Category: Asia

I took Marie to the airport on Sunday morning. It’s an early flight because Druk Air needs to get the plane up before the wind starts. Marie had spent a sleepless night worrying about all that she still needed to pack, what she would do with said bags for the 14 hours she was in… Continue reading Petrol problems

One of the best things about volunteering to help in a developing country is how much you can learn. Just because we’re here to give Bhutan the benefit of our years of experience and modern education, doesn’t mean that we’re better at everything than everyone here. I had this attitude when I was learning martial… Continue reading No help at all

As soon as summer began, a wave of new t-shirts appeared in Thimphu, Bhutan and in India with upbeat or humorous slogans. The most common is ‘Smile a lot, it costs nothing,’ but close behind that are ‘MBA: Master of Bad Activities’ and ‘I’m not totally useless. I can be used as a bad example.’… Continue reading T-Shirts

I’ve just finished reading a fantastic local book called ‘Dawa: the story of a (stray) dog in Bhutan.’ It’s another book that Amazon is lacking, but it’s worth the read if you can find it. As well as having some fun observations about the characters of stray dogs, the author shares some cultural insights on… Continue reading Dawa

There’s another side to yesterday’s entry and I don’t have an answer to that yet. Should I set an example by driving ‘properly’ according to international rules or should I let Bhutanese find their own way and just try to fit in? According to recent articles in the Kuensel, new drivers are having to pass… Continue reading Driving Test

We had brunch with a couple of new Aussies on Sunday. Marilyn is only here for a short time, working on Psytology (can’t find the real spelling) and Christine is the new director of SNV. Michelle, who’s been here for most of this year, also joined. An early hot topic was the driving skills of… Continue reading Road Rules – Feeling Guilty

I’ve come to a decision. I’m not going to say ‘hi’ to the Bhutanese kids any more. That may sound harsh, but I think it’s best for everyone. It happens in many countries – certainly it did in Japan. Little kids want to show off their English by saying ‘haroo’ (Japan) or ‘hi’ (Bhutan) whenever… Continue reading ‘Hi!’

On the way back from the cycling fiasco, I was stopped by a bodyguard, saying something in Dzongkha. At first I thought he was asking for a lift to some village down the road, but realised that he was probably fit enough to run there before I could double him over these hills. When he… Continue reading Archery

My throat’s been better for weeks. My head clear for almost that long. But my energy is still in short supply. It’s getting better and the rain had gone north, so this morning we decided to cycle up the Thimphu valley to get a photo of the swollen river. We passed the King’s residence then… Continue reading Buddhist Ethics

I’m working from home today and I’m glad. Just before lunch, I heard a chanting outside and looked out to find 5 monks in the carpark. It’s not unusual to see monks around as someone’s always having a ceremony to bless their house or the land. We used to come home to our old home… Continue reading Holy Car