What a day! Some of us in the group got up early this morning to join the monks at Karju Monastery for Puja. There were about one hundred monks chanting and blowing the Tibtan horns. At around 9 am we set out for Kunzandrak Monastery . Very few Western visitors ever go to Kunzandrak despite the fact that one of the most important figures in Buddhism, Pema Lingpa spent half of his life here. Kunzandrak clings to the cliffs at an altitude of over 12,000 feet. Our hike started at 9,000 feet. There is no official trail up to the monastery only a steep cattle path but the views over Bumthang Valley are breathtaking.

Once we reached Kunzandrak we made a butter lamp offering and sat in meditation for a while. We visited the cave where Pema Lingpa lived. Our guide Kinga had a wonderful surprise for us when he showed us an old Tibetan book dating back to the 16th century. It was the Heart Sutra and Jigme, our monk recited the text for us. The group was very moved and touched.

We made our way back down to the mountain, meandering through lush fields where no tourists had every walked before. A delicious hot picnic lunch was waiting for us as we reached the road.

Just as we returned to Jakar, it began to rain and Kunzandrak disappeared behind the clouds.