Window to Bhutan TID 8510: April 28 – May 04,14
Dear Ugen, Namgay, and Anand,
Thanks to all of you for making our trip to Bhutan so special. My husband is finishing up his last few days at the hospital in Thimphu and has found his month’s volunteer work to be rewarding and hopes helpful as well. I feel fully re-integrated into my life in the US but remain deeply moved by my experience there.
In your previous email you said you would be pleased to hear from me about our experience overall which I am happy to do.
The first thing that comes to mind is that we had the most special person, Tashi Gyeltson, guiding us. The itinerary you worked out for us was perfect. Our days alternated between exertion and rest either at a restaurant, picnic or relaxing in the car. Tashi’s knowledge about various sites, geography, botany and wildlife was deep. He shared information with us both in the car to make the ride interesting and as we hiked. He prepared us for what we were going to see beforehand with background information about the history of various temples and monasteries. When at the sight he pointed out things we might have missed and reported the significance of various things. He recounted myths, and since I am a Buddhist he made sure I felt welcome doing prostrations and receiving blessings. Tashi’s interest in people was charming. There was not an elderly person sitting at a prayer wheel or young child playing alone he did not briefly speak to. We grew very attached to him and he was willing to talk about himself, his life and his family. I would like to think he felt the same attachment to us but he has many good memories of various clients so perhaps we weren’t as special as we felt. It is an unusual situation…to spend many days with people and then perhaps never see them again. But we cannot say enough about his knowledge, his way of imparting it, his personality, sense of humor and thoughtfulness.
Dawa was a perfect driver…careful, collected, unruffled, extremely polite, and helpful. The car was always clean and filled with petrol while we were otherwise occupied. The only time he was a bit late picking us up was when he had a flat tire! Other than that, they were there when expected and we were always ready, excited at the prospect of the day. When we met him after being in Thimphu a couple weeks later it was like seeing an old friend.
We were happy with all of our accommodations and food. We learned enough about the cuisine to be able to be adventurous when buying at the market to cook for ourselves or visiting Bhutanese restaurants. The lodge in Haa was very special and the chef prepared the best food we had anywhere. Not only was it delicious, it was presented in an artful manner. The people we interacted with were helpful, kind and unfailingly polite. Tashi and Dawa were wonderful company the entire week and we felt well cared for. It was effortless for us to be happy and accommodating in their company.
Namgay, special thanks to you for helping me change my reservation and listening to my tale of woe. It was a smart thing for me to return I was truly needed at home. I enjoyed 12 hours showering (HVO provided house ran out of water a few days after we arrived), sleeping and eating at the luxurious hotel in Delhi and ended up catching Lufthansa flights home at 2:35 the next morning.
While in Thimphu I asked directions to a bank from a gentleman…we ended up spending the entire day together. A few days later he met David and we all drove to visit Cherie and Tango monasteries. He took us home to meet his family and last week he and David ate dinner together one last time. His name is Gem Tsering and he is executive director of GAB. He was interested in my brother’s books so I hope to send him one and include something for Tashi which he would deliver to your office in Upper Motithang.
Thanks to all at Windhorse. We will recommend you highly to anyone thinking of visiting your most special country!