Sat, 5/12.  (The first six photos are from Friday.  Wifi issues yesterday.)

Climbed to Tiger’s Nest.  Honestly, just Google “Tiger’s Nest Images” and you’ll see excellent photos but miss the reality of being here.  The climb was steep, rough, and absent of oxygen.  That last one was the operative issue for me.  Hard to breath.  A little bit of dizziness.  The climb up begins at the altitude that the Grand Canyon’s climb down begins at.  Overall though, it’s very gratifying to do.  Impossible to imagine how (and why) the Temples were built.  There is more than one temple in the complex, which do not follow any architectural consistency.  Very serious about proper dress and photos (none).

Basic method to repair road damage.

Wildlife alongside the road.

The Gap again. Fog.

Bhutan Wine. Not bad!

This is paint. Not wallpaper.

Prayer sheet. They are everywhere.

How Bhutanese dress for climbing. (Not really. Only a few.)

The nest is in the distance.

Cultural Show.

The Yak Dance. The main attraction at traditional local celebrations.

Fri, 5/11.  Long drive from Punakha to Paro.  Cloudy.  Visited another temple and dzang.  The dzang, centuries old, is now used as an administrative office for the district plus a monastery.  Spent time on the souvenir street, with what smelled like an open sewer on both sides.

It’s occurred to me that my assumption that Mongolia was the most back-and-beyond place on earth is false.  Bhutan is.  No foreign businesses beyond coke.  Stores don’t even have Pringles.  Certainly no KFC.  Besides the obvious allowances for cars (Suzuki and Hyundai mostly) and cell phones, this is a county living largely on it’s own product.  India is obviously a prime supplier.

We’ve had community meals and group events all week.  Companions are all great people, but they talk all the time.  (Two, from Oregon, are new age old folks.  Cannot believe I’ve never used marijuana, which rows wild here!)  My social anxiety is flaring up, even though there are only four of them.  I need a meal on my own.  Nepal will, I hope, have more individual time.

Tomorrow we climb up to the Tiger’s Nest.  It’s the prime reason to visit Bhutan.  Should be fun.

“Cake”, for Temple decoration.

Two young monks with our Team Leader. His brother is a monk.

Wild Weed. Our Oregon companion is ecstatic.

Thurs, 5/10.  Connecting with the populace.  Short hike through farmland to the Fertility Temple, founded by the “Devine Madman” (Drupka Kunley) built in 1499.  Drupka was focused on releasing Buddhists from conservative thoughts.  Slept around.  Etc.  Made friends along the way by taking the pictures and printing them.  Plus one balloon.

Next was the family of a working farm, though their farmland is in pieces throughout the valley.  Bureau of Health recently forced them to move their animals to a separate shed from their first floor.  So it was mostly just a house.  The still for making alcohol is on the first floor now.  Relatively large room is dedicated to prayer and meditation.  They have a microwave that the 74 year-old aunt prefers over traditional cooking.  Ara, the national (red) rice wine, is good, though it doesn’t taste like sake.  Popcorn!

Next was a picnic lunch, complete with server, tables, silverware and cloth chair covers.  The prepared food was about the same. No hot dogs on a stick over an open flame for guest Americans.  The delivered equipment didn’t include legs for the plastic tables, so when a taxi rapidly pulled up I deduced that “Here come the table legs”.  Everyone though I was joking, but I was correct.  Proud moment for the reputation of the NCIS.

Walked a short way up to a Nunnery.  About 120 nuns in training.  It’s new but very successful.  Grandmother of the Queen lives next door.  The girls have heads shaved and look very androgynous.  We had a Q&A with one.  Very informative.  Impressively well thought out opinions.

Last adventure of the day was a visit to a poorer part of Bhutan.  Everyone pleasant, but very run-down homes, uneven alleys, questionable power and water.  Kids went mad over the balloons.  Men are mostly away at small jobs (or attempting to get jobs).  We discussed with Chen that if we’d known the condition better in advance we could have bought more gifts.  Even fruits and veggies would have helped.

