sights and sounds

everywhere you turn there is another waving flag. colourful fabric, printed with buddhist prayers to be carried by the wind...these inspired me, upon learning that our group was going to need to perform a song for a local youth talent show, to suggest K'Naan's 'Waving Flag'. relevant on so many levels to our time here, as fellow Canadians, traveling during the world cup finals, in a land covered in its own waving flags... after a month of numerous spontaneous and rehearsed renditions of the song, it has taken on a life of its own. what has been amazing is that everyone here knows it too! then, yesterday evening, i ventured out on a short walk down a dirt road from our hotel - past the grand bhutanese farmhouses, meeting children along the way, a rainbow arcing across the broad vally - and, to my absolutement amazement and pleasure, the sounds of that song come wafting out of a distant farmhouse - a verse sung by a child completely unaware of my presence of the profound singnificance of the song to me...and seconds later, from the neighbouring farmhouse, another child continues the song - carried on the wind... wow.

Bhutan to my senses is mostly sweet (and spicy!), and would be all so if not for the incessant barking dogs! There are strays everywhere - though they are cared for - and they are pretty cute (except the one that chased me while on our hike!) - but they come most alive at night, and when one starts barking then they all get going...not a pleasure for light sleepers! Still, I have almost gotten used to it. Aside from dogs - there are the birds. I have never heard so many bird songs at once - these I will desperately miss...that and the rushing rivers pouring out of the himalayas. And to complete the triad, i have loved listening to the wind in the trees - possibly my favourite sound on earth.

As for food - we have been lucky to have a good selection of Indian, Chinese, Continental and Bhutanese foods at our hotels and the restaurants chosen by our most fantastic guide, Karma. But, to be fair, we have not experimented much with Bhutanese food, which is mostly rice and chillies in a cheese sauce (ema dahtse) - at every meal. Yes, even breakfast. There are also momos - sort of like a steamed dumpling - filled with cheese, or veggies. These I love and will certainly seek them out at Tibetan restaurants in Toronto. We have been lucky enough to be here during the summer - and have enjoyed the tail end of asparagus season, the beginning of apple season - and also mangoes and plums. We spent a morning pulling weeds in rice paddies (and felt the pain of farmwork in our legs for 3 days following...!), and now look at every grain of rice differently. Farms here are subsistence farms, and have apples, rice, cows (for dairy), chillies (of course), pumpkins, beans and other staples. Here's hoping Bhutan's modernization does not destroy this variety and self-sufficiency. Just today I read an article in the local paper discussing the value of changing rules related to food imports/exports - and there was no denying that imports will drop the cost of staple foods such as rice, but could also quite likely lead to challenges for Bhutanese farmers to be able to continue to afford to grow their own. By the way, the rice here is red, and deelicious! On a side note - there is another 'crop' here that I wasn't expecting - actually, here it grows as a weed - along the roadsides, across from my hotel, everywhere really. Marijuana. There is little culture to smoking the herb here, so it is passed by...or fed to the pigs to keep them lazy and fat. The more fat on a pig the better in Bhutan! Eating bacon was an adventure in and of itself!

Bhutan's modernization includes a plan to have road access and electricity to all communities by 2020. Obviously important, it is interesting to note that this brings with it some key amenities which have become essential for every house, rural or urban, in Bhutan - lights, fridge, TV - and, increasingly, computers and internet. We did learn of a particular valley community, though, which has gone completely with solar energy in an attempt to protect the migratory habitat of the sacred black-necked crane. Apparently the electrical wires interfere with their flight, and the entire village decided this was not acceptable - so now every home has its own solar panel. There are small examples of this across Bhutan - where environment and community health come before blind leaps into modernization.

As for my meandering philosophies on education - I have returned to where it all began for me anyway - in essence, my only concern about education, per se, as in the system of education i guess - is the removing of people from the land and into boxed classrooms. How to balance this with the value of literacy, numeracy, critical thinking etc etc...of course, after years of study in environmental education, I know how (or I have some ideas...) - and have been glad to learn, recently, that Bhutan does acknowledge how conventional its system is and is slowly training teachers in student-centred, holistic learning...with environmental studies included as of the primary grades. Still, what we learn from books, and what we learn from the land itself, are distinct - I would suggest, if anyone were listening, that outdoor environmental and experiential education be woven into all grade levels too...

