oNe PhOtO a DaY fEbRuArY 2021:

THE PROMPTS 

FEBRUARY 1st TODAY’S WEATHER: “Mackerel Sky not long dry”. Not a hint of rain in the forecast but this is today’s weather

 

FEBRUARY 2nd FLORAL: Just about the only time we see cut flowers outside of Phnom Penh is in the Phasar Leur (market) in Kampot. Today’s shopping expedition did not disappoint. This floral display was very tempting but I resisted as I know they would not survive the Tuk Tuk ride back to Kep very well

 

FEBRUARY 3rd SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: A traditional, dragon face brooch and the traditional woven container I store it. Both are treasures from Bhutan. I have worn the brooch innumerable times with my traditional clothes and I look forward to being able to visit and do so again in the future. I just can't bring myself to wear it with anything but kira

 

FEBRUARY 4th DUO: It’s no secret I love rattan and baskets so when I discovered these rattan bangles I just couldn’t resist. I struggled to decide which design I liked best and finally settled on the lower twisted one which was out of stock in my size, at the time, so I had to order it in Siem Reap, where they are made. That meant I had to wait for it to be delivered. One day later in Phnom Penh I saw the elliptical one and instantly bought it. Now they are a duo and I have never worn them except together. In fact, now I’m sure I’m going to wear them again tonight

 

FEBRUARY 5th MY HAPPY PLACE: I would ordinarily have said that is the pool but I have spent so much time indoors recently, my new happy place is in a Tuk Tuk. I think the cheesy grin confirms it. It means I’m out of the house, the wind is in my hair and I feel life is regaining some normality, even if a huge truck is barrelling down on us. Make your own adventures

 

FEBRUARY 6th FREE CHOICE Best surprise ever ..... We had a visit from one of our most capable and serene monks today. Nit you made my morning. Catching up on the monk gos. Sadly, he came to tell us of the many boys who have now left the monastery either for other temples or to re-join their families! We can’t wait to see them again. Maybe March... we miss you boys.

Today’s actual prompt is “Something Borrowed” but I am just not a borrower: a lender yes. I haven’t posted our little monks of Kep for so long that I’m going with this

 

FEBRUARY 7th MORNING: After rain overnight, it’s a rare, fresh, cool morning here. The raindrops on my favourite orchid inspired me to get out of bed to take photos before they evaporated

 

FEBRUARY 8th BRIGHT: The bright almost gaudy murals on the pagoda walls are almost complete now and we had the opportunity to visit today with a benefactor and dear friend. I bit the bullet and returned to the exact spot where I had my accident and actually took the photo I was trying to when it happened

 

FEBRUARY 9th FAVE FOOD: I don’t really have one fave food but I do love this lotus root salad and of all the dishes I make it is certainly the most popular among friends. I always get fresh lotus roots when they are available here but it isn’t always possible. We never see it in Kep but it is on my list again when we shop in Kampot market tomorrow

 

FEBRUARY 10th LOVE IS.. surviving the seven-year itch twice and then getting married. This is my favourite of all our wedding shots. Our two witnesses and very best friends at our secret wedding ceremony and this was taken at the photo shoot after in the Botanic Gardens. Still going strong twenty four years later. Love is knowing this is forever

 

FEBRUARY 11th 10am: My two favourite Chinese dishes are almost ready to be packed to take to the Chinese New Year celebration we were invited to yesterday. Luckily, we were heading into the Kampot market at the time so I could get all the ingredients. The raw veggies need to be combined with the tofu skins, mushrooms and cashews as soon as that cooked component is cooled. Busy morning in our house but I might just get showered and get these dishes assembled and packed before our 11am pick up. Fire crackers have already startled me twice this morning

 

FEBRUARY 12th KINDNESS: is a habit I learned from my Mum and a tradition I continue after having lived many years in Asia, where almost no-one has an oven. Always give away half of what you bake! These banana and chocolate chip muffins, which just came out of the oven are destined to be mostly gifted to friends for Chinese New Year treats. Well OK there’s zucchini in them too but don’t tell the kids that

 

