Druk Wangyal Lhakhang, Bhutan

Wohooo!! =) Surprise surprise :D I can't believe it myself either honestly after...hmmm, how long has it been...3 months?!! Way way too long this time, I know...and I'm sorry...it just happened without a notice...but frankly, life in the past months has been...hmm, not that easy...a lot of working tasks to deal with...as usual, personal issues to deal with as well that leave you with no time/desire to do anything...and on top of that, my grandmother passed away =/ Even though not unexpected but it still hits you when it happens...and it is still hard to believe that she is actually gone...one of the kindest and most generous and timid and modest persons I've ever known and I ever will...I never had the chance to meet my other grandma, cos she had passed away even before I was born..so this one was the only grandma I had, but she did her grandma-role in the most perfect way possible...unfortunately, due to a number of events, she was bed-bound for the past ten years or so and that was not really some kind of life to lead...esp since things were just getting worse and worse and life was more of a torture to her than something nice...so I hope that now all her pains have gone and she is at some nice and peaceful place to finally rest...cos she deserves it! So that would be briefly on what kept me away from posting here...and postcrossing in general...haven't really been able to dedicate myself to it properly (well, ok due to financial reasons as well), so in case I have some pending swap with you or i owe you something and you get to read this...I'll try to fix that as soon as I can...though I don't think it will be by the end of the year...but hey...new year, new beginnings :)

Speaking of that...I have to mention that there is a new postman....AGAIN...in my area...that moron that did all the chaos and trouble...I don't know what happened with him...but I know for certain that he has caused headaches and frustrations to hundreds of people with his ignorant behaviour....frankly it also somewhat killed my desire about postcards cos there is no pleasure of receiving bunch of cards like once a month...and then having to deal with all of them at once...yeah, i do love having a full mailbox, but when it happens in, how do I say this..a natural way...not cos someone out there is incapable of doing his job properly...

Anyways, despite all that, I still received some lovely mail during these past months...and well, a number of new countries too :D  And it was quite difficult to actually choose which one to post today, so in the end, totally randomly, I chose this one that arrived as a total surprise from dear Sissel (to make you a bit more jealous, she actually sent me a few cards, not just this one :P)

So here it comes...a written and stamped card from the Kingdom of Bhutan!!

A gorgeous card as well! Though I still can't decide what I love better...the card or the stamp below :D
Here you can see the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang temple, built in honor of His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The past and future appears to merge in the details of the lhakhang and its structure tells the story of a supreme warrior figure, whose vision pierces the distant future in a fine blend of history and mythology.
It is located in the Dochula pass, the most well-known pass in Bhutan that is very popular among tourists, as it offers a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of Himalayan mountain range!


And here comes the stamp!! Come on, how can you just NOT love it? :D

I just can't stop wondering how come *I* always find just the crappiest and most boring stamps when I travel, and I never find something so splendid?
Issued in 1984 as part of eight stamps and four souvenir sheets dedicated to locomotives...this one here shows the Sondermann Freight built in 1896.

Nice way to start my comeback, no? ;-)

Thanks again so much Sissel! Your surprises are always so fantastic!