'within the realm of happiness'

just finished reading a great book called 'within the realm of happiness', by kinley dorji. a fantastic book for anyone interested in the social and economic changes taking place in bhutan. excellent recollections of bhutan's mystical history and colourful culture - all set alongside vignettes about the growing reality of social and economic development. i wish this place didn't feel like our (humanity's) last chance to get it right - it feels like so much is at stake. but, really, no matter how one looks at it, bhutan is inevitably tied to the rest of the world...there are no islands on this planet anymore.

momos, markets and monasteries

on a lighter note...

in terms of our touristy travels - we have spent lots of time visiting local markets, museums and monasteries. the markets are filled with items related to the practice and rituals of buddhism, and some useful handmade household items, such as bowls made out of rhododendron wood. the jewellery is beautiful - lots of silver and turquoise...during a visit to the national library, i came across a book all about the history of the jewellery in this region of the world - and there is far more turquoise than i would have expected. the book pointed out the historical reality that, despite suggestions that tibet was isolated from the rest of the world for most of its history, there are actually ancient trade routes that extended south through the himalayas and into bhutan, and onwards to india. these trade routes took on a new significance during the chinese invasion of tibet, allowing monks to escape persecution and death. one of the most significant Guru Rinpoche ended up in Bhutan, where the queen welcomed him and provided him with a home beside Bhutan's most ancient temple. we watched a video about him and his followers, including the dalai lama, narrated by none other than richard gere. apparently he has visited Bhutan, as has Leonardo diCaprio. Speaking of which, actually looking forward to his new movie, Inception - it is being advertised ad nauseum on the local (as in Indian) tv channels. many people in bhutan can speak Hindi from the influence of Bhutan's closest neighbour (geographically, politically, and economically). India is Bhutan's greatest ally and trading partner...and the Bhutanese recognize the necessity of not displeasing the giant to their south - especially after witnessing what happened to Nepal when it began discussing arms deals with China (India cut off their trade with Nepal and the country slipped into chaos, which continues to this day). Bhutan's greatest import is hydroelectricity to India, who has provided the funding and often the labour for Bhutan's biggest works projects.

this jewellery book also gave a nice history of the practice of Buddhism in the region - here is something I didn't know - not all buddhists are looking for nirvana (and the consequential end to rebirth), but rather, the type of Buddhism practiced here is a sect related to the Bodhissatva, wanting to gain wisdom and be constantly reborn so as to assist others in their own spiritual journeys. In the temples, the Buddha sits so peacefully, a small smile on his face, providing a space for prayer, meditation and deep personal reflection. I have never felt comfortable subscribing to any one particular religion, but I have always felt a resonance with Buddhism...since being here, I am particularly interested in the notion of the Middle Path which lies somewhere between self-denial and excess. Excellent wisdom.

Last Thursday was a national holiday celebrating the anniversary of the first sermon given by the Buddha following his enlightenment. Almost everyone had the day off work - and almost all found time during the day to attend a dzong or temple to receive a blessing from the monks. Since we were in Thimphu, we were able to attend the dzong which houses Bhutan's official monk body, which was just filled with people dressed in their tradtional (and very colourful) dress. To our surprise, we just happened to arrive to discover that the king himself was going to be in attendance! Not only that, but his father would also be coming! These are the 5th and 4th kings, respectively. Apparently, the older of the two (4th king) rarely makes public appearances, so it was a quite a lucky moment for us to be present. The queen mothers were also in attendance (the 4th king married 4 sisters), and one of them stopped to speak to us... The 5th king will not be carrying on the precedent of marrying sisters - he is 30 years old, and set to be married next year, I believe.

