980's for protection; Cathy compared the ruins with a picture of what it once looked like in a 1914 National Geographic.
Driving on the road, passed several women carrying on their backs large baskets of manure to be used for fertilizer in the fields; Sonam told us that it was lucky for us that we were on the bus, because it is a Bhutanese custom that a passerby must give a manure carrier money or risk having manure dumped on his or her head!
Proceeded to hike the steep trail up to the Taktsang Teahouse in order to view the Taktsang Lhakhang (otherwise known as "the Tiger's Lair"), a 13-temple complex, which clings to a rocky ledge overhanging the valley 2600 feet below, that is one of the most venerated pilgrimage sites in the Himalayan world; it is now being rebuilt after a terrible fire in 1998 all but destroyed it. This site got its name from the time in the 8th century that Guru Rinpoche had flown to Taktsang on a tiger's back (his consort); he meditated there in a cave for 3 months & then took his teachings from there to Tibet; subsequently, Milarepa, the Shabdrung & other saints came to Taktsang to meditate (one of the other most sacred sites in Bhutan is Singye ("snow lion") Dzong in Sonam's village where Guru Rinpoche's consort achieved enlightenment). After reaching the Teahouse, enjoyed the extraordinary views it afforded of the temples (originally dating from the 1600's) across the gorge & the surrounding mountains, feeling the effort to climb up the trail had been well worth it; were also amazed to witness a rainbow halo around the sun which most of us had never seen before (which seemed especially auspicious to us at this amazing place!); enjoyed tea & ate lunch (red rice, noodles, potatoes in cheese sauce, moss & cheese, peppers & eggplant, with cookies for dessert). Cathy bought a brass tsa-tsa mold which is used to make small chorten-like cones of cremated ashes to place in caves & around chortens. Hiked back down, surprised all the way at how steep the trail was; along the trail, Sonam told us about the piles of stones adorned with flowers that we saw which is a custom of the Bhutanese when they reach a pass; picked up litter (mostly wrappers from Indian-made candies) along the trail as our contribution to the Bhutanese environment.
Returned to the hotel for showers & repacking. Met in the hotel's open-air courtyard for a get-together around a farewell bonfire which was lovely under the moonlight; Sonam told us that the bonfire is reminiscent of the Bhutanese custom of the family gathering around the kitchen fire. Delighted to see Bette, Mary Lou & Judy in their new kira finery. It was announced that the "injured" wing of Druk Air's airplane had been repaired & was likely to fly the following day, an announcement that was met with joyful relief by those who needed to get home & with regret by those who weren't ready to leave. Sonam then recounted the other auspicious events of the day: Shabdrung's birthday, Jhomolhari being visible to us, & seeing the unusual halo around the sun at Taktsang, a place most sacred to Guru Rinpoche.
Bobbye, Carol & Mary Lou started out the evening's entertainment, by unveiling their ideas for familiar tunes with Bhutanese-inspired lyrics such as:
"Chorten along together"
"Dzing a dzong of 6 nu's, a pocket full of incense, 4 & 20 ravens sitting on a fence." "They call me etho metho."
"Bhutan your old gray bonnet."
"Temple bells, temple bells, it's Buddhist time in the village."
"With a dzong in my heart, I behold the children's faces."
"Yakety yak...."
"Himalayan Mountain High"
They also sang the song, "The Women of Blyth," which went as follows:
"Give me some women
Who are Blyth-hearted women
And we'll delight in Druk Yul evermore.
Give me Sonam
Along with Pema & Chozang."
They then led the group in singing several "new" songs, as follows:
("Without A Dzong")
"Without a dzong, the day would never end.
Without a dzong, how could the highway bend?
When things go wrong, Sonam is our best friend,
So sing a song!"
(to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad")
"We will travel back to Oregon
With memories of Bhutan.
Of monks & faces of sweet children
And love for our Sonam.
Of jokes & fun we've had with Pema
Safe traveling with Chozang.
Of spiritual enlightenment
Our hearts are in Bhutan."
(to the tune of "Funiculi, Funicula")
"Some think the world is made for fun & frolic....Wah-hah! Wah-hah!
But Sonam says to travel roads Bhutanic....Wah-hah! Wah-hah!
We love to visit all the monasteries....Wah-hah! Wah-hah!
And Pema makes us guess how many berries....Wah-hah! Wah-hah!
Harken, harken....here's a narrow curve
Harken, harken....Chozang has to serve....Wah-hah! Wah-hah!
Himalayan travel we know ain't for the weak....Wah-hah! Wah-hah!"
In response to our songs, Sonam, Pema, Chozang & Tenzin (labeled "The
Bhutanese Boys," by Cathy) sang 2 beautiful songs for us in Bhutanese, the
partial words of which follow (approximately); the first song is sung
between a lama & a lady:
"Lady, you have a beautiful body that is as thin as a tree on the mountain.
With such beauty, you cannot practice [Buddhism].
Whatever my body is, it's not my fault, it's the result of my karma.
Please give me your teaching.
Lady, you have a beautiful face that is as fair as the moon.
With such beauty, you cannot practice.
Whatever my face is, it's not my fault, it's the result of my karma.
Please give me your teaching."
the second song was a classical Bhutanese love song:
"Snow falls on the highest mountain.
Without the mountain, the snow has no place to fall.
The fish swims in the river.
Without the river, the fish has no place to swim.
The bird lands on the tree.
Without the tree, the bird has no place to land.
My heart has fallen for you.
Without you, my heart has no place to be."
Blyth made a farewell speech on behalf of the group & presented tokens of our appreciation to Sonam, Pema, Chozang & Tenzin. Then Judy presented a Bhutanese brooch as a gift from the group to Blyth, who had made it possible- for us to travel to Bhutan, & said that no one was going home untouched by the experience. She also thanked Cathy on behalf of the group for keeping the trip journal. Susan then conveyed Sedate's regards in her absence. We all sang the song "Make New Friends, But Keep the Old," as a fitting finale.
