Flash update: On board with the King and Queen?

We went with Guy and Pascale to the Paro airport, since their flight to Delhi and ours to Bangkok were leaving at roughly the same time. There was quite a bit of excitement in the airport when we arrived, and we quickly heard a rumor that the king and his new queen also would be flying on the Delhi flight! We later read in the local newspaper that the royal couple was indeed leaving for their first state visit to India.

They reversed the scheduled order of the flights so that the Delhi flight, which had been scheduled for second, boarded first.. We said good-bye to Guy and Pascale and watched the Delhi passengers board while all us Bangkok passengers crowded up at the window to watch the action. We couldn't really see clearly, as the stairway was on the other side of the plane from us.  But when the Delhi plane left and we finally boarded our flight, we saw a line-up of several dozen officials along a red carpet leading from a side airport entrance to where the Delhi jet had been.

We now are in Hong Kong waiting anxiously to get word from Guy and Pascale as to their ride with the king and queen.  Imagine - royalty still flies commercial in some parts of the world! My theory is that they wouldn't trust a private pilot to go in and out of that airport, and only trust the experienced pilots of Druk Air, Bhutan's national airlines. I wonder - did they work the aisles, like at the wedding reception we saw at the stadium? Or did they have a special area, separated by a curtain, perhaps? How exactly does royalty fly commercial? We'll post an update once we know more!

-- Donna

Remember: you can click on the photos to get a bigger image.

Our last full day

We were incredibly lucky today to have the most glorious weather for our hike to the famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery.  Yesterday it had rained most of the day, which didn’t bother us since we were in transit, but it made the Tiger’s Nest hike difficult for those who were a day ahead of us on the circuit.  We, instead, awoke to a beautiful mist which looked almost magical, and which kept us cool for the ascent, but then cleared by the time we were at the top for sensational views.  I attribute this amazingly perfect weather to the fact that Lenny is still wearing his good luck red and blue strings from our earlier blessings.

It is hard to describe how incredible this place is.  It is a series of buildings seemingly glued to the edge of an inaccessible cliff.  One cannot imagine how they could have been built.  You see them across an enormous canyon, and it seems like it would be impossible to get there.  In reality the path there is wide and not treacherous feeling at all.  But it definitely is difficult as you have to ascend approximately 2700 feet at very high altitude (from 7000 to 10,000 feet).  You trudge up for several hours.  (In my case anyway; the others were a bit faster.)  Once you are across from the monastery, you start descending, then ascending again on over 800 steps.  You pass a giant waterfall and go over a bridge before you start up again.  You finally reach a staging area where you must leave your packs, cameras and mobile phones behind.  But then you continue up on even more steps to explore the monastery. 
This site is one of the most visited in Bhutan, and we were in a pretty constant stream of other tourists.  Most went up like we did, on our own two legs, but others rode on the backs of pack animals – I wasn’t quite sure if they were donkeys, mules or ponies.   I much preferred being under my own steam than on the back of an animal,  given the steepness and muddiness of the trail. 

At the top we went into two of the temples.  In spite of all the tourists, these are “working temples” and we saw lots of young monks around, either just milling about or busy chanting in the holiest areas.  Their mantras made the experience feel “other worldly”.

After almost an hour at the top we headed back down, which unfortunately actually meant going up a whole bunch of those 800 steps.  I didn’t think either my lungs or my legs could handle one more step, but eventually I made it.  The rest of the descent was smooth, although it was long, and I have to say that I was impressed at the ground we had covered.  There is no doubt that visiting the Tiger’s Nest was the highlight of our trip, and definitely an amazing life experience.

After lunch we decided to try our hand at archery.  Our guide got a traditional bow for us rather than one of the high-tech kinds that we had seen in use on the first day.  We had a contest between the French team, the Bhutanese team (guide and driver) and the American team; a mini-Olympics you might say.  I’m happy to report that the American team won first place with two direct hits on the target.  Guy gets an honorary mention for his shot that went straight into a tree rather than the target.

We now will have a massage, a lecture on Buddhism, and our farewell dinner before heading home tomorrow.

-- Donna

PS: You can click on any photo to see a slideshow of larger images from that post.

The last lodge

We’re back in Paro after a week away, and they intentionally assigned us the same room as our first stay.  That’s another example of fine Aman service.  (Jess: you’d like the Aman level service!)

I had been dreading today, as most of it was in the car traveling from Punakha.  But it wasn’t so bad, even though it rained most of the day.  I do admit that I’ve been fantasizing about helicopters a lot.  I even had the manager of the last lodge investigate chartering one for us to come back here.  I told the manager tonight that Aman is missing a big opportunity to upsell people to heli-transport from lodge to lodge.  It’s a big idea – I’m sure of it!

