Some Of My Favorite Things

When we travel the we buy a lot of stuff.  The Wife is very practical.  Most of what she buys can be used such as table clothes, shawls, scarves, and small tables.  I tend not to buy much but I too have purchased things on our travels.  This used to mean T-Shirts.  I have since moved away from collecting T-Shirts.  Looking back I think I cherish things given to us as gifts.

I've mentioned a few of these things before.  In Peru I was given a glass llama and a small reed boat made by the Uros Indians.  The boat is one of my favorite mementos of my travels and has hung from my desk lamp ever since our return.  From our Jordan trip we were gifted two small camels - they sit on my computer speakers.

From our last big trip to China, Nepal, Bhutan, and India, we received gifts in India.  We received little carved elephants - one intricately carved with an elephant within an elephant and another colorfully inlaid.  In Tibet I bought a small stone with the Buddhist mantra on it.  In Bhutan I bought a small mask of Chagna Dorje, a deity signifying power and looking quite evil even though he is said to be benevolent.

But my favorite, after the Peruvian boat, is the one I bought in New Orleans: A Sugar Skull bobble head.

Sugar Skull Bobble Head from New Orleans.

I'm sure he was made in China is is just made of plastic but he makes me smile.  He has a prominent place on my desk next to my computer monitor and when I type with extra force he looks like he is agreeing with what I'm writing.  I think I'll keep him.

2012 Asian Adventure - Epilogue

OK, one more epilogue.  Why?  I like epilogues.  I like the sound of the word.  Ep-i-logue.  EP-i-logue.  Ep-I-logue.  Ep-i-LOGUE.  I like the word.

This was a marvelous adventure.  Thirty-two days of awesome, and not so awesome, adventure.  The variety of what we saw is hard to quantify.  The pictures I've posted only scratch the surface.  The things we saw: The Potala Palace, Pandas (both black & white and red), Terracotta Soldiers, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Mount Everest (from the airplane), the Tiger's Nest Temple, the Bhutanese Takin, The Taj Mahal, The Glass Palace, The Amber Palace, and Elephants.  The great pieces of history keep going and going.  It is almost too much to absorb really.  Now that I'm home I keep catching myself seeing something on TV and saying "OMG I've been there!"  I love that feeling.  OK, I may not say OMG but that's how I feel at the time, like a giddy school girl at a Justin Beiber concert.

People have asked what was the best thing.  I honestly can't answer that question.  There was just too much awesomeness to be able to pick.  I loved the Yangtze river cruise and we are already looking into other river cruises.  Buddhism, and places associated with it, is incredible while being so peaceful.  Bhutan would have to be my favorite country - so peaceful and beautiful with wonderful people.  China had so much to see and I know there is a lot I did not see in this large country.  I probably didn't give Nepal a fair chance.  India was amazing.  The thousands of years of history we experienced marveled.  I guess the one word that would sum up this trip is "Wow".

A few observations I left out of the travel posts:

• China, while steeped in superstition is trying to be secular.  When we entered temples in China our shoes stayed on.  In Nepal, Bhutan, and India the shoes always come off.  Slip on shoes would have been an asset.
• Also in China, there is only one time zone for the whole country which messes with your head when it's light at 4:00 AM in one part of the country and dark at 4:00 AM in another part of the country.
• The modern world, i.e. western culture, is everywhere.  In Nepal and Bhutan you saw angry birds shirts, toys, and stuffed birds everywhere.  Cell phones are ubiquitous in all four countries.  Even so, everything still had a native twist it.  Western culture is changing things not by replacing but by melding with what has always been there.
• We had seven different guides.  I liked it better when there was one guide for the whole country like in China, Nepal, and Bhutan.  The guide gives you continuity.  Changing guides every day or so made things more difficult at times.  I also preferred women guides over men.  They seemed like they cared for you better.
• Nepal, Bhutan, and India have some of the most beautiful people in the world - I can vouch for the women and I'm sure the Wife will vouch for the men.
• In America we spend money on tanning booths and self-tanners to give us that dark, healthy glow.  Starting in Nepal we noticed commercials for skin lighteners.  Apparently dark skin is not popular ... in a part of the world where darker skin is the norm.  Our guide in Delhi blamed this on the British and their standards for beauty.
• Before we left I'd heard that it was impossible to go to India without getting sick.  During the entire 32 days of travel, after eating Chinese, Tibetan, Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Indian food, I suffered from intestinal distress only twice and each time was a one time event.  Both were in China.  That was it.  I credit this to the yogurt and probiotic regimen I put myself on before leaving.  Sadly, on the last day, things caught up with the Wife.  After getting home she was down for the count for about five days.  Except for feeling a bit jet lagged and tired I felt fine.
• After worrying that many of the places we were going would not meet my expectations, I was always surprised how much better the places were in person.  Pictures can only give you a superficial taste of a place.  Being there is a completely different experience.
• Thirty-two days of travel, especially the intense guided tour type of travel, is very close to my limit.  I was exhausted at the end of many days and I let this nearly make me sick at times when I didn't eat and drink enough.  The Camino was longer but didn't have the intensity of this Asian trip.  I think we may have to limit these types of tours to three week spans from now on.

