Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 8

Day 1 – Drive on winding narrow mountain roads from Thimphu (2300m altitude) to Gelephu (200m altitude) on the Indian border (9hrs). The last section of this journey has to be done in daylight and at speed without stopping because it is flanked on either side by forest which makes it prime ambush territory for Assamese Militant Groups. Have dinner with Lhendup’s family (our friend who was looking after us during this trip) in Gelephu with views of the Himalaya behind and the plains of India in front – very surreal!! Day 2 – Wake up and realise that militant groups have put a ban on vehicle movement through Assam for 3 days. Therefore travel to Manas through Assamese India (by far the shortest way and also the only way to get there by road) would ... read more

There is a story that we heard. Apparently, disobedient soldiers in years gone by were given a punishment to run between Thimphu and Paro. 29km, 2000m of altitude gain and loss on mountainous terrain, all run between 2400m and 3600m. Sounds curious... but wait! it gets more interesting! There was a 'fastest known time' for this punishment. A time of 7hours and 50 minutes. Now, let me introduce you to Randall. Randall is a curious chap. He likes challenges. He was triumphant in the Thimphu Momo-Off (eating as many Bhutanese dumplings as you can), and astounded his audience by putting away a healthy 32 of them! In addition to momos, Randall also likes hills, and running up and down them. Those of you that know me (Andy), know that I am also impartial to the occasional ... read more

We did a trek. It was amazing. It took us to the very remote region of Laya, right up on the Tibetan border. 12 days involving lots of uphill, lots of downhill, lots of yaks, lots of snowy mountains, and not very many toilet facilities. We went with 3 other expats our age, plus the usual Bhutanese staff for a mountain trek. We didn't find the yeti, but we think we might have heard her one evening (although that could have been a horse). Highlight: Being totally in the middle of nowhere: 5 days walk from the nearest road at one point. Lowlight: Being a long way from a meal which did not involve rice and chilli. Highlight: Being somewhere so remote that signs of snow leopards were seen Lowlight: The sign of the snow leopard ... read more

Day 1 So we headed to Bhutan – a small land locked country sandwiched between Tibet and India. Our flight from Kathmandu to Paro was incredible including a view of the Himalayas out of the left side of the plane the whole way. This included a fantastic view of Mount Everest and many of the other tallest mountains in the world. Bhutan had resisted modernization for a long time and was the last country on the planet to get TV (in 1999!). They believe in low volume high quality (and expensive) tourism. What this means is that you pay a standardized daily rate per person and for this you get your hotels, 3 meals a day, a guide and a driver. In 2006 the King just announced one day that the country would become a democracy. ... read more

Geo: 27.5156, 89.36In the morning unfortunately we had to head back to Paro. But we stopped in Timphu one more time to visit the art school in which Bhutanese students are taught the country's unique style in painting, sculpting and clothing. After that we went to see a paper factory, where workers create beautiful pieces of paper with ancient techniques. Pretty cool!In the afternoon we reached my hotel in Paro, the Metta Resort Hotel. After checking in we drove to the edge of the town to see the supposedly haunted ruins of Drukgyel Dzong, built in the 7th Century. For dinner Rinzy and Kesang took me to a traditional farmhouse where they served authentic über-spicy Bhutanese food while sitting on thick carpets around the cast-iron oven and drinking butter tea.Am Morgen mussten wir uns leider auf ... read more