Then retired to the hotel dining room for dinner (red rice, noodles, Mongolian fish balls, Indian pork with radishes, asparagus in cheese sauce that was incredibly spicy hot, eggplant in garlic sauce, & bananas in custard for dessert). Went to bed very tired after an exhilarating day.
(18)Thursday, May 3 (partly cloudy)
Ate our last breakfast in Bhutan at the hotel buffet, enjoying the magnificent views of the Paro Valley from the hotel's large picture window.
Heading out for the day, passed a teacher training college where students were busily loading up special prayer books (the 100 volumes of Kanjur, the original teachings of Buddha) on their backs to return them to the dzong, thereby gaining merit; someone was blowing a conch shell, which Sonam told us is the symbol of Buddha's voice.
Stopped briefly for pictures of Dungtse Lhakhang ("the Temple of the Iron Bridge Builder"), built in 1421 by Thangtong Gyalpo (1385-1464), a Nyingma lama from Tibet, who is known as "the Iron Bridge Builder," in the shape of a chorten (the only 1 of its kind); the unusual pointed temple roof supposedly came flying from Tibet & landed on the top, so the Iron Bridge Builder secured it with iron chains (which we could see) so it could not fly back to Tibet! Learned that the Iron Bridge Builder had traveled from Tibet to Bhutan looking for iron ore; he found that this valley was being terrorized by a demoness so he constructed this temple to nail her down. His statues show him with a shirtless body & wearing a wrapped skirt, with his hair in knots on his head & with a long beard (although not as long as the Shabdrung's). He was a terton (treasure finder) like Pema Lingpa. He had a mission to build 108 bridges which he accomplished, introducing the design of suspension bridges out of iron chains; he built 8 bridges in Bhutan, but only 1 survives--in the Trashigang area (his most famous bridge is in Tibet). He also cast saints out of iron & he built chortens. He composed many of the songs that people sing even today in the fields or while building houses.
Returned to the Ta Dzong (the ancient watchtower over the Paro Dzong) & toured the National Museum which is housed within, where we walked around in a clockwise fashion as the building is considered holy due to the sacred religious relics within; saw prehistoric finds on the first floor exhibit called the "Dawn of Bhutan," followed by exhibits on the medieval period (11-15th centuries) on the second floor; saw a statue of the Iron Bridge Builder & some huge chains from a bridge he built that had lasted until 1968; also saw a vajra (thunderbolt) that was used by Pema Lingpa; finally got clear on the 4 Direction deities which we had seen pictured at all the temples & how to tell them apart by the items they carry (East: mandolin, West: chorten & a snake, South: sword, & North: mongoose & jewel, which is also the Buddha of Wish Fulfilling); also saw statues of the 16 chief apostles of Buddha (arhats). On the third floor, especially enjoyed the philatelic gallery, where all the unique postage stamps of Bhutan were displayed. Entered the Tshogshing Lhakhang (temple) within the museum where Sonam explained the 4-sided central altar which was shaped like a giant lotus tree (the lotus representing the body of Buddha growing up & out of the mind), with each side denoting 1 of the 4 different sects of Himalayan Buddhism: Sakya, Nyingma (Guru Rinpoche's sect), Gelug (the Dalai Lama's Yellow Hats sect), & Drukpa Kagyu, with both Nyingma & Kagyu being considered Tantric forms; each side had the required 7 bowls of holy water & 1 or more butter lamps in front; saw statues of the Shabdrung & the poet/composer Milarepa, who is represented with his hand on his cheek. Also entered the Namse Lhakhang (temple) which had beautiful slate carvings; Sonam pointed out Amitayos (the Buddha of Eternal Life), Avalokitesvara (the Bodhisattva of Compassion), Vajrapani (the Bodhisattva who embodies the might & power of all the Buddhas), & the 21 manifestations of Green Tara. Saw a collection of gorgeous brass & copper teapots & lamps, a flag of Bhutan that was carried to the Moon & back by the crew of the Apollo 11 when they made their manned lunar landing, collections of various amulets & jewelry, bowls & cups, musical instruments, & s & textiles (we could now pick out some of the patterns like the endless knot & the tree). In the natural history section, saw many stuffed representations of animals that live (or lived) in Bhutan, including the rare snow leopard, great hornbills, crocodile, golden takin, guar, barking deer, water buffalo, shaw (now extinct), gharial, & a display of mounted butterflies. Glad we had seen this museum at the end of the trip when we could better identify personages & make connections with what we had seen.
Visited the perfectly symmetrical Paro Dzong (also known as the Rimpung Dzong, which means "heap of jewels") where we were allowed to take pictures in the courtyard, much to our delight as we had not been allowed to do so in the previously visited dzongs; in the temple, saw & listened to monk novices learning their prayers by heart (with Mary Lou commenting on the changing of their boy voices); were enchanted with the beautiful thangkas around the walls (some of which had jewels & beads incorporated into them giving a 3-D effect), all of which had been made by monks; learned that there is a special & very large thangka, called a thondrol, which is unveiled at the annual tsechu festival here; considered the most beautiful one in Bhutan, it is believed that one gets elevated & earns merit just from seeing it.
Some members of the group walked with Sonam down the hill from the dzong to & across the so-called "Little Buddha Bridge" (because the movie "Little Buddha" was filmed here), encountering a group of women carrying empty manure baskets on their backs (they demanded payment from Sonam even though their baskets were empty, so he laughingly paid up) & an old man who showed us his betel nut paraphernalia. After passing the Ugyen Pelri Palace (which was built in the early 1900's & is where the late King spent a lot of time & where the current King stays when he is in Paro), walked through the town of Paro to buy a few last-minute souvenirs; Cathy bought some miniature hand-woven baskets & a small bowl made from etho metho wood (Sonam told us that when you give a container as a gift to someone, you must put something in it or otherwise it is considered inauspicious). Returned to the hotel for lunch (rice, sliced pork, tofu in curry sauce, mixed vegetables, potatoes with cheese, delicious nan bread, & watermelon & papaya for dessert) & final packing.
