A final weekend in Punakha
There was one weekend left in Bhutan, the weekend I had been looking forward to since we arrived.
Melanie and Shankar are two US trained emergency physicians who along with their spirited, beautiful kids Nora and Luka have moved semi-permanently to Bhutan. They had come previously for 4 months, felt like it was a good fit and so came back on a two year plan.
They were our grounding force for our time in Bhutan, also our ATM machine, running partners, local guides, translator, and for the last weekend, event planner. Melanie had organized a weekend for a group of us with an easy that comes only by both knowing the area well and knowing kids.
As you can see from the pictures, there was no shortage of fun. We headed to the famous town of Punakha, an almost tropic town north of Thiumphu but a noticeable 4000 feet lower. We visited the temple of the divine madman who promoted the display of the phalluses has been taken to a whole new level with the boom in tourism. We lounged in beautiful rooms, ate delicious food, talked for hours. We visited the local Dzong, rafted the female river, watched migrating ducks from Tibet and joyful young monks strip off their robes to go swimming.
But what this weekend more for me was a celebration of the people here. Melanie and Shankar are the type of doctor am always striving to be - kind, confident, humble and incredibly skilled. Balancing life, politics, medicine, family and so much more, it is the hours spent reflecting on how you really teach, what it means to make a health care system work, or the fine balance in protecting your children while pushing them to grow to be independent, resilient adults that I will take away from my time in Bhutan. They were more than freinds, their kindness and support gave me the space to let go and jump subtly and profoundly shifting the way I see the world.
We came on this year to see new places but again found it was the friendships that filled our hearts.
Isabelle made brownies in preparation for our adventure.
Our way over Doche La Pass with a large snow storm moving in.
Lily’s little foot fitting like a glass slipper into this gold foot print in the rock.
Sugar makes everything more fun.
Ok I think I just love potted plants
Working the rice fields in the middle of winter.
This boy and his chicken had us all entertained.
Punakha’s famous suspension bridge.
While Punakha clearly has more tourist than most places, it was lovely to see there was still space for those who live here.
Making the prayer wheel go round.
Headed back to work.
Helping make change.
Selling dried yak cheese- a cross between salt gum, mold and a rock. She was busting with smiles as we tried to figure out the cost.
Headed back in...
The party van. This huge beast of Melanie and Shankar’s got some major use during our adventure.
Ahh, high school and penis paintings.
In so much detail.
And a good time for more homeschooling sex ed. :-)
But instead each store these beautiful paintings were for sale.
And as always it was the people who caught our eye.
Making more for the upcoming tourist season.
And kids being crazy kids no matter what culture.
In middle school in Alaksa they have to carry a large object determined by the teacher if they get a hall pass for the bathroom. Isabelle didn’t think this would fly at her school for a hall pass.
Everywhere on the way to the temple.
All smiles all weekend.
I so love these little ones.
Reflecting on life.
The kids pack started to rove on their own, this time in search of food.
Huge wild poinsettias and prayer flags outside the home.
This is how I felt in Bhutan. Reflective, protected with new doors to go through.
I probably took 50 pictures of these. I loved the red flowers blooming in contast to the dead of winter.
Looking out
Rice patties resting for the winter
Duel prayer wheels
Love.
Separating out the rice and drying it for winter.
Pure will these two! So much fun.
Locals watching us from a bridge.
Boat 2 catching up.
You can just make out these beautiful brown birds from Tibet that I loved to watch.
Kids having a blast.
Monks running to the swimming hole.
Rafters and swimming monks.
Best buds after and advture together in the boat.
I love this one, Nora has so much to say, Shankar really listening.
The kids took the phone and we saw the way back though their eyes.
No fear!
Smile
Headed to the Dzong.
Everyone watching the small snake as they prepare to enter the Dzong and pay their respects.
Security helping the snake find a new home as a guide and monks look on.
Reflective moments
The beautiful, frightening, inspiring wheels of Bhutan’s Buddhism.
Fly.
Even the stairs were inspiring.
Like layers of insight, the doors to the Dzong kept going.
Reflecting on our time.
A beautiful views from the guesthouse we stayed in,