From the Mountains of Bhutan to the Mountains of British Columbia

Here I sit in my home in Beasley, BC staring out the window at Red Mountain. I feel an eternity away from my year in Bhutan. I miss the students, I miss my colleagues at CHSS and I miss my BCF friends. Some are still in Bhutan, reporting to school tomorrow and some, like me, have returned to their lives around the world. 

I am very content at home. I had three weeks prior to going back to work and have been teaching for a week now. My students were excited and happy to see me, even those in the French Immersion program that I had not yet taught said they were happy to have me back. Each class I have had students thank me for the class. I am enjoying both the classes and the students.  I am grateful every day for my warm, fat, comfortable life. 

Rob and I at lunch

I am so lucky to hel-ski with Rob

Heli-ski lunch

During my time off I skied at Whitewater, I learned to skate ski, I took my mom cross country skiing and I went helicopter skiing with Rob. There is a pretty strong ski theme here. I guess I was making up for a winter away. Seriously I enjoy and thrive with the wind on my face, the cold and the winter wonderland. The tops of the mountains, the snow, the cold all make me feel very much alive.

On the other hand I feel confused and over-stimulated when I am in town or at work. There is so much going on at once, so much stuff and too much choice. I have a hard time in the grocery store, nothing seems to make sense. There is so much waste. I go to the photocopy room each day and pull one-sided paper out of the recycle bin to reuse in my classroom. There is more paper used in one day than we used all year at CHSS in Bhutan. The 2 schools are the same size. I am guiltily enjoying the ability to copy a reading passage and give a personal copy to each of my students.

On Thursday I gave a slide show and talk about Bhutan to my students. They enjoyed the photos of the Bhutanese students, the clothing, the pictures of monasteries and villages. I dressed 2 students per class in a kira and a gho. I am not sure they could imagine wearing a uniform to school. I am certain they could not imagine the hard work, the cold water and life in the hostel!

Yesterday I cross country skied with two girlfriends along the Slocan River to see the Trumpeter Swans. They winter here and spend their summers in Alaska. I felt quintessentially Canadian. 

Beautiful Canadian Winter Day 

The Slocan River just before sundown

Vancouver

Travelling: 

I can handle plane food, especially on asian airlines.  The rice is always good. 

I cannot handle sleeping seat-mates that do not move when I try to get up to go to the toilet. 

I do not sleep well and everyone else seems to be able to konk out.

My body does not like sitting on a plane for 5 or more hours. 

This trip: 

I keep thinking I see people I know . . . from home - ex-students, other teachers . . . I think simply because they are not Bhutanese and I am not the only chillip in the room, town, region. 

The roads are very wide and straight in Thailand and in Vancouver. 

The beds are very comfortable in Canada. 

There is so much stuff in the malls.  It took me an hour and a half to buy some body cream in Hua Hin, Thailand. 

A Special Goodbye from Thailand

As I was walking away from my hotel room I heard a thump beside me.  Something had "fallen" from the coconut tree.  S/he waited for me to put my bag down, take out my camera and take some pics. 

Thai Fishing Village turned tourist town

The place I stayed in Thailand is still an active fishing village.

Where the tourists get to stay at great places like this: 

Which is actually the same place.  What a contrast it must be for the locals !!

Leaving Bhutan on my camera

I just took these photos off my camera today.  Nostalgic already. 

The five kings - photo in airport departure lounge

bye bye to the Himalaya

Sam Roi Yod and area

Today I rented a cute little bike and pedalled my way along the road to a National Park. I had to pay entry into the park in order to to hike over the mountain and sweat a lot. Half way over a gang of young boys adopted me. They “showed me the way” although it was IMPOSSIBLE to get lost. The park is famous for a cave. Kings long ago (??) discovered it and had a shrine built inside. It is well visited by Thai tourists and I think that the spendour of the past – with stalactites and stalagmites, are all but gone. I still found it to be incredible.

The beach where it is situated is out of this world, although I am beginning to see that Thai beaches are . . just like that.  

Beach I left for the hike 

Beach I went to 

View from the height of land on the walk 

My tour guides 

Inside the cave

Shrine

National Park beach  yum 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Leaving Paro and Bhutan and the Himalaya :(

You put your hands or feet in the tank and the fish "tickle" massage you  ??????? 

Dave and I spent New Year's Eve and the morning of January first in Bangkok.  We rented bikes, rode around, having beers with locals.  In the morning before going to the airport we rented bikes again and cruised around the fishponds and temples.  Luckily he was smart enough to bring his phone and take some photos.  

We split up at the airport - I could not go to Taiwan as my passport is only good for 6 months in my mind - June is 6 months away mo? 

I am happily basking in the sun and sea in Thailand.