Dec 7, 2008 - Bhutan December 1-7, 2008

Still trying to get caught up - today is 12/17, we're in India and we've been kept very busy - more on India later. Our trip to Bhutan started out a bit delayed. There is only one airport in Bhutan and only one airline (Druk Air) and the airline has only 2 planes, one of which was stuck in the Bangkok airport because of the problems there, so their 1 plane was doing all the work. We were delayed 6 hours in Kolkata airport. I was glad to have a deck of cards,it helped to pass the time. Once we finally got going I was very impressed with...

Nov 11, 2008 - Thimphu (Tim Poo)

Nov. 10th – Airport and Thimphu It’s off to the airport this morning to pick up all 11 people that make up the rest of our group. It’s been a lot of fun travelling in a group of 3 and I’m a little apprehensive about travelling in such a large group. There’s 14 of us all together plus Pema and our driver. We are now upgrading from our little SUV to a shuttle bus. As the groups spills out of the airport, my first impression is that most of them will be a lot of fun. We have a relatively young group especially when compared to some of the more...

Oct 11, 2008 - Thimphu Tsechu

On Friday, we went to the Thimphu Tsechu with Dorji and Kezang (Jennifer's friend from work) that was held at the local monestary. This was the first year that the Tsechu was held in a new stadium with tiered seating and when the sun peaks out....it is very hot....especially in the traditional Gho and Kira. We were lucky enough to get upstairs in a covered area where the important people are. Thanks to Doriji who know everyone. We had a great time and then afterwards, we found an area covered with trees and had our lunch. We made p-nut...

Sep 29, 2008 - Bhutan

Kuzuzambu la! Hello! We are finally in Bhutan. We arrive on the 29th....and when we walked out of the airport...the taxi drivers didn't even open their sign to us. We kept looking around to see a sign with our names...but no signs were visible. Later, we found out that they thought we were Bhutanese. The flight attendants kept asking me (Jennifer) if I was from Bhutan..even the hospital staff think I am Bhutanese. Funny! The ambulance met us at the airport, but our luggage was transported in the ambulance and we were in a pick-up. Going to...

Apr 16, 2008 - Bhutan - The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon

By Elizabeth “Certainly travel is more than seeing the sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard Bhutan is a remote, little-visited country in the Himalayan Mountains. Right up front it sets itself apart from other countries in the world by requiring all tourists to travel on a government sanctioned tour – what they call “limited high-value, low-impact tourism” (at a mandated rate of $200 per person per day – quite steep, but it covers hotels, food, the tour guide, driver, and admission...

Mar 16, 2007 - Hot stones, chillies and Dzongs

After seeing all the sites in Paro we made our way to Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan which is no bigger than a small town. I was staying at the house of Kesang, the lady who organized my trip. During my stay here Kesang made me feel like part of the family. I was served delicious Bhutanese food made by her niece with lots of chilies. Chilies are not used a spice in Bhutan but rather served as a vegetable, often in a cheese sauce. Once you get used to it they are quite delicious, although once in a while you get a sneaky extra hot one that...

Mar 15, 2007 - Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon

The title of my travel journal is the Buddhist saying "If not now, when?" With this in mind I decided to come to Bhutan. Who knows when I would get the opportunity to come this way again? I have wanted to come here for many years after seeing a documentary on the country a long time ago. The reason for any hesitation is the sheer cost, five days in Bhutan costs more than two months in India. This is the way that the Bhutanese government has of keeping the tourists out and I whole-heartedly support it. Bhutan is a unique and special place...

Nov 8, 2006 - back in the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu

Hello all. It is Wed at 4:30 pm here and we just arrived back in the capital from our long journey to the country side. Since I last wrote we have visited the Flaming Lake which is really a deep gorge of a river considered sacred because of something involving flame and treasure finding in the 1400s. It was a beautiful place to hike. Jamie and I then had the opportunity to spend an hour walking around the village of Boomthang and we both feel it was one of the best hours of the trip. We saw the theatre multiplex- 2 corrugated metal...

Nov 1, 2006 - News from Bhutan

Hello all. We have arrived safely after our long journey from Detroit to Chicago to Tokyo to Bangkok. The brand new airport in Bangkok was gorgeous and so was the hotel we enjoyed for our 6 hour stay. We flew out yesterday morning on Druk air which is the only airline for Bhutan. Our flight made a stop in Dhaka, Bangladesh- a very flat, somewhat flooded, and sad looking place. We stayed on the plane for this brief stop. The flight was gorgeous after that as we came to the Himalayan mountains of Bhutan and landed in a narrow low valley. Our...

Jun 30, 2006 - Bhutan

Where is Bhutan? Good question! Smack dab in the middle of the giants of China and India in the glorious Himalaya mountains. One of the last remaining monarchies, Bhutan is ruled by an Oxford educated king who carefully selects which outside influences his kingdom of 700,000 people are exposed to. For instance, he only allowed Bhutan to have televisions and internet access in the year 2000. All of people are required to wear traditional dress- for men the gho (which looks a bit like a bathrob) and for women the kira- a very long wrapped...

Nov 13, 2005 - Bhutan - Punakha

Today we drove over winding mountain roads to the small town of Punakha. Halfway through the day we stopped to visit a group of 108 Chortens, built to commemorate soldiers that died as a result of Indian terrorists in 2002. After a short visit to the monument we stopped for lunch at a café with a stunning panoramic view of the Himalayas. On the way from the cafe to Punakha we visited Chimi Lhakhang, built by Bhutan's revered 'Divine Madman' Drukpa Kunley, then continued on to Punakha where we paid a visit to the Dzong that is the winter...

Nov 11, 2005 - Bhutan - Thimphu

Woke up early today to make the 1 ½ hour drive from Paro to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. The road was narrow and curving, but my driver was more than equal to the task. The only nervous moment was squeezing by a fuel truck that had nearly gone over the cliff due to a flat tire. Lovely. The countryside is beautiful, mixed alpine forests along step valleys with incredibly clear, fast moving and shallow rivers at the bottoms. All along the way are dotted the traditional white houses with their colorfully painted woodwork. On arriving in...