Beautiful Bhutan (Part 2)

 Wednesday

It's a full day of conversation and learning. Inside. Outside our windows, the wind blows between valleys and ruffles the treetops. Every evening I come back to my room chilled, despite long sleeves, thick trousers, socks, and a fleece sweater. The meeting room is kept cold, A participant sneezes, sniffles, and coughs across the table for two days - 

will I be so lucky? My body receives his gift, as feared. Since COVID, I have no resistance to respiratory bugs. By Thursday, the cold takes hold and I'm sick through the weekend. (I pull on a fresh mask on each flight and for the shuttle bus to home. No one wants this.)

The company is wonderful. The people are a handsome mix of Himalayan heritages. Most speak English, making it easy to get around.

I'm curious about how leaders and emerging leaders view themselves and their country. Many things catch my eye. A thin white scarf is given to arrivals.

Children wear uniforms to school. Adults wear uniforms to work connected to the government or tourism. My students show up in beautifully wrapped fabrics over long-sleeved shirts or blouses. The outfit combinations are creative.

Knee-length skirts are worn only by men. A front "pocket" fold above their waist swallows their wallet, phone, and whatever else they carry. The style emerged after wars with Tibet: it was difficult to distinguish similarly-dressed warriors, so Bhutan cut their uniforms short. Men wear over-the-knee black socks to keep warm, winter and summer.

You know which restroom to enter - even without labels - as women's traditional wear is long skirts while men wear short ones.

We have good mid-morning snacks - usually some meat and some potato. I try at least one of each thing - unless someone else brings it over. Then the snack plate is FULL.

Lunch often includes fruit, a soup, and several savory dishes along with rice. The flavors are wonderful to the taste. The first day I am served a bland (Western) chicken and rice. Apparently foreigners don't like spices? I see what the others have on their plates, and from then on request the local menu - spicy (medium hot), savory, hearty, with uniquely combined seasonings. SOOO good.

Dogs are everywhere - they roam the streets or lie around on the sidewalks. At night, they wake, barking and howling in packs.

Rose-tipped feathers glint in the sunshine as doves perch on the railings.

This is my favorite view from the hotel room. I wake to this and draw the black-out curtains across it in the evening. At 23o north latitude, June daylight lasts from 5 AM to 7 PM. Streets wind beside the rivers, busy enough but without traffic jams. Bhutan's population is under 790,000 people.

Thursday

My written evaluations start before 4 AM. For great improvement, the group needs constant feedback and edits. It's an exhausting schedule this week, cramming 10 days of information into 5. By 4 PM I am almost incoherent, especially since the week began with an overnight trip. We're making progress and learning together. Hurrah.

We eat GOOD food. I like the flavor combinations. Cardamom is a common spice and they have good cucumber salads.We eat plenty during the day, even without supper.

It's raining today and the splash of cars driving by sounds comforting. I'll be grading early so better get to sleep early as well. Kirsten and I call.

Friday

It's a rough night with 4 hours of sleep - too much caffeine during the sessions, maybe? I grade as much as I can before a 7 AM breakfast. The group meets 7:30 until 1 PM when we take a group photo. I am gifted a beautiful tote and a 3D depiction of Tiger Nest. (I enjoyed the hike up there last time I was here.)

We enjoy lunch at a Chinese hot-pot restaurant. Yummy. When the meat runs out at our friends' table next to us, the two women come to over and fish through our soup for the good stuff.

A parking attendant writes the time on a blue slip of paper and places it on the windshield as cars park. When the driver returns, payment is an online transfer to the attendant listed on the slip.

We browse a PR market with local vendor. I find a mint tea and chili spice. 

The nursery's flowers are mostly imported from China.

There are several new hydrangeas varieties I haven't seen before.

The memento I'm looking for this visit is a few yards of traditional fabric. We pass a craft booth with a $100 woven table runner - that's not it! Everyone is wearing this cloth so there must be many shops that sell the bolts.

