My Family Arrives

I am so lucky. Some of my family is arriving tomorrow. I can share this most amazing place with people I know and share the memories forever with them.

Maudie, John, Joseph (aged 10) and Anabelle (aged 8) are arriving tomorrow and Catherine and Rodger are arriving next Wednesday. Rodger was here fifteen years ago as part of a delegation looking at the feasibility of piping in petroleum to Bhutan via Bangladesh. My goodness, he'll be seeing a change or two when he arrives.

They are so excited about coming. The kids have been talking about it at school for ages. This will be the first time they have been on a plane. I've got to give credit to my sister and her husband on deciding to come here. Forget Disneyland, Seaworld or any of those other places to take the kids - let's give them a real lesson in culture, adventure and travel. Let's go to Bhutan.

We are all doing the Druk Path next week, a four day trek across some mountains between Paro and Thimphu. That is trekking in style. When you trek here you have a guide, a cook, a cooks helper, a horseman and about fifteen horses. It's all done in fabulous style. The horses go ahead so do the helpers and they set up all the tents for you, and basically have a cuppa ready for you by the time you finally arrive at the camping spot. Noice. It makes a change from the Bibbuleman Track for me. I have organised a spare horse for the kids (or adults!) if they need it going up the mountains. It can be tough going if you're not used to the altitude.

So we will finish the Trek on the Sunday and the Thimphu Tsechu commences on the Monday. That will be brilliant. I am so looking forward to it. I just want a photo with me and my sisters in kira and the blokes in gho. What a hoot.

On Saturday we are going to visit a school and then on Tuesday morning we are also going to visit the monks who will be being taught English by a friend of mine. I'm so looking forward to seeing the kids reactions to the world here, and also everyone's reactions to a really tall and blond family. What a classic.

So I'll be taking advantage of the time off we are given as part of the Thimphu Tsechu. Everyone in Thimphu is given four days off (except those working for the UN) to enjoy the spiritual festival at the Dzong. I'm taking an additional day so I can go on the trek with them. It will be last bit of 'fun' for me until I finish my contract. Then it's time to buckle down and work my butt off.

So in someways this will be my last post for a while until the craziness finishes and life returns to normal. I hope I get time to write down some of the experiences during the time they are here tho'. I'm really keen to record their first impressions, so I can relive it again too.

Tashi Delek.