on a more personal note - traveling as a single woman continues to attract questions. they have only one word for me here - spinster. awesome. most people think all the 7 students i have in tow are my own. hilarious. the bhutanese marry well before 25, without much ceremony. actually, without any ceremony. they generally choose who they marry, and i've heard it described more than once that a one-night-stand that finds the fella still there in the morning is pretty much all it takes to get married here. divorce is also quite casual, especially if there are no children involved.

gross national happiness

We have driven deeper into the country - still in what is considered western Bhutan -but we are definetly more central now - in an area called Punakha (though we are staying nearby in Wangdi - nicknamed Windy - and it sure is! Thought at first we were experiencing some tail edge of the typhoon that just pounded Vietnam...but apparently this is normal...and I will take it - I find wind to be so invigorating. Prayers to those who got too much wind this week, though...). It is absolutely great to have left the city of Thimphu - was ready to go a couple days ago - interesting place, but a city is still a city, and I have been craving a more rugged landscape. And we got it - to say the road here was windy (not windy, windy - haha) would be a massive understatement. Still, we all held it together, so I was able to fully appreciate the innumerable waterfalls and magnifecently forested steep mountainsides of the northern edges of the Himalyan foothills. After a visit to the local dzong (these are ancient/current administrative and religious buildings), which used to the capital of Bhutan - and still hosts the national monk body during the winter months - we took a walk across a swiss-made suspension bridge over one of the two large rivers in the area. The dzong is located where the two rivers meet - one Mo Chu (mother), the other Po Chu (father). We are starting to play with the idea of whitewater rafting/floating this week, if possible, but this type of tourism is still very much in its infancy here.

Which brings me, again, to the complexity of Bhutan. It is actually difficult to find the appropriate words to express the paradoxes and conflicts I am experiencing here - but, in the end, I think that no matter what I think, it all just is what it is. And what it is, among other things, is unique. For starters, there is no other country on earth where the ruling monarchy has not only willingly, but insisted upon, devolving its own power into the hands of its citizens. There are a couple of angles to this - most attractive to me is the idea that it stems partly from the buddhist culture which places a high value on giving away that which is most valuable to you - and in the case of monarchy, this is power. Beyond that, the far-sighted and well-educated royalty understood that while they may be benevolent kings, that may not always be the case... Furthermore, the reality was that the people didn't want it. They LOVE their king here, and he had to use this as his way of convincing them to buy into it - basically, if you love me, and trust me, you will trust my insistence on democracy. So, here I am, in the youngest democracy in the world - where many people not only don't know how, but many actually don't want, to defy or criticize authority. So much is in such a state of twisted flux here...

Which brings me to education. Education. This place has me questionning (again) the very definition of the word... The thing is, it is not the value of education, at the end of the day, that I am so concerned about - I am unwavered in my belief in the value of knowing and learning and questionning - it is the method and priority placed on conventional, academic, classroom teaching that (once again) has my head spinning. Of course literacy is important. And the opportunities and insight that standardized education systems can lead to are important. And, of course, there is critical thinking - an essential ingredient to democracy. This final attribute of education is proving to be a difficult segue in Bhutan - a country, as I mentionned, with a tradition of deferring to authority - including teachers. Stutdents' answer to every question or comment is, simply, 'yes ma'am'. From what I have learned from some foreign teachers here, despite attempts to infuse the Bhutanese education system with Canadian curricula, the students have very little capacity or interest in developing or expressing personal opinions and viewpoints. Not to say this won't come with time - again, this is a country in very real flux...but as it stands, my impression of most of the education that is happening here is that it is not very progressive. The conditions at the boarding schools, without getting into details, are not great - though the students do also have fun and they do learn . So, this is where I cringe and wonder about the value of 'education', per se. When the system first started about 30 years ago, officials literally had to go into communities and sign the students up - parents did not want to send them off (sound familiar?). And, this isn't colonization, but these students, even to this day, are essentially only allowed to leave their boarding schools for holidays - no weekend passes, even for students who live minutes away. Once they are finsihed their schooling - having been promised opportunity through education - most do not qualify for post-secondary (if there were even spaces for them), and have been convinced that labour work (including continuing on their ancient family farms) is not worthy work - and off to Thimphu they go....most to little opportunity and growing youth issues of susbstance abuse and gangs (though, it should be noted, that the gangs are nothing compared to other countries - not yet, anyway). Can you understand the confusion? I suppose my gripe is, again, with conventional, rigid, authoritarian education systems. Without wanting to sound romantic about the difficult life of farming, what does it do to a country to ship all its youth off to schools, and off the land, to learn from books inside classrooms? Add to this the introduction of tv's, movies, music etc - and with it the images and attitudes of materialism and consumerism- and one is left with a simmering soup of, well, actually, who knows what. And that's just it - it just is what it is. An experiment. Change. Bhutan was/is determined not to fall victim to the same forces that invaded Tibet and Nepal, so they are taking deliberate efforts to manage the inevitability of modernization.