At a friend's place, we tour the huge community center under construction. Last time I was here, we walked on a gravel drive to this plot. There was only forest on both sides. Now, a neighborhood of politicians, influencers, and professionals has sprung up all around. Quite amazing what happens in 7 years!

I pull up the "before" pictures and send them as reminders of how far the project has come. We take current "during" photos of the construction. Mrs. N is the designer - and the place is stunning. Her garden nursery spreads across the lot next door.

I'm back to my room before 7 PM, too late for supper again, but in time for a hot shower to warm my icy skin.  I pour hot water into my empty water bottles to warm the sheets before I crawl in.

Saturday

I especially like the local chickpea curry with flatbreads. After breakfast at 9 AM, DrT and I chat until we hit the road to the airport around 10:30.

Where can I find that piece of beautiful weaving? That's been my only requested shopping. It is decided that we've run out of time. Can the fabric wait until W teaches in Bhutan? Surely he won't mind bringing it for me? Didn't I take pictures of fabric stacks when I visited 7 years ago? (Yes, I did - I have one photo.) I'm encouraged to show W the pattern/s I like in the picture. Hopefully he'll choose something similar. (Oh boy. Not a chance. I have to let that one wish go.)

We pass rivers and rice fields nestled in deep valleys.

Homegrown rice is costly and accounts for 20-25% of local consumption. The rest of Bhutan's rice is imported from India's northern border.

The airport contains an art galley sponsored by His Majesty. Most paintings depict Tibetan-style demons and Buddhas but some art showcases the Bhutanese love for nature and its rich cultural heritage.

Though the country is small in size and population, its history is rich and ancient. Paint adorns wooden and concrete buildings, and outlines halls and homes in bright warm designs. Most patterns, colors, and shapes - whether in art or architecture - contain religious and cultural significance.

Separation of church and state is a two-centuries-ago American ideal, based on the core value of its founders. As they were wrestling with the country's constitution, it was the era of "Enlightenment" in Europe. Europeans began to reject God's claims as creator. They placed great value what they could understand - that century's science. (Of course, what we know is constantly being rewritten so it's a slippery foundation for truth.) "Enlightenment" reduced faith to was could be observed, rather than seeking to understand - or engaging with - the original force or Creator behind natural laws.

An essential principle of Christianity is that God gives each person free will. Therefore, an underlying motivation for Christian missions is that everyone must be allowed to decide their destiny. Why? If God made humans in his image, they have a capacity for love. His lovingkindness invites us to accept his love and live in his Presence. ... Or he lets us reject him. In the latter case, we must depend on ourselves and on our works - including religious rituals of duty and appeasement.

We haven't observed the separation of religion and daily life in most places we visit. Given that free will is a historically Christian value that shaped the USA, many religions, including agnosticism and atheism, are permitted to flourish there, whereas they rarely have the same freedom elsewhere. It's a fascinating aspect of my research. (My PhD is in Intercultural Studies.)

The airport has the usual lounges with metal chairs placed in rows. But Paro airport also has small rooms along the exterior walls, furnished with sofas and armchairs. I browse the art and read in a "living room" for an hour before our gate is called.

I meet several travelers before we lift off. One young man is on a year's exploration. Chris offers to take my carry-on up the stairs for me. Sure, thank you. I pass along the name of a conservationist here, since he plans to volunteer in sustainability projects while he roams the world. Chris started this year in Italy, wandered through central Asia, and has spent the past few days in Bhutan. His next stop is Thailand. Indonesia is yet to come. Thanks for picking up on him, Sigit!

A Nepalese doctor is sitting in the window seat beside me. She's been living in Japan for the past 14 years. She takes photos as we lift off and airdrops the stunning mountain views around Paro to me.

My flights are on separate itineraries. When I reach Bangkok, I must pass through immigration and customs. Then I get a boarding pass, and check in my luggage before heading out through immigration again.

Thais are very aware of age - and solicitous. The flight attendant asks, (as did the attendant last weekend): "Oh madam, the gate is very far. Are you sure you don't want me to call a shuttle to take you there?" Nope - with so much sitting, I am more than happy to walk a bit.

