oNe PhOtO a DaY jUlY 2024:

JULY 1st SKYLINE: After months in the Himalayas we have been hanging out to swim and were disappointed that we arrived too late last night. This afternoon we went up to check out the pool but I found the skyline pretty impressive too

JULY 2nd TO MY LEFT: We went on a discovery wander through the old traditional Talat Noi district in Bangkok this afternoon. The narrow alleys and lanes contain coopers and heavy machinery parts, specialised coffee roasters and street art, Chinese temples and colonial architecture. It’s a history lesson, an evolving community and a testimony to those living artisans still practicing age old traditions. This tuk tuk was parked adjacent to a rickshaw tucked into a corner near the river

 

JULY 3rd LETERS: There were stacks of letters at the post office when we were there to dispatch our postcards, which by the way were very difficult to even find. Continuing our snail mail project as every recipient seems to get a kick out of it

JULY 4th BOLD COLOURS: in one of the many street art murals we saw in Talat Noi a couple of days ago

 

JULY 5th DAPPLED SUNLIGHT: through the clouds on the riverside at twilight was the best I could muster today as it’s been overcast and threatening rain all day

 

JULY 6th PETS AT PLAY: Without pets of our own we took a stroll along riverside at twilight hoping for a scene to fit the prompt but this is as close as it got….. keen to play at least

 

JULY 7th UP CLOSE SND PERSONAL: with one of the little trinkets I bought for myself in Bhutan …. Any guesses what it is?

 

JULY 8th CONTRAST: The old and the new. Old breather bricks providing ventilation and new glass bricks providing extra light in the bathroom and working in harmony despite their differences

JULY 9th A QUIET PLACE: The newly refurbished and very quiet GPO in Phnom Penh this afternoon, was looking lovely. We dropped in to mail a postcard and were called not long after to come back and collect a package and it was pretty much quiet and empty on both occasions

 

JULY 10th A COLLECTION: A large part of today has been spent sorting, cleaning and arranging wardrobe space and I seem to have several collections but the one I most frequently add to, is scarves. This is just a small sample and those that I wear frequently. I also collect baskets.  I am thrilled with this use to store my scarves so I can just grab the one I want easily and the handles making the perfect shelf for the Panama hat was just an added bonus

JULY 11th METAL: One of the more impressive street sculptures in Phnom Penh is this peace dove made from weapons. I had to revisit today for this prompt

JULY 12th HISTORIC BUILDING: We walk past this almost every day and I always look at it. The National Museum truly is in a stunning location and a beautiful, historic building that is currently undergoing restoration and rejuvenation

JULY 13th NIGHT TIME: in the city we love to live in and the view from a favourite watering hole, from which we can see our own apartment

JULY 14th PEOPLE IN MOTION: I love these old style cyclos and the fact that they are still enabling people to earn an income. They are a daily sight here and used both as delivery vehicles and as a regular form of transport for many especially in the market zones

 

JULY 15th THE COLOUR RED: Hello new ‘OM’ welcome to your new home

 

JULY 16th A PARK BENCH: right on the Gulf of Thailand in Kep and one we have often sat on but today has been wet and wild and the ocean is turbulent so we were happy just to stand and watch

JULY 17th BLUE & WHITE: The iconic Kep crab

JULY 18th A STACK OF BOOKS: painted on the column of the entrance to a second-hand bookstore selling titles in 10 or so different languages. Serving expats in Cambodia!!

 

JULY 19th WINDOW VIEW: or in this case a view of a shuttered window facing the street and looking weatherworn

 

JULY 20th A CONSTRUCTION SITE: for what will be very modern new addition to the Phnom Penh skyline. Already it is visible from many locations in the city including our own terrace

JULY 21st NUMBERS: There are plenty of numbers in our games box

*this was selected for the Fab Four on Face book much to my suprise

JULY 22nd HANDS IN ACTION: The little monks of Kep were all hands in action and not exactly playing by the rules of this memory game but I was impressed that it was still in use and almost all the pieces still there when we saw them last week

 

JULY 23rd MACHINERY: The kind of machinery you would think is now obsolete, is in fact working overtime in this tropical environment

 

JULY 24th SUNSET: over the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. It’s an archive shot from January because it’s rainy season now and it mostly one hundred percent cloud cover

JULY 25th HAND PAINTED: by a friend and very talented artist in Bhutan and just this morning hung in our apartment entranceway

This is the bigger picture of the entrance to our apartment 

 

