This entry is for Wednesday, May 27.

We were up about 4am, sleeping uninterrupted for about 6 hours. After the 3 hour nap we had the afternoon prior I was thrilled with that.

We had coffee in the room then went out for a walk.

This is our building at the hotel. We have the second floor unit.

This is a makeshift bridge over a stream we followed for a while. This is just outside the grounds of the hotel. I say makeshift in this case because the old one washed away and the new one is under construction just to the right of the photo. Our driver, Polpo, helped build this. Other bridges look just like this although I suspect they are just the regular bridge.

Ash called this “rush hour.” The cows were just starting to do their wandering for the day. It was about 5:30am. They are truly free range, but have a home they return to on their own.

The circled item on the hill is the monastery we will go to after breakfast. As in prior entries, I’ve deleted more photos than I will use here. After a while it probably all starts to look alike. But the valley here is gorgeous, especially here with the low clouds and all the green. The cows are certainly different. And the stream below is crystal clear.

More cows sitting on the right. This was on our way back, they weren’t there earlier. We walked about 2 miles.

Both of us serve on different nonprofit boards, each whose meetings are on Tuesday evenings when they happen. With the 13 hour time difference it worked out that we could attend them easily – mine at 7am and Ash’s at 7:30. We only have WiFi in the dining room which doesn’t normally open until 7:30, but they opened at 6:45 for us.

Breakfast after was a cheese omelette and pancakes, and some fried rice after that.

After breakfast we went up to the monastery. I had been wondering earlier if we could see our hotel from there, and it was the first thing they showed us without asking. That’s us in the red circle.

This was one is simply called Gangtey Monastery, and was built in 1613. While I had been thinking earlier that maybe it was odd we were seeing so many, it occurred to me to me I couldn’t count the number of churches I’ve visited Europe. It’s no different from that, and each time we learn a little more about Buddhism.

I’ve become obsessed with the textures in the architecture.

We had choices for what to do next. Some of the group did a hike downhill through a forest. Given how slippery our walk had been this morning, we opted out. The rest of us were driven to where that hike would end, and did some hiking towards them. It started with a wooden walkway over marshland, above.

It was a bit windy which made the 50 degrees it was feel a lot colder.

We came up over a rise and saw this guy sitting there basket weaving, content as could be with his view of the valley. He smiled and waved at us. I did the same and asked if I could take his photo, making the motion with my phone. Most we have encountered speak English but not the folks in the remote areas. He made the international sign for asking for money – rubbing his thumb back and forth over first two fingers. I agreed and gave him 100nu which is about $1. He seemed happy with that.

Soon we saw the hikers coming out of these woods.

By that time we had walked quite a ways ourselves – the red circle is our van. We all headed back.

We would be having lunch at someone’s house, and Dorji stopped at a little grocery store to pick up a few things for the family.

I continued my obsession with the architecture. This was what we would call a multi use building: retail in the first floor, residential above. Yet even this simple building had the same detailed style as everything else. Below is a closeup of above.

All of this is of course mandated to preserve tradition and maintain a certain look. I guess like HOAs back home! Here’s a little 50 page document on the guidelines: http://admin.theiguides.org/Media/Documents/TRADITIONAL-ARCHITECTURE1.pdf

In local Dzongkha language, Bhutan is known as “Land of the Thunder Dragon.” Within Bhutanese Buddhism, the dragon is a profoundly sacred symbol of enlightenment, strength, and protection. So you see them everywhere, even on houses.

Lunch was at a Homestay residence, which is sort of like their Airbnb. The focus is on immersion into Bhutanese culture and daily life.

This was where we had lunch. That’s Polpo, our driver, standing in the center. Everyone in the tourism industry is required to wear traditional clothing. And you can’t visit Bhutan without having a guide – it’s a requirement to get a visa – so you seem them everywhere. Tourism is their 2nd biggest industry.

We started with hot tea and these snacks that were like fried dough.

Lunch was very similar to every meal we’ve had so far! But tasty and satisfying.

This little guy was so happy to see us. And maybe a little sad to see us go.

After we went back to the hotel. We took 2 hour naps. I came back to the dining room to work on the blog up until this point. We are going out for dinner so not sure how late we will be out.

While I was working on this, everyone else was making momos, or dumplings.

We had the momos with some tea. And soy sauce of course. Pretty good!

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Dinner was at the restaurant at the local Six Senses hotel, a luxury chain in this part of the world. It was raining and they met us outside with umbrellas. It was a healthy climb up to the lodge.

With a beautiful view.

And an amazing dining room.

I started with a mocktail that was actually a hot tea which I wasn’t expecting. But it was nice. Ash got a virgin mojito which was excellent.

For starters I had carrot and ginger soup. Ash had roasted potatoes. Both great but that Parmesan garlic aioli under the potatoes was Ah-mazing.

I moved to an iced tea which was practically a limeade. And I mean that in the best way.

We were told that we could order tasting or appetizer sizes of any dish we wanted. So we each ordered 5 things because it was a terrific menu and we were struggling to decide. But the chef was generous. We ended up taking a lot of it back to our guide who didn’t join us.

Ash had a flatbread pizza and way off to the left a carrot dish.

This was mine from bottom left clockwise: roasted broccoli with mushrooms, spicy chicken stew, yak stew (yak is a sort of bovine), red rice, potato salad with spinach and a perfect soft boiled egg.

I was afraid the yak might be gamey, but it was probably my favorite. Beef is the closest comparison. But the chicken and potato salad were great as well.

I was so busy with my food I wasn’t paying of attention to Ash’s. This was his salmon dish. He also had a chicken dish which he said was super tender. But his favorite was the flatbread – a very crispy crust and a soft layer on top.

I was considering a coffee drink but didn’t want the caffeine. When I realized they had hot chocolate that was a reasonable substitute!

For dessert I had a roasted pineapple dish. It was good but not great. Ash had an orange dish with coconut ice cream and a spicy crumble underneath. He really liked it.

And that was our day! I’m glad the restaurant had WiFi so I don’t have to worry about finishing this when we get back. Tomorrow we head back to Thimphu.