I find an airport lounge near the gate and eat a healthy snack - luncheon plates only - before boarding. 

The flight is uneventful.  I'm sneezing into my mask with stabbing headaches and terrible pressure earaches during the take-offs and landings. I doze off for an hour or two. My down jacket is worn backwards with the hood pulled over my face to contain germs so I don't infect fellow travelers. They'll find out next week how successful I was, I guess.

Apparently I'm experimenting with a kosher meal. It arrives in a sealed and certified box. The main course is fish, and I'm not usually a fish-fan. It's ok and informative. I won't waste an airline's efforts or resources again. Thanks for outstanding service, Garuda Indonesia!

Sunday

We arrive in Jakarta after midnight. I only got to a small grocer next to the hotel (Friday night) where I searched for a jar of chili pickle. I have no personal souvenirs so I whiz through the "Nothing to Declare" line at customs, along with most other travelers. The customs officer scans my electronic form (filled out by W) and waves me through.

I'm chilled through and looking forward to the Jakarta warmth. But wait - it feels cold, not the usual 30+C (85-95oF). Sure enough - it's 25oC (7uoF) Brrr. I keep my undershirt and coat on. 

The half-empty shuttle bus leaves at 1:20 AM. The driver stops for a 15-minute break - Indonesians like to pull out for food or toilet breaks every hour or two. even on a short drive. This one is 160 km (100 miles). The initial WAZE estimate - without such stops and weaving through truck traffic - is that the trip should last 2:10 hours.

We arrive in Bandung at 4:15 AM. W meets me with a taxi. I feel loved and cared for, not having to think about calling a cab home. He's put a hot water bottle in the bed, too. AAAAH - my skin gradually warms up as I shower. I fall asleep at 6 AM, too tired to unpack.

Read more:

*Thus said the Lord God, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered. Isaiah 56:8

*Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

*And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14

*Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:38-39

Moravian Prayer: Eternal God, we pray for our church as a witnessing fellowship for you. As you have always been faithful to us, help us to be faithful to you, shiny as beacons of light in our communities. 

Name above all names, may your words bring joy and delight to all who hear and follow them. We pray that we also may be baptized in your name and receive the Holy Spirit to guide us on our journey of faith. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Beautiful Bhutan (Part 1)

Sunday, June 15, 2025

After we speak, W brings me to the shuttle and I travel to Jakarta after 11 AM. (He arranges an earlier run so that the driver misses most of the weekend traffic.) I sit around - the lounge food is not appealing and I'm tired! - until the flight leaves at 7 PM. The gate area is pure chaos. The huge video board says, "Goodbye" in 5 languages but gives no information.

Three flights are leaving at the same time, with no clear lines. The flight attendants for the Middle East (Abu Dabi) give 35 minutes of "last call, walking through the crowds. People continue to trickle toward the gate, which make the next flight (Emeretz) 20 minutes late. We board after they do, the patient swarm standing off toward the right before we all surge into the gangway to the plane.

I'm in Bangkok 10:30 - 5 AM. It's mandatory to go through customs and immigration since I'm getting a boarding pass on another airline. The royal family is on display.

I try to sleep on a row of seats, masking and covering myself with a coat worn backwards. Some Malay guys plunk down hard - up and down - and a few have deep colds. They sneeze, clear their noses, and cough right beside me. Their chatter and food keeps me from relaxing so I give up at at 1:30 AM and look for the line to Druckair, the Bhutan airline. 

No luck. Korean Air has all the booths on that row, with no Druckair in sight. When I return 15 minutes later, there's a long lineup of people with lots of luggage. No worries. I'm in no hurry. 

I don't know the lounges and am too tired to check out multiples. I go to the first one I see - it's ok. The food and seating is not great, but it's clean. When it's time to fly out, I'm so tired I can hardly think. One plane over, someone is working on the engine while standing on a car. Eh?!