An interesting day.  (My day began at midnight, when I woke to the overwhelming smell of urine.  Applied cologne to mask the smell.  The next morning I noticed a few cows sitting just below my room.  Mystery solved.)

Farmers. Nice background shot of cow.

Wife and aunt.

Cooking the wine.

Ara wine.

Picnic, Bhutan-style.

Nunnery stupa.

I have a more serious photo, but this one captures the youthful emotion that was prevalent outside the temple.

Technology (wind turbines) captured between poverty.

Still proud of their flowers.

Wed, 5/9.  Rain to begin, but it ended early.  Drive was curvy with light traffic.  Would have been fun on a MC.  As with New Zealand, center line (when it was there) was mostly dotted, even for curves.  Cows again.  Driver is excellent.  Lots of stupas at the gap (highpoint).  View was better than we expected, but a view of the highest unclimbed mountain in the world world was limited.  Meditation caves were interesting.  “Bucket List Adventures” stickers on motorcycles!  Royal Enfield bikes.

Punakha was the country’s capital until the 1950s.  Largest remaining dzong (fort) in the country.  Though imposing in size and very beautiful, it wasn’t much of a defensible fortress.  Long suspension bridge (160 meters) was fun.  Country is filled with small and large fields.  Crops are rotated, but all are capable of being a rice paddy.

Lodging is basic, which we’re sharing with a lot of Indians, with loud children.  For once I’m in a country where the worst tourists aren’t Chinese, according to the Guides.  “Too make Indians happy, don’t take them to temples.  Let them soak their feet in rapid flowing, cold, clean(!) water and they’ll be thrilled.”  Honest to say, they are just fine, though noisy.

Chen showed us how he wears the traditional outfit.  A lot more complex than if sounds.  The robe is in fact ankle length, but cinched up from the back and secured with the wrap-around belt.  Complicated touch-only adjusting.  Makes getting a tie even look infantile.  It appears that the women’s equivalent is easier.

Dinner was the best we’re had.  Wifi is spotty.  View would be nicer if there weren’t a very new town across the river.  Plus the barking dogs.

My tiny printer is a big hit.  I haven’t made a balloon yet.

Our driver is in the center.

Dogs. Everywhere. Sleeps all day, barks all night. Everywhere.

Rain.

All business. Good.

I could happily sit in here (especially in rain) and contemplate the meaning of life.  A very nice view, though deep in the trees.

Hard to see, but tallest unclimbed mountain in the world. A holy place, so Bhutan issues no permits.

Note the robe. Besides the safety and comfort issue, it’s chilly here!

Many corners in the road have a stupa or more. Flags are family-based prayers.

Yes, those are wild beehives. They leave ’em until they fall. Chen recounted one instance of retreating monks after one collapse.

Tue, 5/8.  Many sights in a small area.  Heavy traffic in a city with population 70,000.

A gigantic Shakyamuni Buddha statue dominates the skyline.  169 feet tall, containing 125,000 buddhas.  Some of a little bits of the complex are still under construction.

Takin (national animal) Preserve is more to benefit the takin than tourists.  They were all lying down far from the fences.  Weird looking animals that scientists still can’t quite categorize.

Got a hillside view of the country’s government buildings.  Alongside was the King’s “Palace”, which is modest in the extreme.  The perception that a cornerstone of Bhutan is humility and fairness is reinforced.  (Bhutan’s low international grades for the forced removal of non-Bhutanese citizens becomes even more inconsistent.  I plan to ask Chen about this subject eventually.)

Textile Museum.  This is the fifth textile place I’ve seen in two years. (Navaho, Japan, Morocco, China).  I still am unsure how it works.  I need a slow motion video.  Weaving in Bhutan is very very detailed and the techniques vary by location.  A proud heritage.  Material ranges from silk to yak hair.

Small paper making factory. Used mostly for religious text.   The most interesting thing of the day for me.  Unlike industrial paper mills, no stink.  I actually think I understood the process.  Bought some.

