TO THE VALLEY OF THE CRANES

 DINNER PARTY, THEN TO THE COUNTRYSIDE:

Last night (4/9) we had a dinner party with local dignitaries. They included, professors, doctors, Bhutan Power officials, Sales managers. It was a great evening as we exchanged questions about our respective countries. 



We were able to dress is traditional garb, I in a Goe and Lynn in a Kira.



Today, April 10, the plan is to have a lecture on Buddhism. After this we depart for the Phobjikha Valley. Enroute  we will be making a stop at Dochula Pass with an elevation over 10,000. (Will try and remember to check my watches altimeter). Then we visit the Druk Wangyal Chortens, where there are 108 Buddhist monuments to the martyred Bhutanese soldiers.

We hear the accommodations will be more plain and rustic. This I look forward to.

David Scott gave us an excellent lecture on the development of Buddhism in Bhutan. Yes, as we have different churches i.e. Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, etc.,  so it is the same in Buddhism. 



Further it is noted there are old world and some really old symbols from very diverse regions that are very much the same. An example is the Buddhist endless knot and the Celtic knot. Some words also are amazingly close i.e  Aum and Amen, forget the spelling and listen to the sounds. 



Simply, while we are different, we are really the same.

We then drove to the  Dochula Pass. The Chortens were very nice. I was really expecting the pass to be bare rock. It was still a very nice forest.

We descended off the pass to a restaurant where a Grand Master had his painting available. They were AMAZING!! (No Photos allowed)

Prayer Flags- The white are for burial prayers and the colored flags are for other prayers.

We continued our descent through an area known for the Gray Langur monkey. Lynn did an excellent job of spotting a group in trees along the roadside. A photo stop was made. 

 

 



Next was a stop for the restroom break. The nice ladies outside the building let me get some photos. 



Down we went and then started our next climb on a one lane road heading to our lodgings. Over a pass and into the Valley of the Cranes. The cranes have already passed through this area and we will visit the crane center tomorrow. 



We gathered for cocktails and dinner and called it a day. The drink unique to the lodge is called a “Dragon Warmer.”  Rum, lime/lemon juice, bits of cinnamon stick, warm apple cider, honey, and pepper to taste. Rather good.  

Yak in the Valley