A remarkable day

Sikkimese archer.


Every day here has been remarkable, none moreso than today, and aunt Grace's photos along with her legacy in these parts has opened so many doors. Yesterday we finally caught up with Hope Leezum Namgyal, the daughter of the last King and his 2nd (American) wife. She also telephoned a friend of hers who is a curator of archives at the Institute of Tibetology, which was begun by the Dalai Lama in 1957 (with a lot of scrolls he brought out from Tibet then). We went straight up there and were shown an exhibition - with expert knowledgable commentary - of old photographs showing the relations between Sikkim and Bhutan. Time was short so we returned this afternoon, and they are keen to have some of Grace's photos for the country's official archive. However this morning was the highlight of the week. The school where Grace taught arranged for old students and teachers who knew her to come. The computer department had put some of the photos on a powerpoint presentation, and edited the DVD footage we had that had been done by TV NZ. One old lady, who spoke passionately about Grace, jumped up and named everyone in a large group photo - luckily it was being filmed at the time for future reference. Some of them were so excited they spoke in Nepali so we missed what was happening, but the man filming said he would give us a copy and put in subtitles. The computer man happened to recognise his grandfather in one photo. The principal was thrilled, and all present appreciated the connection with their past and their tradition. We were both felicitated with traditional Tibetan white scarves (kathas), and Cathy was presented with a superb volume on Sikkimese orchids; written by the nephew of the orchid specialist we had lunch with a couple of days ago. It was posted back this afternoon along with a rare volume of photographs taken by the first Englishman to come to these parts. Cathy was also interviewed by the local newspapers. It was a long day. The curator and the director of the Tibetology institute took us to the archery contest where a Bhutanese "sharpshooter" had been invited, and all including the Bhutanese guests were interested in the old photos. Rain threatened, we were tired so headed back to our hotel. Tomorrow morning we head up into North Sikkim for a few days. I hope we'll be warm enough.