our driver

our driver, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

puchung is the best! he took such good care of us, and the car, cleaning and checking on it at every stop.

roadside monastery

roadside monastery, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

our driver, Puchung, suggested we stop in the monastery this picture was taken from, where very few foreigners visit. we were given a tour of the entire place, and observed monks in deep tibetan chant. then we were very hospitably served butter tea.

flat tire

flat tire, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

another gleeful flat tire, this time at the very peak of a mountain pass.

the valley

the valley, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

a view from the hills of tirdrum.

morning

morning, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

dominique is explaining how to make coffee, and tries to convince the pilgrim to taste some.

tirdrum nun

tirdrum nun, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

portrait

portrait, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

the nuns loved to have their photos taken, and frequently ask if we have a camera. of course, we are so happy to oblige. if only i could print them out to give away!

stop the water

stop the water, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

as with most construction and repair, there are always plenty of observers.

looking on

looking on, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

tirdrum

tirdrum, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

often when dominique, who speaks fluent tibetan and has lived around here for 5+ years, meets a tibetan, they instantly clasp hands and start swinging arms. and then the nun smacks her ass. lots of love abounding here.

pink

pink, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

yellow whorl

yellow whorl, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

stunning color at 1 inch across.

just blooming

just blooming, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

color on the mountain

color on the mountain, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

the flowers are just starting to pop out on the mountains and in the alpine valleys. tibet is slowly turning green and these flowers are amazing. about 7 inches tall.

alpine flowers

alpine flowers, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

dominique's man, jon, in boston: these are for you. she asked me to take some flower shots, and frankly, i was just waiting to be asked.

unsteady

unsteady, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

i know it is blurry, but the nun taking the camera had so much energy, asking her to hold the camera still was too much. she is splitting wood in another photo.

front altar of temple

front altar of temple, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

temple

temple, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

the inside of tirdrum's temple, which the super friendly and boisterous nuns unlocked for us. the exterior is under a lot of construction right now.

nuns chopping wood

nuns chopping wood, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

ladies in guesthouse

ladies in guesthouse, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

sarah, dominique, and keely: this guesthouse at the tirdrum nunnery might be considered dirty by some. we pretended we were staying in a cave. after a dip in the hot springs, who cares?

nunnery home

nunnery home, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

laugh

laugh, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

see what i mean about those smiles. i take pictures of these girlfriends all the time.

yak

yak, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

yak

yak, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

i just can't help but photograph these wooly beasts. at a nunnery up the mountain from reting i got to pet one. i guess most of them are tame since they are essentially farm animals, but they are big enough i didn't touch one until a nun said "this one is a sweety" in tibetan.

dominique

dominique, originally uploaded by timon and keely.

this is the beginning of our road trip a few weekends ago to tirdrum and reting. our friend dominique rocks every situation. that smile is permanent and thank god for it.