I snooze on the Druckair 3.5 hour flight. The female attendants wear traditional dress but the men are in suits. It's really nice to see formal dress and gives a glimpse of Bhutan's attention to detail.

But look at the view out the window ... the man on the aisle seat is returning after working in Australia for 5 years. His parents eagerly await him. I ask what gifts he is bringing: perfume, shoes, clothing. He snaps a few pictures for me.

Oh wow - the sun rises on the mountainous terrain.

I'm met by a tour operator, gifted a white shawl (the Hawaiian alternative is a flower lei) and driven to the capital city. There's colorful painting on wood and walls, especially flowers and the eagle and dragon that are the symbol of Bhutan.

Most tourists leave the flight and stop dead to take selfies, even before they walk into the terminal - it's that beautiful. Once inside, the wide reception area gives a glimpse of Bhutan's culture and decor.

Then there's the luggage carousel. Bhutan is small and not wealthy. They are proud of their king and his family. "We are the peaceful kingdom," they say. 

Bhutan's top two revenue-generating industries are hydro-power (sold to India and purchased back during the dry winter season) and tourism, yet its emphasis is relational rather than high-tech or fancy gear. Attention is given to detail - it's clean and maintained to a high standard and the food is wonderful!

Some mountainsides are totally green, while others are bare rock. Deep valleys are grooved out by rivers. More recently, green roofs indicate private homes. Red are businesses or government buildings. Signage is in English, encouraging drivers to be courteous, careful, and protective of the natural environment.

Cattle and horses graze along the switchbacks and occasional straights of the highway.

Bhutan's natural beauty is breathtaking. The tall mountains rise from bases that start at 2,000+ meters (6000') elevation . Fresh air is matched by sunshine and  fluffy clouds. I think my touristy joy here will be to clean out my lungs with that mountain air!

The architecture is square with minimally sloped roofs. It's a semi-tropical country with Himalayas all around. They haven't had snow in the past years, "but I'm told we used to have snowfall every winter 20 years ago," offers the young tour guide.

It will rain by afternoon in this rainy season but I'm refreshed by the sunny drive in.

Across the road from our hotel is the river and a school. What a view! The kids are in the courtyard in uniforms - it's considered polite and required to dress in the national clothing for education and business.

I peek out the window at the apartment next door. Sunning paintwork.

The hotel is simple and hospitable. There's lots of stained wood, a luxurious mattress, and generous space for writing and study. It's clean! which makes me very happy.

The group I'm with are eager learners. We talk about research and writing, what it means to explore the world, and how much fun it can be. They have much to offer the world with their fresh eyes on culture, historic traditions, society, and faith.

I'm almost sleep when the hotel kitchen calls: they have supper ready. I'm hardly hungry. They deliver a spicy soup, fresh-water fish and chips, and even desert: 2 dough balls in syrup. The sun set at 7 pM, but the street dogs start to bark at 8:30. Packs of dogs roam the streets, snoozing during the day and fighting for turf at night. They talk to each other off and on all night.

Tuesday

I wake early enough to grade the comments that have come in overnight. In the meeting room, there is no ledge outside the large window. It opens to fresh air and a parking lot below.

There are plenty of vehicles but they don't seem to have major traffic jams.

Timphu reminds me of Switzerland.

School kids hop on public transit or get to school on school busses if they're too far away to walk.

The view from the dining room shows a city preparing for the day.

I eat a hearty breakfast, including 2 over-easy eggs sent to the table without ordering them. I ask someone to help me eat it all.

This is the mid-morning snack! Chicken wings and potato wedges. 

We have a good group. Two of them are sneezing and wheezing. Oh oh! (Yup - I catch it. My resistance to respiratory stuff is nil since my third bout of COVID.)

Read more:

*Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

*Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:38-39

Moravian Prayer: Name above all names, may your words bring joy and delight to all who hear and follow them. We pray that we also may be baptized in your name and receive the Holy Spirit to guide us on our journey of faith. Amen.