Shane and Bec

Kora means circular journey which is what they call it when guests go to each of the lodges. As a new employee and his wife, Shane and I also got to visit each lodge. There are five open now. We were to have a guide and driver who we met at the Thimphu lodge. Our guide was named Tsencho and our driver named Tomgay. They were both very nice. They had worked together in the past so they had a teasing relationship. Tomgay didn’t speak English very well but we were still able to communicate somehow. Our first day we went all the way to Bumthang. It took about 8-9 hours to go about 150 miles on a super curvy and bumpy road. Tsencho pointed things out along the way. We ate lunch on a grassy ... read more

Dochu La: After a dinner at our house with friends Chodra and Yangchan, the offer was extended to drive us to Dochu La the next day. Dochu La took about one hour to get to. It is an area with 108 chortens, white stone monuments, surrounded by prayer flags. They were built recently, 2005, as atonement for the loss of life during the flushing out of Assamese militants in S. Bhutan. 108 is also the number of beads on the Bhutanese rosary. Dochu La was beautiful. It lies at the top of a mountain in between Thimphu and Punakha. There is a good view of Punakha and the surrounding mountains and valleys. On the way back from Dochu La we stopped at Yangchan’s aunts house in a tiny village along the way. Yangchan is from Tibet ... read more

I walk around a lot since at the moment I do not have a job. Thimphu is a giant hill so I’m beginning to feel like I’m getting in shape. Everywhere I go, I am stared at as though I’m this main attraction. As many of you know, I usually prefer to blend in so this has been an adjustment for me. The young and old usually say something to me as we pass. “Hello ma’am” “Where are you going?” “How are you?” I answer and ask them a question which they sometimes don’t understand. Many times I get giggles as the groups of kids head home from school. I have really enjoyed the kids when I have gone to a park near my home. I usually start out sitting there or reading in my ... read more

So, one of the most noticeable things here in Thimphu are the dogs. Dogs are EVERYWHERE. If they are not owned by a family, they live in packs and have there own territories. Many choose to live near the garbage dumps in order to get food. There are about 10-15 puppies and dogs that live up the road from us. I have been very intimidated by them all since I got here but I have slowly started to realize that they are more afraid of me than I am of them. People here can be quite cruel to the dogs by kicking them or throwing things at them. When I hear them barking viciously they are barking at each other. Maybe a dog walked into their territory or a dog is taking some food from them. ... read more