Even though we finished everything yesterday I went with Aksel to the school on Saturday morning to say goodbye to the principal and Aksel's class. I also wanted to work on my presentation to the ministry about the module.

The Wi-Fi was working, but it was extremely slow - it took 5 minutes just to load one webpage. And now and then it disappeared and I had to start from the beginning again a little later when it returned. I did succeed, however, in uploading a new blog :-) And some photos - but I could not access them and write dates and comments :-(

Aksel finished around 11 o'clock, then we had an early lunch at the school, and afterwards Aksel went with some of his students to have a farewell beer, while I continued to play with the impossible Internet. We were brought back to our hotel by car around 1 pm, and I worked for some time on my evaluation to the ministry, but spent most of the afternoon reading my book and taking a nap - I was exhausted after having taught for 15 days and needed to rest and relax ;-)

In the evening the principal came out to the hotel to say goodbye to us. He is a good guy and I think a great leader with lots of good intentions and ideas. I just hope they will get more resources out here for materials and equipment - many of the instructors and also the trainees really want to learn more. We exchanged e-mail addresses with the principal and said our goodbyes.

On Sunday we were to be picked up at 9 am to drive the long way back to Thimphu. With true Bhutanese timing the car came at 9.30. On the way I sometimes slept trying to avoid car sickness - and I succeeded :-) It is very easy to get car sick on the winding mountain roads. However, I was awake most of the time and enjoyed the beautiful landscape - especially when crossing the 3 mountains. We noticed that the trees became different - they went from conifers in Bumthang to deciduous trees when we went down the mountain. Every time we went up a mountain it grew colder and colder and every time we went down it grew warmer and warmer. So my sweater went on and off all the way ;-)

We had lunch at a small Bhutanese place on the way. They only served hot chili food so I ate rice and Dahl soup, while Aksel and the others enjoyed their chilies, yak meat and pork - the latter looked more like fat than meat to me! We also had some butter tea - and it still tastes like soup. It was a family who had this place and they all worked there: father, mother, and 2 teenage children. The mother cooked the food, the children served it and cleaned the tables, and the father took care of the money and payments and talked to the customers. The mother and the 2 children all went barefoot, though we were some way up the mountain, and it wasn't all that warm, but apparently they were used to it. It was fun eating there - absolutely not a place where tourists normally come!

On the way to Thimphu we talked a little about Chinese astrology, which they learn about as small kids here. When a baby is born the doctors write the exact time of birth - if possible also in seconds (I am not sure when exactly a baby is born? Is it when it is free of the mother? Or when it breathes by itself for the first time? Or when the umbilical cord is cut? I'll have to ask). All children get their horoscopes when they are very small. There are certain monks who have learned this trade and they will do the horoscopes telling what or who the baby was in its previous lifetime and what challenges it will face in this lifetime - and also how to deal with them. Interesting - maybe I should ask if they will make a horoscope for a foreigner?

The trip went well and we arrived in Thimphu around 6.45 pm and were greeted with enthusiasm at the Khang, where we got our "old" rooms - the same rooms we stayed in 19 days ago. It is wonderful that the Internet works well and that we are able to walk downtown tomorrow by ourselves and that there are things to buy :-) Bumthang is an absolutely beautiful and peaceful place - and really isolated!