While driving to the airport, Cathy spied one of the distinctive decorated & tinseled Bhutanese trucks that she had just commented she hadn't yet photographed, so she stuck her head out the window & put up her hand & amazingly the driver stopped long enough for her to get a picture. At the airport, Sonam, Pema, Chozang & Tenzin took care of all the luggage & check-in responsibilities, while we shopped in the giftshop & hung out in the coffeeshop drinking Cokes, nervously waiting to find out if any of our bags were over the 44-pound weight limit. Cathy noted a sign behind the counter indicating a suggested 5-kilogram (11 pounds) limit for carry-on luggage which was a joke as most members of the group were carrying on amounts closer to the limit for checked luggage! Tearfully bade farewell to Sonam, Chozang, Tenzin & Pema at the last checkpoint, & in unison, yelled a final "wah-hah" for Pema.
Boarded the plane, noting that the Crown Prince was also on board (in first class) on his way back to school in Oxford; leaving at about 4:50 pm, flew Druk Air to Bangkok with a brief stop in Calcutta; were served drinks & sweets on the first leg & a dinner of fish, rice & vegetables on the second leg; Blyth arranged for Carol to enter the cockpit while enroute!
Arrived in Bangkok at about 10:30 pm, & after clearing immigration & customs & picking up our luggage, crossed the overpass & returned to the Amari Airport Hotel; before going to bed, Cathy clumsily tripped in the bathroom, slamming her head & right wrist into the closet door & wall, but felt she would be okay; slept briefly (about 4 hours) despite the loud noise & lightning of a terrific thunderstorm outside.
(19)Friday, May 4 (the longest day on record!)
Had to get up at 4:30 am to check out & walk over to the airport for our 7:25 am flight; bought caffeine & ate a light breakfast at KFC which was the only place we could find nearby; flew United for 5* hours from Bangkok to Tokyo, with a spinach & cheese omelette enroute, as well as 2 movies ("The Legend of Bagger Vance" & "Antitrust," both bad). Bade farewell to Susan (who was flying on to San Francisco) at Narita Airport, walked around & had snacks & drinks during the 3-hour layover; chuckled to see Carol mistakenly enter the men's bathroom! All stretched out on the United flight (8* hours) from Tokyo to Seattle as the plane was not very full, & most slept; dinner was beef, potatoes & peas, & the movie was "State & Main"(also bad); before landing, were served a light breakfast & arrived in Seattle at 10:30 am. After clearing customs, bade farewell to Joan (who was flying to Portland), & to Carol & Blyth (who were staying in Seattle). After a 2*-hour layover in Seattle, flew United to Eugene, arriving at the airport about 2:30 pm, tired & extremely happy after our most auspicious & splendid trip to Bhutan, agreeing wholeheartedly with George Bogle, a British visitor to Bhutan in the 18th century, who said: "The more I see of the Bhutanese, the more I am pleased with them," AND with modern author Barbara Crossette who said: "This is still one of the world's most appealing civilizations."
KEY PEOPLE IN BHUTAN'S HISTORY
Bhutan is a magical place & sometimes the line between fact & fiction gets a bit blurred. The natural & the mythic worlds exist side by side as easy neighbors. (Harry Marshall, producer of the videotape "The Living Edens: Bhutan")
Guru Rinpoche ("Precious Master")(8th century): saint, also known as Padmasambhava ("born from the lotus"), who brought Buddhism to Bhutan
Phajo Drukgom Shigpo (1184-1251): the first Tibetan to bring the official Drukpa Kagyu sect's teachings to western Bhutan
Longchen Ramjam (also spelled Rabjampa)(1308-1363): saint & greatest philosopher of the Nyingma school
Thangtong Gyalpo (1385-1464): Tibetan lama who came to Bhutan & is called "the Iron Bridge Builder"
Pema Lingpa (1450-1521): reincarnation of Guru Rinpoche & Longchen Ramjam & most famous Nyingma saint; ancestor of Bhutan's royal family
Drukpa Kunley (1455-1529): holy man of Drukpa Kagyu sect, also known as "the Divine Madman," who taught religion in an unorthodox manner
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651): usually called "the Shabdrung," a name that means "at whose feet one submits;" he was a religious leader from Tibet who defeated religious opponents & repelled Tibetan invasions as he unified Bhutan; he built fortress dzongs throughout the country, instituted a legal system based on Buddhist precepts, & set up a dual system of government (temporal & theocratic) which lasted until the beginning of the 20th century when a hereditary monarchy was instituted.
Ugyen Wangchuck: first hereditary king of Bhutan who ruled from 1907 to 1926
Jigme Wangchuck: second hereditary king of Bhutan who ruled from 1926 to 1952
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck: third hereditary king of Bhutan who ruled from 1952 to 1972, who is known as "the Father of Modern Bhutan"
Jigme Singye Wangchuck: fourth & current king of Bhutan whose rule began in 1972
IMAGES of BHUTAN
-Druk Air (the national airline)
-prayer flags flapping in the breeze
-dzongs (fortress/monastery complexes)
-archery (the national sport)
-Buddhist monks & lamas in maroon-red robes
-saying 'kuzuzangpola' (hello) when greeting people & 'kadincheyla' for thank you
-thangkas (religious paintings)
-yaks
-textiles
-etho metho (rhododendrons)
-dragons
-prayer wheels
-butter lamps
-bowls of holy water on every altar
-oblong-shaped brass pitcher of holy water with peacock feather (bumpa)
-chortens (Buddhist monuments)
-gho on men & kira on women (the national s)
-Bhutanese red rice
-hot chilies
-hearing 'la' spoken at the end of words & sentences (when one wants to be polite)
-wheel of life
-not being able to tell Jean & Joan (the twins) apart
-each of us receiving a long white scarf (khadhar) in the religious ceremonies
-takins (the national animal)
-blue poppy (the national flower)
-cypress (the national tree)
-ravens (the national bird)
-atsaras (Buddhist clowns)
-Sonam & Pema putting on the required kabneys (ceremonial scarves) when entering a dzong
-identifying Guru Rinpoche by the feather on his head & the staff of skulls in his hand
-identifying the Shabdrung by his gray beard
-the diamond thunderbolt (dorji), a male symbol
-the bell (drilbu), a female symbol
-seeing paintings of the 4 Direction Deities at the entrance to every temple
-circumambulating clockwise around chortens & other religious shrines
-stones holding down the roofs of houses
-skinny cows
-attractive & gentle people
-'blow horn' signs on the back of trucks
-Anne striking up conversations with people everywhere we went
-Pema looking cool in his metallic sunglasses
-steep narrow stairs
-Kuensel (the weekly newspaper of Bhutan)
-lovely Bhutanese postage stamps
-phallic symbols painted on the front of houses to ward off evil spirits
-children waving to us
-red-stained lips & teeth of the betel leaf chewers
-Pema telling us stories on the bus
-Sonam's wonderful laugh
-incense
-Cathy writing in her journal
-potato chips!
