Today we had an incredible 3 hour drive over Dochula Pass heading into the interior of the country. The top of the pass was shrouded in fog so unfortunately I was unable to see the Himalayas. It was early morming so hopefully, on the way back through in a few days, I will see them. The fog brought an ethereal feeling to the pass. The climate changes to sub tropical in the valleys east of the pass. Rhodedendrums are blooming. How the farmers use up every available bit of land by terracing and irrigating their crops on steep mountainsides seems impossible, but they do it, and do it by hand. We walked through some of the lowland crop areas en route to the dzong of The Divine Madman. There is a story everywhere you go here, and The Divine Madman is the reason for all the phallus paintings on homes. They symbolize fertility and ward off evil spirits.
An odd thing I saw here was farmers traveling down the road driving roto-tillers! They use them to pull a small wagon. And there are farmers moving their cattle along the road. We often have to stop and wait for them to move.
But the highlight was the Punakha Dzong. This fortress/monestary sits at the juncture of two rivers, one river considered male, the other female. I had seen many photos but the sight truly took my breath away. Inside are beautiful paintings describing the life of Buddha, and ornate decoration everywhere. One can hear the monks chanting. You feeling like you have stepped back in time 500 years.
I will go back to my room and check on my laundry hanging on a line I strung across my porch. It's a slower pace here. I'm so fortunate to be part of it.
