Bhutan Hidden Kingdom Day 15

Day 15( 2-11) - Monday, November 11, 2019 - Kyichu Lhakhang Tibetan Temple; Bhutanese Attire and Cultural Performance; Farewell Dinner

After our strenuous day yesterday, we had a leisurely morning. We woke up early on our own, but the wake up call was not until 8:00 with breakfast from 9 to 10. Gennie wrote a few post cards and we did some hand laundry to get clean clothes ready for our flight to Nepal tomorrow.

We left the hotel at 10:00 for a 15-minute drive above the city of Paro to reach Rinpung Dzong. The fortress was built in the 15th century and today houses government administrative offices. It also was the site of many district festivals during the year for the local people.

The itinerary for the day was to go to the Bhutanese National Museum in the Watch Tower above the fortress. However, because it was the birthday of the Father King, and a national holiday, the museum was closed.

Wangdi had to adjust our schedule and the next stop was back to the farmhouse where we had the stone bath yesterday. Sangay welcomed us into her home, a huge traditional house built by her great grandfather.

There were 16 of her family members living with her, including her parents, her sister and her children, as well as Sangay’s grandchildren. We were served red rice as well as vegetables from her gardens.

This single mom has done very well for herself owning over 15 acres of land, the stone baths, and her family farm. The family was self sufficient and only had to buy sugar, salt, and a few other necessities.

We had a chance to talk with her about her life and her responsibilities of passing the cultural and rituals down to her children. After the meal, she offered us ara, a wheat whiskey that she distilled right on her farm.

After lunch Yenten picked us up and we drove back to Paro for the afternoon on our own. Several of us walked to the local farmer’s market and some went shopping for last minute treasures to take home to the USA. We choose to go to the market and did a little window-shopping before walking back to the hotel for some time to catch up on the journal and sort today’s photos.

At 4:30 the ladies and gentlemen from the hotel came to our rooms to help us dress in the traditional Bhutanese costumes for our Farewell Dinner. We donned the kera for women and the gho for men and then we met in the lobby for photos. At 5:30 we were treated to a cultural performance of Bhutanese singing and dancing.

The Farewell Dinner is always a bittersweet time on OAT trips. We had to say goodbye to Wangdi and the drivers that have been so good to us for all of our time in Bhutan. Of the 14 in our group, 5 are going home and 9 of us are going on to Nepal for the post-trip.

After dinner we finished organizing our belongings and getting ready for the flight to Nepal. We will be sending another update for our next adventure as soon as we have Internet again.

Meals included: B, L, & D

Accommodations: Spirit of Bhutan Resort