


{date6}
— Today we remain in the Trongsa area and after
visiting the dzong we will go on a day excursion on the road to the southern
border--it lies 147 miles to the south. We will make a stop at Kunga Rabten,
the summer palace of the second king of Bhutan which is now a monastic school.
The road passes through small villages and under a waterfall that falls onto
the pavement for a "Bhutanese car wash." (The drivers are wary of
small pebbles in the hard-falling water that dent their cars and chip their
windshields.) The beginning of the road is gently sloped allowing for cultivation
but as we head further south the road descends into the river gorge and becomes
rather wild. Along this route are beautiful landscapes and we are likely to
encounter monkeys and a wide variety of birds. After a picnic lunch at a nearby
temple we will visit a nunnery—there are more than 100 nuns there, some in
meditation and retreat and some attending the monastic college. When we return
to Trongsa and if time permits we will visit the Trongsa Museum. (Robin wrote
a story for Tashi Delek Magazine on the Trongsa Museum, on the Rainbow web
site.) Overnight and dinner at the Yangkil Resort.