-seeing the 8 Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism everywhere
-treasure vase
-endless knot
-victory banner
-wheel of law
-golden parasol
-golden fish
-white conch shell
-lotus
-seeing pictures of the King (current & former) everywhere
-the Crown Prince
-being fascinated by the Bhutanese royal family
-stylistic clouds in Bhutanese art
-a painted deep red band (khemar) on every dzong & religious building
-Susan helping us identify the flora & fauna
-Pema imitating Elvis ("One night with you.....")
-sleeping dogs everywhere
-brightly painted & tinseled trucks
-bridges bedecked with prayer flags
-so-called takin & langur sightings from the bus
-mani walls
-living fenceposts
-auspiciousness
-waterfalls
-freshets
-butter tea (suja)
-mantras
-Mary Lou's lovely singing voice
-deity manifestations
-ornate grillwork on windows
-meditation huts in the mountains
-garudas & snow lions decorating the corners of temples
-being careful not to step in cow & yak pies on the ground
-stopping for bush breaks
-"PA's" (Judy's term for penis alerts as we spotted phallic symbols on houses)
-Pema catching flies on the bus with his bare hands & then letting them go outside
-the snow-capped Himalayas
-'gross national happiness'
-colorful hanging cloths in doorways
-taking off our shoes before entering temples
-stepping up & over thresholds
-wooden floors with wide polished planks
-Chozang appearing everywhere & always in a helping mode
-trülkus (reincarnated lamas)
-Buddha
-people prostrating in the temples
-lovely terraced fields
-seeing pictures of "The Four Friends" everywhere
-traditional Bhutanese architecture
-water-driven prayer wheels
-yelling "wah-hah"
-the long & very winding main road of the country
-pictures of the Dalai Lama
-a godhar flag on top of every house to bring luck & ward off evil
-Sonam & Pema sitting with us at meals at opposite ends of the table
-Blyth whistling to get our attention
-shopping with flashlights in dark shops
-delicious potatoes at nearly every meal
-emadatse (the national dish, made of chilies & cheese)
-the hauntingly beautiful sound of the long horns
-boar huts & scarecrows in the fields
-drinking Tiger beer
-being nervous about doing everything right during the special prayer ceremonies
-the white-gloved traffic cops of Thimphu
-the black-necked cranes
-Green Tara
-Spanish moss ('Bhutanese necklace,' according to Sonam) hanging from the trees
-Pema forecasting the weather (mostly accurately!)
-Chozang loading our luggage on top of the bus each morning
-Bhutanese jams & jellies
-tsechus (annual religious festivals held near the dzongs)
-sharing American & Bhutanese proverbs on the bus
-tsa-tsas (small chorten-like cones made up of cremated ashes to be placed in cave & around chortens)
-Bhutan teeshirts with pictures of yaks & the words 'yak, yak, yak' underneath
-the Hungry Ghost
-Tshering Namdruk (the 6 Objects of Longevity: old man, deer, tree, cliff, water & bird portrayed in Bhutanese artwork)
-the auspicious number 108
-prayer beads
-the 4 most powerful animals frequently portrayed in Bhutanese artwork:
-tiger (power)
-snow lion (glory)
-garuda (spiritual & temporal authority)
-dragon (reputation)
-having to wear earplugs at night to keep out the sound of barking dogs
-sentient beings
-ascribing words & feelings to inanimate objects
-torma (fancily decorated sacrificial cakes made of butter which are placed
on altars)
-learning to say meshula when declining
-stupa-shaped fireplaces where cypress or blue pine boughs are burned early each morning at temples when the monks say their prayers
-flaming jewels
-large heavy rocks anchoring the roofs of houses
-mantras painted on the rocks along the road
-mandala (means circle or center in Sanskrit, a vehicle for concentrating the mind during meditation)
-dwarf bamboo (cham)
BHUTAN QUOTES
"Travel is intensified living." and "If the art's not fun [on your travels], you don't know enough about it!" (comments by Rick Steves, well-known travel writer, at a travel seminar that Cathy & Donna attended in Eugene prior to the Bhutan trip)
"You should take a tour.....or a spouse." (Rick Steves commenting on individuals who don't like to deal with the details of international travel) "Or Cathy!" (Donna in response)
"I am going to be the next Rick Steves!" (Cathy on the possibility of writing a travel book)
"To whom do I make out the check?" (Cathy, immediately, when asked by Blyth if she wanted to go on the tour to Bhutan)
"WHERE in the world is Bhutan?" (a frequent question asked of tour members before the trip) "WHY in the world are you going to Bhutan?" (another frequent question asked pre-trip)
"Is EVERYone going to Bhutan?" (David Funk, Cathy's friend, when he sat next to a woman on a plane who was also going to Bhutan)
"The Bhu Bunch." (Mary Lou at our pre-trip brunch)
"It's like Switzerland with no one at home!" (Russ Carpenter, Blyth's husband, on Bhutan)
"Everybody calls him Rimp!" (Blyth on one of the Rimpoche reincarnates in Bhutan)
"They say it has a fungus." (Blyth on the reason that one of Druk Air's 2 planes is out of commission)
"I'd be more nervous if she were going to Tacoma!" (Linda recounting the comment of a Seattle friend about her upcoming trip to Bhutan)
"You're going to have a spiritual breakthrough." (Judy repeating a comment from her spiritual advisor about the current year)
"But there's the whole pride thing." (Sharilyn Ostrander, Cathy's friend, on the unlikely possibility of Cathy not taking a curling iron on the trip despite the baggage weight limit)