After leaving Punakha early we journeyed first to Thimpu, where we had stayed earlier in the trip.  You see, there is basically one east-west road.  So you always find yourself back in the same places, more-or-less. 

There isn’t more than a few hundred yards anywhere on this road that is straight.  The road protocol is quite interesting.  If you want to pass someone, you come close behind them and give a little beep on your horn.  Then, apparently, they are obligated to hug the side of the road -- the left, since they use the British convention -- while you pass them.  Note that you can make this maneuver at any time, including around curves.  I guess you are assuming that any oncoming traffic is coming slowly enough that you can recover.  At the same time, you are dodging all sorts of livestock, road workers (mainly Indian women) and children, and trucks or taxis that seem to be mysteriously parked in random places.  After a while you just have to relax with the flow of it, and stop thinking that you are going to die on every curve.

In Thimpu we went to the textile museum, which is small.  They are building a big modern version across the street.  The history of weaving in Bhutan is amazing, and they are proud of it.  They do remarkably fine work, using patterns the weavers have memorized.  The technique of weaving in colored threads results in cloth that looks embroidered but actually is woven.   Later we stopped at a weaving factory where we saw the women at work.  They sit on the floor using a “backstrap” loom that has a belt around their back to apply tension to the threads.  They spend hours working to complete just a few inches of cloth. 

We also visited a paper factory where we saw the whole process, starting with the soaking the plant, mashing it up, spreading it thin to make a paper sheet, then hanging it to dry.

Both the weaving factory and the paper factory had small shops, which were two of our very few shopping opportunities on this trip.  (Joan, I’m not sure Bhutan is for you!).

We had lunch at Aman Thimpu, then headed back to Paro.  We were happy to see the familiar staff here, and for me to have a chance to tell the general manager about my Big Helicopter Idea.  We enjoyed the sauna in the spa before relaxing for dinner.
-- Donna

A quiet day

We went to the most important Dzong (fortress) in the country today, in Punakha, where the royal wedding had been held.  We then went to the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the country, and watched some of the locals encourage a cow to go across.  We ended the morning by going to a women's cooperative training center.

Donna and I then took the afternoon off, and spent the time being lazy: reading books,  having a massage (me) and a facial (Donna), and generally just "hanging out" at the lodge.  Hey, we're entitled; this is a vacation, after all!

-- Len

From Gangtey to Punakha

Yesterday Lenny and I made miniature stupas out of clay as an Aman activity.  You are supposed to put these in a lucky spot, often in memory of a recently departed person.  So today when the minivan climbed out of the valley and stopped at the 10,000 foot mountain pass that was the high point of our trip, we placed our stupas alongside many others.  I declared that one of ours was in memory of Steve Jobs, since I believe he was a Buddhist, and the other in memory of our friend Judy who passed away recently.  I think Judy would be amused to be keeping company with Steve on a high pass in Bhutan overlooking a spectacular valley. 

We traveled back through the same treacherous road we had travelled before.  I was very happy to get this part of the trip behind us.  It is hard to believe that they could build a road hugging the side of the mountain as they did, and to see two trucks pass each other is almost heart stopping. 

Aman Punakha has a unusual entrance.  You park on one side of the river, then walk over a narrow, swinging bridge.  Golf-cart-like vehicles wait at the other side to take you quite a bit further to the lodge.  There is no other road to the lodge!  We kept wondering how they could possibly provision this place.  Everything has to come over the swinging bridge on somebody’s back?  All the food?  Shampoo?  What about the washing machine?  Perhaps they have a barge for that stuff?  We never figured it out.  But it makes for a unique setting.

The lodge here is designed around a 50-year-old farmhouse which has been renovated into the central area.  The rooms are identical to those at Paro.  We ate a delicious lunch in the central court, outside, with a lovely view down the river valley.

The guests at the Amans are from all over.  We have met Germans, an Austrian who lives in Bangkok, some Brits who live in Singapore, some Americans who live in London, two Spaniards from Madrid, and our Canadian every-other-day friend, Jeff.  In the smaller lodges, like here and Gangtey, the meal seating is communal, which is a nice way to get to meet the other travelers and compare notes.   Then we see each other around the same tourist spots, calling out “hola”, or “guten tag” as appropriate.

