Winding Down in Bumthang

Winding down my last full week in Bumthang seems like a strange thing to say. But next week is shortened by Losar (Chinese New Year) as we have Monday off. I head back to Thimphu on the 24th, but will stop for a few days in Punakha for the first big festival of the year. I leave this tiny Himalayan country in 37 days...

I can't help but reflect on what I have been able to see and do. I've really "seen" Bhutan. I know there is more for me to do here, but leaving Bumthang and resettling into Hotel living will feel more like a vacation than working for the betterment of the environment. This week I was able to visit with the foresters who have taken me in. One of the younger ones, Choki, just welcomed his first child. We went to meet his daughter and getting to hold her was exactly like holding the newborns in the family back home. I have done the "touristy" things, but my favorite memories are, by far, the intimate experiences with the real people of Bhutan.

This weekend will be spent shopping, celebrating, and creating more wonderful memories in Bumthang...