Goodbye....Hello ཕེབས་པར་དགའ་བསུ་ཞུ། ( tashi deleg)

To cut a long story short and not to bore you with the details, Lucy made it to Canada.... okay there was a bit of a problem when she snapped at the border guard who got a little too personal with her but Margaret was able to sort that out by telling the guard of Lucy's past and her fear of authority, men in general and uniforms in particular. They let her in with a warning.

Everyone came to my house. We loaded up food, meds, clothes, guide books and my Blackberry. Blue confided he was a little worried about the arduous journey but I assured him that with magic anything is possible and he shouldn't worry. Inka wore her flashing collar...we may need it to serve as a beacon and a guide to us in the snow and wind. Margaret and Tansy muffled up to their eyeballs in Inuit clothes, parkas and mukluks were anxious to get going as they were way too warm. Bond raced around biting his tail and trying to remember if he can understand Tibetan....he barely understands English...and I/Me, I was a bit apprehensive...this well may prove to be the most difficult adventure we have ever been on.

So up, up and away we go.

Wow!

We tumble head over heels in deep powdery snow. There are no trees, no houses, no cars, no people. We are surrounded by huge mountain peaks so high they are lost in the clouds. 

We don't know where we are. My GPS is not working. We can see and feel we are high, high up in a snowy cold land...but which land? I say we should sit down and try to breathe normally and get our bearings and be calm. We sat in a little circle and held paws and hands and then we lay down and made snow Angels because we like Angels. We are each afraid to say that we are afraid, but we all are. As usual we found comfort and strength in our circle and we managed to  squeak out a little prayer. We know there are no accidents in the Universe, that we have been guided here and that we must have confidence in our inner guide and in each other. We took a deep breath.... that usually worked but in the thin air it made us cough!

Margaret, Inka, Tansy and Lucy had to go and do whatever girls do when they have to go. They came racing back and yelped ( well Margaret didn't yelp...she spoke) that they could see a mountain pass higher up and that it went round and around the bend. . 

Night was falling quickly and the wind was picking up. Oh help!!!

And then we pricked up our ears ....Margaret is getting good at pricking hers....In the distance we heard the sound of a prayer bell and heard low melodious chanting. We looked at each other and quickly agreed that our best bet was to try to follow the path toward the sound of human (we hoped) voices.

We tied ourselves together with Margaret's personals and then we inched slowly single file on the narrow dangerous path. Bond was in front ..now we know what his snowshoe feet are made for!  The silvery moon lit our way and the Man-in-the-Moon smiled at us. We didn't dare look down.

This is going to be a long night.

To be continued.......

Corrections

First, I made a mistake on the Yak and Yeti food...it is Spazyakandzyeti...Tibetan pasta with meat sauce.  I think it best that we don't ask what kind of meat is in it.

 Bond was offended that I referred to his Clan as Holy Terrors and he set me straight on his heritage, so here it is:
Bond is a Tibetan Terrier and this is what I have found out about his Clan. The breed is a very old one and has an interesting past. The little dogs were originally kept as companions to the monks in isolated monasteries in the Lost Valley of Tibet. The dogs are intelligent (I am not sure about Bond) and they have big flat snowshoe feet for walking in the snowy mountains. They also have a great sense of direction and are said to bring good luck. They know of secret ways in and out of  high and dangerous mountain passes.

Tibetan Terrier

I think we need these attributes on our journey and even though Bond is a puppy he should have all of these good things in his genes! He certainly has the feet!

Tansy was also offended that I said she only needed two inch boots. So I apologize and retract my statement. I will not mention her short legs again.

Margaret informed me that her wardrobe is not made up of frilly dance-hall costumes and that she has lots of winter clothes which she will share with us if necessary.

Mom is still mulling over whether or not Bond can come with us and she says I am getting too uppity making plans without her permission.

