After a long day’s drive (8 hours) we finally arrived in Punakha. The sun was just beginning to set, a warm breeze was blowing and the wonderful light at dusk began to set over the  Punakha Valley. We decided to take an evening stroll through a small village, across wheat and rice paddies to the Temple of the Divine Madman. En route we were invited to come and visit one of the local village farmhouses. The house had no furniture, the mattresses were rolled up in the corners, but there was a beautiful shrine room. Kinga explained to us that in every house in Bhutan, no matter how poor or rich, you can always find a beautiful and ornate shrine room. 

Once it got dark we went back to Mr. YT’s Hotel. Mr. YT greeted each one of our travelers personally and surprised us with home made village ara (rice wine) and a bottle of local Courier Whiskey! 

This morning after breakfast, we gathered under the avocado tree in front of Mr. YT’s hotel for Judy’s lecture on loving kindness, compassion and the practice of tonglen. Our next stop was the famous Punakha Dzong where the coronation of the young king took place. The coronation room houses a huge golden Sakyamuni Buddha statue, a statue of Shebdrung and of Guru Rinpoche. The wall paintings reflect the live story of the Buddha which Kinga patiently explained to us one by one. The group was fascinated by Kinga’s ability to make the paintings come alive. 

By mid-day we had reached Thimphu for an afternoon of shopping. However, the highlight of the day was our dinner since we finally got to meet Kinga’s family, his wife , Mrs. Dechen who works as a nurse in the operating room, and three beautiful daughters (age 7, 9 and 12). Mrs. Dechen was happy to share stories of how the two of them met many years ago in their home town of Mongar. Wine was served, we toasted to Kinga’s wonderful family and saw them off with hugs and hopes to meet them again in the future!