"Anything we don't have, we figure we can borrow from you!" (Bobbye & Karen to Cathy at the Eugene Airport at the start of the trip)
"Anywhere you are is Shangri-la." (lyric of song playing at the Eugene Airport as we were waiting to leave, referring to the mythical paradise in James Hilton's classic book, Lost Horizons, where inhabitants of a secluded Himalayan valley never aged)
"Good, because otherwise we'd have to kill you." (Cathy to Bobbye after she learned she'd been mistaken that she was only taking carry-on luggage)
"There's our first chorten!" (Cathy upon seeing a small white shrinelike monument at the Eugene Airport)
"I've never been on a plane where I knew so many people." (Donna on the Eugene-Seattle flight)
"You'll never have been this close to mountains before. Don't worry." (the Druk Air pilot as we began our descent into Paro)
"After reading Cathy's journals from other trips, I'm going to be careful to not make any untoward comments!" (Karen)
"I want to keep all of you humble." (Carol on showing the unflattering snapshots of us from the pre-trip brunch)
"Is anyone warm besides me?" (Donna, plaintively, on the first day in the bus)
"Dumb as dirt!" (Sedate, describing some of the members on the India/Nepal tour she'd just completed)
"Not to be quoted!" (Mary Lou, when Cathy asked what someone wanted)
"I'm afraid this group is going to ask you A LOT of questions." (Cathy to Sonam at the beginning of the tour) "No problem. My goal is to have you immersed in our culture." (Sonam in response)
"Let's just call them both JJ!" (Donna on our difficulty in telling the twins, Jean & Joan, apart)
"Please eat a second helping. I'm going to weigh each of you at the end of the trip to make sure you've eaten plenty!" (Pema)
"The Bhutanese don't usually eat dessert." (Sonam)
"So who is buying all those sweets at the bakery next door?!?" (Anne in response)
"Health is the most important thing." (Sonam in response to our surprise that there was no charge for Linda's treatment at the local hospital)
"That's the trouble with retirement---there's no more TGIF!" (Carol commenting on the good time that the young people seemed to be having at the restaurant bar on a Friday night )
"I'm in love with Capilene." (Joan on the miracle fabric of her travel clothes)
"Someone else took my pants off last night...." (Linda on the morning after she'd been ill)
"We all love archery!" (Sonam referring to the national sport)
"Did you just wink at me??" (Cathy to one of the male students at the Arts & Crafts School)
"Shopping later..." (Pema)
"That's what every tour guide says in every country I've ever been to!" (Cathy in response)
"I know those gentlemen well." (Pema in response)
"Were you at the disco last night??" (Cathy to Pema, who was looking very
sleepy) "No, but that dog was!" (Pema referring to one of the many sleeping dogs)
"I don't want to be treated special." (Carol as eldest in the group)
"When I'm 80, I WANT to be treated special!" (Cathy in response)
"When you're 80, I'll remember that!" (Carol)
"There's a constant change of program." (Sonam at the archery exhibition commenting on the fact that schedules are regularly ignored)
"Maybe one of the Queens will show up." (Pema at the archery exhibition)
"Wah-hah!" (the celebration yell of victorious Bhutanese archers in imitation of the mating call of the black-necked cranes which became the slogan call of our group!)
"The worst thing is that we don't have fast food." (Pema, an opinion not necessarily shared by the members of the group)
"Every coin has 2 sides." (Pema referring to divorce which is not uncommon in Bhutan)
"I could tell you were the youngest." (Cathy to Pema)
"I'm bad but I feel good!" (Pema)
"It's a family name. I was named after my grandmother. She must have been more reserved than I!" (Sedate on her unusual name)
"I find that as I get older I get less reserved." (an understatement from Anne)
"Do these belong to anybody?" (Donna finding the bus keys which the bus driver had mislaid)
"These people are becoming very smart." (Sonam on the vendors in Thimphu's Saturday Market who now start with a higher price when haggling)
"She's wrong." (Pema on being corrected after wrongly identifying Jean vs. Joan)
"This may turn out to be the Pema Quotebook. I will make you famous!" (Cathy to Pema in reference to her journal)
"Why are there no flies in the back of the bus?" (Cathy from the front of the bus) "It's because I am here." (Pema in response)
"We need to be more specific with the bus driver." (Donna, jokingly, after Chozang mistakenly left us behind on the top of the hill)
"The only one who noticed!" (Bette on Cathy who said the bus had passed us going down the hill)
"One Nation, One People." (sign stating a 1989 Bhutanese government policy)
"We've got to keep up with the Wangchucks." (Sedate on ordering potato chips in the Swiss Bakery after we saw the Crown Prince eating them at an adjacent table)
"They're tuning up." (Donna as the dogs of Thimphu began their nightly barking)
"If merit is to be earned, be good & kind to dogs." (Bhutanese proverb)
"I think I'm going to cry." (Cathy as Sonam told us about the special experiences planned for the group)
"But Linda is our designated crier." (Donna on the day after Linda had been tearful at the prospect of having altitude sickness)
"A few but they're strong!" (Sonam in response to Anne's question about the number of women bosses in Bhutan)
"Don't say "wah-hah" outside our group!" (Sonam, in alarm, after we proceeded to yell the phrase at the slightest provocation, because he thought no one would understand why we were doing it!)