All this in a country still completely steeped in Buddhist tradition and spirituality, where the Earth is not only sacred , but is actually protected in their consitution (60% of forest cover is protected through the consitution - currently, 75% of the country is covered in forest). There is no suggestion at secularization - as the Bhutanese culture is infused with Buddhist philosophy and ritual - and, as one of the four pillars of the policy of Gross National Happiness, Bhutanese culture is also protected (How far will change be allowed to go? Will the impressions and influence of the youth, who make up 54% of the country, eventually lead to a significant westernization of Bhutanese culture? How does this all clash with the Buddhist belief in impermanence?) As for GNH - I have learned more about this in the past two weeks, from various people including young Bhutanese journalists to high-ranking (Canadian educated) government officials. There is no disagreement as to the value of it, or the relevance, to not only Bhutan, but also the rest of the world, as we (not they) struggle to find a balance after years of wanton destruction and limitless growth. Here, I love the Buddhist philosophy of the Middle Path - the path between excess and denial. GNH is based on four pillars - Sustainability, Environmental Preservation, Culture and Tradition, and Good Governance. It is believed that health in all these 4 areas will not necessarily make everyone 'happy' (an admittedly subjective state), but provide the conditions for happiness - whatever that might mean to any given individual/community. Certainly sounds idealistic (probably why I love it), and it's implementation is not without its difficulties and paradoxes - especially in country in such flux - but it is, without question, an ideal worth striving for, and is, I believe, one of the most valuable gifts and insights Bhutan has to offer (one among many, I would suggest). Leaders and economists are starting to take notice, too. Many ask - how does one measure happiness? A very valid and complex question - but, just because there is no easy answer does not mean it does not deserve serious consideration. And, in reality, when considering the 4 pillars of GNH, one can easilly start to imagine quantitative ways of measuring 'happiness'....since everyone knows that only things that can be counted are of value (tongue firmly in cheek - the government official mentionned this, and it is painfully true of our society, but there is no doubt a shift happening - if adverts are any indication - just the other day I saw an advert for a bank or the like with the slogan - 'not everything that counts can be counted'. Things like that remind me to be hopeful - because, in all honesty, there is something searing to my soul about witnessing the invasion of a superficial, consumer, automobile-centric, processed food, corporate culture, (and then there's that ultra conventional education system) into Bhutan. Not that everyone here lives like that, yet - not even close (80% are still farmers) - just yesterday, driving to Punakha, we pulled over to the side of the road to enjoy fresh corn on the cob being roasted over an open fire...the students noted that back home its McDonald's, here its roasted corn. But one can see it all coming in big tsunami-like waves. And then again, its never happened here or like this before - maybe this time it will be different. More balanced, more spiritual, more equitable, more compassionate - more ecological even. For now, it is what it is. And what it is is unique. And most fascinating.