One other thing happened on this trip.  I can now say that I have traveled around the world.  The thirteen flights we took during this vacation took us completely around the world.  I hadn't really considered this when I was setting up the trip but it's a fun little extra.  To make it better, we never missed a flight and our bags were never lost.

Pictures from the China portion of our travels can be found in my 2012-06 China Google Photos album.

Pictures from the Tibet portion of our travels can be found in my 2017-06 Tibet Google Photos Album.

Pictures from the Nepal portion of our travels can be found in my 2012-07 Nepal Google Photos album.

Pictures from the Bhutan portion of our travels can be found in my 2012-07 Bhutan Google Photos album.

Pictures from the India portion of our travels can be found in my 2012-07 India Google Photos album.

Onward to our next adventure ... whatever that may be.

2012 Asian Adventure - Bhutan Epilogue

Bhutan was a highlight of our travels.  This tiny country had a feeling of peace, serenity, and well being.  It was full of nice people, nice scenery, and a long history.

It was a country of contrasts.  A country of traditional architecture, traditional dress, and ancient temples.  A country of cell phones, internet, and cable television.  A country of beautiful people and beautiful mountain-scapes.  A country with their own language and traditions who are moving into the twenty-first century.

Our guide was a perfect example of the modern Bhutan.  She was educated.  Like her compatriots she learned English in school - several of her classes in the math and sciences were taught solely in English.  She used her traditional language, Dzongkha, when talking to the driver and monks but she said written English is much simpler to use than her native written language and English was becoming more common.  All the signs I saw, even hand written ones, were in English.

Our guide was studying Chinese in New Delhi so that her skills as a tourist/trek guide would be more useful.  Being a tour guide made our guide a member one of Bhutan's top three industries - hydroelectric power, agriculture, and tourism.  The number of Chinese tourists was going up every year.  We helped her with some currency while we were there.  Bhutan has it's own currency but they also accept Indian Rupees.  Even so, it was hard for Bhutanese to get Indian Rupees.  When we were going to buy something we gave her our rupees and she would then pay with her Bhutanese ngultrums.  People we talked to in Nepal and Bhutan were amazed how easy it was for us to get foreign currencies - I just went to our local bank and had them within forty-eight hours.

Bhutan is changing.  A ban on television and the internets was lifted in 1999.  Since then the changes have accelerated.  The cities we visited were uncrowded, clean, quiet, and peaceful but you could see the change coming.  Our driver used his horn just like the drivers in Nepal - less frequently as there were fewer cars on the road.  As more cars and trucks appear and more drivers learn to drive some of that peaceful, quiet, cleanliness will start to go away.  A shame.  We were talking with the owners of the hotel in Paro.  They too saw the changes coming with all the tourists despite the number of tourist being limited by the government.  They lamented the change and hoped that it would me managed properly.  I hope so too.  What Bhutan has is a treasure in this modern world of ours.  It would be a shame if Bhutan became another Kathmandu or Shanghai.

I will return here some day.  There is an Himalayan trek with my name on it there.

Pictures from Bhutan can be found in my 2012-07 Bhutan Google Photos album.

Our 2012 Asian Adventure continues ...

2012 Asian Adventure - Tiger's Nest Trek

Day Twenty-Four

We woke up early today.  Today was going to be the highlight of our Bhutan trip and I ranked it up there with the Great Wall and the Terracotta Soldiers.  We were going to see the Tiger's Nest.

