Pictures of our arrival:

We headed out for lunch with a beautiful view of the fortress. We ate Bhutanese food including the infamous Chilli Cheese! 4-star hotness!

After lunch we visited a temple with giant Buddha on top of the mountain. Christina (Gr. 10) had this to say about her experience:

“Today is the first day in Bhutan. We had a really long flight. After we checked in for Hotel, we went straight to the Statue of Sakyamuni Buddha. As I was born in a Buddiest family, the temple quite captivated my attention. The way the temple is built is quiet different from that in mainland China. The walls are well-painted with gold and water color and the Buddha on it are from different countries. In mainland China, we believe the temple is a place that we care less about the external matter but more about internals, so the designs are very simple and colorless. So when I saw another style of Buddiest temple I was shocked, and wanted learn more about the designs, but I know it is more important to show respect to the Samyamuni because of my religion. Overall, I think today is very meaningful because I got to see another style of Buddiest temples!”

We then walked down the mountain and met the forest ranger who explained the importance of planting trees. Students then went to the side of a mountain to plant their pine saplings. This is what Marcelino (Gr. 11) had to say about this experience: “During the tree planting activity, all the teachers and students planted their Blue Pine Tree on the grass slope near the fabulous Buddhist temple. The meaning of this activity is to let us feel the Mother of Nature relevantly and experience how the Bhutanese plant their trees over their country zealously. The process of the tree planting is very simple, we just need to take out some dirt on one hole thus give some space to the tree and cover it around one inch of dirt. At first there are some students felt disgusting that we need to put the dirt cover the tree with our hands. But after we all planted the trees, we felt like successful and meaningful to finished this activity.”

Later on we visited an organic farmers market where the students bought some local produce as well as some other treats. Vivan (Gr. 11) did some shopping: “Today, we visited a local market that sells a lot of organic products. According to one of our wonderful tour guides, approximately 60% of the products sold are of local produce, and around 40% are imported from India. Visiting markets such as this is a great way to gain a better understanding of the lives of the local people, and is also a way to have more direct interactions with them. Moreover, it allows us to gain more insights into the spectacular range of local and non-local produce available in the city, many of which are of great interest to me. The scenarios are mesmerising, and choices are endless, from fresh fruits and veggies of vibrant colours to spices to incenses and special soaps. The aromatic scent of a wide variety of cereals accompanied us as we step foot into this huge market which is followed by that of fresh fruits and veggies. Unsurprisingly, I left this vivid venue with a pack of tea, a pack of dried pumpkins which appear to me very new and interesting, as well as 2 kilos of Bhutanese specialty red rice, with a feeling of happiness and how these goods were purchased at a price lower than their worth.”

After a full day we enjoyed a nice meal in our hotel. Lots of tired eyes at dinner. FYI: Mr. d’Entremont has a sim card with the number 17809620 if you need to get in touch. Wifi appears slow, but we will do our best to stay in contact.