After three days of travel we ended up in a tiny village outside the
small town of Jakar. As we drove through Jakar, it reminded me of a
wild west town with small wooden storefronts on both sides of a narrow
main street. Half of them were a General Store and Bar/Saloon.
Virtually all of them advertised cell phone recharging cards.

Across the road from our rural hotel was a small 14th century
monastery. We spent most of two days at the festival there which had a
very local flavor. The night before the festival the Lama came to
bless each house (and our hotel) in the neighborhood after which a
half naked monk dances through with a flaming branch.

That completed, we walked down the road to a field in which a large
circle of branches had been erected. The Lama’s completion of home
blessings and arrival at the circle signalled the masked scantily clad
monks to light the circle. The crowd of hundreds surged forward and
began moving through the circle, a purification ritual.

Next day the sacred ceremonies began at the monastery with rather
bawdy clowns (monks) entertaining the crowds with wooden phalluses
prior to the real cham (sacred dances) beginning. In the intimate
atmosphere of this small monastery, we were able to see the costumes,
masks and dances, musicians and locals’ reactions. These dances are
often lengthy and intricate which gave us a great appreciation for the
effort put into these ritual performances.

We were amazed at the number and size of cameras at this event. I
finally learned that a number of photography clubs from around the
world had organized excursions. I wish they had paid more attention to
honoring the local people and it’s significance to them. They came
across as fairly self-centered groups.

As interesting and colorful as it was, after 2 full days we were ready
to move on and begin our trek. The first day was a pleasant walk
through forest and fields, gaining a little altitude. Camp was set up
in a field above a river which was inhabited by cows, horses and dogs.
Nearby farmers were happy to porter tents, food and other supplies 3
km from across the river where the car was.

This was camping like I had never experienced it before. There were
folding chairs and a table and even a latrine tent and someone to cook
our food. Wow!

Because of the ongoing challenge of my knees, David thought having a
horse in reserve was a good idea. Since there were horses already
going over the pass carrying supplies for another group, this was no
problem. My success the first day made me quite determined to cross
the pass on my own two feet. Allieve at night and -Ibuprofon in the
morning seemed a winning combination plus the aid of my hiking poles.
The temperature was perfect, my shoes were comfortable and I was
confident as we started climbing through beautiful forest of
evergreens, rhododendrons, bamboo, and a diversity of plants we had
never seen before. We wondered if David Hinkley had cataloged or
propagated the plants of Bhutan.

We continued to play leap frog with the farmers and group of horses
and each time I was asked if I wanted a horse yet. Given that the
saddles were uncomfortable wooden things and the path frequently very
steep over large rocks and occasionally less than a foot wide with a
precipice on one side, I felt far safer on my own 2 feet. It was a
long way up and I was exhausted and very sore by the time we got to
the pass. The prayer flags flying all around us immediately lifted my
spirits as we shared lunch with Sangay, our very steady guide. He said
it would be about an hour down to here our camp would be. Three hours
later with dusk upon us, I dragged into camp, wanting only to wash up
and sleep. After forcing down a bowl of soup, I did bask in my
accomplishment. I did it on my own 2 feet and my walking sticks and
with the support and encouragement of David and Sangay, both very
patient men.

It was a brief 2 hour hike the next day to a small very rustic house
(actually the vacation home of the minister of agriculture) where we
spent the next two nights. We also became acquainted with a Bhutanese
tradition, the hot stone bath.

Large stones are heated on top of a fire until they are white hot,
then they are put in a wooden tub of fresh spring water. This steaming
hot outdoor bath is very soothing after physical exertion. We are
thinking of building one at Greenbank.

The next couple of days we had shorter hikes to nearby dzongs and
visited a nunnery which is under construction. As in China, I felt a
completely different energy at the nunnery than I felt at the
monasteries. We saw the small cell that 4 nuns shared and had tea with
them. Some part of me would have liked the opportunity to spend a few
days with them. The other still aching part of me realized that I
would be useless in the hard work of construction that they were
engaged in. Maybe on another visit.

We are back in Thimpu, the only capital city in the world without so
much as a single traffic light. In a few days we will be leaving
Bhutan, but not without dreams of someday returning.