Rainbow Photo Tours of

 

Where Is Bhutan?

I answered that question in the most enjoyable way possible. I went to Bhutan, with a small group of interesting persons, who also wanted to experience this tiny and hidden country. The wings of our plane barely cleared the mountains on both sides as we glided along the gorge and onto the one landing strip of the one airport in Bhutan. From that moment onward, we were in a different world. The colorful carved trimmings on the airport building would be repeated on hundreds of homes, nestled in small villages on the mountain sides.

We spent two weeks traveling on one-way roads with two-way traffic. Our driver was as skilled as a New York Taxi driver. He could always find a place to stop while my photography companion and I took photos of monkeys, yaks, children, temples, prayer flags, mountains shrouded in clouds, pilgrims, terraced farming, water-driven prayer wheels turning, dogs and more dogs, villages, monks in their dark red robes, tree-covered mountains, wild flowers, exotic birds, and so much more. The photography student that Rainbow Photo Tours provided was always one jump ahead of us with whatever lens, camera, or tripod we needed for taking the perfect picture.

Simple guest houses were my favorite lodging, trading creature comforts for living a little closer to the people. Robin and Cathy had arranged for unique experiences: lunching with a llama; listening to a story-telling inn keeper who has written a book on the Yeti; foot tapping with festival dancers; climbing mountains beside natives to their temples; and watching locals weaving, making paper, and popping rice to eat.

Bhutan will always be with me, in the smiles and welcome of the people. I am thankful to have brought home some of the peace, tranquility and reverence of life from the Buddhist faith. And there are hundreds of photos on my computer to prove the whole experience happened.

I answered that question in the most enjoyable way possible. I went to Bhutan, with a small group of interesting persons, who also wanted to experience this tiny and hidden country. The wings of our plane barely cleared the mountains on both sides as we glided along the gorge and onto the one landing strip of the one airport in Bhutan. From that moment onward, we were in a different world. The colorful carved trimmings on the airport building would be repeated on hundreds of homes, nestled in small villages on the mountain sides.

We spent two weeks traveling on one-way roads with two-way traffic. Our driver was as skilled as a New York Taxi driver. He could always find a place to stop while my photography companion and I took photos of monkeys, yaks, children, temples, prayer flags, mountains shrouded in clouds, pilgrims, terraced farming, water-driven prayer wheels turning, dogs and more dogs, villages, monks in their dark red robes, tree-covered mountains, wild flowers, exotic birds, and so much more. The photography student that Rainbow Photo Tours provided was always one jump ahead of us with whatever lens, camera, or tripod we needed for taking the perfect picture.

Simple guest houses were my favorite lodging, trading creature comforts for living a little closer to the people. Robin and Cathy had arranged for unique experiences: lunching with a llama; listening to a story-telling inn keeper who has written a book on the Yeti; foot tapping with festival dancers; climbing mountains beside natives to their temples; and watching locals weaving, making paper, and popping rice to eat.

Bhutan will always be with me, in the smiles and welcome of the people. I am thankful to have brought home some of the peace, tranquility and reverence of life from the Buddhist faith. And there are hundreds of photos on my computer to prove the whole experience happened.

Marta Felber of Bella Vista, Arizona has traveled the world to many exotic locations, but says this is her first experience to seriously take pictures.  Marta has published two books on the subject of dealing with grief.

Marta writes, "If you go to my website, www.lifewords.com, you will discover a lot more about me, if you are curious.  The current chapter in my life is photography and creative writing.

I have just turned that page so don't expect much skill in it either.  But I sure am having fun.  I'm working on a book, "Cat Catechism, by Sterling, as told to Marta Felber.  It has short chapters on the left and pictures of Sterling in sepia or shades of gray, shadow-like on the right.  

Marta shoots with an Olympus Camedia E-20; Minolta X-370; and Kodak CX6330.