Paro, Bhutan..... What can I say but Wow !!!

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Hi Everyone,

Well here we are in Bhutan, and yes I have internet access as well as mobile reception. So it just goes to prove the world is very, very small these days.

Bhutan is an amazing place and like no where I have ever been. Bhutan is a constutional monachy and the king is much loved and revered. The current king (the 5th of this dynasty) was only crowned last year, after his father (the 4th king) abdicated in his son's favour. As the 4th king is still alive, everyone refers to the "New" king and the "Old" king. There are photos everywhere of all 5 kings in the dynasty, and you can see the family resemblance in all of them. The country has a population of approx 650,000 and is made up of a series of valleys. Each valley has a main town, but is predominately rural.

The flight into Paro (the only airport in the country) is the beginning of the whole experience. The flight from Kathmandu passes along the part of the Himalayan mountain range, which includes Mt Everest. It was a magnificent sight, as we were high enough above the clouds to see the tops of the mountains ..... Clear blue sky and snow capped moutains!! It's difficult to actually identify which peak is Mt Everest, but the captain told us we were passing it, so I believe him.

To land at Paro airport you fly in through a very long, narrow, and steep valley. It was a little disconcerting looking out the window and seeing huge mountains either side of us, with very little room to manuver. When we got off the plane (which was about 70% tourists) everyone started taking photos from the tarmac of the sourounding mountains. This didn't seem to bother the airport staff at all, and they didn't even hurry us along. My first impression was that everything was exceptionally clean and well organised.... just so different from kathmandu.

Paro Valley is at an elevation of 2250m and has a population of around 40,000. We are staying in a lovely hotel up on the hill overlooking the town. We have 2 suites with a bedroom, sitting area, dressing room, and bathroom. Apparently this hotel was built in 1972 to accomodate foreign diplomats coming in for the 4th Kings coronation. So it's very swish, and the staff are just lovely.

We have a tour guide and driver to take care of our every need, and yesterday we went to see the National Museum which is housed in the old Watch Tower above the town's Dzong (monastry) and then walked down to the Dzong. It is like a mini town within itself, and is on a hill overlooking the town. You can see it from just about every point in the town. Paro town is only quite small with 2 main parallel streets and about 6 cross streets. There is very little traffic so crossing the road is no problem. In the afternoon we went to see another temple, had a walk through town and watched an Archery competition. Archery is Bhutan's national sport, and they have won a number of medals at the Olympics.

Today we went to see Taktshang Goempa (monestery) or Tigers Nest as it is more commonly known. It is a monestery perched on the side of a cliff and is the photo that is most commonly associated with Bhutan. The only way to see it is to walk up to it.... No cable cars here I'm afraid!! It took us 2 hours to climb to the first rest point, up a track which winds around the side of the mountain. Then it's a further 40 minute climb to the second resting point, where you are very close and just about level with the Goempa. You can get excellent photos from here, but to get to the actual Goempa you then have to go down some amazingly steep steps cut into the side of the mountain, and then back up the other side.... About another 40 minutes. By this stage I was dead (shows I'm not that fit), and as it closed to visitors at 1pm (it was after midday by this time) I decided that I didn't need to go any further. However, Janet, the little trouper, went all the way. Annie had all ready given up a little way earlier.

We started climbing at approx 2,300m and the second view point where I gave up was at 3100. So I managed to climb 700m, which isn't a bad effort. While Anne & I were waiting for Janet & Karma our guide, back down at the first rest point (where there was a small cafe) the rain came in. So we ended up having to come the rest of the way down in the rain. Needless to say we ended up wet and VERY dirty.

The weather is around mid to high 20's during the day but cool in the evening and early morning. It's very cloudy and foggy, but when it clears and the sun comes out, it's quite hot. My guess low 30's.

Everyone here speaks very good English. Not just in the hotels where tourists are, but in the town as well. Yesterday when we were walking around people were coming up and talking to us in perfect English. Three little boys of about 8 asked me to take their photo, not because they wanted money, but because they wanted to see the photo on the camera.... they see enough tourists here to know all about digital cameras. Quite refreshing really!! It is strongly discouraged to give the children anything, as the government doesn't want them to start harrassing tourists as happens in other countries in this region.


Well I could rave on for ages, but I won't. All I can say is the myth that Bhutan is very isolated and closed off to the world, is just that , a myth. It seems an incredibly well organised, and modern country where the King and government are trying hard to retain the culture. They also seem to be doing their best to avoid the mistakes made in Nepal and India who have let western influences run rampid.

Anyway, that's enought for now. We are off to the capital Yhimpu tomorrow, so will be in touch when I can.

Cheers, Ali xxxx

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