Ok, so he was about 100 meters away and the Bhutan King Police asked me to put away my camera, but still. He's soooo handsome, like a movie star. Today is National Day and the big celebration is here in Timphu. I will try to share some pics, if I can figure out how to do it. It was out of this world. Well, out of my world, that is. The stadium (normally a soccer stadium) is in the middle of the mountains, so the backdrop to the stage is beautiful mountains. Beyond the colored flags that flank the stadium, many miles away, I could see the Golden Buddha, a massive, gigantic statue that is almost finished, on top of a mountain, surrounded by fog. (I will go there tomorrow morning and take pics to share). All of Bhutan seemed to be at the stadium. Men and women dressed in traditional garments, children wearing uniforms (today, happily, was their last day before a long Winter recess). The three forms of military/police were represented in the procession to receive the King, with beautiful, colorful uniforms. And they had several traditional dances, monks chanting, and Bhutanese music. The King was announced by Bhuddist monks playing the cymballs and the long horns (trumpets longer than anything I had ever seen before). The music was the type that I had only ever heard in Asian movies. It was fantastic. And the entire place smelled like sandalwood and other spices, which they burn across all the streets every morning. That type of incense is very diff from the incense that I personally don't like, the type they use in some meditation or yoga studios that makes me feel like running away. This is a subtle, beautiful fragrance that permiates the entire town.
My jet lag is getting a bit better, but still waking up at 3am. Also, I'm over 7,000 miles above sea level, so I'm out of breath a lot. I really hope I get acclimatized so that I can climb the Tigers Nest in Paro on my last day. Meanwhile, I'm meeting wonderful people, enjoying the moment, and doing nothing. Well, I did do yoga at 4am with an Indian yogi on tv. He's skinny and has long black hair, a bushy and unkept beard, and hairy chest. He wears a short white sarong only and leads hundreds of people on gentle yoga. And it looks like he makes jokes, but I can't understand a word he says. Just seeing it is one of the most amusing things I've ever seen, but at the same time, it's really good yoga. Awesome.
Thanks for your comments, it's so nice to hear from you guys. Mia, I'll say hi to Tenzim, a.k.a. Thunder the Flirt for you. He'll be flattered. He's already announced himself to be an eligible bachelor and keeps asking me when I'm moving to Bhutan. Everyone is really friendly here, it's wonderful. Hugs, boricua perdida.