FEBRUARY 13th RED: These are 红包!: red packets, which are traditionally given with money inside to children, for Chinese New Year. They are actually left over from last year - Year of the Rat but I didn’t buy any this year - Year of the Ox. I chose them because they have my favourite Chinese blessing written on them. 万事如意！“10,000 matters as you would wish them.” This is the first year I can remember that we haven’t cooked a Chinese banquet for friends but we were invited to celebrate with the Khmer family of a friend, two days ago on New Year’s Eve

 

FEBRUARY 14th HEART: My repertoire of origami increased from only paper cranes to include hearts today as a result of this prompt. A friend demonstrated and I followed along: I still need more practise to remember the whole sequence but it’s a start

FEBRUARY 15th PINK: The flash of pink bougainvillea on the roof of the pavilion at the pool

 

FEBRUARY 16th SOMETHING NEW: Last trip to Phnom Penh less than a month ago I got myself a new phone. Considering the previous one lasted over five and a half years I still think this is very new and I’m still learning what is capable of. Sometimes I think it’s smarter than I am

FEBRUARY 17th A FAVE PHOTO: Sisters and cousins taking an outdoor, hot stone bath in Bartsham. We were hiking with friends and heard the screaming and laughter long before we saw this. It was taken in 2011when we lived in nearby Rangjung, in eastern Bhutan. It is one of my all-time favourite shots and a print hangs in our home in Cambodia now

 

FEBRUARY 18th A VIEW I LOVE: The jetty at the Sailing Club in Kep. We are rarely there at this time of day preferring cocktails at sunset but it never disappoints

 

FEBRUARY 19th SOMETHING OLD: Every visit to Kampot I enjoy looking up and discovering the old facades that are still a prominent feature of the buildings. I actually prefer those that have not yet been renovated and this one is my latest discovery. The tattered remains of the Khmer flag sure adds to that old-world atmosphere though the wires are certainly a distraction

 

FEBRUARY 20th SWEETS: No candy in the house and no desserts either so a drive by the beach in a Tuk Tuk provided this as the only option. Ice-creams and Fairy Floss, as we Aussies say, were the only sweets I saw all day and I wasn’t tempted

FEBRUARY 21st THIS MADE ME SMILE: Our house owner at the top of this “ladder” putting plastic bags on the mangoes on the heavily laden tree, to get them to ripen. I also had to rush out there and hold on to the ladder until Ian took over so I could take a photo

FEBRUARY 22nd A GOOD THING: First time back on my bike since my accident over three months ago .... Baby steps. Stationary riding. The road to recovery is slow but a bit more confidence getting on and off and starting and stopping and I’ll be mobile again!

 

FEBRUARY 23rd A LOVE STORY: 39 years in the making and today we combined our love of photography and creativity in a workshop with Artist in Residence Sophal at Knai Bang Chat to take black and white portraits and transfer them to wooden tablets. We each took each other’s photos learned the magical process

 

FEBRUARY 24th SOMETHING BLUE: One of the renovated buildings in the magnificent Knai Bang Chat Resort is painted aqua blue. This is where we did our photography workshop yesterday and the setting right on the waterfront is breathtakingly beautiful. Those moody storm clouds are pretty dramatic as well

 

FEBRUARY 25th HANDWRITTEN NOTE: I’ve always been a purchaser and collector of postcards and greeting cards and a big fan of snail mail. In fact, many of those I buy I can’t bear to give away. I also keep many of beautiful images and messages I have received and display them in our home. This prompt made me immediately remember one such message, from the best principal, most inspirational leader and most devout Buddhist I have ever worked for. I treasure it and our ongoing friendship

FEBRUARY 26th A WEDDING PHOTO: I have exactly one digital image of our wedding and I actually already posted it this month, so here is a shot taken on the day of the Royal Wedding of HRH the King of Bhutan. On that day we were living in Rangjung, eastern Bhutan which was a full 2 days drive from the capital. Like all schools in the country we were given several days of special public holidays to mark the occasion. My school held a daylong celebration, starting with this morning prayer session, which lasted several hours. There were blessings for the royal couple, sports events, watching the televised ceremony and finally an evening of traditional dance performed by both the students and staff and the local primary school also participated. The picture depicts the morning prayer session and the assembled body of boys as well as the lighting of butter lamps as a sacred blessing on the upper level. The girls were also present but on the opposite side of the hall. The white shawls are a formal sign of respect and worn on all important occasions 

