Bhutan Trip Day 9 - 1 July 2015 Visit to Langthel, Kuenga Rabten Palace and our leisure time around Samcholing school :)

Rupa has summarized our meeting on her beautiful blog post here. I guess I don't have to explain further about it hehehe... :P But if you still want to hear to my story, you can always continue read it here la :D

Foggy, mysterious, and wet morning at Samcholing School (left) and Samcholing Palace (right)

As per Rupa said, initially we were waiting for one Bolero to drop us there. However, the guy who wore Gho with cowboy head didn't return for a long time, as if he was swallowed by deities in the Lhakhang and disappeared. Puff!!! It wasn't difficult to imagine especially when you saw the photo above :)

Our journey from Samcholing to Langthel to meet Ugyen Gyeltshen :)

Fed up waiting for too long, we were lucky that we managed to get into another Bolero (together with students who were going back to their home for summer break holiday in Langthel) in order to meet up with Ugyen Gyeltshen, our fellow comedian blogger cum Engineer cum author of Dear Seday book :) 

Priceless picturesque view on our way to Langthel :)

Samcholing green tea plantation :)

I asked Rupa to sit at the back as we were the uninvited and additional passengers (although I knew she was a teacher there and the students would prefer her and me - her guest - to sit in front, covered from rain and hot sun, in a comfy seat). I told the students that I would never have a chance to sit behind like that in Singapore, so please..., let me remain sitting at the back, and they gave in with no words to say :)

Another priceless picturesque view on our way to Langthel :)

Hustle bustle on the field - On our way to Langthel

It was drizzling and foggy in the beginning, but once we went down, the sun started to shine. We just needed umbrella to protect us from both conditions though. Sometimes the car was so bumpy and it hurt our butt so much but we could only look at each other and laughed out loud in pain hahaha.... :D

Enjoyed their Parala dice game - Trongsa, Bhutan

The Bolero stopped at Olo's general shop. The driver went in to buy something. We waited there. Suddenly, another Bolero stopped and parked its car in front of the shop. The driver went down and suddenly I felt familiar with the driver's face. "Hey Rupa, it's Ugyen Sir!!!" I shouted and jumped excitingly just like the daughter was finally finding her father hahaha.... And Ugyen was responding too! He asked us to go down and moved into his Bolero. You wouldn't know how relieve I felt upon seeing him hahaha... I shook his hands firmly and my first impression about him was that he was such a serious kind of guy that you sometimes wondered if he was the person who often wrote those jokes in his blog posts (Rupa said he was the guy who joked seriously - I think that fit the description very well :D). Before leaving the place, Rupa bought enough doma for him to chew :D

Inside the tunnel of Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project in Langthel, Bhutan

Next thing, we were inside his Bolero and he drove us down directly into the tunnel, where the 720 MW Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project was built. It was such a huge and long tunnel. We stopped at the Power House. All of us went down and wore helmets (for safety protection). He took out his note book and started drawing. 

Inside the tunnel of Mangdecchu Hydroelectric Project in Langthel, Bhutan

While drawing, he was explaining to us what the project was all about. We listened to him trying to understand the whole big picture while it was pretty noisy and bad air surrounded us as the workers were doing their job molding and other stuffs. We moved on to the other side to have a look, and then went out.

First Palace cum Lhakhang that we went to but didn't enter :D

Since we had some time before lunch, he brought us up to the mountain to one of the Palace cum Lhakhang (I forgot the name. Was it Indo Choling Palace?), and we didn't enter though as Ugyen didn't like visiting Lhakhang so we just went to the nearby shop and had some drink :)

Delicious Indian lunch offered to both of us - Kadinche la Ugyen!!! :)

At around 1 pm, we were brought to the MHPA personnel lodge and had our Indian food lunch there together with few of his colleagues. The food was prepared freshly by the Indian cook just behind the dining room. The roti was delicious and fresh accompanied with some veggies, yogurt dips, cucumber, onion, chili, and a small bowl of dhall. I think I took 4 pieces of roti before decided that I was full hehehe... Nyummy!!! We were even given a special sweet dessert made of butter, Besan flour, and sugar, which tasted a bit like peanut paste for me :) Thank you Ugyen for letting us tasted the delicious Indian dishes there :)

Beautiful mountain view from Langthel back to Samcholing

After lunch Ugyen drove us to visit Kuenga Rabten Palace.

