The Bridge

This bridge spans the Thimphu River (aka Wang Chhu) and connects the produce Weekend Market with the crafts and clothes market.

The chorten

I could have spent the whole day at the National Memorial Chorten, which I visited for the first time today. I definitely plan on going back often. The giant prayer wheels are solid, heavy wood, so I had to throw my weight into turning them. People sat around some of the wheels with prayer beads and their own hand-held wheels.

The tall white chorten itself is a work of art, but what really captivated me was the space that I have no pictures of, since it is considered holy. It was a room filled with shines, offerings, music and chanting monks. Colorful banners hung from the ceiling. When you close your eyes, the chanting fills your mind and incense teases at the edge of what's left. Three women came in and performed prostrations in different directions. Absolutely unlike anything I've experienced before.

Next time I go back, I will ask a local guide to come with me to explain more -- every piece in this memorial is steeped in symbolism, and I am hungry to learn.

The college

The college campus where we are living is just about two years old. One of my favorite parts of the campus is this entry point. If you look at the close-up picture, you can see the incredible detail that went into not only the painting, but also the wood-carving.

Around our apartment

Prayer flags, like the ones in the picture here, dot many of the mountainsides. This is one of the hills that surround our apartment. There are many reasons for placing prayer flags, and when I asked a college student the reason for these, he said it was for someone who died.

The second picture is artwork in our apartment building. This is the Wheel of Dharma in Buddhism, and I've seen it in artwork on a lot of buildings in Thimphu. The eight spokes represent the noble eightfold path, one of the beliefs of Buddhism.

It is so cold that...

This morning we woke up to just a few drops of water from the faucet. And then no drops at all. I went to talk to the college office, and sure enough, it is typical for the water to freeze overnight in the pipes at this time of year (I 'm not sure why pipes bursting isn't a concern). The office woman told me we should have water once the sun heats the pipes by this afternoon. Luckily, I have yet to see clouds overhead since we've been here, so we'll just have to plan around the freezing/thawing.

Chilies and cheese

A favorite Bhutanese dish is ema datsi, which means chilies and cheese. I ordered it for lunch this week, and after one bite I was picking out the seeds it was so hot -- and this was even at a restaurant that caters to tourists, which means the spice was likely turned down.

Chilies are eaten as a vegetable here, not a spice, from what I've found so far. I love the idea of using chilies that way in cooking at our apartment, so I got a whole bag of them at the weekend market last Saturday for 50 Nu, just a little over $1. They are VERY spicy, so I think this bag might last us our whole stay.

The famous traffic circle

The buildings here are adorned with artwork and the architecture is designed according to government regulations for cultural consistency.

One of the big things to see in Thimphu is the main traffic circle, where a policeman directs traffic. There are no traffic lights in this city of 100,000. One was put in at the site of this traffic circle a few years ago, but reportedly the residents thought it was too impersonal, so the policeman got the job back. Note, he is talking on his cell phone. Love it.

Our place

We are incredibly fortunate in our location. The college we are living at has given us an apartment much bigger than anything I had anticipated. Plus, there's a hot water heater, a space heater, an actual mattress, a fridge (that doesn't even need to be turned on because it is cold enough without it inside and at night), and wireless internet. We are up the mountainside from town, around 9,000ft, with an amazing view. Everyone we've met has been so friendly and helpful. The picture shows our view (you can just make out the giant golden Buddha statue near the center of the pic). The building on the far left is a copy of the one we live in. The other ones are under construction.

I went into town today to the market for fresh produce, but stopped first at the clock tower square.

The plane ride

The most thrilling plane ride of my life by far. Himalayas are visible in the far distance, and we kept getting closer and closer until we were right there. Jagged peaks unlike anything I've ever seen. When the crew announced we were starting our descent, I was like whaaaat? Where exactly??!! Then you see this very very skinny valley with a thin black strip, and that is where. The plane flies within maybe 100 feet of the mountainsides and does a U-turn to make the landing happen. Incredible.

Tigers and taxi drivers

Its 8:45pm, and I arrived in Delhi an hour or so ago. I'm exhausted, but trying to stay up another hour or two so I can adjust quickly to the nearly 12-hour time difference.

I had a hilarious taxi driver from the airport to the hotel. In very broken English, he kept pointing to trees by the side of the road and saying "jungle" and listing lions, tigers, elephants. I was a bit skeptical, which turned into thinking he was a bit off his rocker when he kept asking me if I wanted to go see the tiger. I kept saying no, maybe tomorrow, given that it was dark and I was exhausted. Two good reasons to wait to see a tiger, right? He kept asking though, clearly unhappy I didn't want to see it now.

Finally, he asked again and I said maybe -- that made him happy, just as we drove up to a roundabout. He pointed and laughed, there, in the center of the roundabout was a very cute tiger (resembled a teddy bear actually) made of sticks.

Good first taxi ride alone.

