A Rimpoche Blessing & Someone Asks: Are You Pregnant?
My Lama and I went to a blessing with Lama Tsering Wangdu Rinpoche, a wonderful 80-year old Tibetan Rinpoche in Kathmandu, that I studied with for many years in Portland ...
How To Carry Stuff in the Himalayas
Good News! The Queen of Bhutan intervened for me at the Immigration office, through a friend of my Lama’s family. She sent an SMS message to the Immigration Director, encouraging ...
I Speak the Queen’s English, Study Photography, and Celebrate Dashain in Nepal
Visibility is poor in Kathmandu. Can you see the tall mountains just outside the city? A faint outline? Nope. The air is dirty and it’s hard to breathe. Early morning air ...
Bhutan Approves Marriage, I Fall in Love with Red Rice!
174 couples interviewed for foreign marriages last week, but the High Court approved only 26. Here’s the list of qualified couples. We passed! Somehow I feel accepted not only by ...
I Speak Dzongkha, Marriage Probably Approved
Another interesting week in Bhutan. Our Marriage Certificate looks very positive. We’ll find out for sure tomorrow when results are posted. I’ve been studying Dzongkha and continue to meet relatives ...
Blessed Rainy Day, More Blessings, and Marriage Cliffhanger
The Blessed Rainy Day in Bhutan is something like the Autumn Equinox. It marks the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of cold weather. Families traditionally gather for an ...
My 2nd Exciting Week in Bhutan
This week my Lama showed me some new facets of himself, his family, and life in Bhutan. Our campsite by the river was relaxing and refreshing. Bhutan has so many ...
I Arrive to a Warm Welcome in Bhutan
We make a steep descent into Paro airport, considered the most hazardous airport in the world, due to an extremely short runway and thickly forested mountains all around. Here’s a ...
Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon
This week I’ll be in Nepal 3 days and Bhutan 4 days. “When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” ...
Relaxing into Asian Ways
Gradually unwinding into a new rhythm of life. Listening, absorbing timeless traditions of calmness, respect and patience. Doing is inaccessible to me. I must learn to let go, to receive ...
Sharpening scissors in Kathmandu
Motorcycle is the most efficient way to get around Kathmandu. My friend Dawa’s son came to pick me up for lunch. He drove fast as we swerved and bumped through ...
How do you say “Hello” in Kathmandu?
So happy to be in Nepal. Leaving behind the frenetic London mindset, I’m instantly immersed in the timeless atmosphere of invisible wisdom, total unpredictability, gentle kindness, and chaotic clash as ...
