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

8 Hours on the Road

We started out at 8:30am and finally reached our destination at 4pm. It was a very long and difficult drive. It is windy and bumpy and I am in the backseat. I am actually surprised that I am not getting car sick.

We did make a few stops and saw two Fortresses. They were something to see. I arrived in time to join the chanting, which is so peaceful. The overall scenery was breathtaking, so I am definitely glad we did the trip to the central area of Bhutan.

I met a few people from CA. It as nice to talk, although I am really glad I am not with a group. I customized my tour and listening to their itinerary, I am glad I did.

I am learning a lot about Bhutan. There was a very ecentric Llama, who used sexual conduct to make a point about attachment. Based on that, many of the buildings have penises on them. They are not just penises, they are hairy penises. Need I say more.

Not much more to say other than I finished my bottle of wine when I arrived. It was a long day and tomorrow we hike to the stuppa.

Namaste, Paula

On the Road Again

Last night I met a couple women that work for the queen mother. They really helped in understanding the history of the Monarchy. They work with a non-profit against abuse in Bhutan. Apparently it does exist and it is only recently that something is being done about it. They have opened one safe house and it is filled up with mostly children. I guess even Buddhists stray, even though they fear the bad karma.

We started out early for the drive back to Trongsa. It is a beautiful drive through the villages. It only took 1/2 of the day; there were less road closures. I have checked into the hotel and I have a fantastic view of the forest and Fort. It is a really nice hotel. They even have computers, which is why this blog is so long.

We visited the Fort and Museum in the area, which are spectacular. We were lucky and arrived at one of the monasteries in the Fort while they were doing their musical chant. Apparently there are no words, just all the instruments are playing: many types of horns, drums, sea shell, etc.. It was something to see.

Palden and I walked from the Fort to the Museum and back to the hotel. It was a steep walk up but a pleasant walk back. I am really working on my steps, since I have really been lazy this trip.

Tonight my plan is to finish my bottle of wine and enjoy the view. This is such a nice hotel to relax. Tomorrow is another 1/2 day drive.

Namaste, Paula

Walking to Monasteries

The day ended with a very costly mistake. I broke my computer. I am typing this on my iPhone. I haven't finished paying for my computer yet;think I may cry . As my guide said, I have used up some negative karma;that has to be good. It is going to be a short blog.

We spent the day walking from monastery to monastery it was an easy walk and the monasteries are beautiful. I will say that I am a little bored with Bhutan. It is too organized for me. Everyone wears the same clothes,the houses are alike,and not much energy.
I think I would leave if I could but it would cost a fortune. Besides, I still have the 12 hour drive back to Paro.
The mother queen was at the hotel again for a meeting and the whole hotel was focused on the event. Guests were sent to our rooms. Good thing we had stopped at a brewery. I was set with my bottle of beer.
We did go to the burning lake and it was very peaceful. There was a Llama from Taiwan chanting and it was beautiful.
Don't get me wrong Bhutan is wonderful and I am glad I came. I guess 7 days would have been ok.
Tomorrow is more driving. Hope I can find a computer.
Namaste. Paula

busy busy

It has been a couple days because I did not have access to Internet. I was in a beautiful valley at a hotel with hot water bottles and wood fireplaces. It was beautiful, although the 8-hour drive on very windy, bumpy and one-lane roads was a bit tiring.

The valley is where the black neck cranes, an endangered species live. This is the off-season, so I was very lucky to see them close up. We had to hike to see them and we ran across the Road Scholars group and we had to try and pass them. We were lucky we did because by the time they got to the spot, the cranes had moved.

My guide keeps telling everyone that I walk so fast; he can’t keep up. My driver was just starting to take a nap, when we returned from our hike to the monastery. He was startled, because he thought we would be a couple hours. They are just starting to get to know me…..

I did get a chance to meet some people on my journey. The Road Scholars group is from all over US and Canada. They are 60 to 80 years in age and mostly women. I think at 75 I may decide to use this group when I want to travel. What do you guys think??

Besides seeing all the monasteries and hiking through beautiful farmland, we really relaxed. I am trying to get my 10000 steps in to prepare for the big hike later in the week. I feel very lazy these days. I used my exercise bands once. So glad I am carrying them all over with me.