26a A little bit of memorabilia from that day

FEBRUARY 27th LIFE IS: what you make of it. Be present and grateful

 

FEBRUARY 28th WHAT I’M READING: The final book titled “A House Divided” in the Pearl S Buck trilogy - The Good Earth. I mostly read digitally these days but I still keep this bookmark for when I simply must read a paperback. I have also downloaded four new books this morning thanks to this prompt

IN 2021 THE PHOTO A DAY CHALLENGE HAS INTRODUCED A FREE CHOICE OPTION SO    I HAVE OPTED FOR FREE CHOICE WHEN THE PROMPT DID NOT INSPIRE ME 

On the road with a local- Tsirang, Sarpang and Gelephu in a whirlwind tour with a family feel.

Travel in Bhutan is almost always a road trip with very few exceptions. Having made my way from east to west and back along the trunk road several times over the years, I had the feeling I knew Bhutan pretty well. However the recent road trip through Tsirang, Sarpang and Gelephu showed me that that was a great misconception. There is so much more to Bhutan than the trunk road and this trip has whetted my appetite for more adventurous trips in the coming year.

To be honest I had trepidations about travelling with a friend and not knowing exactly where we would stay or how it would pan out. I am a planner, an organizer and a lover of independent travel, but I grasped this opportunity solely because it was Anjana who invited us and I have never met a more caring, socially aware or gregarious individual anywhere in the world. She exudes confidence and amicability and with those traits how could travelling with her be anything but fun.

Staying with family members and visiting less touristed areas with someone, who has a plethora of family members at every turn and a deep love of the environment, was sheer joy. The journey started from the freezing climes of Thimphu and progressed though the familiar territory of Wangdi :our stomping ground in 2014. It was a delight to see the progress made on reconstructing the dzong and be able to point out sights that Anjana had not seen before but it soon gave way the new vistas and an adventure with local knowledge and sheer enthusiasm adding to our experience.

As we passed through ever more tropical scenery the familiar cry of “this is my ………..’s village” or “my uncle / aunt lives there” became ever more frequent. Cups of tea delicious lunches and hospitality of the kind only rural folk know how to offer, persisted throughout out the trip.

The first overnight halt in Tsholingkha village in Tsirang was like stepping back a few decades and then adding the best of modern development to the mix. The smokless stove was an instant draw card and perfect place to gather and warm up, though as for that the temperatures were already much higher than in Thimphu. However there is ample electricity and water in the village and access to services is also readily available.

The two separate families residing in this village were more than happy to share their life experiences and family history in the area and not for the first time, I thought about the wealth of oral history, which resides in so many elderly and even middle-aged Bhutanese rural residents. It must somehow be recorded before it is lost or forgotten. It seems to me the perfect history assignment for urban youth is awaiting the clever and innovative teacher, who makes that happen.

After receiving an overwhelming welcome, incredible hospitality spanning 2 households and about twice as much food as we would normally consume we left Tsirang, making a brief stop in the lovely main town of the district Damphu. There we were blessed to be able to meet our neighbours from Rangjung days in a brief roadside gathering. Just as I exited the vehicle another car flew by and the driving shouted, “Hello Madam Vicky!”  Only in Bhutan in a relatively remote and completely new surrounding would that seem totally normal.

Soon after entering Sarpang the scenery turns remarkably tropical. Palms and huge ferns line the road and the heat was a delight. At some points the road ventures so close to India that it is possible to have one’s body in the car and still put one’s arms in India through the window- not that we actually tried that little gambit. With that comes increased security and more immigration check posts, but our journey was hassle free, due to the road permits we had previously acquired.

The jolly family of 3 generations, with whom we spent our second night in Ranibagan in Sarpang, were even more determined to overfeed us and it seemed that we had in fact spent the greater part of the first 2 days drinking tea and eating. Is it possible to have eaten 6 meals in one day!! The evening was much cooler than the tropical daytime and we enjoyed our second bonfire in the expansive front yard of this lovely, rambling, renovated family home. The views on all sides made me think that I was in Thailand and as soon as we set off walking we had the distinct feeling we were enroute to the beach. Even though knowledge of local geography told us that that was impossible.

