We are now back in Paro and getting ready for our last dinner as a group - tomorrow (Friday) we fly to Calcutta, then Delhi, then Newark, then Burlington! If all goes perfectly, it will take us about 34 hours of travel to get home. This does not include the 9 hours of fun and frolic in the bus today as we returned from Tronsga to Paro.
Today is an auspicious day for the Bhutanese, as the king and queen were married today. The entire country is adorned with colorful prayer flags, people are all wearing pins with the royal couple's picture and there are portraits of them everywhere. The atmosphere is very festive and every restaurant that has a TV is showing the royal wedding. But where, I ask you, is Pippa Middleton and her slinky dress? This king, unlike his father, will apparently take only one bride... very modern. His father has 4 wives - - all sisters. hmmmm.
Our journeys since Tuesday have taken us to more monasteries and dzongs and we have taken many pictures - - - at some point we hope to have an internet connection that is fast enough to post them. In one monastery we participated in a blessing for long life. The Lama and several monks set up in a small candlelit sanctuary and one by one we filed in, drank what tasted like wine, then holy water, then eat something akin to sweet dough. During this time we pass by holy writings and figurines. The monks and the Lama bless each person and give us a small red cord to wear around our necks. It appears that the entire village is there to be blessed, adults and children alike.
On our drive west (still on the only east/west road in the entire country) we saw some amazing monkeys on our path and in the trees. These monkeys have a white crown and mane and are brown in the face and body. Apparently they are almost extinct, but we managed to see a few and even take a few pictures - - I will definitely include those in my flickr pictures. They were very cool and definitely worth stopping for on the hairpin road of rocks and ditches (we've seen so many cows, horses, goats and yaks that they are not worth mentioning anymore)
Also on our drive we picked up a beautiful silk kira. This is essentially a large handwoven rectangular tapestry that the women here wrap around themselves and wear. This one is particularly gorgeous and I will probably use it as a bedspread, however when in Rome... So the woman at the shop taught me how to wear it and I wore it to the bus and again when we arrived in Paro. Jerry will be posting a picture - - I only wish there were some occasion at home to wear something like this - - perhaps the OKG holiday party? (haha!)
Our accommodations and dining options have greatly improved since Bumthang, but we have learned not to take electricity, hot water or even a double bed for granted! It will be great to be home, drink fresh water, take a good shower and do lots of laundry, but this has been an amazing adventure and we are still having a wonderful time in our last few days here.
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