Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 13

Hello Everyone - We hope that you are all well! A couple of thousand years ago, Guru Rimpoche flew on the back of a tiger to a remote cliff face in order to meditate. Some plucky monks subsequently built a monastery at this sacred spot. How they managed this is a mystery. It represents a builder's worst nightmare for location - it is a rock face with a building sticking out the side. Anway, we trekked up here with our friend Pem. The inside is as impressive as the outside, and from here, perched high up on a cliff face overlooking an enormous valley the view is probably amazing. Unfortunately for us, we were in the middle of torrential moonsonal rain, and shrouded by thick thick cloud, so our view could have been anywhere. It was ... read more

The taxi driver to the airport to catch flight number 15 was a bit of a maniac. We were glad it was early on a Sunday morning so it was nice and quiet. In India outside Ladakh we have loved the architecture and enjoyed the company of some of the people we have met (both locals and 'tourists'), the colourfullness is nice and the chaos can be fun. The heat and humidity was manageable, it didn't kill us, but we would have enjoyed it far more if they were both cranked down 2 notches. And we don't mind paying tourist prices in poor countries (as long as they are reasonable) or being touted for business. But we hate the underlying dishonesty and being messed around, by no means is everyone like that but it is so ... read more

The Druk Path Trek is a 6 day trek (apparently) between Thimphu and Paro (maximum altitude 4250m). We completed in 4 days (aren't we athletic!) Have a look at the pictures which tell the story...... read more

Okay, so this entry might seem slightly boring to some people.... but this is the voluntary work which we have found ourselves engaged in. Andy: I'm working for the Minisitry of Works and Human Settlement. They have created a new division with the slightly cumbersome name of "Engineering Adaptation and Risk Reduction division". The purpose of the division is to lead Bhutan in using new construction technologies to both reduce the carbon footprint of construction in Bhutan, and to ensure that new buildings are earthquake proof (no-one told us about the earthquakes!) I'm looking at new (or traditional) materials which could be used to make construction greener, and then seeing how the industry can be incentivised / lead into using these new technologies. Mel: I've got two jobs...My main work is for the Bhutan Broadcasting Service ... read more

We've arrived in Thimpu! After a mamooth journey via Delhi, with clothes, bikes and gadgets to enable us to survive trekking, campling, cycling, teaching, engineeringing, jungles, mountains, high altitude, beaches. The question now... where is the bottle opener? and, Can Andy really survive with just two pairs of boxers for the next 9 months?... read more