Road block - Common thing to face during monsoon season in Bhutan :)

On our way, there was a road block that took us almost an hour. Funnily, while waiting, I suddenly saw the man in Gho and cowboy hat that supposed to drop us to Langthel, just behind Ugyen's car. Lol!!! Me and Rupa were laughing to our heart again upon seeing him hahaha.... :P

Kuenga Rabten Palace - Trongsa, Bhutan :)

After patiently waiting, we finally reached the Kuenga Rabten Palace, was built in 1929.

Our visit to Kuenga Rabten Palace and Lhakhang - Trongsa, Bhutan

This was another palace that was used by second King - Jigme Wangchuk - during winter season with his wife - Ashi Phuntsho Choden. Three of us went for a visit while Ugyen was outside playing archery with young children :) We browsed the library at the third floor and it's filled with many Buddhist transcripts, which many were part of National Library of Bhutan's items.

Second King - Jigme Wangchuck's room inside Kuenga Rabten Palace - Trongsa, Bhutan

Rupa asked permission from the monk to show us the second King's room that was still well preserved, as if he was still living there. I loved the color and design of the wooden window inside his room. It's striking and reserved the Bhutanese culture in it.

Surround the Kuenga Rabten Monastery - Trongsa, Bhutan

There were more monks seen in this monastery. Many were seen busy studying the scripts. Maybe exam was coming??? :)

Busy playing archery :P

Very different from the group of 'children' here who were busy playing archery hehehe.... :D

Trio blogger meeting at Samcholing and Langthel :)

After visiting, Ugyen sent us back to school. Thank you la Ugyen for bringing us around almost whole day now. Because of you I was able to visit many beautiful Lhakhang and enjoy the picturesque mountainous view around Langthel and Samcholing. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!! :)

Very happy with her Doraemon shirt and look at her wall!!!!! :O

Rupa and I had no agenda after that. What we did was we tried on the clothes and took photos. Hahahahahaha..... *again, never grow up women in action!!! Lol!!! :P Rupa was trying on Doraemon t-shirt I gave her and I was trying on full Kira that she gave to me.

Welcome to my Bhutan kitchen!!! :P

After that both of us went outside and took lots of pictures wearing our Kira. When passing by the school's kitchen, I went in. It was huge!!! The stoves were made by the cut barrels. The smoke was coming out from the boiling pot. It reminded me so much of the Korean series that I watched before. Didn't want to miss this occasion, I asked Rupa to take my photo there. Since I was wearing Kira, it would be as if it was my kitchen hehehehe.... My Bhutan kitchen!!! :D

Now welcome to my house!!! :D

And the above was my house, my typical Bhutanese village house up in the mountain, complete with the Phallus signage to ward off the bad things hehehehehe.... ;P

And here was my paddy plantation la!!! :D

Completed with my paddy plantation :)

Perfect combination!!!

The overall view surrounded the school was magnificent la!!! Such a perfect combination!!!

My dear friend :)

Ooopps... it won't be pefect yet!!! Without someone who accompanied you in your life journey, life would never be perfect!!! Yes, that's it! Friend!!! :) No matter how big your kitchen, house and paddy plantation were, but if you didn't have a special friend in your life, your life would never be complete la!!! You would only materially rich, but no emotional happiness inside your heart ^^

Their friend is your friend too!! :)

Their brother are your brother too hahaha... :D

Yeah, I think I've written too long and put so many pictures in this post. Hope you don't get bored reading it but instead, enjoy the beautiful nature and human being reflected inside. Hahaha... Just kidding... Laso la.. That was how our day well spent and ended with chang pa and dinner prepared by dear Rupa. Thank you Rupa for your time and effort spent together with me!!! I appreciated it very very much!!! Name same kadinche-la!!! :)