Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 2

Vandaag zijn we halverwege onze reis! De tijd vliegt, maar we hebben al immens veel gezien en gedaan! Vanochtend konden we Thimpu eindelijk in het licht zien toen we onze gordijnen opendeden. Voor een hoofdstad is het er enorm rustig en is er niet echt die stadsdrukte. Heerlijk! We gingen ontbijten en ik sprak er met mensen uit Noorwegen (ik had de taal al herkend en zij die van ons), die hier waren voor het werk. Aangename babbel en het ontbijt viel ook best mee. Alleen de boter is hier (zoals op sommige plekken in Nepal) niet te vreten! :) Eitjes zijn gelukkig overal lekker en met toast met confituur kunnen ze (tenzij dan in Dhampus) niet veel verkeerd mee doen. Om 9u30 werden we opgepikt door onze gids en chauffeur. Ook hier moeten we zelf ... read more

Paro eventually reopened for business and we returned there on lovely country roads where we could appreciate the scenery and local way of life, which included terraced farming on the hilly landscapes. We stopped on the way at Friendship Bridge, a joint venture between Bhutan and India. It had been built at the confluence of three rivers and the waters looked lovely and clean, sparkling in the sunlight, though it was certainly fresh and I had to wear the only suitable jacket I had with me for the low temperatures and I was heartily sick of seeing it by now. While we were there Ransinga suddenly whipped his cap off at a passing car. He could tell it was a Royal Family car by the number plate, he said, and he wanted to show respect. He ... read more

I dragged myself out of bed at 15 minutes past midnight grabbed my suitcase and headed downstairs to the cab rank, 20 minutes later I was in the queue to check in, for some reason I couldn't do it online. There were hundreds of people lined up and after standing in that line for almost an hour I was becoming a tad concerned, then I heard Kathmandu yelled out I made my way past all the other cattle to the check in counter, ten minutes after that I had exchanged money and was patiently waiting at gate six. Half an hour later I was on the bus to the plane, row two aisle seat is my preference and I settled in to watch a few episodes of the Vampire Diaries. I arrived in Kathmandu for the ... read more

Saturday morning dawned rainy and chilly in Paro, Bhutan. The forecast had been for temps only in the low 40s; accompanied with rain it could be a bit uncomfortable, not to mention encountering potentially muddy and slippery trails, for our group's trek to Tiger's Nest, the cultural icon of Bhutan. It had poured last night, so the always pleasant and pleasing Bhutanese said we'd have no rain today as it had already washed itself out. I hoped the weather agreed with their optimistic outlooks, but took a rain jacket with me anyway. Waking at 5AM, dressing in layers, dry-bagging everything I wanted to carry, I went outside and found it was not too cold, but a misty rain was still falling and heavy fog covered the hillsides and mountains. Even so, we boarded the van and ... read more

We have been so busy on this trip that there's hardly any time to write. This has been our second full day in Bhutan, first exploring the delights of Thimphu, and today travelling to Bhutan's former capital of Punakha. On our first full day here, yesterday, we visited the Jungshi Handmade Paper Factory, the National Textile Museum, the Traditional Medicine (herbal) Clinic, the Arts and Crafts School, and Tashicho Dzong, an historic fortress and monastery. We also stopped at the Takin Preserve, takins being Bhutan's national animal, a heavier and more solid form of antelope. Added to all that, we had a dinner date with a Bhutanese family in their home, and were treated to a cultural performance beforehand, enjoying Bhutanese singing and dancing sitting in the cold Thimphu night air. Our days seem to be ... read more