I suppose I can best sum up my experience here as this: while Bhutan has developed, and continues to develop, a most fantastic alternative to our narrow-minded (among other things) measure of 'wealth', and the policies exist and are being developed to support that philosophy, the irony is that development here seems to still be happening in much the same way it has in the rest of the modernized world...not entirely, but muchly...including that education system...for all the progressive examples in the world, few seem to have trickled into Bhutan, a country that seems desperate to do things differently, and has the spiritual, cultural, and political will to support it. Where are all those amazing environmental technologies we have been developing? Why must the education system here be so archaic? How does Bhutan match their ideals with what is developing in the communities?

There is so much more I could ramble on about here - but tomorrow we go visit our first boarding school to learn and to help out. It will be an early morning, and its been a long (beautiful) day on a long and windy (not windy - hehe) road. I am still missing my friends and family as I manage this programme on my own - but I am beside a river surrounded by trees - and I rarely feel lonely in these places. I love being in a country where love for nature and protection of the environment is not something that one must be convinced of. And everyone does smile a lot here. And I feel VERY safe. And I have made some local friends whose company and insight I really appreciate. I continue to be thankful for, and look forward to, the comforts of home... the world is certainly full of paradox, chaos and confusion - but it is also replete with love, joy, compassion, ambition, imagination, and wisdom. It is all very much a work in progress (as am I!) Peace and Love.

trekking, tourism and Thimphu

Another night in Thimpu, Bhutan's capital city. We are here for just over a week, at a lovely inn/hotel - Yeedzin - with edible, though not inspiring, cuisine. We survived altitude sickness - and I now feel much more experienced with identifying and dealing with it; key lesson - symptoms = descent, and not 'let's just take it slow'. Even after descending 500m, because two students were sick (vomitting and difficulty breathing), 2 more of us succumbed - including moi. Not pretty, or fun...that was one long night. An amazing thing happened the next morning though.... I hardly slept, and was pretty wide-eyed as of 1am. At 5am, just as the first light began to break, I heard the first bird song break the complete silence of night. Within seconds there was another joining in...and within minutes there was a chorus of bird songs the like of which I have never heard in any boreal forest, mountainside or jungle. It was simply extraordinary. We were in a meadow, just on the edge of one of the most magnificently mystical old-growth forests in the world. After about 10 minutes of the birds calling in the day, the insects starting chirping and whining - rising and rising to an almost deafening cry - even to the point of drowning out what sounded like the song of every bird in the world. All this rising to a cacophonous crescendo at 5:20am....slowly the insects started to fade away into the dawn, and I was left standing in a misty, chilly meadow with only a scattering of bird calls - unable to comprehend how anyone in the near vicinity could possibly still be sleeping. But they were - and it was just me and birds. And the nausea. Haha - for a few minutes there I almost forgot why I was awake and out of the tent at all... so, there I was, standing 'alone' in the meadow, in my PJ's, almost thankful for the challenge of the mountain.

Since then, we have all recovered perfectly, and have arrived in Thimpu to begin our community service work. As we arrive, I am immediately struck by the relative scale of haphazard development. This is definetly a growing city - and I can't help but try to reconcile this with all I have learned so far about Bhutan's philosophy and policy of Gross National Happiness, a pillar of which is sustainability and environmental protection. So begin the contradictions. There is no doubt in my mind that this country's intentions, with respect to getting it right, are sound, but it does not come without its challenges and paradoxes. (NOTE: 'it' here refers to the pandora's box of modernization, globalization, urbanization, democratization, industrialization, social/economic development, etc). I am fascinated, inspired, cynical, skeptical, curious, hopeful, doubtful and, at the end of the day, just a tourist. No matter what my limited experience here, it will remain only a tiny glimpse into the complexities of a nation that has only opened its borders to the rest of the world in my lifetime. It is mind-blowing to imagine that the trek we attempted early last week was, only 25 years ago, THE primary route (by foot/horse) between the communities of Paro and Thimpu. Now we drive by car dealerships on the way into the city, and watch as buildings are erected (using tall bamboo poles as scaffolding and support beams!) to accomodate the influx of the rural populace into Bhutan's biggest city (at 80,000 ). I have so many questions (and concerns!). How will they manage to protect their traditions in the face of such an onslaught of global culture, which is, in many significant ways, at odds with their stated intentions? Is it possible to modernize/globalize without internalizing the values of materialism? Is materialism the biggest threat? What about industrialization? Where does a country, that has a stated policy of protecting the environment before profit, draw the line between industrialization and conservation? I could go on, and on, and on...but then I begin to notice how deeply personal some of this feels - as though I want to drop everything and offer whatever skills and knowledge I have to ensure 'its' done 'right' - and I notice too, of course, that this isn't my country to 'save' (though it is our world). All this, and my head is still light from the altitude and lack of food in the past 24hrs.