Tour of school for the arts.  It’s essentially vocational training for students who fail to pass the nationwide advancement exams after 10th grade.  The extreme (and mandated) artistry of the country’s architecture seems to assure the students’ lifelong employment.

Strolled along entrepreneur row, each selling Made in Bhutan goods.  Largely textile products ranging from small bags to beautiful boots.

Dinner had some actual beef!  I stayed far away from the chili cheese.

Stupa built in 1974. More closely similar to those in Mongolia than Tibet.

$200 Million project. Not quite finished. Very large (people are barely visible).

An attempt at false perspective. The statue is about 12 feet tall.

Finishing some of the carving/painting.  Clay/sand composite.

Hand and camera is on his side of the fence.

Takin, the national animal. Undefined species. Maybe 150 yards away, through a fence. Much closer at the San Diego Zoo.

Soaking tree bark in water. Afterwards, it’s cooked for 5 hours.

Grinding the softened bark into pulp., then blended with water and vegetable starch.  The solid components are shifted into into thin sheets.

Pressing a stack of wet paper, squeezing out the water. When finished, it’ll be about a quarter the height.

Drying individual sheets.

Entrance to Arts School.

Hard at work, learning to draw. A buddha.

A student with our team leader.

This is about the only building in the city that doesn’t confirm to traditional architecture.

Traffic management.

Mon, 5/7.  Met the four members of the Nepal Tour that are doing the Bhutan extension.  Nice folk.   Lots of experience.

Woke at 2 AM.  Left hotel at 3.  Flight departed 6:30.  Stopped at Kathmandu, which placed us closer to the Himalayas for the final leg to Paro, Bhutan.

My seat was on the left.  Perfect weather for viewing the Dome of the World.  Everest was within touching distance.  I took pictures for four others on the flight.  Arrived at Paro Airport, which because of hills requires a jog left then right to line up on the airfield.  Altitude of 7,300 feet, but after Tibet, child’s play.  Team Leader (Chen) is excellent.  Understands questions and gives very articulate answers.  Wears the tradition garb of a Bhutanese, as do most others.  Knee length bathrobe with his socks and shoes.  Women wear ankle length bathrobes.  “Bathrobe” is a rough description.

The drive to the capital was on slow, winding roadway, with a few cows.  Only recently widened to a full two lanes.  Thimphu, unique in the world’s capitals, has no airport and no traffic lights.  Traffic Police conducts traffic with a flare.  Also no smoking.  Bhutan is the only country to ban all public smoking.  They are concerned with too many cars, so there is a hefty import tax.  Very few motorbikes due to monsoons and winter.

Watched some archery practice, their national sport. Required to wear traditional clothing (often over pants).  140 meters away from a target less than half a meter round.  They didn’t hit it much, but they were always close. Both modern ($1,000+) bows and traditional bamboo bows are used.  Gambling goes on.  Occasional drinking.  Archery is the only Olympic event that Bhutan has ever competed in.  Legend has it that their first ruler shot an arrow in Tibet in order to find and establish Bhutan.  Signs at the shooting range warn that over-shooting the target (and thus reaching the tennis courts) subjects the person to potential accidental homicide charges.  Begs the question; who would use the tennis courts?

Food consists of a host of vegetable choices and one meat dish.  Spices. Spicy spices.  At lunch I had a vegetable dish that I’d rate 6 out of 10 on the heat scale.  At dinner I had one string bean with the tiniest amount of spicy cheese attached.  12 out of 10.  I’m done with trying spicy food.  Spice 1, me 0.

Chen has warned us that dogs bark all night.  A note in the room warns of the same.  Earplugs provided.  I’ve the advantage to being deaf in one ear.

Not Everest.

Not Everest.

Everest.

At least he’s on the correct side of the road.

The King and Queen. The father abdicated in 2008 to bring young blood into the picture.

Waaaay down there are the archers.

The tiny target is here. Even at 140 meters, they need two hands to pull out the arrows.