We ate breakfast at the hotel and then met our guide and driver.  Before we left the hotel be picked up walking sticks that were propped up next to the door.  They would come in handy later on during out trek.  The drive from the hotel to the beginning of the trail was much shorter than I'd expected.  I didn't realize it was so close to Paro.  Then again, Bhutan is a small country and not much is very far away there.

We got out of the car and it was drizzling.  After nearly three weeks of relatively good weather, the one day that we were going to be outside the most was when the monsoons decided to reassert themselves.  You could just make out the temple through the low lying clouds.  My new rain jacket and my old trusty Tiley hat kept most of the rain off me during the hike up.

The trail  left the parking area and started to ascend almost immediately.  The Wife and I had struck an agreement - I could walk ahead but I had to keep her in sight.  I followed this agreement ... almost.

The trail was easy to follow.  It was halfway between a single path hiking trail and a dirt road.  Everything I'd read before coming to Bhutan had describe how narrow the trail was and how hard it was.  Frankly, I have no idea what trail they were on as it was not harrowing at all.  Steep ... yes ... and with the rain it was a bit slippery as the dirt became mud.  I would walk ahead stopping periodically to take pictures.  The low clouds didn't bode well for pictures of the actual temple and views of the surrounding valley were hazy at best.

Small shrine with water powered prayer wheels on the way up to the Tiger's Nest temple.

The trail passed a small shrine with large, water powered prayer wheels.  The water outlet was, of course, phallic shaped.   After the shrine the trail switchback up the side of the valley.  At the turn of each switchback I would stop and wait for the Wife and guide to come into sight (the Wife in her yellow jacket and the guide with her umbrella are visible in the center of this picture).  Once I saw them, and they saw me, I would continue up the trail.

Near the halfway point there is a cafeteria/restaurant.  As I waited here for the Wife and guide I hoped we could stop here for a rest.  Turns out we were on a schedule.  The guide said that the monks close the temple over the lunch hour and she wanted us up there before it closed.   We only had a brief stop to rest and drink a soda before we got back on the trail.

Prayer flags along the trail to the Tiger's Nest temple.

The trail was very interesting.  It went through forest draped in, what I would call, spanish moss which gave everything an ethereal feel.  In caves and crevasses along the way small mini-stupas were left.  Strings of prayer flags were everywhere.  I ran into a cow on the trail who was munching on the prayer flags.

Moss hung trees along the muddy trail.

We  were not alone on the trail.  Several other groups passed us including Europeans and Japanese.  One pair from Japanese were in spotless white clothes.  This was amazing considering the rain and mud on the trail.  We would see them later and they would still be impeccable.  Not sure how they did it as I had mud on my pant legs and my shoes were caked by the time I arrived at the temple.

The prize at the end of the trek: The Tiger's Nest temple.

I reached the top and, to my pleasant surprise, the clouds had lifted and gave me a clear view of the Tiger's Nest.  From the top of the trail you could see the temple across a canyon/valley/gorge.  To get to it we would go down 400 steps before crossing a stream and climbing 400 steps back up the other side of the valley to the temple.  It is this portion of the trek that most resembled the "harrowing" descriptions I'd read about.  The guide explained that the railing along the stairs had been added recently.  Before the railing was in place I could see why you would have called it a scary climb.  With the railing it was a much safer trek without a bit of harrow.

We rested up at the top to catch our breaths before we started down the stairs.  As we rested you could hear the banging of drums, the blowing of horns, and the chanting of monks wafting over the valley.  We'd been hearing it for a while as we'd gotten closer to the temple but now we could see them.  The sound added to the otherworldly feeling of the place.

The waterfall on at the bottom of the stairs and a small water-powered shrine.

At the bottom of the 400 steps the path crosses a stream next to a waterfall where the water turned a prayer wheel.  From the bridge it was up 400 steps to the temple proper.  Photography was not allowed and I had to leave my camera at the security office before entering.

Just before entering we noticed there were a lot of butterflies and moths everywhere.  One landed on me and rode my shoulder all the way through the temples.  The Tiger's Nest, also known as Paro Taktsang, is built around a cave where a guru, Padmasambhava, meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days, and three hours.  Guru Padmasambhava introduced Buddhism to area and he is held in high regard in Bhutan.  The name, Tiger's Nest, comes from the legend that the Guru had come to the cave on the back of his Mistress whom he'd transformed into a flying tiger.