After lunch, we went on a hike up to a very fancy stupa/temple complex.  We had to cross another swinging bridge to start the hike.  They often pick high spots for these temples, so again this was a trudge uphill.  Fortunately we are now at a much lower elevation, which made it a bit easier.  My favorite thing about this hike is that it was through the rice paddies.  The paddies are just being harvested now, so some sections are dried and yellow, whereas others are vibrant green, creating a patchwork pattern of multiple shades of colors along the hillsides and in the valley.  We were able to climb to the very top of the stupa, which had an extraordinary view down the river valley, full of rice paddies and small villages, with mountains behind in every direction.  It certainly is a beautiful spot.

We’ve heard that our internet connection will not be great here, so we may not be able to post many photos until we are back in Paro in a few days.

-- Donna

More on monks

Not that I specialize in monks, but I have an additional story about them!
Buddhist religion believes in reincarnation. If a child (or his parents) claims to be the reincarnation of a famous deceased monk, a whole process of checking goes on, with senior monks questioning the “candidate” with a single wrong answer disqualifying the candidate. Our guide explained to us that this process was in certain countries the source of corruption…, but not in Bhutan.
For those who have been courageous enough to read until now, hold your breath!
As we were visiting the monastery this morning, our guide came across a 10 year old kid and he asked the kid to bless him, which he did. The guide called Donna and I over, and we both received blessings, too (Len and Pascale were a bit further away, so not close enough).
The story is that this kid is the reincarnation of a famous Bhutanese monk who was head monk in the country some years ago! So Donna and I have been blessed at a very high level.
Those who know us well will judge about the change when we come back.
-- Guy

A day in Phobjikha Valley

We woke up to a view of a spectacular isolated valley.  We are in a very remote part of Bhutan, and it really feels that way.   It’s rural, with farmhouses and fields, no roads, and a small population.  The Aman lodge is well-located, with a view both of the valley and of the very old monastery perched on the cliff just ahead.

We started today with a tour of the monastery.  We saw where the monks live three to a cell, and watched as the students hurried off to their lessons.  We then went on the “nature hike” which was an hour’s hike on relatively flat terrain, with a nice view of the great valley.  We had tried to switch plans and talk our guide into a more aggressive hike, but apparently one doesn’t do this at the last minute, and I’m afraid he has judged our (perhaps just my!) capabilities and felt the nature hike was better.

It was a glorious day, so Guy requested that our lunch be served outside, which was a brilliant idea.  They set the table at the best view spot, and we lunched to the mooing of cows with the “house dogs” sprawled napping besides us.

We did another hike this afternoon.  This was a “test hike” because there is a hike tomorrow we have been considering that is a shortcut to the next lodge.  It would cut one hour of driving, which is very appealing.  But the guide says it is difficult, and he was not encouraging us to do it.  So we agreed to do a hike of similar difficulty this afternoon for us to gauge the difficulty, and him to gauge our abilities.
The guide took off straight up a very steep slope on the mountain.  Within 5 minutes I felt that I had failed the test!  Each step, at about 10,000 feet above sea level, is pretty challenging.  I slowed my pace to try to manage, but after about 40 minutes straight up, I called “uncle” and conceded that I would not do the shortcut hike tomorrow.

The next casualty was Lenny, who decided that although he was handling the climb just fine, the steep descent, which was on loose rock, was more risky that he wanted.  Spraining an ankle on a hike in the middle of nowhere would be a problem.

The next domino was Pascale, who was doing fine on the climb, but was also nervous about the long descent.  The guide said it would last three hours on a steep, rocky trail that is barely a path.

So now poor Guy was the only one prepared to do tomorrow’s shortcut hike and, clearly outnumbered, he abandoned the idea as well.  We’ll spend the necessary time in the car to get to Punaka.

Late afternoon Lenny and I went off for a unique treat: a stone-heated bath in the local village.  We were guided there by an Aman staff member, walking over dirt roads, through turnip fields, and up and down ladders over fences to arrive at a small bamboo shed with a bath for two in it.  The bath was a wooden rectangular tub filled with water and some kind of healthy herb.  It was heated with stones from a fire next to the hut.  The spa attendant left us while we got in the bath, and then returned to open the bamboo doors so that we could see the view as we relaxed.  It was a funny experience. The two of us just barely fit in the tub together – it’s definitely an experience for couples, or really close friends! 

-- Donna

The Long Ride

We began our journey from the lodge at Thimpu with a blessing from the resident monk, who tied yet another protective string around our necks.  Then we piled into the van for what was to be our longest vehicle journey, to Gangtey, estimated to take four hours.   Little did we know the truth.

