Arrived in Paro

After I finally arrived at the hotel, I took a shower to relax after 8 hours of travel. My guide called me. Apparently they did not have a room and he suggested that we drive to Paro that evening. I immediately asked how long that would take. His response was 2 hours.

Now Palden has a history of being off on travel time by 100%, so I assumed it was 4 hours. Not something I would like to do, especially on windy roads at night. I said to look for other options and if all else fails, I would go. Thanks goodness they found a room in town. It turned out to be a 5 1/2 hour drive.... I am not sure if he is lying or is just clueless. I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Before we started our journey the next day, we hiked to the monastery above the town. I wanted to beat the tourists, as usual, so we started out at 7:15am. It was a beautiful hike and the monastery was spectacular. On our way down we met a guy, who laughed and said I must of caught the worm (the early bird catches the worm). I just feel that crowds at the monastery take away from the spiritual and peaceful feeling you get when you walk in the door.

After another exhausting travel day, I have changed my plans about driving to Haa Valley. There is no way I will get into that car for another drive. Yesterday I was on the brink of getting sick with the bumps and turns. Numga (I have been calling him Numgi for a week before I realized I was wrong) is a very slow driver. I am not sure if that helps or hurts. You definitely feel every bump. I was watching the speedometer and he was driving 25 miles per hour. I wanted to put my foot on the gas pedal for him.

I will visit the monasteries and take a hike tomorrow. I am excited about the next two days of the Tiger's Nest and another Hot Bath and the festival. I am glad to be at the tail end of the trip and ready to move on to India for two busy days of sightseeing.

Namaste, Paula