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Published: September 29th 2007
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Oy. I did not sleep well last night at all…I think I got eaten alive around my ankles and that is the worst! It was SO itchy…so I was kind of cranky all day.
Anyway, we headed to the Paro Dzong. The architecture is all Bhutanese and apparently the finest. It is a pretty big temple although the area where the tsechu is held in the spring is much smaller than Thimphu. We then headed to the National Museum which used to be the old watchtower for the dzong…its sits up on the hill above the dzong. It is definitely an informative place and well worth the drive there…although it is just above the dzong you cant go the direct route as it is just for royalty so instead you take a 12 minute drive…neat. Mind you while I am in the basement of this six-story circular watchtower, the lights go out! It is PITCH black and you cant see a thing. Lights never came back on so we used cell phones to navigate around, and made the trek back again to finish after lunch.
I am definitely happy I am traveling alone, or at least I am happy
not being in a large group…as I was leaving the museum I overheard a group bitching about the museum and one guy did not want to waste his time there for an hour and a half and another complaining about when she can get her luggage and another saying, yeah…me too! It was painful to witness.
We also went to watch a game called Khuru. It appears to me to be a cross of archery and darts. It was fun to be a spectator and watch the men cheer and chant while they played.
Afterwards we went to Dumtse Lhakhang where I met a lama and was blessed by him. He was a traveler as well, so he says, just visiting the stupa-like temple on a day trip from Thimphu. Kind of cool.
Lunch was so good today we decided to make an outing back to this same hotel Gangtey Palace for the final dinner, which was delish. I can’t believe I am leaving already…boooooo. We also watched a rainstorm come into the valley…I am fascinated by weather and it was NEAT to see…but really, it was neat.
I went into town to mail some postcards…I
haven’t done this in ages!! It was fun, although no one got a real thoughtful note…many just say hugs and love from Bhutan! Some people I don’t have an address for so feel free to email it to me and I might get around to sending more from another country later on in the trip!
We also went to Kyichu Lhakhang, which although we were allowed on the premises, I was not allowed inside the temple as I may disturb the monks who were fasting and praying. Unfortunately we picked the wrong day to go and I leave at the butt-crack of dawn tomorrow so I cant go back. It is one of bhutan’s oldest and most beautiful temples and I am bummed I didn’t get to see it…but next time!
Then we went to the Drukgyel Dzong, which stands for (druk-bhutan, gyel-victory) bhutan’s victory over Tibet in 1644. The temple is in ruins and left this way as it is almost impossible to restore. It is gorgeous, especially as we drove up and saw a rainbow leading to it from the side…it was faint, but still there and pretty!
Overall, this has been an amazing trip!
Most everything about this culture I loved learning and the people are so nice and so happy to have you in their country. It has been wonderful as a traveler here, especially since I feel that I am sometimes the only one. The sites are not crowded and I could very well be the only person inside a temple…its truly fantastic and a quite unique experience…there are no lines and everything is prearranged. There is very little that could have been done to make me happier.
Random things to note that I haven’t mentioned…there is no means of transport by train in the country…railroads are non-existent…also non-existent, traffic lights… as well as me exerting energy to carry my luggage as someone was also doing it for me…we’ll see how that flies on the next group journey - me and my bags may not all survive… also, as far as my driver and guide know, there is no gay community here… they had actually never heard this phrase before and I had to explain to them what this was…fascinating…
I have a 7 AM flight tomorrow morning…so it will soon be lights out for me!
Lots of love from Bhutan…oxox and I hope you enjoyed reading…next up: Nepal and Tibet.
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Agree with you
I could not agree with you more on the need to go to Bhutan alone or in a really small group! I loved it too.