Going down..

The long drop down towards the plains today was quite a roller coaster ride.  There were several small passes to negotiate, so it wasn't all down hill.  What a drive though!  Clear skies, outrageously gorgeous scenery, the usual narrow ledge roads and vertical drops, small villages and our last sightings of the snow covered, high Himalayas.

About 7kms from our orange grove, the Jaguar of Dougie and Kate Lawson had an accelerator problem. They cleverly could not have picked a more gorgeous spot to break down, it was in a picturesque hamlet, far reaching views of the snowy mountains, by a giant prayer wheel and, with a delightful bunch of local people to observe.  Charlie and Richard soon had them on their way.

In Wamrong, a small local festival was being held.  What a thrill it was to visit. It was the last day and so the giant thangka was on display and all the ritual dances were being performed in front of it.  We saw all the clowns involved in a very elaborate ceremony, which was really something to see.  There were the usual stalls selling things, darts games, and even gambling around the stupa.  It was a real coming together for the local people and the atmosphere was full of gaiety and laughter.  As always in this open, very hospitable country we were all made exceptionally welcome. It was a very special experience.

It was just before the festival that Adrian and George's fan belt broke. No big deal, except that the spare they had been provided by the rally preparation company was the wrong size. Adrian did an adaption, not realising that he was compromising the oil pipe - disaster. All the oil leaked out.  It was his birthday, and he spent it very happily under the car and, with George's and David Cohen's assistance, fixed it.

The rest of our journey to our camp, 18kms before the border, was uneventful.  We were fortunate to be able to camp in the grounds of a small local monastery, situated on its own little hillock, with special permission from the Llama. The local girls kept us entertained by dancing for us around the fire, with most people joining in.  Richard Cunningham even persuaded the birthday boy, Adrian, to dance -  a first! A large cake was produced, that Chimmi had arranged, and it was iced to "big man" - the local teams' name for him.

We all repaired to our pre-erected tents to enjoy our last night in Bhutan under the stars and with the sounds of the forest to lull us to sleep.  It's hard to believe our odyssey is almost over. Bhutan has beguiled us with its staggering beauty, utterly delightful people and its traditions and colour.  Many crews are already saying that they will return.  

Tomorrow we hit the plains of India and drive our final miles to Guwahati, in Assam. What a ride it's been - so far!