Yep. My bags are packed to fly Sunday from Kathmandu to Paro. I’ve been living out of a suitcase now for almost a year. But it’s over! In Paro we have a house and a garden. It’s going to be rustic, real, and wonderful. Until the winter comes, that is. Then I’ll have to find another solution, as Bhutan homes have no heat.
I’ll miss the Boudha and walking around it every day.
And I can’t wait to get away from Kathmandu’s constant air and noise pollution.
Paro, Bhutan is a pristine paradise in comparison. Our house is in the settlement on lower right.
Lama D. and I are saying good-bye to our apartment and balcony in Kathmandu.
I found a wonderful eatery called the Garden Restaurant, where they’ll make me special dishes without Soy oil. I don’t do well with GMO’s, and most everybody uses Indian GMO soy oil here because it’s cheapest. Today they made me a special batch of dahl, sauteed spinach and irresistible garlic naan. (I’m not supposed to eat flour or bread, but I’ve been known to make exceptions.)
These girls do construction work on my street. All day they carry heavy baskets of sand, bricks and gravel on their backs with a strap over the head. See the mountain of sand behind them?
In a few weeks these girls have practically built an entire 3-story building. They work hard and happy. They’re in the lowest caste so they’re paid peanuts and life is short. Yet I see hardly any resentment in them. I was once strong like that. These girls are my friends. We wave every day. Aren’t they beautiful?
Being married to Lama D is an amazing journey. We’ve been getting to know each other over the past 10 months. I try to keep it simple. We’re very happy, mostly thanks to the fact that he’s a trained Buddhist Lama. He cares for his family. He does not react or hold tensions. This surprising and brilliant man is a delight I never expected.
My six books are coming along nicely. They’re all linked, so I hope to publish them all together. I’m still revising them and preparing the proposal for agents and publishers. Who knows what will happen? They’re going to be pretty wonderful. Here’s an overview of the book titles and covers.
The Druk is the Thunder Dragon of Bhutan. You can hear him rumble and roar in the thickly forested mountains. He’s a symbol in Bhutanese mythology, always holding jewels to represent abundance and wealth. Bhutan is called “Druk Yul, Land of Druk”.
Thank you for stopping by. Next week we’ll be setting up housekeeping in Bhutan!
Lama D’s family is waiting for us and I’m excited.