A flower and a temple.

After the tour of the temple we made our way back down which was not an easy feat.  Slippery mud is worse on the way down.  The Wife, unfortunately, did not make it down without slipping on the way.  (I laughed while the guide helped her up - not one of my finer moments. Sorry Honey!)  We stopped at the half way point cafeteria and stopped for a vegetarian lunch.  We were supposed to visit a Bhutanese family for dinner this night but, while we ate the Wife and I looked at each other and both agreed that we really weren't up to that.  We politely asked the guide if it would be rude to cancel the dinner.  I don't think our guide saw just how much this hike was taking out of the Wife and I but she said it would be no problem to cancel.

After lunch we slowly made our way carefully down the muddy trail back to the car.  We still needed some mementos of Bhutan so we drove back into Paro and our guide took us to a store run my one of her friends.  We found a few interesting pieces to take home with us, including magnets naturally.

After that it was back to the Hotel.  We showered and napped.  We settled for dinner in the hotel restaurant.    While I doubt it was as good as a home cooked Bhutanese meal, I doubt we would have enjoyed it as we were quite tired after the trek.

The hike up to the Tiger's nest was about six miles (9.7 km).  I don't have an exact distance because the GPS in my camera had a hard time keeping a satellite lock on the winding trails under the trees and valley walls.  The elevation climb was approximately 1,870 ft (570 m).  We were also at an altitude of 10,240 ft (3,120 m).  The combination of altitude, elevation climb, rain, and mud made this trek harder than it should have been and has convinced the Wife that she does not like hiking/trekking.  Part way up she said she seriously felt like clubbing someone with her walking stick (this isn't the first time she's thought violent thoughts while hiking - the first time I am aware off being during our Grand Canyon death march in 1998).  I, on the other hand, did so well, much better than I'd expected I would, that it has just reinforced my enjoyment of trekking/hiking.  I hope to return to Bhutan someday to do some real trekking ... and, unless she changes her mind, most likely without the Wife.

Pictures from day twenty-four (07/15/2012) can be found in my 2012-07 Bhutan Google Photos album.  I took a lot of pictures of the Tiger's Nest but have limited to three or four of the best.

Our 2012 Asian Adventure continues ...

2012 Asian Adventure - Paro

Day Twenty-Three

We were heading back to Paro this morning but first we stopped at the center of both the Government and the Buddhist religion in Bhutan, Tashichho Dzong.  A dzong is a fortress or, more specifically, a style of fortress architecture.  The building is impressive.  We waited at the entrance during a changing of the guard (Bhutan does have an army) before entering.  We entered the temple off of the courtyard and admired the decoration.  Like in Tibet, photography is not alloyed inside temples.

A monk spins prayer wheels at Tashichho Dzong.

After visiting the dzong we left Thimphu the same way we got there.  The drive back to Paro was just as beautiful and interesting as a couple days before.

In Paro, a rather small town, location of both the main airport and the main tourist attraction (the Tiger's Nest temple), our first visit was to the national museum.  Located in a seven story lookout tower overlooking the Paro Rinphung Dzong, the museum was damaged during a 2011 earthquake.  Some of the exhibits had been moved to a modern building adjacent to the museum.  The museum was interesting but it was obvious that only a small part of the museum's collection was exhibited.

Paro Rinpung Dzong (The national museum can be seen in the upper right corner).

After exploring the exhibits we walked down hill to the Paro Rinpung Dzong.  We entered and explored the beautifully decorated Buddhist fortress.  Off of the main temple was a balcony from which you could see Paro and the surrounding valley.

View of Paro from Paro Rinpung Dzong.

We left the Dzong and wandered down the hill and across a bridge to our waiting driver.  We drove into Paro and stopped for lunch in a small restaurant that felt local though there were a few ... scruffy foreigners there as well.  I realize now that I write this that I missed this in Nepal.  In China and Bhutan our noon meals were incorporated into the touring.  In China it was a time to talk with the rest of the group and compare notes, as it were, of the trip so far.  In Nepal we were on our own for meals every day. In Bhutan we ate with our guide, not exactly like China, but I liked that interruption of the touring day.

After we left the restaurant we were crossing the street when the Wife saw a toad in the middle of the street. The guide saw it too and, while the driver was stopping traffic, she scooped the toad up on a piece of paper and carefully placed it in the grass next to the side of the street.  We all smiled as we did this - nothing like a little good Karma.

