SUMMARY OF CHAPTER - 6.

Dawa had a tough time climbing to the top of Pelela. Dawa couldn’t have made it up to the top, had it not been for the meal he made of the radish cooked with cheese, left unattended in a camp of sheepherders. He shot out the moment he heard noises in the distance, remembering his first sneak at Dampa. Hiding behind a tree, he could see a woman coming back to the tent, leading a dog by a rope, being followed by a child. The dog barked furiously when it sensed Dawa’s presence. The woman reprimanded it as a result. She was a beautiful dog with a shapely figure and an equally impressive tail. Dawa found the woman’s shock at finding the pan with the curry empty, embarrassing.

Guilty, Dawa resumed his journey, stealing a last look at the beautiful dog he nearly fell for! His single bark while passing through the prayer flags on the mountain top, drew the attention of the onlookers.

As he began his descent, people waited along the road. He could see the herds of yaks and sheep grazing on the mountain slopes. The sun bore down on him and he felt hot and tired. The faint smell of the stolen food around his mouth was a constant reminder of his shameful act.

As he neared the compound of the beautiful chorten located on the bank of a river, he could see the group of dogs moving from one group of picnickers to another for scraps of food. He could see some foreigners getting of a bus, walking down to the chorten ground, sitting around a table laden with food and being served by an equal number of guides and cooks. Dawa could not but hear their talk. They used terms (‘awesome’, ‘amazing’, ‘Shangri-La’ 'pristine', etc.) incomprehensible to him, despite his linguistic skills of the previous life.

Suddenly, he heard a woman pointing to him; exclaim that he was the strangest-looking dog that she had ever seen in her life. Subsequently, Dawa kept being photographed by them from various angles and because of him; a member of the group, John, was being teased by others when he informed them that the dog had smiled at his request!

Soon Dawa was being treated to some choicest and varied food. But for the temporary attention he received from them, the other dogs did not mind his presence there.

It took him long to get to the Trongsa dzong. He noticed a tiny dog tied to the leg of a bench with his fur cropped and the fir over ears, hanging quite low. A bell tinkled from its neck. Dawa wondered that if it was from this house that the oldie at Changangkha was stolen.

A walk around the town made him realize that there were many cute, boisterous dogs tied in a similar fashion. Dawa asked them to be quiet, but they continued to bark and whine. Dawa felt that the Trongsa dogs were the least friendly of all. He immediately left for the ultimate destination, Bumthang.
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