"Then you're going to have to teach us some more Dzongkha words besides "wah-hah"!" (Cathy to Pema & Sonam)
"Have you been practicing your prostrations?" (Cathy to Carol, jokingly, knowing that Sonam was prepared to do the required prostrations for her at the special prayer ceremony)
"Now you're going to prostrate for all of us, right?" (a concerned Jean to Sonam)
"I didn't find it difficult at all!" (Carol on prostrating, because Sonam did it all for her)
"I'm becoming a monk." (Sonam as he sat crosslegged on the floor at the nunnery prayer ceremony)
"Clearly, I need to get more spiritual." (Cathy after the nunnery prayer ceremony)
"We're ready to shop!" (Donna when asked what the next activity after the nunnery ceremony should be)
"You will see many dzongs." (understatement from Sonam at the beginning of the tour)
"When you return to Bhutan, I will have another color scarf!" (Pema jokingly at the Thimphu Dzong, meaning he would have achieved some special rank)
"We should get his autograph now!" (Donna in response)
"Adolph [Hitler] is there!" (Pema, referring to Dorji-Ngewa (or Ngyelwa), the worst hell in Buddhism as represented on the Wheel of Life)
"Okay, everybody, let's gain some merit!" (Pema at the prayer wheels)
"These are the details we want!" (Cathy to Sonam on the relationship between the King & his 4 Queens)
"He fell in love with all of them" (Sonam in response to Cathy's question about why the King was married to 4 women)
"I don't have the gene for archery. I almost killed my mother once." (Pema when asked if he was an archer)
"This isn't a historic re-enactment--this is their life!" (Cathy while watching the elaborate opening ceremony at the archery competition)
"I wish I had a ngultrum for every stairstep I've climbed on this trip!" (Cathy)
"Use me." (slogan on garbage cans & doormats throughout the country)
"I'm earning merit for my next life." (Cathy as she received thanks from the group for doing the trip journal)
"We all keep asking Mary Lou where she got what she's wearing, but then we realize that we wouldn't look like her even if we wore the same thing!" (Blyth)
"One should always have a clump of rice on one's plate just in case!" (Cathy on the need to sometimes offset the hot spiciness of Bhutanese food )
"When I go away, I yearn for emadatse. Bhutan is home!" (Kay Kirby, American journalist who has moved to Bhutan & married a Bhutanese man)
"Everything is connected to everything else." (from the World Wildlife Federation book, The Natural World of Bhutan)
"Everyday will be a Marezine day!" (Blyth to Cathy on the need to take daily anti-motion sickness pills for the winding roads)
"This is Cathy's designated seat." (Blyth on a seat upfront in the bus)
"Y'all, I apologize in advance for being pitiful." (Cathy on the potential for having motion sickness on the winding road)
"I think the bus driver deserves a "wah-hah" after driving on that road." (Cathy)
"Where there are wonderful people, there is always sunshine." (Pema)
"Everywhere you look there's a monastery!" (Cathy)
"New York is NOT ready for you!" (Cathy after Pema told her of his possible plan to visit New York City later in the year)
"You're half gho-ed!" (Cathy to Pema & Sonam as they folded their ghos down to the waist)
"You look like a Scotsman." (Cathy to Sonam dressed in a plaid gho folded down, polo shirt, & knee socks)
"There is just too much awesomeness to write down!" (Cathy on the beauty of the landscape)
"Oh my God, I feel like I'm in a movie!" (Cathy as we walked into the prayer ceremony at the Punakha Dzong)
"Just another boring day in Bhutan." (Linda, in jest, after the visit to the Punakha Dzong)
"The terraces are like pieces of art." (Bobbye)
"Is this Nirvana?" (Cathy as we arrived at Kichu Resort, referring to Buddhist Heaven)
"It's okay. I live in Thimphu." (Sonam to Donna & Cathy when they offered to share their hoard of delicious potato chips saved from the Swiss Bakery in Thimphu)
"Do you make gin & tonics?!?" (Anne, hopefully, to the bartender at the Kichu Resort bar)
"I used to be shy. But then I improved." (Pema)
"A friend is a gift to yourself." (Sonam)
"I am an alien!" (Pema when dressed in a sci-fi teeshirt under his gho)
"It will be ironic if by the end of the trip they're dressed in jeans & we're in kiras." (Cathy)
"There's a whole family like you???" (Cathy to Sedate when she said her sisters & brothers were just like her)
"Let's talk." (Pema settling down on a pull-down seat in the back of the bus)
"Yak, yak, yak." (Donna as we picnicked among the yaks in a meadow)
"Now we can see what's under those ghos!" (Cathy jokingly at the yak picnic as Sonam, Pema & Chozang sat crosslegged on the ground)
"Now THEY'VE got stories to tell!" (Donna after the group got out & helped a road crew clear dynamited rocks off the road)
"The size of the rocks will get bigger each time we retell this story." (Cathy)
"They've got bad breath!" (Donna on the passengers in a vehicle we passed so closely on the narrow road)
"I want to say I trekked in Bhutan." (Cathy after she decided to walk awhile & have the bus pick her up down the road)
"You talking to me?" (Pema who could mimic just about any actor he'd ever seen on the screen)
"If it's not tight enough, it will fall off!" (a fact that Blyth was told when she was dressed & belted in a kira by 3 women on a previous visit to Bhutan)
"Yes, my parents are rich in children." (a Bhutanese boy in response to Judy when she asked him about the large size of his family)
"The best camera is your eyes." (Pema when group members were bemoaning the prohibition against picture-taking in temples & dzongs)
"It would take a long time to explain." (Sonam when we asked what one of the mandalas at the Trongsa Dzong meant)
"Made in India." (Pema derogating the quality of the padlocks on our hotel doors)
"Buy Pema a beer & earn merit." (Cathy in jest)
"PA means 'Penis Alert'!" (Judy on her yell from the back of the bus whenever she saw a phallus painted on the side of a house)