Books and movies about Bhutan

If you'd like to experience more of Bhutan from outside the country (although I highly encourage visits!!!), here are a couple suggestions:

Travellers and Magicians is a beautiful movie shot in Bhutan. A gorgeous Buddhist fable that won several international film festival awards.

Beyond the Earth and Sky was written by a young woman who went to Bhutan as a volunteer teacher in the late 80s/90s. The book is engaging in its own right, and she does a great job of describing the country and her own adjustment to being abroad in such a different culture. A testament to the wonderful and difficult aspects of living abroad.

Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan. I have yet to read this one, but it will be in my carry-on for my long flight over!

Finally!

We have our visas and our tickets, and I'm going to Bhutan! Wahoo! Every two weeks we thought we'd be able to go, but for one reason or another, we'd get pushback. But finally, it is happening. I depart Dec. 14, Chicago-Delhi (15 hours!), then fly into Bhutan on Dec. 17. Druk Air is the only airline that flies in and out of Bhutan, and they have only a few flights a day.

Druk Yul is the name of Bhutan in dzonghka, the national language of Bhutan. It means Thunder Dragon, which relates to the heavy storms that come down the mountains to the country.

Because I know you want to visit us while we are there, here's a place to start:

http://www.bhutantoursandtravels.com/index.html

Sunsets

The top two are from Wisconsin in October, near where we've been staying. The bottom one is from South Dakota near Theodore Roosevelt State Park.

It sounds like we might have news on getting into Bhutan soon! I don't want to jinx it by telling too much yet. But maybe within the next two weeks I will have a very happy post to write.

Monkeys

They were all over the city of Jaipur. Apparently, quite aggressive as well. My housemate and I watched a woman beat a group of monkeys away from her courtyard with a broom.

This guy was climbing over the house across from us.

The unexpected

I loved my first days in India. I absorbed incredible vegetarian food, the intense, oppressive heat in Jaipur, the overwhelming newness of every sight. Bicycle- and motor-rickshaws competing on the streets along with cows, dogs and thousands of people, constant honking, families on motorcycles, women dressed in bright saris, and children banging on car windows. Crossing a busy street felt like an exercise in survival of the most recklessly brave.

Four days into my stay, I got sick, and then sicker. By the end of two weeks in Jaipur, the thing I knew best were the hospitals. On the day I was released from the hospital, I flew back to Minnesota.

Physically, I'm thankfully all better now, just trying to rework my plans for the fall semester and come to terms with the unexpected. I'm focusing on the positive things this turn of events means -- getting to see friends who I thought I wouldn't see again for a long time, being at two good friends' weddings...

Bhutan is still in the plans -- we're hoping October some time, since there's a bunch of formal process that needs to happen... I'll update as I know more.

Jaipur, India

In the air

I'm leaving in about 24 hours for Jaipur, India. Well, more accurately, I'm flying to Chicago, then to Delhi, then after a day or two there, driving 6 hours to Jaipur. The plane ride is about 20-ish hours, though I don't really know for sure and would rather NOT know at this point, since anything beyond 3 hours is kinda painful on a plane (Mt. Hood in Oregon in pic). We've been told we'll have about 5 days of no communication once we arrive, so I'll start taking pictures and posting as soon as I can after that.

First month in India: Intensive Hindi program in Jaipur. I'm super psyched! I love learning new languages. I'll be staying with a host family and going on weekend excursions.

Second month in India: Internship at a watershed restoration NGO in Pune, and staying with a good friend's mother.

End of September: Fly to Bhutan, if all goes well!

Traveling and restless

I cannot wait to get to Bhutan -- and that's a solid two months from now, with India sandwiched in between. It's not so much the incredible landscape, the radically different culture, or the incredible food that I'm most excited about. Although I am, intensely so.

What I'm most excited about is a place to call home, even if it is just for nine months.

Being base-less didn't used to not bother me so much -- by the time I'd graduated high school, I'd gone to 7 different schools and lived in 7 different homes, so a certain amount of wanderlust was bred into my nature pretty young. And let me say that I am INCREDIBLY lucky to have been able to travel like this throughout this summer. I am so thankful to have been able to do this, and spend so much time with family and friends. But at the same time, days before I fly to India and nearly 3 months into constant traveling, I have to confess that I'm ready to live out of something other than my suitcase for a while.

Or at least a part of the world, for now

If I were to start a travel agency, one of the many careers I've contemplated, it would be a writing-themed one. I'd take you, aspiring, burned-out, or needing-inspiration writer to places I've found to be jaw-droppingly gorgeous, thrilling, and different from your everyday life. And PenTravels would be the name.

I leave for India in one week from today and every time I cross something off my to-do list, I remember two more to add on. I finally received info on my host family for my month in Jaipur: I will be staying with Ms. Rama. I believe this is auspicious, since Rama means branch in Spanish, and I have been very lucky with the Branches in my life.

This summer, we traveled to Portland and then pretty much covered Wisconsin and Minnesota (the bi-state area as a Portland friend smartly named it). Up to Lake of the Woods in Northern MN (bottom pic) and to a beautiful cabin on the Wolf River in WI (top two pics).