JULY 26th TASTY: Spicy noodles with vegetables and tofu in miso soup has been a staple in our house since we lived in Japan but it has evolved into an Asian fusion dish over 30 years and I still love to make it and eat it

 

JULY 27th BOTTLE: My go to perfume forever. I’ve never consistently worn any other and many give me headaches when someone else is wearing them so this is the bottle for me for the foreseeable future

JULY 28th RELAXING: sitting in my little reading nook in the living room, with my feet up, a great book I’m just dying to start, a couple of postcards to write and a freshly baked zucchini, capsicum and cheese muffin and iced water for lunch. Sunday vibes

 

JULY 29th SCENTED: Our apartment is often scented like a Bhutanese Lhakhang thanks to this incense purchased on our most recent travels

 

JULY 30th IN THE DRAWER: of my bedside table are a lot of little personal treasures and most of them have their very own drawstring bag. That way I can identify what they are and grab what I need anytime I want it

 

JULY 31st JOURNEY: Not often I get to see the train tracks from the driver’s perspective. First stop Takeo! The driver just slipped off for a coffee so I thought I’d take a look

THE PROMPTS

 

Home in Phnom Penh

We have been back in PP about three weeks now and finally the lifestyle we were so comfortably ensconced in, is returning.

 

It was a shock to discover how much muscle mass and balance and strength have been sacrificed to a full time working routine that doesn’t provide any opportunity for managing your own wellbeing, and how the mental toll and loss of momentum in healthy life style activities impact every other aspect of  daily life. Now we are beginning to get back on track.

 

Having established a new swimming and table tennis option we can now return to the balance, strength and flexibility exercises that will ensure we get back to the level of physical fitness and positive mental activity that was the norm just five short months ago.

 

Seeing old friends, maintaining new connections, paying attention to the reality of our urban environment and seeing so many new developments in infrastructure and improved local community conditions is inspiring.

 

 

How fortunate we are to come back to changes that we may never have noticed if they had slowly emerged around us while life plodded on. The proposed pedestrian zone and ongoing footpath reinstallation is significant in terms of both beautification and practicality. We have continually discovered more and more accessible walking paths in areas we have lamented their complete lack in the past.

 

Plans for the future are taking shape, things are looking up again and visitors are about to arrive in droves. Good times ahead for sure.

 

Let’s not dwell on the finances and instead count the blessings. When I look at the current situation in so much of the world I feel we have so much to be thankful for, so reinstating our health and fitness to ensure we enjoy it more and for longer is now the priority again.

oNe PhOtO a DaY jUnE 2024:

JUNE 1st I AM … re-retired and very excited about the upcoming adventure. Despite having repeatedly stressed to students not to bring us gifts of course some of them did. I adore this bouquet given to me yesterday and what better gift for a former English teacher than a handful of books

JUNE 2nd I HELD THIS … keep cup full of coffee at a little rest spot on our hike this morning

 

JUNE 3rd I WALKED HERE … at the Zangdo Pelri Lhakhang today. Circumambulating the chorten and the whole compound turning all the giant prayer wheels along with the old timers who were delighted to see us there

JUNE 4th I FEEL … 
At last I’m free
To breath and be me
To wander where I like 
To go slow and see
To take my time 
And just to be 

This is re-retired me

 

JUNE 5th I SAW … this on the early morning City Bus today. Three orange clad “De-suups” (which translates to guardians of peace) heading to their assignment for the day sitting on the engine cover as the bus was packed with commuters, school children and others like us enjoying the service

JUNE 6th I LOVE … Bhutanese Culture. Today we went to see the ‘Her Expression’ exhibition celebrating women artist and this was probably the most traditional piece and the one I was immediately drawn to. It is titled “Window of Devotion” and it was created by Choney Pelzang

JUNE 7th I HAVE … an obsession with both prayer flags and prayer wheels and this shot ticks all the boxes. I also have a feeling this road trip is off to a great start

JUNE 8th I LIKE TO EAT… local and sustainable whenever possible. Now that we are in Haa that means Hoentey: a kind of dumpling made with buckwheat flour in the pastry and dried turnip greens in the filling. Both local products

 

JUNE 9th I READ THIS … “Monk Chasing Monkey” by Kunzang Choden who happens to be my favourite Bhutanese author. I bought it when we first arrived and read only half before there was no time to read and then started it again yesterday and read almost half in one sitting. It’s fabulous

 

JUNE 10th I STOOD HERE ... at the lookout point for Tigers Nest Monastery just 10 minutes ago. Bhutan’s most famous landmark.  Now visited for the sixth time and always well worth the strenuous climb

