Category: Countries

After a month of luke-warm trickles for showers and washing up in cold water, we now have instant hot water from every (hot) tap in the house. It was a combination of problems. 1. The thermostat on the water heater had blown out, possibly due to the other problems. 2. The washer on the outlet… Continue reading Hot Water Heaven

Another good day. The weather remained beautiful as Marie and her parents left for their trip. I had brunch (the meal you have when you’ve eaten breakfast hours ago but it’s too early for lunch) with a fellow Aussie who has plenty of tips for running a company as an eternal traveller, then went shopping.… Continue reading Robin Hood

After the last week, it was time for something happy, and the weather provided. Instead of the persistent rain and angry winds, today remained sunny with a warm breeze all day. The clear skies revealed the value of the recent rains as the near mountains are looking greener while the distant mountains tower over the… Continue reading Snow Caps

Insurance was also painless. It looks like someone is working on reducing bureaucracy here at last. The other success today was that we found a way around the limitations for buying tickets on Drukair. One of the problems that Bhutanese companies have is paying for items in foreign currency. I don’t think that the problem… Continue reading Money Printing

I had to get the Bhutanese version of a pink slip done today. In Australia, the load for such work is spread out through the year as everyone registers at different times, but in Bhutan, everyone has to do it in the same month. That means a rush and long queues. I found that by… Continue reading Fitness Test for the Car

Once again I couldn’t write last night because the power to the internet failed, but I have more to write about this morning anyway. Today is ANZAC Day, when Australians remember those who fell in the war and look to a future where such hostilies never occur. We have no war memorials in Bhutan, but… Continue reading BANZAC Day

Consider this a late message from yesterday. Marie’s parents arrived in the morning and it promptly started raining. I guess the rainy season’s come early this year. They’ve moved into my study, and I’ve moved onto the living room benches. Unfortunately, the wireless router we use to connect to the internet is still in the… Continue reading Power when it works

Marie’s parents arrive tomorrow, so today is cleaning day. We haven’t given the place a thorough clean since we arrived and it really needs it. Bhutan is a very dusty country before the rainy season. While on a trip to the supermarket to buy some cleaning products, I bumped into Marianne and her monkey. Marianne… Continue reading Home for the Dogs

I missed yesterday because I was trying to create a new design for the site. I thought I had it, but when I tried using real content it looked ugly. Back to the drawing board. The power was out last night, so although we have our water this morning, we can’t heat it except on… Continue reading Water no Power

This is my second post today. Consider it an attempt to make up for the lack of posts over the weekend. Actually, I feel compelled to write to mention that we have no running water. It’s the second time in as many days. Quite a shock for someone who’s never lacked water more than a… Continue reading Drought