After meditation and yoga, most of the women spent their last day here up in the local shopping street. It’s a mix of both touristy and local shops. I was lucky enough to bump into our group leader on the way there and she guided us to the most amazing shop filled with Hindu and Buddhist statues, Tibetan ornaments, and all kinds of dusty and mysterious contraptions. I was immediately entranced by two large singing bowls, and ended up walking out with one of them plus a “tinksa” with a beautiful sound and a “dorji”. Whether or not the dorji will use its in destructive powers to attract negative energies is up for debate, but it is a work of art.

We spent another hour in a spice shop with a very helpful and kind lady with limited English who gave us her husband on the phone anytime we had a question.

And at a clothing shop right before lunch, I met this little fellow sleeping off his lunch in the shade under a clothes rack. I didn’t even notice him before the shop owner jocularly said I could have him for 5000 rupees.