"Big ones!" (Cathy in reference to the size of the phalluses painted on a house)
"The penises in Bhutan amazed me, there were so many of them." (Susan Orlean in a New Yorker article on Western women traveling to Bhutan to receive blessings so they might conceive)
"I don't eat rocks." (Carol to Pema when he offered her a chunk of hard Bhutanese yak cheese known as chugo)
"It's tea time." (Cathy everyday at 4 pm)
"Nine years in Bumthang." (from a humorous story told to us by Sonam about a Bhutanese man in response to meeting the author, Heinrich Harrer, who had introduced himself as "Seven Years in Tibet")
"They're travel weary." (Sedate on the condition of her few pairs of underwear)
"I am NOT a rabid shopper!" (Mary Lou, unconvincingly)
"Quit yammering about a group picture!" (Cathy to Donna, after a couple of days when we hadn't been able to wash our hair)
"Judy is now my best friend." (Sedate after her own coffeemaker broke & Judy offered to let her use hers)
"If we had a contest, Mary Lou would win hands down as best dressed & best jeweled of the group!" (Cathy)
"Just thinking about it makes me salivate." (Pema when asked by Cathy about yak meat)
"We're in potato heaven!" (Jean on the presence of delicious potato dishes at nearly every lunch & dinner buffet)
"Does anyone have any medication for camera finger twitching?" (Bobbye on not being allowed to take pictures inside the beautiful dzongs)
"The bus is going to get pretty funky." (Cathy when we hadn't been able to shower for a couple of days)
"I don't think we have enough pictures of monks yet." (Donna in jest)
"From the sublime to the ridiculous." (Cathy as we encountered a woman selling trinkets outside the Kurjey Temple) "Pray & shop." (Judy in response)
"Fooding Lodging Bar" (typical sign on village hotels)
"I guess we're dzonged out." (Donna on the itinerary not including the Jakar Dzong)
"It's a sign." (Judy when she forgot to put on her earrings & therefore needed to buy a new pair)
"We miss Pema! We miss Pema!" (chant by the group when he left us for half a day to make arrangements in the next town)
"I am like an animal. I cannot speak with you." (the Lama at Tamshing Temple on his inability to converse with us in English)
"If I hadn't been late, we would have missed it!" (Bobbye on seeing the school students lined up outside singing the national anthem as we left Jakar one morning)
"There are no bushes in a pine forest!" (Cathy when we were looking for a suitable bush stop)
"Johnny Appleseed went everywhere." (Anne on seeing so many apple trees in Bumthang)
"The scenery is getting bigger & bigger." (Karen on Bumthang valley vistas)
"Pema would be proud of us. He taught us everything we know." (Cathy on the group yelling "wah-hah" when Pema was absent)
"I like it!" (Bette on butter tea, an opinion not necessarily shared by the rest of the group members)
"Even trülkus have to go to the bathroom." (Cathy when the Trülku at the Ura monastery left the prayer ceremony lunch briefly)
"It's a do-buy!" (Cathy to Mary Lou when she was considering the purchase of a gorgeous kira)
"I always say that regret is the worst emotion." (Cathy to Mary Lou & Anne when they were agonizing whether or not to buy expensive kiras)
"History has been unkind to kings." (King Jigme Singye Wangchuck)
"Gross national happiness is more important than gross national product." (King Jigme Singye Wangchuck)
"A boss says 'I,' but a leader says 'we'." (Pema in response to a question as to the difference between a leader & a boss)
"I won't be holding my breath." (Karen on the expected timing for receiving a copy of Cathy's completed trip journal)
"Who am I going to tea party with when I get home?" (Carol on our practice of having tea at the end of each day on the road)
"Life is hard in Bhutan." (Pema)
"I'm sorta getting used to the pitiful look. Maybe I'll keep it." (Cathy after not being able to use a hairdryer or curling iron for a couple of days)
"Yeah, God help the people at work when they see us again." (Donna in response)
"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle & the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." (from The Teaching of Buddha, as read to Cathy by Pema)
"They make me feel like the Pied Piper of Hamelin!" (Cathy as a growing throng of children followed us throughout the village of Shingkhar)
"When I get home, I'll be able to publish a picturebook on the children of Bhutan." (Cathy after taking so many pictures of children, especially in Shingkhar)
"Without a dzong, the day would never end." (Bobbye)
"Dzong, dzung blue." (Bobbye)
"Dzonging in the rain." (Susan)
"One night in the dzong is what I'm now praying for." (Pema)
"We need cranes more than we need an airport." (Sonam about the Phobjika Valley when one of us suggested that the valley looked flat & wide enough to accommodate an airport)
"Is this the most exotic place you've ever stayed?" (Cathy to Margo on the rustic farmhouse in Phobjika which had no electricity)
"ABSOLUTELY!" (Margo in response)
"As early as possible!" (Pema when asked at what age the intriguing practice of night hunting starts)
"That's the adventure!" (Sonam responding when asked what happens if the night hunter climbs into the father's room by mistake)
"You have to find your own path." (Sonam referring to religion)
"We don't have anyone anywhere, not even back home, who is ever this glad to see us!" (Sedate on the kids gaily following us in Phobjika village)
"Go to the toilet, brush your teeth, & then we'll go." (Sonam's regular instructions to the group after breakfast)
"I think this group has an intermingling of molecules." (Pema observing the camaraderie of the group members on the bus)
"We have not become blasé." (Karen as we continued to "ooh & ahh" about the giant & colorful rhododendrons)
"I felt like I had a yak on me last night!" (Cathy referring to the very heavy blankets on the hotel beds)
"We can learn much from the Bhutanese." (Jean commenting on their reverence for nature, etc.)
