Fri, 5/11.  Long drive from Punakha to Paro.  Cloudy.  Visited another temple and dzang.  The dzang, centuries old, is now used as an administrative office for the district plus a monastery.  Spent time on the souvenir street, with what smelled like an open sewer on both sides.

It’s occurred to me that my assumption that Mongolia was the most back-and-beyond place on earth is false.  Bhutan is.  No foreign businesses beyond coke.  Stores don’t even have Pringles.  Certainly no KFC.  Besides the obvious allowances for cars (Suzuki and Hyundai mostly) and cell phones, this is a county living largely on it’s own product.  India is obviously a prime supplier.

We’ve had community meals and group events all week.  Companions are all great people, but they talk all the time.  (Two, from Oregon, are new age old folks.  Cannot believe I’ve never used marijuana, which rows wild here!)  My social anxiety is flaring up, even though there are only four of them.  I need a meal on my own.  Nepal will, I hope, have more individual time.

Tomorrow we climb up to the Tiger’s Nest.  It’s the prime reason to visit Bhutan.  Should be fun.

“Cake”, for Temple decoration.

Two young monks with our Team Leader. His brother is a monk.

Wild Weed. Our Oregon companion is ecstatic.