Lucy my girlfriend from Tubac reminded me that I had promised her she could be in our Gang. I had forgotten. You know how easy it is to promise things when you are romancing a good looking gal. Anyway, here is what she sent me:  My name is,  Lucy Guadalupe Maria Elena Catalina Jolanda Marrero de Mexico I am originally from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico but I took my citizens test and I am now a citizen of the United States of America. You can call me Lucy for short. 

She speaks Spanish and it may not be the same as Tibetan but she is a sharp cookie and street-smart in every sense of the word.
I think she can join us....don't you??

I think Lynne and Blue and Inka are happy.


There! I have set the record straight.....

I need photographs of the Gang to post before we leave, we may need them for 'Missing' or 'Wanted' posters. BOL.... Just a little humour here! Send them to me saturnarobbie@gmail.com

Dried Yak and Yeti

The Gang is ready and willing to head off to find the Lost Valley, high, high up in the mountains of Tibet where Bond's Clan The Holy Terrors live and where the Rainbow Bridge begins. I mentioned in my last post that there is also a legend of eternal youth in the mountains and the clocks all work backwards until you reach the age you want to be. I am hoping it is true.

We met at my house and had a paw circle to try to figure out all the logistics of such a long, arduous and dangerous expedition. We believe in magic so getting there isn't too difficult for us, I have also mentioned a few of us are Seniors and we can't move as quickly as we used to nor can we go for very long without a rest. So we have to decide on an average day and how far we can go. The altitude may be a problem too and I haven't quite thought that through.

We also have to eat (Bond needs three squares a day)  and I have found some dried food that is very light and  just needs water added. Margaret seemed a little put off with the name,  Dried Yak and Yeti - Delicacies of the Himalayas...but it seems to me that we should eat local if we can and it is transportable and we will have lots of snow for liquid. I know it doesn't sound very good and I am not sure how a Yeti is caught and dried (or a Yak either for that matter) but the manufacturer says it will be delicious when it is re-constituted.Tansy, Blue and Inka said we should test it BEFORE we leave. Very good advice but I don't have it here, we have to pick it up when we arrive in Tibet ...it seems there are laws against importing dried Yaks and Yetis into Canada.

I have checked out Visas and vaccinations on-line and as long as we all have up-to-date Rabies Certificates we should not have a problem.

Margaret doesn't have her own fur so she will need warm clothes and boots. She says she has quite a few outfits from when she was Lake La Barge Marge in the Yukon so she will be okay. I hope they aren't all frilly and wild colours. Tansy wants high boots....how high can boots be for a Dachshund??

I could go on for a long time but you get the drift, there is a LOT to organize and plan and we don't have much time. It is already almost the end of September...not a moment to lose.

We held paws and sang a hymn and Margaret led us in a short prayer asking for guidance, health and safety on our journey.

I haven't told Mom and DOD yet that we are going and that Bond is going with us. Inka and Blue haven't told Lynne. Hmmmmm.....
And I have to tell you that I have written this on the run and I have probably missed a whole bunch of stuff so I may have to retract and re do....just saying.

A New Adventure

My Gang hasn't had an adventure for a long time. A few of our members crossed over the rainbow bridge  earlier this year and we just didn't have the heart to carry on without them ....But now I feel energized again and I think it is time I called the Gang together and we begin a brand new and exciting tale. Let me tell you why.

I have a new brother and his name is Bond. He is a Tibetan Terrier and he has been telling me about the legends of his clan who live in the very very highest mountains of Tibet. He says his great great grandmother told him of a place that is soooo high that you can see the rainbow bridge and climb up it to meet with friends on the other side. He said it is a place where people and dogs become young again! And it is a place where ghost snow-dogs roam the mountains howling like the wind. WOW!

Gang doesn't this sound like something we would want to do?  We could all become young again....well except for Bond he is already young and we will have to make sure that he doesn't get any younger! And we are not afraid of ghost snow-dogs ...are we??

So, Margaret, Tansy, Inka, Blue and Bond are we ready to go and find this place near the sky in a far far away country?

Let me know your decision as soon as possible I have lots of preparing to do....like finding out where it is and if we need visas for travel!  We will have a paw circle as soon as you all let me know.

Robbie.