Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 6

Day 8/9 An early start for us, we needed to be away for 8am so we headed to breakfast as we needed to eat something reasonable to give us the strength for the hike ahead. We both opted for porridge, and whilst a little watery, was ok. We set off along the same road we had travelled the previous day that took us towards the head of Paro valley, and turned off. In the distance, up the side of the mountainous cliff we could see the monastery perched there just waiting to be reached. As we approached the car par, there were a number of other tour buses already parked up, as well as locals with walking sticks that you could rent, not to mention the horses that you could hire if you thought the hike ... read more

Day 5 - Punakha We had a slightly earlier start this morning to try and beat the road works for road widening going over the Pass, so we had a quick breakfast, the same as the day before, and set off into the mountains. The little bus we were in kept climbing up and up and the view down true valley were amazing. It was mostly pine forest, and occasionally it was broken with an odd rhododendron, some in red, some pink and a lot in white. As we continued to climb, the road deteriorated, and there were more potholes for the driver to avoid, not to mention the on coming traffic, sheer drops and no barriers at the side of the road. It certainly wasn't a journey for the faint hearted. Our driver had to ... read more

Day 3 - Paro to Thimpu After an early start, and a long wait at the airport, the flight being over an hour late, we were surprised by the size of our Druk Airways plane. The snack they handed out on the 50minute flight, was a bland cheese sandwich with mayonnaise and a sweet biscuit. We spent more of the flight looking out of the window and the clear views of the Himalayas which the First Officer did his best to identify each of the main peaks to us. The second part of his announcement was that we shouldn't get alarmed by the proximity of the descent to the surrounding mountains, and that this was quite normal, as was the slightly bumpy approach due to cross winds. Once we had collected our baggage we headed outside ... read more

We are already in February, and this is only my first entry on travelblog.org for 2014. I told you, settling back in Bangkok means for us a life which is much more sedentary...and I have to play around the school schedule of Tiffany and Leslie. Nevertheless, this didn't stop me to do some little trips in January to Saigon and Shanghai, but no blogging about those here. After a full month in Bangkok, I can tell you, life is good. We have well settled in a seriously nice flat. The kids are doing pretty well at school, and I even managed to sort out a pretty cool social life...so nothing to complain on that side. 2014 will see less travel...or will it? Well, I still have to work...yes it does happen...and Leslie and Tiffany are back ... read more

At the eastern end of the Himalayas lies a once forbidden Kingdom - Bhutan! It is a country the size of Switzerland with 700,000 inhabitants who are 99% Buddhist. Hence all the temples, chortans, and dzongs (fortress monasteries). The King's father, the 4th King of Bhutan, abdicated in favor of his son about 4 years ago, and had declared Gross National Happiness was more important than GNP. It is now a democracy with the 5th King as figurehead. The Royal Family are loved and revered. Currently you can only enter by air with Druk Air, the government airline, although a private competitor has been recently approved. Tashi Airlines may be operating later this year. You must enter or leave via the airline, so if not flying in you enter by car from 3 points in India. ... read more