Everest, Tibet, Bhutan......

Okay....get your cup of coffee.....I feel like I have a lot of updating to do! While flying to Bhutan we flew right by Mt. Everest and Tibet. We jockeyed for seats on the left side of the plane and even got a few pictures- once in a lifetime, for sure.

We have had really limited access to e-mail in Bhutan, but now we are back in India! I haven't really wanted to write about this- in fear of jinxing ourselves....but now that we are officially back in India, I can tell the story. When Ang and I applied for our Indian Visa, we applied for a multiple entry visa because we knew we wanted to visit Nepal and Bhutan. However, a "multiple entry" visa means that IF you leave India you must be gone for 2 months before you can re-enter. This seemed like a ridiculous rule and after being in India for 2 months we were sure that not EVERYONE could enforce it. Well....we were hoping. We had also read and heard of numerous people either getting back into India OR almost getting deported. We had never heard an official story of someone actually getting deported...just almost. This did create some fear for Ang and me and we talked about what we would do if this happened.

Obviously, the risk of being deported was not enough risk for us not to leave India. I even made some very "official" itineraries (WORD documents- guys)- because we had read that IF the neighboring countries were included on your original itineraries you would be permitted to enter back into India. Regardless, Sunday morning we were nervous! Our Bhutan tour guide had taken our passports to the Bhutan side of immigration and had them stamped. We are not sure why we never had to go to the immigration office on the Bhutan side. Two Indian guys, arranged by our Bhutan travel guide, picked us up and drove us across the border into India. We then went to the Indian Immigration Office where we were both prepared to do quite an acting job, including tears or offering a bribe, if necessary. No acting needed......the immigration officer didn't bat an eye as he stamped our passports of re-entry. WHEW!!! We did a mini-high-five as we walked out of the office.

Bhutan was a quiet, cute, quaint country that is still set back about 200 years ago. The people are very smiley and warm- and the traditional life has not been altered much by the outside world influence. Ang and I were definitely the youngest visitors that we saw. This seems to be a trip that people do in groups/couples after retirement- I'm sure due to the cost. Bhutan cost $200/person/day- which includes accommodation (very nice, accommodation!), food, tours etc. However, since Ang and I were so close to Bhutan we decided to visit anyways- despite our cheap backpacker attitudes.

When we arrived and were picked up at the airport our guide nearly immediately asked "Lindsay, do you have longer pants to wear?" I was in long shorts- which I soon learned were inappropriate.  As I put some pants over my shorts to enter the first temple- he then asked "Lindsay, can you make those pants longer?" I'm thinking in my head....'no, maybe I had my mom hem them too short!'....but I quickly pulled them down to cover ALL of my ankles. Just as I got my pants settled, he said "Lindsay, can you please remove your headband?" Boy, was I off to a  BAD start in Bhutan. Ang stood there smiling- modestly dressed, with no head band.

Several days later as we drove on an extremely windey road and I fought yet another stomach bug (which after 3 rounds of antibiotics I think is gone!)- we pulled over to view the Eastern Himalayas. I immediately started throwing up over the side of the mountain. Seconds later, I felt a hand pulling down my shirt- yes, once again our guide, who was trying to cover up the 2 inches of exposed underwear I was showing. I have to admit, that while throwing up...modesty was not my first priority- but obviously, it should have been. Yikes!

While in Bhutan we saw some very cool sights. My favorite was Tigers Nest- a monastery that was literally built into the side of a cliff. We hiked for about 2 hours to get there and the views were fantastic. We visited lots of temples, holy sites, a nunnery.....all very serene and spiritual experiences. We happened to visit the nunnery during evening prayer and everyone was reciting prayers, singing and playing instruments- very cool.

We also went to a mini- zoo. What is  mini-zoo you ask? Well, that means there is only one animal at the zoo. Our guide had told us about the "national animal of Bhutan", and that would be the animal we would view. There was a legend that one of the God's had merged the vertebrae of a cow and the rib of a God to create this animal years ago. Of course, when we were headed to a zoo Ang and I were both doing some eye-rolling, wondering how they were going to show us an animal that had the body of a cow- and the head of a God. After a short walk, we saw many large animals roaming around. As we read the sign on the cage- we quickly realized that we had mistaken the word "Goat" for "God"- and our guide had been saying 'body of a cow-head of a goat' (not God)......ahhhhh.....a bit more likely....and the national animal DID in fact look exactly like a cow-goat. We could not look at each other the entire time- in fear of laughing.

We are in Delhi for 2 days- staying with one of Ang's college friends who has been nice enough to host us. His apartment is VERY comfortable and we are having trouble motivating to explore Delhi. The BEST news of the week is that Marissa (my friend from college) is meeting us in Thailand! We fly to Thailand tomorrow and will be hanging out with her for a week! Very exciting.

I can't believe that we have about 2 weeks left to travel and that we have spent over 2.5 months in India, Bhutan and Nepal. I feel very lucky....and at the same time, the comforts of home are sounding more and more appealing. I can't WAIT to get my hands on a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.