JUNE 11th I WORK HERE ... I’m happy to say I no longer work anywhere for a salary but my current “work” is showcasing the beautiful Bhutanese culture to our guest and I am enjoying it very much

JUNE 12th I LIKE TO … eat momos and these were extra special as they were three different vegetarian varieties - chillies and cheese, mixed vegetables and cheese and sag

 

JUNE 13th I KNOW … I have visited and photographed this gorgeous Dzong many times before but I had to go inside once more today as I may never get another opportunity and I simply love the original 17th century structure

 

JUNE 14th I LOVE THIS VIEW... Any view involving the masked dancers of Tshechu is definitely one I love and this small rural Lhakhang in Nimalung this morning was really delightful

JUNE 15th ON WEEKENDS I ... always try my best get outdoors and explore and hike. Today was no exception and we discovered the monks at Tamshing preparing butter lamps and sculptures for a ritual

JUNE 16th I CREATE … room picnic meals when we travel because I miss having at least a third of my diet raw every day. This was dinner last night

 

JUNE 17th I BOUGHT … ten sets of prayer flags to fly at every mountain pass on this road trip and today at 9am we hoisted this set at Thrumsing La. At 3752 metres it’s the highest pass heading east

 

JUNE 18th I LOVE THIS TIME OF DAY … when we circumambulate any chorten that happens to be nearby, as we have every day since we arrived in Bhutan in late February. 

I love it even more when we have just added the splash of colour of these prayer flags in memory of a friend’s mother, who recently passed away and for whom a funeral was held today in Adelaide. We did exactly the same for the deceased’s good friend over a decade ago and as luck would have it, this was our one day in the same town. Memories and memorials to mark big life events. 

JUNE 19th I LIKE TO DRINK … red wine but only when the weather is cool. Despite being summer it’s still pretty cool out in Trashiyangste so we were on a mission today to find some. Its isn’t easy to come by but we have ourselves a treat or two night

 

JUNE 20th I DON’T LIKE TO …. get to places only to find them closed. Today we visited the College for Zorig Chusum (tertiary institution for learning the 13 traditional arts of Bhutan) arriving just before lunch so we got to see several classes in action but the showroom and shop were locked up tight and I would have made a purchase to support the talented, budding, young artists had they been open

JUNE 21st I WENT TO … College for Zorig Chusum or more accurately went back there today and we made a small purchase to support their vital work in maintaining the arts and crafts of Bhutanese culture

JUNE 22^nd ON SATURDAYS I … do my best to live in the present and appreciate time and place. Today we departed Trashiyangtse and we just had to stop by Gom Kora to circumambulate, turn the prayer wheels and take in the atmosphere of one of Bhutan’s most historically significant sights. She was beckoning me to join her and like all locals thrilled we were participating in the everyday rituals 

JUNE 23rd I ONCE … stood in the police box in the main traffic circle in Thimphu but I made no attempt to direct traffic. It was a public holiday and the street was closed but I later discovered you are definitely not meant to do that …. Oops (Archive shot)

 

JUNE 24th I SAT HERE … in a new to us vegetarian restaurant for breakfast. I also donned my new T-shirt for the first time - it says “Hello Bhutan”

 

JUNE 25th I CAN … still bring a smile to a child’s face and make a connection even without a shared language. Today’s excursion to Trong Heritage Village in Zhemgang was delightful and the scenery on the drive in was surreal

 

JUNE 26th I CAN’T … even begin to imagine working these steep sloped paddies all my life, but today’s vista included many even steeper than these and it was mostly elderly folk out doing the work too

 

JUNE 27th I LIVE … in the present and have returned to my long term commitment to a slow, simple, sustainable and safe lifestyle. If there is a fresh salad made from local ingredients available in town, I will sniff it out! Today I did exactly that

JUNE 28th I WORE THIS… One of my most comfortable travelling outfits and now we are back in Paro I’m glad to abandon the hiking pants for a while

 

JUNE 29th I FOUND … the perfect Bhutanese birthday gift for the man who loves to cook and will miss this cuisine. That’s to say nothing of me also reaping the benefits of a few delicious dinners. Who cares if the luggage is overweight?

 

JUNE 30th I DO THIS ON SUNDAYS: I make a point of Sunday being a fun-day and today was no exception. As our last day in Bhutan with a late departure, it had to be about spending time with the fabulous four and they even brought a surprise guest too. Spending time together over the last 18 weeks has brought us so much joy. Fingers crossed this isn’t the last time we all hang out together in the kingdom but it will never be goodbye 

 

THE PROMPTS