Our last stop of the day was a temple overlooking Paro.  Kyichu Lhakhang, a seventh century temple, is the oldest in Paro.  By this time I was a little templed out.  If it wasn't special like the Tiger's Nest or Potala it was just another beautiful temple.

By this time, early afternoon, we were ready to settle down so we headed to our hotel.  I think our guide thought we were ending it a little too soon but the Wife and I were quite happy with what we'd seen this day.

The lobby of our incredible Paro hotel.

We checked into our gorgeous hotel, run by an Australian couple I believe, and settled into our large room with views of the Paro river and the green hills.  We did some laundry and went out to walk the grounds of the hotel.  The hotel was outside of Paro and was spread out on a nice chunk of land.  The hotel had gardens, a spa, and a tea room.  As we walked around we soon were surrounded my the hotel dogs.  Being the unwilling dog whisperer I am I soon became the head of a small pack who escorted us around the grounds.

The rest of the evening consisted in a nice dinner in the almost empty dinning room - it was the off season and we were among the few who came here during the monsoon season.  We were excited about the next day as it would be one of the highlights of the trip - the Tiger's Nest.

Pictures from day twenty-three (07/14/2012) can be found in my 2012-07 Bhutan Google Photos album.

Our 2012 Asian Adventure continues ...

2012 Asian Adventure - Thimphu

Day Twenty-Two

On our first full day in Bhutan we toured the capital city of Thimphu.  First of many stops for the day was a stupa built in the Tibetan style.  The Bhutanese stupas are square pillars.  Nepalese stupas are square on top on a round base with eyes (representing Buddha) on the four sides.  Tibetan stupas are rounded.

Our car took us up the valley wall to the largest statue of Buddha I've ever seen.  Parts of it were still under construction but the Buddha itself was complete and looked out over the Thimphu valley.  The Buddha is 169 feet (51.5 m) tall an is actually the 17^th tallest Buddha in the world - I have a few more to see.

A large statue of Buddha overlooking Thimphu.

As we walked around and looked at the huge statue we were followed by dogs.  Bhutan was full of wild dogs.  Every one we saw was well fed though they could have used some grooming.  Bhutan, being an Buddhist nation, does not kill animals except for food.  Dogs are not eaten.  Over the next few days we would run into too many dogs to count.

On the way down the hill we stopped at an overlook where we could see most of Thimphu.  The city looked more like a large town and I kind of liked that after the sprawl of Kathmandu.  On the sides of the valley you could see strings of prayer flags.  Colored flags are for religious purposes.  White flags are strung up in memory of a loved one who had passed on.  The prayer flags were everywhere.

The city of Thimphu from an overlook.

Back down into the city, we made our way to Changangkha Lhakhang, a twelfth century temple.  It was interesting to see our guide observe her religious tradition - every temple, including this one, she would do the ritual prostration, ask the attending monk for a blessing, and make an offering of money.  None of our other guides were practitioners of their religion while they were taking us around.

Prayer wheels at Changangkha Lhakhang. (The hand is our guide's)

Next stop was the Motithang Bhutan Takin Preserve.  The takin is the national animal of Bhutan.  It looks like a cross between a goat and a cow.  The story goes that a monk known as the Divine Madman was asked to perform a miracle.  He said he would show them one but he needed a goat and a cow.  When they brought them he ate them both.  He then gathered the bones together, gave a command, and the Takin came to life.  Normally the takin run wild but, being afraid they would be hit by vehicles if they wondered into town, they were rounded up and placed in a very large and comfortable looking pen where they are fed and taken care of.  This was my second new animal I saw this trip, the first being the Panda in China.

The Takin - the Bhutanese national animal.

The next two stops were a convent and a monastery   It was refreshing to see all the young nuns and monks. In Tibet, where becoming a monk or nun is restricted and controlled by the Chinese government, we saw very few young monks and nuns.  In Bhutan they were very common.

Young Buddhist monks.

Next on the busy schedule was a visit to the national library where we saw art and a large collection of Buddhist texts.  In the collection is the largest published book in the world (5' x 7', 133 lbs), "Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom" - yes, it is listed on Amazon for a mere $249.85 for a used copy.

