Bhutan buddies' big bash--Wednesday evening at the Rouge

This Wednesday evening at the Rouge Gallery, Rossland’s ‘Bhutan Buddies’ will be hosting a slide show of their recent trip to another Mountain Kingdom--Bhutan. Rossland’s Kathy Moore, Dave Cornelius, Kathy and Dave Williams, Jill and Tim Peacock will be hosting the show, which promises a fascinating glimpse into a very different way of life.

Says Moore, “This past fall, we traveled for several weeks in this amazing country in the Himalayas. We trekked almost 200kms, climbed several passes over 4,800m, saw fantastic temples, cute cuddly yaks and met fascinating local people.”

Travelling to Bhutan has been a longstanding dream for Moore in particular, but sad recent events made her determined to make the dream a reality.

“I have wanted to go to Bhutan ever since I went to Nepal in 1978 but never got it organized. In 2010 my sister died far too young and it got me thinking all the usual dark thoughts about mortality and making sure I was living my life fully. I decided then and there that one thing I was going to do for sure was to visit Bhutan. The Himalayas are a totally magical place for me. So, I started searching the Internet for a company to enlist. All travelers in Bhutan must have a guide the entire time unless you are Indian (not our First Nations kind).

“I wanted to go with a local Bhutanese company but pretty quickly I was overwhelmed. Then in June 2010 I read an article in the paper about a woman who traveled to Bhutan and she highly recommended her tour company; Bhutan Scenic Tours. I then started a lengthy pen-pal relationship with the owner, Tshering Dorji. Turns out his company does all custom tours. I wanted to go with a small group so this suited me fine. Now I had to round up some compatriots. Turns out that was pretty easy to do: Dave and Kathy Williams and Tim and Jill Peacock signed on without a lot of  arm twisting. Thus the Bhutan Bhuddies were formed. The Peacocks asked if their friends from Newfoundland, also named Peacock, could join the gaggle. Eight in the group was my absolute limit, so we said yes.”

The trip was, by all accounts, an amazing experience with Moore being particularly struck by the scale of things. “The sheer massiveness of the Himalayas, while not surprising was still just incredible. There was so much that was amazing and new to us- the architecture was fabulous- so colorful and intricate. I loved the giant yaks- especially the ones just standing in the freezing rushing river water. I suppose the National Highway- which handles a ton of two-way traffic on a one-way sized road (usually with a generous shoulder on either side) was a bit of a surprise. The road was quite dramatic in places- huge drop offs. The people were so warm and wonderful but again, after my long correspondence with Tshering leading up to the trip, that wasn’t a big surprise but it was a true joy.”

Proceeds from Wednesday’s event will be going to help ‘small monks’ from the region, which begs, of course, the question, ‘what exactly is a small monk?’

“Small Monk is what Tshering called the young monks at the monasteries. I just loved the term. They weren’t all small because they ranged in age from probably 5 to 18. Most were from poor families or were orphaned. The state does not support the monasteries so they are very appreciative of any donations. We brought school supplies, sporting goods and Rossland green bags! We also visited several Basic Health Units, small clinics that tend to the medical needs in the hinterlands and brought medical supplies. It was a great way to interact with more locals.”

Moore is looking forward to the show, and looking forward to a return to Bhutan one day. “It was intended to be the trip of a lifetime for me but I find myself wanting to go back!”

When: Wednesday, Feb 22 at 7pm
Where: Rouge Gallery, Rossland
What: Multimedia slide show
Entry: By donation (to raise some money for medical supplies for some “small monks” we met)