Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 7

Friday 2ndNovember Another amazing day! After breakfast this morning, we checked out of the hotel and headed back to the primary school we walked past yesterday. The children are back at school today after a public holiday – well half of them anyway! It seems that sickies after public holidays are universal LOL. The principal of the school knows we’re coming and as he sees us coming through the back from the paddy fields, he calls the 20 or so students who bothered to attend school, to assembly. The knee high to a grasshopper school captain leads the national anthem and then the morning prayer beneath the flag before they file in to class. The prep/ones are in a little room to the right, while the older children up to grade 6 use the main room. ... read more

Saturday 4thNovember On the road most of today heading for Phuentsholing where our India guide will meet us for our trip to Darjeeling. What a shit hole!!!! The town, the hotel and our rooms – complete and utter shit! Ive never slept on a harder bed. It was like concrete. The town lies opposite the much larger Indian bazaar town of Jaigaon, separated by a flimsy fence and the much- photographed Bhutan Gate. Clearly, the only reason to come here is to clear immigration We had dinner with a lovely London girl, Jane. She’s travelling on her own, and the look on her face was identical to mine when she arrived. On the upside, we had a beautiful dinner with Jane, Palden and Tsering.... read more

Hiking to the cliff-hanging Tiger Nest was one of the items on my Bucket list: Now, scretched off. Yeahhh! On May 2012 I made it to the tiny kingdom of Bhutan, where I spent the first few days exploring a little of its wonders and getting a taste of its culture, while getting used to the high altitude, before embarking on the hike. Paro Taktsang is the popular name of Taktsang Palphug Monastery, also known as The Tiger's Nest, a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex, located on a cliffside of the upper Paro valley. A temple complex was built in 1692, around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days and 3 hours in the 8th century. Padmasambhava ... read more

Geo: 27.5026, 90.5072After dodging our way through a few more neighborhoods of Jen N's phallic symbols we arrived in Trongsa and immediately headed to the Dzong to take in the opening day of the .... Festival. Since it was a rare winter festival, there were very few tourists, and because of the Blessing taking place in Punakha there weren't all that many locals attending so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. There is no doubt, however, that this festival was for the locals- it was almost as fascinating to watch the coaching that older generations (who had seen this festival for many years running) were giving the youngsters. The festival itself is a series of loosely choreographed dances (apparently some of these dances could go on for days- as DH knows, I'm a ... read more

Geo: 27.4426, 89.6673We've left the smallest Asian country and arrived in, arguably, the most hidden Asian country- because of a limited number of colours, I suspect that Deb P's crayon atlas doesn't even include Bhutan. Until recently, the tiny Kingdom of Bhutan remained tucked away in total isolation from the rest of the world. That segregation has helped to preserve its deep Buddhist traditions, and pristine landscapes. Some fun facts about Bhutan:* It's one of 43 landlocked countries in the world.* The word “Bhutan” translates to “Land of the Thunder Dragon.” It earned the nickname because of the fierce storms that often roll in from the Himalayas.* Bhutan is the first country in the world with specific constitutional obligations on its people to protect the environment. Among its requirements: At least 60 percent of the nation ... read more