Today is another travel day of 8 hours and the only thing keeping me going is that the hotel, where we are staying, has a hot stone bath. We finally arrived at 4pm and just after we arrived the Queen Mother arrived. You can imagine the uproar, when she arrived unannounced. Apparently she owns the hotel and she is checking it out. It is a really nice place out in the rural area.

My guide made sure I stood when she passed and she kept telling me to sit; I did not know what to do since it is my first time in front of royalty. She is one of the four wives of the 4^th King. She seems pretty businesslike and she is very beautiful.

She asked me how I liked Bhutan and I talked about her textile museum, which is really beautiful. I think I made a good impression for the USA.

I almost didn’t get my hot stone bath because of the commotion. I now understand that my guide, although a great guy, is not aggressive enough. He definitely is learning from me (or embarrassed by me). I asked again and now my bath is at 8:30pm this evening. Perfect timing to take a bath and go to bed.

Tomorrow is visiting all the monasteries and forts. It should be a great day.

Namaste, Paula

A Packed Day

It was a busy day today. I finally had a good nights sleep. I seem to be recuperating from the smog in Kathmandu. The bed is so comfortable compared to the normal Nepali beds.

We had a major sightseeing day. Bhutan is beautiful, but full of tourists. I guess I had assumed that there would not be a lot of tourists and was I ever wrong. I am trying to beat the big tourist bus so I can enjoy the scenery.

Interesting facts about Bhutan: Since the population is all Buddhist, they have little theft and really no killings. There is a speed limit, but there is no police monitoring it because everyone follows it. I guess we could learn something from the Bhutan society.

We started out at a beautiful old monastery. Apparently you can roll the dice to see if you are lucky. I hit 13, which is very lucky and happens to be my lucky number. What a great start to the day.

In each monastery they have you take some healing water. You drink some and put the rest over your head. It is to heal you inside and out. I think I am starting to feel better and I am assuming the water is healing me.

After we left there we visited a nunnery. The girls were practicing their Mantras. The Mantras are very long and most monks or nuns know them by heart. They were printing mantras on handmade paper on to but in the statues.

Next we visited a paper mill, a textile museum, market, and an art school. The art school is amazing. The kids learn painting, sculpture, embroidery, woodwork, etc. We were able to visit all the classrooms.

The market was something to see. I bought pepper (red and black) and incense. The incense is sold in large bags because they put it in their special fireplace. The produce was amazing. The only non-vegetable was dried fish, although many eat meat.

Prices in general are much higher than Nepal. I doubt that I will be buying too much, but I do hope to get some weaving.

All this sightseeing was before lunch!!!

After lunch we went out to one of the oldest monasteries up in the hillside. It was a steep one-hour walk up, but worth the effort. There are about 30 select monks that live and go to school up there. The area is very holy. You can see caves in the hillside where the monks meditate. You can see all of Thimphu from the top.

I was lucky and caught an archery contest when I returned. The prince was in the competition. I finally realized that all these pictures around town are not models for a certain product; they are the King and Queen. A really good looking couple.

Last and definitely not least was my massage. Two women worked on me at the same time. I guess it would be a guys dream. They used this great lotion. When they were done, they sent me to the sauna, steam room, and shower. It was one of the best overall massages I have had. Not deep tissue, but definitely relaxing.

Tonight is hair night. Definitely see the grey. It is real easy to do it myself, especially since I have light.

I will sleep like a baby tonight.

Namaste, Paula

Let me introduce Palden, my guide, and Numguy, my driver. They are wonderful and I am confident I will see everything there is to see in Bhutan.

Yesterday was a terrific day. We were able to see most of Thimbu, the capitol of Bhutan. It is amazing how small it is. I am not sure of the exact population but it must be very small.

Everything is so clean in Bhutan compared to Nepal. Apparently the entire population of Bhutan is Buddhist and is governed by a President and King. A few years ago Bhutan became a democratic society based on the King wanting what is best for the people. They truly practice the Buddha Way.

Note:

I put a number of pictures on facebook of Nepal, including:

The Kopan Monastery

The Orphanage

My place at Tara's

And more

Hope you enjoy them.

Namaste, Paula