The King and Queen

Sometimes just being lucky is the best of all possible worlds.  Our stay in Bhutan coincides with two very important celebrations.  In our last post, I described the annual Tsechu.  That was last weekend.  This week has been completely filled with the Royal Wedding.  Bhutan has a constitutional monarchy government and it is very apparent there is a deep affection for the King.  Two days ago, Druk Gyalpo (the dragon king) Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk married Jetsun Pema making her his Queen.  Hard to believe but we were glued to the TV watching the ceremony.  Just like the Tsechu, the ceremony was filled with color and symbolism like no wedding ceremony I had ever seen.  After the ceremony, the King and his new Queen mingled with the people of Punakha who performed traditional and even not so traditional (hip-hop) dance and music for the royal couple.  The King and Queen are young, energetic, and a very handsome couple.  Watching how comfortably they mingled with the people demonstrated a deep respect between people and monarchy.

The big fun for us occurred yesterday as all of Thimphu lined the streets in anticipation of the royal couple's visit here.  Our kids waited with their school mates and teachers for hours.  We caught up with them as day slipped into evening.  Suddenly, the crowd became very quiet and a procession passed before us with the King and Queen bringing up the end.  They wandered from side to side greeting people.  Being tall and obviously not local, Lucy and I caught the eye of the King.  He lingered and asked if we were tourists.  We told him we were volunteering at the National Hospital in the Casualty Department.  He thanked us for being here, chatted a few more words, and then moved along up the street.  We were so honored that the King spent a few moments with us and will remember it forever.

Today, there was a big celebration at the stadium in town.  All of the school children performed dances.  With each of us in traditional clothing (no small effort as it takes at least two people to get dressed), we got our kids to the stadium by 7:15am to find their reserved seating.  Unfortunately that was already too late for us as the stadium was completely full.  We wandered around to another entrance on the field level and found a spot on a steep hillside.  Bhutanese folks ambled up and down the hillside sometimes using us as guardrails.  A group of people started a smoldering fire of pine needles in anticipation of the celebrity couple's arrival.  Despite the religious significance of the smoke carrying prayers upward to the heavens, there we were guardrails on a steep hill with smoke in our eyes.  Suddenly, the Bhutanese (who do not queue in the most orderly way) pushed past a barrier.  We saw our chance and followed on the tail of the rush.  Once inside on the field, we had better views and feel for the good energy Thimphu residents offered the royal couple.  Unbelievably, we ran into a friend of mine from Boulder, Colorado.  Rick sits on a foundation board that assists in the restoration of monasteries here in Bhutan.  I have had several small world experiences since arriving in Bhutan but maybe this is just the place to be during the week of the Royal Wedding.

We're back in our apartment now, again glued to the TV watching the closing ceremony of this day of celebration.  As all the dignitaries circle the field in a dance and sing a somewhat somber but uplifting song, I feel that all is good right now.  I hope for such peace everywhere.  We wish the King and Queen a long life together filled with happiness.