Settled In

I've come to one of the few coffee shops in town in search of a decent wifi signal. Upon choosing a table outside I am immediately joined by a very small little girl dressed in patterned fleece leggings, jean jacket with sequined strawberries, fuzzy red boots and a high pony tail atop her head. (Of course I didn't bring my camera.) Her tiny teeth are rotting in her mouth and neither her Ama or her Auntie are anywhere to be found. Her brown hands are wrinkly and dry, like those of an old dwarf farm worker. I've managed to gather that her name is Nisha. We're playing a hilarious game of ducking under the table and squealing as we pop up. After she spilled my cappuccino I taught her to say "coffee is good." I tried to entertain her with markers and paper to draw on but she is much more enthusiastic about stirring my coffee, licking the spoon and trying to stick it back in my cup. She did finally managed to dunk the contaminated spoon with only a sip left. I drank it anyway and she tried the last few drops making a face that expressed serious doubt in my beverage tastes. Two ladies at the table next to us just ordered her a brownie (after I offered her a handful of cashews and she threw them at me) and with no further ado she ran away. Later, I spotted her running hand in hand through the parked cars with the parking attendant.

49 days- a Buddhist Funeral

They started mowing the lawn at 10 p.m. The Dasho is dead.

Our little Rabten family had lost their Apa (father). The funeral preparation began immediately. The King sent a truckload of army men to help construct the alter and set up the funeral tents. Family members worked alongside the camouflaged men until 3 a.m. We woke to a small tented village in the center of our tranquil compound. Aunts and cousins were rushing back and forth trying to organize breakfast for the troops, monks wandered around in crimson cloaks, hanging yellow and orange ribbons from the roof of the new alter, mounting rainbow checked flags and banners. Once the grounds were duly prepared and the alter finished, the body was brought in.

Thimphu - week two

Life here is relaxed. Very, very relaxed. No one is in a hurry. Ever. To do anything. This may frustrate some people, especially those who are here to get a job done. Or those who like to walk at  pace that will actually get them somewhere before the sun sets. Fortunately, I am quite adaptable.  Turns out I may be part Bhutanese. Week two was spent exploring. And trying to walk slower... 

Blessed from the Mountain Tops

We wanted to wish a very happy BIRTH DAY to this lovely little lady. She's starting at the top...

Much love in your beautiful life.

Thimphu- week one

The drive from the airport in Paro to Thimphu was only slightly terrifying. I had flashbacks to passing trucks on blind curves in Colombia. I'm told this is the best road in Bhutan...

We stopped on the side of the road to buy apples, the last of the season, and in a short two hours of my face glued to the window, we were home.
These beauties were the first smiles to greet me...

The Arrival

My flight left Bangkok at 5am. My neck was so sore from my massage the night before. I think there must be some rite of passage one must go through before the Thai massage becomes therapeutic.

I think I counted ten people on the plane, including myself. I stretched out in the three seats for a rest before the sun came up. When I woke up the plane was flooded in light. "Nooo!" I thought, " I missed the view". I flung the window shade open and saw the literal start of the Himalayas. I looked behind the wing and all was flat. Ahead of me was this....

Everest???

soooooo many trees

7am touchdown. This air is bright and cold. Yep, this is real life. I made it. 

Thailand in Two Days

I arrived at midnight on the other side of the world. Somehow, the fact that one can board a plane in one place and be transported to a completely new reality in 28 hours is still so excitingly novel to me. Stepping out of the cab and into this quiet little oasis was such a relief (Thank you to Abbey, trusted friend and travel partner, for the Shanti Lodge recommendation). My body felt tired and hungry from the trip but my mind was a bit wired and confused about the time change. The sweet man who checked me in made me the most amazing tropical fruit and homemade coconut milk yogurt bowl ever to be created.  

Shanti Lodge

Leaving South America

A long overdue synopsis and photo journal of our final weeks in South America

***

With many drawn out goodbyes and some tearful hugs we made a healthy departure from Bariloche, and I left feeling that I had completed a chapter. My time there taught me so many things about myself and brought so many special people into my life. I am filled with nothing but gratitude and love for this small Patagonian town that I was lucky enough to call 'home'. 

old fishing neighborhoods, Puerto Montt, Chile

Michael and I packed up our little cabaña and loaded up the mochilas one last time for our last two weeks in South America. We crossed the Chilean border (after waiting for 5 hours to get our passports stamped because the Chilean state employees were on strike) and arrived to Puerto Montt late one afternoon. We were approached by a little old grandma at the bus station who asked us if we were looking for lodging. We couldn't turn down her tiny,wrinkled face so we accepted and followed her daughter back to their house, while she stayed on to solicit more tourists for her'hostel'.