From a tourist perspective, for those who maybe don't dig too deep, Bhutan is an idyllic experience. Prayer flags wave in the steady mountain breeze, everyone has friendly smiles and there seems to be a steady serenity. I am finally at home in a country whose religion/spirituality, while not something I practice with any great consistency or thorough knowledge, is certainly aligned with many of my own personal philosophies and perspectives. Bhutan was very much a safe haven for some of Tibet's most significant spiritual leaders - and, once again, I find myself thankful for the existence of this small Himalayan kingdom. I appreciate buddhism for the way it doesn't look to impose itself on others...and for its cyclical approach to life and death - and, perhaps most importantly, for its philosophy of compassion and respect for all sentient beings. Don't get me wrong though - I will continue to mange la viande and murder mosquitoes! (are they sentient, anyway!??) I will, though, continue to learn what I can about the practice and philosophy of Bhuddhism while here, and upon returning home...

On less philosophical notes - the trip is going swimmingly well. The students are all engaged, mature, keen and responsible. Makes my job as a programme manager very easy (so far). I can't say I'm thrilled about being here on my own as a staff member - is somewhat boring where I would prefer to have a buddy to explore and entertain with...but I am developing some friendships with locals I may not have otherwise experienced. Today, at the youth centre, I ended up in some great conversation with a young Bhutanese journalist who is working full-time in the information technology/management office at the youth centre we are volunteering at. I look forward to talking to him more as the week goes on - and hope he will teach me more about Bhutan and GNH, as he teaches a night school course on this topic to interested professionals. Yesterday I crossed paths with a Canadian teacher from Toronto who is in his 6th month of a teaching position in eastern Bhutan. His parents have just arrived for a visit, and he was so revved up with insight, frustration, cynicism, inspiration and passion it was a fantastic pleasure to be able to discuss Bhutan with him, particularly from our particular Canadian educators' perspectives. But back to the trip... this journey is certainly more cultural exchange than community service - but the few projects we have worked on in the past couple days have been super. Yesterday, the students began the day with a morning reading session with the children at the youth centre. Bhutanese children are on their 2-week summer holiday right now, so the youth centre has been very busy with programming. In small groups, the Canadian students both read to and with the children, and then spent time discussing Bhutan and Canadian culture with them. Just from what I overheard, I know that this generation of Bhutanese children is having the very unique experience of being the first to not only be aware of the rest of the world, but also to begin to value the culture, beauty, pasttimes and stories of the west. In exploring their library, filled with mostly donated books, I couldn't help but wonder how the children's stories of my own youth would influence and shift their own developing paradigms. In the afternoon, we were driven to a community housing neighbourhood for low-income civil servants where they had shelves of disorganized donated books, with no idea on how to 'create' a library. We spent the next 3 hours sorting, labeling, and organizing, at their request. It was actually pretty fun! This morning we helped in the youth centre's gardens, as the students from both countries continued to develop their budding friendships...but mostly we got rained out of that project. The afternoon was super fun - exchanging crafts! One of our students brought a stash of thread for making friendship bracelets - and everyone loved it! I was SO impressed by a blind Bhutanese man who showed up a bit late, and began immediately to learn the skill of friendship bracelet making without hesitation. He then continued to teach us about the art of making small woven fish decorations as their craft exchange. It was simply completely inspiring. He is full of humour and jokes, and works as an unofficial youth counsellor at the centre - awaiting his acceptance to a masters programme so he can officially claim his position as youth consellor. (For the record, the rapid urbanization is leading the growing creation of youth gangs and substance abuse problems - though the numbers are miniscule relative to other countries - Bhutan is attempting to nip it in bud...again, more hope and skepticism). There is actually a complete ban on cigarettes here, though alcohol is readily available.

