Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 19

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

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

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

The second night of the trek we camped on a school playground. This was the school in the village of Adha, the first sign of human habitation we’d seen in twenty-four hours, six hours’ walk away from the nearest doctor, and where electricity is, at best, generator-driven - that’s if someone has managed to get enough fuel for the generator here by mule. The school’s catchment area extends to settlements three days’ walk away, so many of the children board, girls in one dormitory, boys in the other. Lights out is at dusk, though the some of the children do have torches. There are five staff, including the headmaster, Yeshey. As with all teachers in Bhutan, they are centrally-appointed. Yeshey comes from the far southeast of the country where his first language is Sharchop, a language ... read more

it was my way back from Bhumtang to Punakha after spending a chilled night in a warm guest house. I met 64 year old Dendrup who requested a drop from Lawal turn upto about 3 km to see her elder sister with 20 kgs on her back. This is a story of my 30 min travel with this lady who was amazing. ... read more