"This trip is full of auspiciousness!" (Cathy)
"A hairless takin!" (Donna regarding the possibility that she or Judy might have been observed while taking a bush break)
"It's endless sex!" (Margo on viewing the Tantric interior of the Memorial Chorten in Thimphu)
"But unlike in other countries, they are not wasting their time." (Sonam on the patients waiting to be seen at the Institute of Traditional Medicine in Thimphu who could rotate prayer wheels while waiting)
"That man has cousins everywhere!" (Cathy referring to Sonam & his extensive connections)
"We should be thanking you because you have made it possible for us to acquire much merit." (Sonam referring to the many prayer wheels encountered on the trip)
"I have a tendency to speak to myself!" (Karma Ura when we asked him to speak louder)
"It all depends on the purity of perceptions in your mind. If you are a wise person, TV will not change you. If you are an evil person, TV will not make you good. The inner happiness is what counts. The rest is just illusion." (Lama Dorjie quoted in a Business Week magazine article about the introduction of television into Bhutan)
"This is still a country where, for every television antenna, a thousand prayer flags flutter." (Alexis Bloom in a New York Times article)
"We've always been this exotic, hidden, mystical land...we've been pried open quite dramatically." (Kinley Dorji, editor of the weekly Kuensel newspaper, commenting on the introduction of television to Bhutan)
"To the Royal Institution of Bhutanese Monarchy, who brought order, progress & international recognition of state sovereignty, & is the source of all good & great things that have come to this mountain-state." (dedication in Karma Ura's book, The Hero with a Thousand Eyes)
"We are on vacation almost every day!" (Nedup Tshering of Bhutan's Environmental Commission commenting on the number of festival days & holidays in Bhutan)
"You & I know that it is deputy directors who do all the work." (Namgyal Lhendup, Deputy Director of Bhutan's Planning Commission, conspiratorially to Cathy, also a deputy director)
"There's no better evidence that women have power in our country than to take a look at who is wearing the short skirts!" (Nedup Tshering referring to the ghos that Bhutanese men are required to wear in public places)
"Mick Jagger found Bhutan a boring place." (Kunzang Dorji)
"Do you find that you're missing out on the experience when you're so busy taking notes?" (Kunzang Dorji to Cathy)
"Actually, it's just the opposite. I'm so compulsive about capturing all the details that I almost memorize everything about the experience." (Cathy in response)
"I bet you don't know about night hunting." (Nedup Tshering to Cathy)
"I bet I do!" (Cathy in response)
"It's time for the second shift!" (Pema admonishing us to eat second helpings)
"No problem." (standard response to any issue during the trip)
"I've never been so well taken care of on any tour I've ever taken!" (Cathy after Pema had taken her broken glasses to be repaired)
"Instead of night hunting, we're flashlight shopping" (Donna when we had to dig out our flashlights in some dark shops)
"Mix drink with soda, not driving."
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
"Overtaking prohibited."
"A tree produces a million matchsticks, but 1 matchstick can burn a million
trees." (signs along the road)
"You need to tape that journal to your body." (Susan to Cathy in fear that it might be lost)
"You need to live forever, because it's going to take you that long to get that journal typed." (Carol to Cathy)
"Everything is possible here." (Pema)
"They don't have lights here??!!" (Sonam, in some alarm after the electrical difficulty we had experienced in a previous hotel in the country, when the lights did not appear to be working at the respectable Druk Hotel in Paro, but they had just not been turned on!)
"I always say that I can sleep when I'm dead." (Cathy)
"Somebody once told me that I look like Bill Gates!" (Sonam referring to his bespectacled countenance)
"I'll chalk it up to another experience of a lifetime, perfectly timed to the wonder of the collective moment in a country full of life-altering experiences." (Susan in reference to the auspicious sun halo phenomenon we witnessed at the Taktsang teahouse)
"I remember when my ferns were fresh!" (Judy referring to her wreath of fronds at the conclusion of the Taktsang hike)
"Damn, we're good!" (Margo after fully realizing the steepness of the Taktsang trail we'd just ascended)
"We're treasure seekers." (Cathy likening the shopaholic group members to the tertons of old)
"When there are too many carpenters, the door cannot be erected."
"Where the ground is already parched, the sun shines hot."
"Dig your well before you're thirsty."
"Beware of a naked man who gives away his shirt."
"A tree provides shade even for the woodcutter."
"It's no good taking out your knife after the bear has gone away."
"There's no use lighting the incense after the Lama has left." (Bhutanese and other proverbs)
"Wait & see & kind of know." and "Let it lay where Jesus flung it."
(expressions from a 90-year-old grandmother whom Blyth used to know)
"Its wing has been injured." (Sonam announcing that Druk Air might not be flying on our scheduled departure day because there had been an accident)
"These little things are sent to try us." (Blyth on the Druk Air announcement)
"I hope you're not hungry." (Sonam as he proceeded to tell us his life story before dinner)
"Put that in the notes." (order from Anne to Cathy)
"There are no secrets on this bus." (Cathy)
"Reality is not a problem." (Carol commenting on Judy's hope for clear skies despite the rain)
"Please do not touch me." (sign on a bell at the National Museum)
"We are the relics of your culture. Please do not touch." (signs on exhibits at the National Museum)
"Each of these trips is like getting a mini Ph.D. for me." (Cathy)
"But if she wears it there, it will look like a third breast!" (Mary Lou on the too-short chain length being considered for the brooch pendant the group had given to Blyth)
"When love & skill work together, expect a masterpiece." (John Ruskin, as quoted by the editor of the Carpenters' upcoming book on Bhutan)
"WHAT NONSENSE! There were 3 or 4 highlights EVERY day!" (Karen in response to the evaluation questionnaire asking each of us to name the highlight of the trip)
"Three cheers for Guru Rinpoche! (Judy at the farewell bonfire)
"As the doctrine of Lord Buddha flourishes, May the sun of peace & happiness shine on the people." (Bhutanese national anthem)
"Tashi delek!" (a versatile Bhutanese expression which has several meanings including 'good luck,' 'congratulations,' 'best wishes,' 'cheers,' etc.)
AUTHOR QUOTES
"With our passage through the bridge, behold a curious transformation. For just as Alice, when she walked through the looking-glass, found herself in a new & whimsical world, so we, when we crossed the Pa-chhu, found ourselves, as though caught up in some magic time machine fitted fantastically with a reverse, flung back across the centuries into the feudalism of a medieval age." (the Earl of Ronaldshay, describing his arrival in 1921)
"The Bhutanese have no desire for cultural assimilation. They are different and intend to remain so." (Françoise Pommaret)
"If there is any country on Earth that qualifies as Eden--not just in part, but in its entirety--I believe it is Bhutan." (Harry Marshall, producer of the videotape "The Living Edens: Bhutan")
"There is no colonial history or architecture to get in the way of what is Bhutanese."
"They measure their journey in dzongs."
"One way or another, change is coming. This is not Brigadoon." (all by Barbara Crossette)
"If we were spotted owls, the world would care about us. Can't you see we are an endangered species too?" (a Bhutanese government minister in Barbara Crossette's book)
NOTE: For more information on Insiders' Bhutan Travel, please contact: Sonam Jatso at P.O. Box 271, Thimphu, BHUTAN email: info@insidersbhutan.com) or visit their web site: www.insidersbhutan.com
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