After a leisurely start to the third day of road travel, the morning began with a tea stop at the home of grandparents of a dear friend in Thimphu and yet again a precious oral history, which needs to be recorded, revealed itself.  Without a single word of common language we were able to enjoy each other’s company and with the assistance of both Anjana and her relative, cousin-brother- our driver Indra, we heard many an incredible tale of bygone eras.

Just down the road, the compulsory purchase of oranges from insistent roadside vendors, was transacted while Indra negotiated our easy passage through the immigration check point. In no time we were all happily basking in the winter warmth again.

After a special lunch provided by the driver’s family in another small village along the road, we reached our next night stopover. Not surprisingly at the lunch stop we again ran into relatives and even one of our friends from the Bhutan Canada Foundation Office in Thimphu. This prosperous area produces an abundance of food and groves of fruit trees abound. No wonder it is becoming the preferred retirement area of Bhutan. Self-sufficiency and glorious weather are definitely an instant draw card for the ever-resourceful Bhutanese.

Feeling warm, content and relaxed we again set off for Gelephu. This border town has all the hustle and bustle of a frontier trading post and it seems that everybody is engaged in some kind of business activity. Anjana was more that thrilled to be reunited with her husband, who is overseeing a family construction in the centre of town and we were happy to be staying in an apartment for the next 2 night so there was time to explore on foot and wander at large to get a feel for this decidedly different town. Her father-in-law was another wealth of local and family history and the town abounds with cheap, fast eateries churning out delicious fresh food.  It was instantly apparent that Ashok Hotel was the popular favourite. We did our best to consume as many of its offerings as possible and even left town with a packed lunch to eat on the roadside when it came time for our departure.

It was a rare treat to be able to travel with a dear friend and colleague, meet her extended family and old acquaintances of our own and gain much more intimate knowledge of the locals on this trip. All those initial fears and concerns I had, gave way to gratitude and appreciation by the time we began our homeward journey to Thimphu on day 5.

We even got to make a brief stop at our former-neighbour's house for tea and a catch up with all the family members on our return through Damphu. It is these family and friends moments that make travelling so much more enjoyable. In addition we stopped for an open air lunch at the very place I wished I had asked to stop on our way in, gave me the opportunity I missed to photograph my all-time favourite subject in Bhutan: prayer flags flapping in the wind! Perfect final journey.

It was surprisingly uneventful in terms of road conditions with only one brief stop at a roadblock due to the road widening in that familiar homeward stretch just before Dochula and within sight of Thimphu. The vehicle, the companionship and the spectacular scenery and totally different lifestyle of these regions has now initiated a real need to explore more in Bhutan in the coming year.

For now we are in freezing Thimphu, having arrived just in time to celebrate Xmas and are making the most of the warm sunny conditions in the middle of the day while rugging up and cocooning ourselves in the early evening and morning.

There is nothing quiet like a holiday to renew your energy levels and make you appreciative for all that you have.

 Thanks go to Anjana and all her extended family for their hospitality.

Final meeting in Thimphu

Heading out east.

We have now finished orientation and today we head out east to our postings. We have been warmly welcomed and treated to some incredible experiences over the past 2 weeks. We have been given lectures introducing the education system, the special aspects of democracy and the basics of Buddhism and now feel that many aspects of Bhutanese culture are now much more familiar to us. Both the Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs and the Education Minister made the time to receive us and spoke eloquently about their visions for Bhutan and their passions for developing the education system. Their deep concern for the youth of the country and their clear perspective on the role we will all play was both impressive and inspirational. Many other topics have also been presented to us and we have been able to pose questions and discuss our ideas and concerns with experts. Now we are eager to see the reality and get to the teaching aspect of our time here.
We have had a couple of introductory language lessons in both Dzongkha and Sharchop as well as cooking lessons to help prepare us for our new lives.
On a more personal level we have bought everything we imagine we will need for our new homes and a great deal more. By far the most exciting purchases being the national dress that we are both proud and honoured to wear. Now we begin the adventure of travelling across the country to get to our postings.