We had asked the driver to go slowly, especially around the curves, to avoid car sickness.  Since the road is nothing but curves, that meant he was going slowly always.  Add to that the various landslides and construction projects, and several stops along the way, and our four-hour journey took eight hours.  Too long!  (But we didn’t get carsick.)

The road is mostly asphalt but with many dirt and boulder-strewn sections.  It’s generally one-and-a-half lanes wide, but sometimes only one.  Horns beep at blind turns, pullouts are critical, and occasionally a car needs to back up to reach a wider spot.  The drivers, though, are generally courteous.  Ours was excellent.

It was a day of altitude extremes.  We started at 7700’ above sea level, went through a 9500’ pass to the next valley, down to the floor at 3000’, back up to a 10,500’ pass, and are now at the Amancora Gangtey lodge at 9000.

We stopped at a town Dzong (fortress that combines civil and religious centers), a roadside vegetable market, a monastery, and a view spot for lunch.  At a couple of places we walked along the road for a while and the van caught up to us later.  At one point we walked with a contingent of schoolboys who were enthusiastic to chat with us using their amazingly good English.

The weather is glorious: moderate temperature, occasional clouds, and no sign of rain.  It was a good day – except for having to spend 8 hours in the van!

Visiting a high monastery

A nice hike led us to visit a monastery, and in the process we learned a bit more about monks. As with any other "education" system, monks go through successive cycles in their study of Buddhism. The last phase, dare I say the “PhD”, requires them to meditate for a period of 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days in total isolation in a very rustic cell.  The monks arrive in their cell with books, completely shaved, and then they never cut hair and nails. They typically exercise each day and spend most of their time in meditation. Other "non PhD" monks deposit food on the cell doorway, but the "PhD" monks are not allowed to talk to or see any human being during this "PhD" period.
The surrounding population gives food for free as an offering, perhaps hoping for redemption of some sort.
After this "PhD" the monks, having reached wisdom and serenity, can go and teach in the 4 000 monasteries that exist in the country.  (Note that 700 000 Bhutanese support 4 000 monasteries).
Guy & Pascale

From Thimpu, day 2

A few notes about Amankora service.  Every time we leave our room, they freshen it up.  Even if all I did was stop in to wash my face, I would find clean towels next time.  This seems like a real contrast to the strong focus on conservation that you see throughout the country!  Also, every staff member seems to know who we are, who we are with, and which room we are in.  You don’t have to tell them your room number, or which guide is yours, they already know.  When I asked for sparkling water at lunch, next time I sat down, they automatically brought me some.  In Paro, I even had customized menus that had my name printed on them, since mine didn’t include meat.  My favorite detail is that when I asked what time is breakfast, they told me “any time …. we have staff on duty 24 hours, so you come whenever you want”.  I haven’t stayed at an Aman hotel before, but I must say that I’m impressed!

A few notes about Bhutan.  They have pretty much banned smoking, so you just don’t see cigarettes around (however lots of people do some kind of snuff and are spitting all the time).  They have protected their forests and, as I said earlier, are very keen on conservation.  We’ve only seen trash on the street in very few places – generally it is very clean.  And you see only a little bit of poverty … it seems most people are solidly middle class.  Thimpu, the capital, has the real feel of a city, unlike Paro, which felt like a town.  There are lots more people here in western dress, and the downtown was packed not only with Bhutanese, but also with Indians.  Many Indians come here for the work.  There is construction going on everywhere, usually with loads of bamboo scaffolding.  We’ve been told that lots of the rural people are moving into the city, so the city is expanding.  But it inhabits a narrow valley, so we’re not sure how they will manage to build lots more apartments!  There are no traffic lights in all of Bhutan, but we saw a human traffic signal in the center of town - he had ballet-like movements directing cars around the central traffic circle.  To me, one of the few unpleasant things is that there are stray dogs everywhere.  They are rather mangy looking, but not the least bit threatening.  They bark a lot at night, too, although we don’t really hear them at the hotel. 

I think Guy is going to write the blog about today, but in case he doesn’t, briefly, we did a great hike up to the oldest monastery in Bhutan, called Cheri.  It was pretty steep and hard work, particularly given the altitude, which is over 8000 feet, but well worth it given that spectacular view and the fascinating monk life style.

After lunch, we went to see the giant Buddha under construction at the entrance to the valley, then the memorial chorten (stupa) where the 3^rd king is buried, and finally into town for a little shopping and to see the urban part of Bhutan.

We have been very lucky so far with the weather.  It’s been a perfect temperature for hiking … slightly cool, but warm in the sun.  Must be that red string that I’m still wearing that is bringing us luck!

