24

July

0

Watering the Seed – Part 2 of ‘So, What am I Doing Here?’

[Written en route back to the US] Due to travel schedules or sessions of Parliament, I did not have an opportunity to reunite and chat (separately) with two of Bhutan’s forward thinking visionaries until my last week in Bhutan— His Royal Highness, Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, the President of the BOC and, the Opposition Leader, Tshering Tobgay. Yet these many hours of discussion on the eve of my departure with each of these intelligent men, not only put the big bold exclamation mark on my work here, but cemented long term and intimate ties with a nation. When I shared with His Royal Highness that I saw Bhutan’s sporting programs as a freshly sprouting seed, he mirrored back to me […]

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Category: Bhutan 2012

11

July

0

So, What Am I Doing Here? [Part 1]

The past several weeks I’ve been sharing a view of Bhutan as an outsider living and working in country for a period of time. But in between writing to you these past weeks, I’ve been examining the truth in my heart as to why I am here. My findings have been intriguing as is the crux of this entire journey. But lets go meander a bit to put some puzzle pieces together, which will then bring us to the present… [In Part 2 I’ll give details…] The question I get asked here in Bhutan is—what NGO are you with? And prior to Expedition Bhutan, what I often got asked was—what group is organizing your travel experience to Bhutan? The answers […]

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Category: Bhutan 2012

02

July

0

A Dogs Life (in Bhutan)

“I hear in America you treat your dogs like babies,” inquired a Bhutanese as we stared at the 6 stray dogs contentedly hangin’ on top of the two foot high cement center divide of the busy street we were trying to cross. “Do you mean babies in Bhutan, or babies in the US?” I chuckled. Seeing that the joke was lost, I explained, “The human babies in Bhutan have more freedom to roam than do the dogs in the US.” I went on to share that the way we treat our dogs is dependent on the individual dog owner and a reflection on that persons view of the dog/human relationship. But that for all dog owners, strict laws are in […]

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Category: Bhutan 2012

24

June

0

Structures and Inquisition in Bhutan

[For lots of pictures accompanying this post, go to my Facebook Wall and the album titled Punakha Valley, Bhutan.] The landscape of Bhutan wears its people’s spirituality on its sleeve. One doesn’t wander far before facing off with a structural reminder that this country has been knitted together with the Buddhist way. From prayer flags on a remote mountain pass at 17,000 feet, to 16th century Dzongs strategically placed at river confluences, each section of torn fabric, mud roof, or lovingly detailed fortress, connects the dots of a life of spiritual harmony. And the actions of the people when coming upon one of these reminders attests to the influence these memorabilia exude—while guaranteeing to prompt my inquisitive nature. Our BOC […]

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Category: Bhutan 2012

15

June

0

Attention

For the first time in Bhutan and while trying to enter the Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu, I was mildly interrogated. I would have guessed that interrogation of any sort in Bhutan would be mild but it was still baffling. Partly because I was also noticing the guards in uniform with rifles—at several different posts—all lingering their glances a bit too long as I walked around trying to sort out how to get into this stunning fortress. Not the genre of attention I had gotten used to in a country of multifacited-ly attentive people. Any foreign tourist coming into this country gets steady, caring attention during their stay from the minute they walk off the airplane. Not just because their tourism […]

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Category: Bhutan 2012

08

June

0

Morning in Thimphu: Option—Gutter Walker

Part of the enjoyment in early morning training time is to watch a city slowly stretch, yawn and wake up. Kids in uniform gho’s and kira’s heading off to school, neighbors up doing chores, pigeons being fed, wads of sleeping stray dog fur starting to stir, or monks chanting. A morning trot is such an efficient means to explore a new area and get a lay of the land or just get to know a familiar place that much more intimately. So my days have typically been starting with a run or hike (and will now include cycling!) and some cultural exploration. I’ve never enjoyed executing the same running course each time I go out, even at home. So each […]

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Category: Bhutan 2012