Paro, Bhutan: Beauty and grace emaculate

Bhutan: What a gem! We flew from Kathmandu this morning and after a 45 minute flight by Mt. Everest and many other Himalayan peaks we landed in the Paro Valley. This is a unique and very special place. The people are all gracious, kind, warm and welcoming. The landscape is stunning: forested mountains, crystal clear river waters and green valleys that are a patchwork of rice patties and straw. In Bhutan it is illegal to hunt. All meats are farmed. That level of conservation is reflected in the unspoiled countryside. The houses are all reminiscent of Swiss chalets, each kept clean and manicured. You can feel the sense of respect these people offer their belongings and their land. This evening we had dinner with the Bhutan Rimpoche Datong Tulku: a reincarnate of the original Buddha. He is the spiritual leader of Bhutan. Ellen and I sat and shared stories and were delighted in his easy humor, and amazing mix of business savvy and religious acumen. He is in the process of rebuilding a temple and we spoke of having him visit USA.

Xi'an, China: Buddha's Finger and a Mini-me TerraCotta Warriors

Another full day. Today is our last day in Xi’an and we are off to play at the Famen Temple and the Yangling tombs. The Famen Temple is where a finger bone of Buddha is kept. The Yangling tombs is a mini-me version of the Terra Cotta Warriors. Tomorrow we are off to Mongolia after a stop at the Shaolin Temple where we will be checking out the Kung Fu. As Ellen has already covered the Famen Temple, I will focus on the Yangling Temple. This is the burial site for Emperor Qi and his Empress Wang. The main chambers are 31 meters under the ground and then on top of that another 31 meters of earth has been mounded in pyramid form. Buried around the pyramid are thousands of figures that include all forms of animals, people and their tools. This is a quarter scale version of the Terra Cotta Warriors that have jointed arms and legs.