After the Library we went to a typical traditional Bhutanese home that had been converted into a museum.  We toured the three story house.  The first story was for animals.  The second floor was for food/grain storage.  The third story was the living area of the house and included a small Buddhist shrine.  The house was similar to some of teh rural homes we passed in Nepal.  One shocking detail that we saw at the museum, and all over Bhutan, were the phallic symbols either hanging from the corner of the eaves or painted on the corners of the house. The phallic symbol is a way of saying "keep away, this house is mine."   It was all over the place in Bhutan and was a little shocking at first.

We walked to a nearby store and did some shopping before eating lunch.  Bhutanese food was generally good.  Spices had to be toned down a bit for us and there were a lot of vegetarian dishes.  I was well fed in Bhutan.

After lunch we went to the first of two shopping stops on our itinerary - a paper factory.   We toured the little handmade paper factory learning how fibers are turned into paper.  The Wife has made paper before and much of what they did was similar to what she used to do just at a larger scale.  I bought a cool dragon hanging and a couple postcards made on the paper.

It was too early for our next stop so we took a detour and stopped at an archery range.  Archery is Bhutan's national sport.  We sat, out of the drizzle that had started to fall, with the small group of spectators and watched two teams at either end of the archery range.  Half of each team was at each end.  After an archer shot an arrow the members of his team at the other end would let him know how close his shot was.  This usually consisted of his team members doing a little dance around the target and singing after each shot.  It was fun.  While this could have been touristy, this felt like a bunch of guys shooting arrows over their lunch break.

The very clean food market in Thimphu.

From the archery range we went to a food market.  It reminded me of food markets of my youth in Guatemala except that it was very clean.  Most of the food was fruits and vegetables but there was meat as well.  Next to the food market was the spice and incense market.

Incense.  Found in every temple.  Made it hard to breath in places.

Last stop of the day was a textile museum where we learned about the national costume and the intricate woven fabrics of Bhutan.  The outfits, almost a uniform for the Bhutanese service sector, are not cheap.  This museum, like every one I've been to, exited through a store.

We were dropped off at the hotel late afternoon.  We crossed the street from the hotel to some stores to look at the Bhutanese crafts.  One thing the Wife had had her eye on all day were the Buddhist horns.  The horns, used during Buddhist ceremonies, are around six foot long.  Fortunately for us the horns collapse like a telescope down to a manageable two feet.  (The Wife was good to her word and carried all her bigger items, the horn and the terracotta soldiers, most of the way home in her carry-on.)

We had dinner in the hotel that night and watched a slightly different folkloric dance.  This day had felt more like our China tour days.  It was full of interesting things and we were tired at the end of the day, exactly what I want on a good travel day.

Pictures from day twenty-two (07/13/2012) can be found in my 2012-07 Bhutan Google Photos album.

Our 2012 Asian Adventure continues ...

2012 Asian Adventure - Approaching The Death Star

Day Twenty-One

Getting out of Nepal was a pain.  We went through security - twice.  We were felt up - twice.  They went through our bags - twice.  They made the Wife unpack her carry-on including opening up the terracotta soldier box which had been neatly wrapped.  It's going to be hard to complain about the TSA after the Nepal airport security.

After Nepal I needed something to pick me up.  Bhutan turned out to be exactly what I needed.

It started with a morning flight (flight number ten) to Paro, Bhutan.  After our second flyby of mount Everest we approached Paro airport.  There is something you should know about the airport in Paro.  By some accounts, like this article from the Daily Mail, the Paro airport is one of the most difficult airport approaches in the world and there are only eight pilots qualified to fly into the airport.  As we flew in the plane banked left and right as it wended its way through the Paro river valley.  Looking out the window you could see just how close we were to the hills.  It felt like you could reach out the window and touch the hills.  This wasn't a small plane - this was a full size Airbus A319 passenger jet.  At one point I said to the Wife that it felt like we were getting ready to attack the Death Star - this made a few people in nearby seats chuckle.  It was probably the most exhilarating commercial jet landing I've ever experienced.

We arrived at the airport early, went through customs and grabbed our bags and went outside.  Our guide was not there since our flight was a full half hour early to the airport.  As we waited several airport employees politely asked us if they could help.  Once again we had no contact information for our guide so there really wasn't anything they or we could do.  Our guide, a twenty-something young lady and her driver showed up on time.

