Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 13

Planned for a 3 days not-too-difficult trek, starting from Phobjika Valley to Wangdue. My 2 travel mates were most worried about, what to wear and how to go toilet... I was extremely shocked to hear that Mich wore her pyjamas pants beneath her Columbia pants (to keep warm)!! So hilarious... glad she finally decided to take it off before we embark on the journey. Our entourage was impressive! For just 3 trekkers, we had a guide, Sonam, 1 cook, 1 asst cook, horseman + wife together with their 6 horses! First day was pretty easy, we walked on road, some trails and some mushy grassland... lovely scenery. We were also treated to fabulous lunch of soggy instant noodles and soft boiled eggs yummy! Arrived at our first campsite well before dusk. Wow! So elaborate! 2 sleeping ... read more

Learnt about the Wheel of Life at Punakha Dzong today. In summary, the Wheel of Life is driven by the hub of 3 poisons, snake depicting jealousy and hatred, cock depicting greed and pig depicting Ignorance. These corrupt us from within, which determines the cause and effect of lives. The 3 poisons are surrounded by the six world which sentient beings take rebirth. They comprises of god, demi-god, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and demons. The wheel reminds us that everyone is responsible for their own fate, dependant on their karma, the effect of their own deeds. I'm sure there are more to the teachings than just this simplified version. However, it got me into thinking of the "poisons" which we possess... though I'm not sure what is the effect gonna be on us. I have to ... read more

Hello Everyone Well here we are in Trashigang, Eastern Bhutan. Since I last "blogged" in Thimphu we have travelled approx 600km across the country, on what must be the windiest, narrowest but most beautiful road in the world..... The No 1 highway basically runs through the middle of the country from Thimphu (the capital) to Trashigang (where we are now). As I think I may have already mentioned Bhutan is made up of a series of very steep valleys, so the road winds it's way up, down & around the mountains. Progress is very slow as the road is cut into the side of the mountains, is very narrow with sheer drops on one side. It turns back on itself constantly, with almost every bend at least 180 degrees. I would love to know how many ... read more

Hi everyone We are now in Thimphu the capital of Bhutan, and yes I have access to the internet. However I think this may be the last time, as we head East tomorrow and things will be a little less civilised. We drove from Paro to Thimphu on Sunday through a series of magnificient valleys. The scenery was spectacular, as the road winds it's way along the side of the mountains, and everything was very green. There is a point were the Paro & Thimphu valleys meet at the conflux of two rivers. There was a security check point, about a million prayer flags sending prayers to Buddha for a safe journey, and 3 stupas to mark the entry to the capital. Everyone is Paro kept telling us that Thimphu was very busy, with lots of ... read more

kulturschock im positiven sinn... ich wollte es siegfried nicht glauben, als er mir das vor dem abflug nach bhutan prophezeite, aber er hatte recht behalten. bhutan ist ein echtes kontrastprogramm zu nepal und insbesondere kathmandu! es ist so friedlich, so schoen, das klima so angenehm, so sauber, die luft so klar, die menschen total nett (die wohl einzige aehnlichkeit mit nepal), das essen reichhaltig und gut... von der armut, die es ja irgendwo geben muss (umsonst ist bhutan kein entwicklungsland und nur am 133. platz des human development index (von 177 laendern), bekommt man als tourist gar nix mit. man glaubt fast, in einem europaeischen land zu sein! hier ein paar impressionen... ein laengerer reisebericht folgt hoffentlich noch!... read more

I entered Bhutan by land from the Indian border. I was a bit nervous going in as to whether it would work because everyone in India, from the tour agency employees to government immigration folks, insisted that I needed to meet either a travel agent or my host at the border, who would bring a copy of the visa. This sounded bogus to me, but it did make me wary. To cross between the countries, you walk through an archway - Indians and Bhutanese just get to go through, Indians can visit for a day without a visa as long as they don't spend the night. (As the guidebook predicted, there really is a noticeable difference between the sides of the archway - in Bhutan, the streets are more organized, there are fewer people and vehicles, ... read more

Our last installment comes after our return to the States, but it is of a land well worth sharing about. Many people don’t even know where Bhutan is, or that it even exists. It is a small country, about the size of Switzerland, surrounded by eastern India on three sides and China on the northern border. It is a newly democratic society, who, given the opportunity to elect anybody to govern the country, elected their already ruling king because they love and respect him so much. Bhutan’s government does not measure Gross Domestic Product like so many other countries; rather they measure Gross National Happiness. Clearly, they have different priorities in this peaceful, verdant country. And the people there reflect it; they are kind, generous, and peaceful. Bhutan is the only country we traveled to where ... read more

Quickie: I was cool, now I am hot Next I figure to give Mumbai a shot Had a great time in the Thunder Dragon As I am now surrounded by many a rickshaw wagon Longer version As I write today, I am in the city of Jaipur, India, which, with Delhi and Agra, composes the popular Golden Triangle tourist route. Set on the edge of India's desert state, Rajastan, Jaipur in May feels a bit like standing next to a grill during a cookout, in a down jacket, after running sprints, on a highway, at high noon. In other words, I'm a bit warm. Despite my location for the past few days, today's entry will focus, instead, on Bhutan, where we spent the last week plus prior to our arrival here in the Pink City. And ... read more