Sunday 10 April 2016

Leaving Punakha for Phobjika

5.40am
I got up this morning to watch the sun rise over the mountains in Punakha Valley. I took some photos, but you know how phone cameras can be with misty sunrises.

So first you are going to have to imagine the valley slowly waking up, the smoke rising up from the white farm houses with rusted corrugated roofs.

There are frogs down in the rice paddies that sound a bit like our pobblebonk frogs. Smooth black birds with forked tails catching little insects, little brown birds with jaunty triangular caps of feathers and little red tufts on their under carriage drinking nectar rom the coral tree flowers right across from the balcony.

I have chilly legs because I didn't want to disturb my travel companion by changing out of my Tardis nighty. One of the hotel workers is hawking and spitting and chatting with someone off the the left. Below I can see the farmers washing their dishes under the pump in their front yard.

As the sun comes over the mountain it hits the monastery opposite and it's all lit up shiny gold and white. My toes are freezing, but I can hear my travelling companion thumping around inside, and I want to stay out here a little longer.


Later
I told my brother about all the marijuana that grows wild in Bhutan and he suggested I bring some home. I suggested no, seeing as I'm flying home to Australia through Nepal and Thailand, and none of those countries are super keen on the drugs.

We agreed that I'd bring him back a photo. Only, I discover that I don't know what it looks like. I saw some plants with those iconic leaves, but they were taller than me, the leaves were bigger than my head and a rich purple green and the buds were bigger than my fist. They look nothing like the anaemic rows of hydroponics you see in the movies. I managed to get half a shot of a little one, once I worked out what I was looking at, and I'll keep an eye out for more.


At the hotel
Summary: Head hurts from bumpy travel and altitude. Worried about what teaching will entail. Beautiful descent into the valley with all the rhododendrons in flower and one picturesque yak.

2 comments:

Birgit said...

Beautiful description of your early morning views - I almost felt that I was sitting right next to you :-)

Ceels said...

Thank you!