Long time, no blog

Hi All,

It's been quite a while since I last took up the pen, so to speak, to chronicle our adventures in Bhutan, but from the looks of things, my traveling buddies have more than made up for my lack of blog time.

Last time you heard from me, I was busy bulleting out a list of "firsts" from our time in this one-of-a-kind country. And, before I get any farther into today's blog, I have a few more firsts to add to that list:

-Had a 3-hour coffee date with His Majesty's (affectionately referred to as HM) best friend and personal assistant, GP, during which time we were entertained with war and hunting stories that sounded like something out of a movie.
-Hung out in a couple of Dzongs (amazing fortress-like buildings that house local monks as well as government officials from each district).
-Did a "stretchy band" workout with a maniac named "Boomer" in our hotel room after a long day of basketball. Beast mode! I only recently regained use of my arms.
-Watched a farmer harvesting weed (not weeds) from the side of the road. The stuff grows wild here; it's everywhere! But, it's illegal to smoke it here, so a lot of times, they just feed it to their livestock. They have very happy, mellow cows here in Bhutan.
-Very nearly discovered the truth behind the saying, "Let a sleeping fog lie." During the day, Bhutan is the land of GNH (Gross National Happiness), but at night it is ruled by packs of wild dogs. I accidentally disturbed one during his morning nap and almost found myself on his bad side. Reason #27 you should never walk and text.

Anyway, just a few new firsts to give you all at home a taste of life in this amazing country.

We arrived in Paro last night, after a whirlwind tour of eastern Bhutan that included some spectacular and death-defying drives through the Himalayas, as well as the occasional Yeti/Wherewolf scare. (Levi's still a little shaken, so be gentle with him). Today, we've got our first late wake up of the trip, which many of the guys are taking full advantage of, and then it's off to hike Taksung (The Tiger's Nest). Stay tuned for lots of posts and pictures. It's going to be breathtaking! From they, our guide wants to take us out for karaoke in downtown Paro. Not sure how I feel about that one, but when in Rome...

Then, Thursday, we'll have our last clinic at a local school and our last game against the Bhutanese national team. And, we'll head to the airport on Friday morning for a couple days of decompression in Thailand. We're on the home stretch!

It's been an amazing time here in Bhutan, and I'm looking forward to finishing strong. We'll keep you posted on the conclusion of our East Asian adventures!

josh