Long Weekend Out

The Punakha Dzong. We took a 5 day trip over to Trongsa, Bumthang for the festival or sechu (all Bhutanese spelling might be wrong), then back over to Punakha. The roads are nuts. They are single lane rough and rugged cut into steep mountains so there is a drop off cliff with no guard rail to break your fall if you happen to over correct (and sadly we did see this, all 4 passengers died). Thankful we had a great driver and I'm still alive but I couldn't eat for 4 days because I started the trip already nauseous with a stomach thing and the roads kept it going for me, but it was good to see more of Bhutan. I will get some festival pictures up later, but dad can tell you about it because he got more of the story than I did.


Punakha Valley. A view from the roof of a chorten. We got to have juice in the Lama's house because our driver's brother was the Lama of this Chorten.

I love this. The men and women carry their kids on their backs like this with a Kopne. Sonam's sister weaved me one and it is beautiful. I watched women weaving garments thread-by-thread and there is no way I would have the patience for that.

The fertility temple in Punakha "Chimi Lhakma." It was an auspicious day (The reincarnated Buddha's birthday) so many people were making the walk through rice patties to give and get blessings. Sonam said that I needed to go, so I got blessed by the monk and asked that someday I will have healthy and happy kids. I rolled three dice and lucky me I rolled an auspicious number which is very good. Then the monk had me draw a card from a stack and I guess my first child will be a girl who I should name Chimi Durma. Chimi is the name of the temple meaning "no dog" and Durma is for Terra- the mother of all buddhas or deities and the goddess of wealth.

I can't remember what this temple is called, but I think it is in Phobjikha- valley of the black necked cranes. All the temples start to run together but I am beginning to get the essentials or basics in Buddhist rituals and stories of all the reincarnated Lama's and Buddha's and what demon was subdued where. They teach all these stories in school, but they get complicated.