After apologizing profusely, and the Wife and I telling her it wasn't their fault as we were early, we left the airport and started driving to the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu.  Thimphu is about an hour drive from Paro.  The road reminded me of I-70 through Colorado.  The green mountains were beautiful.  There were rive paddies and farm fields where the valley was wide enough.

We stopped near a foot bridge that crossed the Paro river and led up to a Buddhist temple.  The temple was not open to foreigners but it allowed our guide to give us some information about Bhutan.  Bhutan is a Buddhist nation (Nepal is 80% Hindu).  She described the architectural style that is pretty much mandated by the government.  She pointed out a red/brown band around the bridge towers and the temple.  The band indicated it was a religious structure.

The red/brown band signifies a religious structure.

There were two bridges, one for people and one for horses.  The people's bridge used chain link fencing for the walkway.  The Wife who is a little squeamish on bridges, especially swaying, rickety ones which you ca see through, was a little unsure but the guide took her hand and calmly walked her across.  To make it more special, the guide did it wearing high heels!  We returned to the other side of the river over the more stable wooden walkway of the horse bridge.

The foot bridge over the Paro River as seen from the horse bridge.

We stopped at another bridge and we walked across where the Paro and Thimphu rivers merge.  On the shore north of the convergence there were three stupa - each stupa was in a different style (Nepalese, Tibetan, Bhutanese).  Back in the car we finished the drive to Thimphu and we were taken to our hotel.

Our hotel was one of the most impressive I've ever been in.  We were sharing it with a World Bank conference.  Our guide handed us over to a hotel representative you offered us tea and a cool, moist towel.  She gave us a short tour of the facilities before taking us to a small Buddhist shrine where a Monk blessed us and tied a Sungkeye (a yellow cord, usually worn around the neck) around our wrists.  The cord is knotted after it is blessed and will help protect the wearer and ward off evil spirits.  After our blessing we went to our room to freshen up.

After relaxing a bit we walked to some stalls selling Bhutanese handicrafts.  I was ready to walk the gauntlet of sales people but was pleasantly surprised when not of the shop keepers approached us unsolicited.  If we showed interest they would politely ask if we needed help.  It was like this all along the block long row of stalls.  It was a delightful shopping experience.

There were two restaurants in the hotel - a fancy one and a less fancy one.  Frankly, the less-fancy one felt a bit fancy to me.  We chose the less fancy one as it didn't require reservations like the fancy one did.  I can't remember what I ate but I do remember it was good.  After dinner we watched a nightly folkloric dance and music show in the restaurant (none of my pictures came out as they were moving a lot and it was a bit dim in the restaurant).

Bhutan was so different from Nepal.  It was quiet, clean, polite, and uncrowded.  Bhutan's population is just over 700,000 people which is less than that of Omaha and it's surrounding suburbs.  Everyone who works in the tourism and commercial businesses in Bhutan are required to wear traditional garb.  There is a strict building code that limits building to no more than five stories and they must all have traditional styling.  While this sounds a bit harsh it gives everything a cohesive, orderly feel and everyone seems happy and content.  In 2008 the King declared the first democratic elections would be held in Bhutan and then abdicated his throne to his son.  His son became the youngest king in the world at the time.  The new king  seems very down to earth and very popular.

Our first day in Bhutan, actually a half day, was wonderful. Even though we really didn't do much that day it still felt like we'd done more than any of our half days in Nepal.  I think the beauty of the place kept me mesmerized.  You could feel the difference in the air.  It's kind of hard to explain.  All I can say is the next three days would be great and on our first day I was already dreaming about coming back to Bhutan some day.

Pictures from day twenty-one (07/12/2012) can be found in my 2012-07 Bhutan Google Photos album.

Our 2012 Asian Adventure continues ...

Almost Home ...

My body got back from our trip yesterday noon, central standard time.  My mind is still somewhere a hemisphere away.  I don't expect it to get home until the jet lag abates sometime later this week ... I hope.

Our travels took us through China, Nepal, Bhutan, and India as I mentioned last post ... over a month ago ... and it turned out to be an incredible experience.  I had high expectations for the places we were going to see and low expectations about the weather.  To my surprise and, frankly, utter joy, everywhere either met or exceeded my expectations and the weather - it was the middle of monsoon season there - did not interfere with any of our activities ... not a one.