Tomorrow is the last day of the summer break youth programmes. They are wrapping it up with a talent show which everyone is very excited about! They have asked us to prepare a piece, and as per my obsession with Waving Flag, I have suggested to the students that they do a rendition of this awesome tune as it is (still!) relevant, and is quite a popular song here - and is, of course, written by a Torontonian!! Not to mention - the ubiquitous prayer flags have added a new and unanticipated dimension to the tune! I can hardly wait! I will not be on stage, but will be singing along off-stage, with video recorder in hand! Thursday is a very significant national holiday (holy day) which is spent almost entirely in prayer. We will be going for a (flat!) one-hour hike, followed by a visit to the local zoo to get a glimpse of the takin, the national animal, and one of the stranger looking mammals on earth. We may also visit a temple or the like - and perhaps I will say a prayer...

Thinking a LOT about my friends scattered around the globe, and back home, and while loving it here, am also a little homesick for summer patios and awesome food in Europe, paddling and swimming in Ontario lakes and singing along to my favourite musicians/tunes with a beer in hand...hoping you are all well and loving life wherever you are. Love to everyone. :-)

arriving in bhutan

We have arrived, and immediately are struck by the green, peaceful feeling of the place (especially in contrast to Kathmandu!). From a tourist perspective, Bhutan is idyllic.

Writing this at 2am -watching the world cup semi-finals!

kathmandu

Kathmandu - wasn't planning on coming here - but seems like a perfect place to launch into Bhutan from! It has been sometime since I have traveled to a place where children reach into your taxi for money and where the rules of the road consist of honking horns and dashing along the edges of a traffic jam. It has been hot and sunny since we arrived, but the rains started last night and I think that might be it for the sun for a couple of weeks (at least) as the monsoon rains wash over us. Kathmandu is full of sounds, smells and sights that overwhelm the senses and keep you on your toes. It is a real shift for me to be here in the role of leader with students whose safety and wellbeing their parents are trusting me with...in the first few hours, it is enough to make sure I am not getting run over by a car or being swept away! So far, so good, though - and I expect Bhutan will be of a much different pace and reality.

I am already sunk into the spiritual nature of the place - surrounded by symbols of tibetan buddhism that i have only ever known through video until now....watching prayer flags wave in the wind as I write this. The students are keen on learning more about buddhism, and I find myself wishing I had spent more time re/learning about it before leaving home...but there are things I already know, and in many ways we are all on this journey together. We have already discussed the principles of suffering caused by desire (and my own philosophy about the joy of desire and passion!), and the verity of impernance. They are an astute, confident and intelligent crew who are happy to engage in discussions about tourism, development, society, philosophy, sports and music. Already they have proven to be on top of things - despite my strong encouragement to stay awake through our first day here to deal with the jet lag - it was a student who had to wake me up for dinner!

On a lighter note - the market streets surrounding our lodgings are filled with nepalese and tibetan shops full of beautiful things to bring home to my new house that i already miss (wishing I had brought some dimensions for a new rug!). Also, many trekking stores, as this is the jump off point for all those who come here to visit the Himalayas on foot. Really looking forward to our two nights of camping/hiking this week once we get to Bhutan. I am over the moon to be here, but am noticing it is the first time in a long time that I felt such a strong inclination to stay home too! Having said that, the adventurer in me knows the deep pleasure of returning home after time spent far, far away - a feeling that can only be experienced by leaving in the first place. Only wish I had left with a pair of jeans - can't believe I forgot them...a whole month without denim! We will be doing our best to catch the finals of the world cup - games are on at midnight here - will depend on internet/tv access. My money is on the Netherlands...

this is my first ever blog post, for the record.

coming soon...

coming soon...