--- Donna

From Paro to Thimpu

Yesterday evening we watched a dance performance outside at the Aman resort.  The dancing style is a little bit closer to the Hawaiian hula (moving around slowly with precise arm movements) than to a vigorous tango.  Our dinner was quite good.  Those who talk about how bad the food is clearly aren’t eating at the Aman resorts!  Guy and Lenny both decided to experiment with the local specialties, which arrived in an array of white bowls each one full of a different flavor and color.  I think they both regretted it a bit later when the food didn’t quite sit right! 

This morning started with a farewell ceremony.  Really.  A monk met us in the Aman courtyard, and proceeded to bless us with holy water.  He threw rice at us, and tied red threads around our necks that we’re not supposed to take off for 3 days.  Believe me, we’re all obeying as we figure we need the good luck on these roads.

Speaking of roads, we then headed out in our minivan for Thimpu, the capital.  The first half of the journey was on the windy side, and all of us were feeling a bit carsick.  After a stop and some fresh air, along with a straighter highway, we felt better.  The scenery was spectacular, with each curve revealing a new valley, shear mountain walls, and interesting structures, including many with red peppers drying on the roofs.  I kept scouting for a better spot for the airport, with no luck.  I started to think that perhaps they should switch to helicopters.
Thimpu is covered from one end to the other with brightly colored banners and posters in celebration of the royal wedding.  However, the streets were pretty much empty, which seemed almost eerie, until we realized that everybody was at the stadium, where the wedding festivities were taking place.

We checked into the Aman Thimpu.  I say “checked in” but I have to tell you that it is a bit of a different process than normal.  You arrive and are invited in for tea or cider.  You sit chatting with the host and then, when you are ready, you are taken to your room, where your suitcases already have magically appeared.  There is no paperwork or credit cards. 

After lunch, we went to join the festival at the stadium.  Our guide expertly steered us into the full stadium somehow.  The stands were packed with people, while other people were sitting and standing on about half the field.  The other half of the field was full of dozens of dancers in elaborate costumes.  We arrived in early afternoon, and the events had started very early in the morning, so we assumed we had missed the good parts.  But, to our delight, the king and his bride made an appearance, and made their way along the edge of the crowd just several yards in front of us.  It was an amazing scene because they seemed to be without security, only a few attendants.  The children seated in front of them continued to stay seated in a quite orderly fashion, and the king would stop and talk with one or the other.  The student would then politely stand chat with the king and queen, then sit back down.  No rushing, no grabbing, no cameras, virtually no hoopla.  As if one met the king every day!  In the meantime, people in the stands starting taking out white shawls to put on their heads as apparently the king was actually going to go up into the bleachers, and the shawls were a sign of respect (Lenny thought they looked like tallit).  We didn’t stay, but it was amazing to imagine a king and queen walking through the throngs of a stadium.

I have to say that this was the calmest 70,000 people I have ever seen in one place.  Folks were milling about, gently wandering from place to place, perhaps having a little picnic, perhaps watching the dancing, but mainly relaxing.  The only moment of tension was when I was taking photos of the king and a guy approached me chastising me, saying “no photos”!  This in spite of the fact that he had a huge camera around his own neck, and there were multiple cameramen following the royals every move.  We decided that he was one of the Royal Photographers, and they must have had the IP rights to the show.  We got a few photos anyhow.

We then went on a relatively short hike high above the valley on the side of the mountain.  We wandered through forests of prayer flags.  I have to say that I love the prayer flags.  They are all colors, shapes and sizes, and definitely benefit from being in large groups.  I am going to have an abundance of prayer flag photos.

Our path took us to a very small 18^th century Buddhist temple, accessible only by this hour-long walking path.  The monk on duty let us in to see the giant Buddha statue.  The most notable thing was a pair of footprints seemingly carved into the wood floor, but actually caused by a diligent monk who prayed in the exact same spot over one million times.

After a quick stop to see the national animal, the "Takin", which is part goat and part cow, we returned to the hotel.  We stopped outside for a cup of tea, and while having it, a beautiful young woman dressed in elegant clothes came out.  We enticed her into conversation so she joined us.  Her name was Tanya, and she was quite an enigma.  Born in the US, studied at Stanford, lives in Jordan, and is a close friend of the Bhutanese royal family.  She appeared to do some business and development advising and was quite well informed about the country.  We also were joined by a Canadian named Jeff, who Lenny and I had met in Bangkok, and who we will see every other day since he is one day ahead of us in the circuit.  Jeff was determined to get the whole story from Tanya, but she artfully dodged most of his questions.

Sorry to write so long, so thank you to those who have made it to the end of this entry!

-- Donna