The first half of the trip, the China portion, was with a tour group.  Based on our two previous tours (Peru and Jordan) you either got a good group or you didn't.  It was a 50-50 chance.  Once again luck smiled on us and we ended up with an awesome group of people.

The other half of the trip were private tours - just me, the Wife, a guide, and a driver.  I'd had some apprehension going into this part of our tour.  I like the dynamics of a group.  It turned out that the private tours have their benefits.  We rearranged a few things in Nepal and India that we probably couldn't have done with a group.  So, which is better a group or private?  I think it's a wash ... but I think I prefer groups.

If you've read Homer's Travels for long then you know I can often find the negative in most positive situations.  There were few negatives in this trip.  Three of them stick out in my mind.  The lay over in Chengdu on the way to Kathmandu felt awkward.  Kathmandu, while full of interesting things, came up a little short.  By the time we'd reached India I was starting to run down and I think I didn't tackle the country with the enthusiasm I had in China.

The big surprise for me was how much I liked Bhutan.  I liked it so much I'm hesitant to talk about it as more tourism will eventually spoil the beauty of the place.

I will start posting the details of the trip in a week or so.  I want to go through the over 3,500 pictures I took before I start writing.  Yeah ... That may take me a while.  Patience is a virtue, you know.

And Away We Go ...

We are off to to see the wonders of Asia ... or at least some of the wonders.  By the time you read this we will be somewhere between Omaha and Shanghai on our way to our most ambitious vacation yet.

We decided to take this trip almost a year ago and only a few days after returning from out Route 66 vacation (I posted about it here).  The original plan strung together three General Tours tours taking us to China, Tibet, Nepal, and India.  This plan was pretty solid until about three weeks ago when China changed one of it's rules.  China declared that all tours entering Tibet must be of at least five people.  The middle tour, the one that would have taken us overland from Lhasa, Tibet to Nepal via the Everest base camp, was affected by the rule change.  This portion of our trip was a private tour (just me, the Wife, a tour guide, and a driver) so we didn't meet the five person minimum.  There was a week of scrambling as we were offered options by the tour company and we made an offer of our own.  The tour company offered to add additional cities in China to our tour.  We suggested adding Bhutan to the tour.  In the end our Bhutanese addition worked out.

Here is the Itinerary ... with only a few of the things we will see and do:

• China
• Shanghai
• Yangtze River Cruise (three days with shore visits along the way)
• Lhasa, Tibet (Yes, we will still visit Lhasa with our larger China tour group)
• Chengdu (Here we help feed the Pandas)
• Xi'an (Terracotta Soldiers)
• Beijing (Tienanmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall)

• Nepal
• Kathmandu (Four days here and in surrounding areas) 

• Bhutan
• Thimphu (Capital of Bhutan, Cultural places)
• Paro (Tiger's Nest Monastery)

• India
• Delhi/New Delhi (Tour the Cities)
• Agra (Taj Mahal)
• Jaipur (Ride the Elephant up to the Amber Palace)

The whole trip from airport to airport is thirty-two days, the longest vacation we've ever done together.  The only question mark will be the weather as it's monsoon season.  Frankly, I don't care.  My new camera is waterproof.   I am ready to see wonders, rain or shine.  Turns out, right now it's cooler in Shanghai than in Omaha.  And, frankly, I can't do anything about the weather so we'll just have to work around it.

Another thing I was concerned about was altitude.  Turns out Kathmandu (4,600 ft - 1,400 m), Thimphu (7,656 ft - 2,320 m), and Paro (7,300 ft - 2,200 m) are all at lower elevations than most of the places we went to in Peru including Machu Picchu (8,040 ft - 2,450 m). Lhasa (11,450 ft - 3,490 m) will be up there close to the same altitude as Cuzco, Peru.  Since the only issue with altitude in Peru was a headache for a day and general tiredness, I am no longer concerned about altitude.  The hardest day will be the hike up to the Tiger's Nest which is on the last day of the high altitude portion of our trip.  This should give us plenty of time to acclimatize.  We just have to take things slow and I think we'll be fine.

This is going to be an awesome vacation.  I know it will be the unplanned, unexpected things that will make this vacation special.  I will not be posting while I'm traveling (here or on Facebook) - only the occasional email to the families.  I'll have a lot of pictures and stories to post about when we get home.