A Few Cards on A Rainy Day

Yes , it's another rainy day, so that's makes it a good day for postcards. Plus it's been a week since my last update. So , it's definitely time. Today's cards will be from Bhutan, Ottawa Canada, Slovenia and Mexico. Sounds like a good combo to me.

First up is this card from Paro, Bhutan. When you receive a card from Bhutan, you have to show it , right ? I mean , how often do you see mail from this far off, strange land. Then, knowing that's it's unexpected, makes it even better. First a few words about Paro,  itself. The town of around 15,000 is home to Bhutan's only international airport. The airport has been described as "the most difficult commercial airport in the world ". With only one runway at 1,980 m , and extreme high density altitude at the site, planes on approach pass by 5,500m  Himalayan mountain peaks . Only a handful of airline pilots, ( 8 as of Dec 2014 )  are certified to operate commercial aircraft into Paro.
My card gives a look at Taksang Monastery, high up in the Paro Valley. This gem like monastery clings to a sheer , 3000 foot rock face. The name of this cluster of buildings means literally, "The Tiger's Nest ".

As I mentioned this card came as a surprise. Leslie, who has often contributed postcards to this blog, arranged with a friend of hers ( Tamara ) was was travelling in these far off parts , to send this card of to me.
And it worked well. Tamara used 2 stamps dating from 2012. On the left is a stamp Celebrating Sherig Century or The Role of  Education in 100 Years of Nation Building. Then over on the right is the 2012 Year of the Dragon stamp.

My second card arrived from Ottawa, our nation's capital. I don't receive many cards from Canada, so when one does arrive, it's always good. This one gives us a nice look at the Wakefield Covered Bridge, spanning the Gatineau River. This red bridge dates only from 1998 as the original from 1906 was destroyed by an arsonist in 1984.

 As mentioned I don't get many cards from Canada. It usually takes a swap with another collector , and that is the case this time , a swap with Jason. I sent him a nice Head-Smashed-In  Buffalo Jump UNESCO World Heritage Site postcard.

Jason used a couple of older Canadian stamps which is always welcome. On the left is 1 of 5 in a Rivers set, from 1991. It shows a Moose on Main River, in Newfoundland and Labrador. On the right is a 1999 stamp highlighting 50 Years of the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

An Aviation themed card and stamp is next. The card arrived from Slovenia and shows 2 Soko J-20 Kraguj. The J-20 is a light military, single engine, low wing , single seat aircraft. They were designed and built in Yugoslavia . A total of 85 were built between 1962 and 1977.

It's always "double your pleasure, double your fun " when an aviation card arrives with an aviation stamp. Such is the case here. Marjan used a 2014 stamp celebrating the Allied Liberation.

A card from Mexico is my last card for today. It shows a Giant Stone Head from the Olmec Culture. There are at least 17 of these monumental stones representing human heads. All date from at least 900 BC. Portraying mature men, they all have fleshy cheeks, flat noses and slightly crossed eyes. The smallest head weighs in at 6 tons and I guess that's not really small  , while the largest is between 40 and 60 tons.

Lenina, a Mexican PostCrosser used a large stamp from 2015 on her card. It is 1 of 6 in a set showcasing Xochicalco. This is a pre-Columbian archaeological site Miacatlan in the western state of Morelos. Xochicalco was added as a UNESCO WHS  in 1999.

That's it, that's all for today. Thanks for cards go out to Leslie and Tamara, Jason, Marjan, and Lenina. Hope you found something of interest and that you'll come back again. As always, I'm open for comments. Take care.