Blogs from Thimphu, Bhutan, Asia - page 3

Geo: 27.4426, 89.6673Took a flight with the Royal Bhutanese Airline DrukAir out of rainy Bangkok to a unsuspected stop at a dusty Indian military airstrip in Bagdogra. After taking on 50 more western tourists we headed for Paro, Bhutan. Landing there is rather adventurous. The plane has to fly an S-curve through the valleys while descending before quickly leveling for landing. Immediately upon arrival one realizes how remote this Himalayan kingdom is, with only two immigration officers needed.Got picked up by my guide and driver for the next 8 days and had lunch in Paro before we drove under blue skies to the capitol Timphu. Strolled around a bit and checked into the Riverview Hotel. I still can't believe I actually made it here to Bhutan, which by the way is also called the Land of ... read more

Tashi Delek:A wonderful saying which means many nice things in Bhutan but mainly best wishes and good luck. We fly to Paro (the only international airport in Bhutan as this is the only valley big enough to accommodate one!) from Kathmandu at about 4pm. C ensconces herself merrily in Business Class while M goes cattle class due to some mix up by the booking agency (that or a scam by the Druk Air team to extract $50 for M to upgrade which he refuses to do). The only difference really is the quality of the cutlery, a glass of wine and bigger seats. The flight in is quite short but packed with awesome views of the 3 highest peaks of the Himalaya. Unfortunately we are both on the right hand side of the plane ... read more

Teaching here is ridiculous!!! I'm either talking to a camera that doesn't respond to me when I ask it questions.... or I'm talking to a group of unbelievably sweet 5/6 years olds that are too shy to say very much and too disciplined to do other than exactly what I have asked...... It's feels like light years away from the 'good old Pimlico days'.... read more

You know that you have hit the big time when one half of the marriage is on radio and the other is on national TV! So.... what is Mel's comfort zone? Would it be standing infront of 500 men, having been dragged out of the crowd at a national archery competion? Well... nearly, but maybe she would be more comfortable if she was then told to throw spear-esque darts in the middle of the arena... ....Getting towards her comfort zone.... ...What is really needed for Mel to feel happy is if the 500 strong crowd would start heckling her for throwing like a girl. This is it... nearly in Mel's idea of paradise. All that is needed now is to televise the whole thing live. Perfect. And what would Andy's comfort zone be? Would it be ... read more

Okay, so this entry might seem slightly boring to some people.... but this is the voluntary work which we have found ourselves engaged in. Andy: I'm working for the Minisitry of Works and Human Settlement. They have created a new division with the slightly cumbersome name of "Engineering Adaptation and Risk Reduction division". The purpose of the division is to lead Bhutan in using new construction technologies to both reduce the carbon footprint of construction in Bhutan, and to ensure that new buildings are earthquake proof (no-one told us about the earthquakes!) I'm looking at new (or traditional) materials which could be used to make construction greener, and then seeing how the industry can be incentivised / lead into using these new technologies. Mel: I've got two jobs...My main work is for the Bhutan Broadcasting Service ... read more