It really was a pleasure and a gift to be there and explore your amazing country, the stunning and beautiful hills and mountains, such clear and pure rivers, and not too mention the most magical of clouds!! The architecture of the buildings was also breathtaking, in fact each step we took, each corner we turned revealed another jewel in this amazing land.

Everything was so well organised, we could not have asked for more… especially the picnics! Instead of a sheet on the floor we had fine dinning next to the river! And to have a guide such as Dawa show us the way, made it even more knowledgeable and much more fun!! He did a good job of managing our different independent  personalities!

And the trek made what was a most memorable trip, into an even more memorable voyage. Although a little challenging at times, I am so glad I did it. It was wonderful to be in such pristine nature. (And I am glad that I did not need the bear spray!!)

The views, the walks, the forests, the getting lost, the stumbling on the family of Yaks made for such a magical trek. Even waking up to -5 and seeing the landscape covered in frost was so stunning. Mark who spends a lot of time in the nature said the last day of the forest we walked through, was one of the most beautiful he had ever encountered, which I totally agree with. It was so magical that even Disney could not have created  so much natural beauty!! It was so beautiful, and stunning there were times I could not take it all in.

I did not take any pictures on the trek, (my phone seemed to have frozen with the cold!! ) but have them superimposed on my heart!

Then our last evening in Bhutan ended up where we began nearly 3 weeks early, in your lovely bar, Mojo park, which I had heard so much about beforehand from Martin. I wasn’t expecting anything for my birthday, the tour, the trek was already a gift to remember, so to have you and your beautiful wife Kezang present me with a birthday cake and the beautiful fabric, I was lost for words.

I really felt the kindness and compassion that seeped from the land and the people, and although we have been exposed to all the beautiful positive aspects of Bhutan, I also realized that there is another side to Bhutan, as there is for everything. Yet it was a wonderful introduction to the nearest place we can find to Shangri La !!

So thank you and Kezang for my birthday greetings and for offering us all a more personal and intimate exploration of your country. I think it really was life changing for some if not all of us. We do hope to welcome you to our humble home some time in the near future, lets see if it can happen. I know Martin would love to have you both come and visit and your friendship is very dear to him.

So until then, with love and appreciation.– Gail Alyward, Yoga Teacher. Founder of Moulin de Chaves (www.moulindechaves.org)

Gail Alyward and Martin, visited with their friends (four other couples) from 15th October till 1st November 2017