Day Two TIGERS NEST  

We woke up around 5 am with teeth cattering and sore body from an inch thick mattress, but so excited to venture out and see Bhutan. We were served hot American Breakfast at 7 and left in the SUV with CheChe and Wingchuk the driver and guide at 8am. Before we left the hotel, we noticed from our hotel room that the children in Paro were walking to school with their parents. We went outside with Wingchuk our guide and he spoke with the parents and we gave the students pencils and pens.......they were so excited and grateful for the gifts and they were rushing to school.
About and hour on a beat up road we made it to the base of Tiger's Nest-which is a very old Monestary which was built into the mountain and was one of the inspirations for me to go to Bhutan. We started our long walk up the trail and it became more difficult and difficult for me to climb the trial, I was sweating and could not breath. I took a few steps farther up the mountain and due to the high altitude I would have to slow down and stop and breath. It was an issue of mind of matter.....finally I made it to the 2nd camp site for the climb up to Tiger's Nest.

Unfortunately, the altitude got the best of me and I could not continue up the mountain as I couldn't breath......let alone I am petrafied of heights.....why go to the Himalayan Mountains, then...right???? I continue to ask myself, but I didn't care because we were on the trip of a lifetime and I was goign to beat my frears of heights, and I was going to climb the mountain.  Sadly, I waited on the 2nd Camp as I couldn't breath and couldn't catch my breath so I decided to wait as Wangchuk escorted Leonardo up the mountain to the nest.

Feeling beaten by the mountain but not broken, Two hours later Leonardo returned to camp and we all walked back down the mountain and I said goodbye to Tiger's Nest but, will return again to try to make it up the mountain another time.

Exhausted, we returned to Paro and had a lovely lunch and walked around town a bit more and we went for a drive to visit another Monestary and offer pens to the students and enjoy the amazing scenes of Bhutan.

That evening we visited a Monestary that had burned to the ground a few years back as a Monk accidentally caught the Monestary on fire with a Yak Butter Candle. The Monestary was still in tack in the foundation and it looked like an old fortress, and apparently it was used as that a long time ago.

Another night in Paro another freezing shower and sleeping in coats and hats....but that is what this trip was all about.....being in a remote place and understanding the people and stepping away from the Four Season lifestyle.

The hardest part of day one was the 2am wake up call to be at the airport at 3:30 for a 5:30am flight from Bangkok to Bhutan.  Check in was easy and pleasant and when we boarded the plane, I knew we were going someplace so far away. All of the signs in the plane were in Bhutanese there was a giant dragon on the wing of the plane and the flight attendants were dressed in their native costums and were so welcoming.

One route to Paro our Captain made a stop in Dakka Bangledesh to drop off and pick up passengers. About 20 minutes later the Captain announced that we would be able to see Mount Everest from the left side of the plane. Happilly we were seated at the left side of the plane and the view of Mt. Everest was amazing....the enitre plane was quiet and everyone was in awe.

Our decient into Paro was very quick and abrupt and one minute we are seeing the tops of the trees and mountains on each side and the next second we dropped a great deal of altitude and were on the runway and finally in Bhutan.

The Immigration process was so interesting, we had a copy of our paperwork and our Visa from the Tour Operator but the process was very long and very thourough and the customs officer had a file on each group and as I was one of two in my group we were the last to be processed. The process was very polite and thourough but seemed very foreign to me. I was used to the European Customs transfers, this was my first introduction to the Kingdom of Bhutan and how everything took a little more time and everyone was so nice and polite about it.

After we cleared customs we picked up our luggage in the luggage area which was like a minature golf course, it was the only luggage conveyor belt and approx 35 feet long. As we walked outside of the airport as only ticketed passengers are allowed in the airport we met our Travel Guide Wingchuk and our Driver Chechee whom we would grow to love and appreciate and depend on for every move and every means of access into Bhutan.

 We quickly loaded into our Driver's Car which was a clean, new SUV. We immediatly realized with in five minutes why we needed an SUV. The roads were in many cases dirt roads as we drove into town. I was immediately shocked by the emptyness of the town. There were very few people in cars, the majority were walking with huge wicker backpacks full of thier goods.

We arrived to the hotel. The lobby was small and quiet, as it was off season we were the only guests in the hotel. We were asked to go to the dining room where they served us tea and gave us our itinerary and asked us if we had any questions, etc. later wer were served our first Bhutanese lunch. After all I read on food in Bhutan, I was well packed with protein bars and almonds. As typical Bhutanese food is very difficult for Westerners to eat as it is sooooo spicy and all about  the red chili peppers, which were  drying on the  roof of our hotel at the time.

We ate a wonderful meal, about 9 courses which didn't stop.....the food was very good, the part that I ate. It was the first time I had ever hear of Red Rice , which would turn into my staple for the 7 days I was to be in Bhutan. The staff was so nice and constantly bringing out food, we felt guilty if we didn't try it all. The majority was very good with a lot of lo mein and sliced vegetable style. I was surprised. 

Hoping to see sunrise over Jhomohari, we got up at 5.30am and were not disappointed. The peak of Jhomohari had just caught the rays and was glowing in a golden colour. Despite the biting cold (approx. -10 deg C), we stood in the open enjoying the beautiful view of Jhomohari revealing its full glory to us. The sun rays cast shadows and highlighted the faceted snow covered face of the mountain.

The first clouds started to move in at about 9am. After breakfast, we explored the ruined Dzong (fortress) before proceeding on our trek across the river to the other side of the mountains to Tshophu Lake. It was a strenuous trek up the mountain slopes but the view was fantastic as we proceeded higher.

Looking down, we could see the campsite and the tiny coloured tents, the ruined fortress that stood guard over the campsite, the few houses next to the river and the trail that leads to Lingshi. Looking up, we could see all the surrounding snow covered mountains as well as the magnificent Jichu Drake with its distinctive pyramid-shaped peak composed of razor-sharp ridges. Jhomohari was already covered by clouds and was no longer visible.

From the top of the mountain slope, the trail to the lake was fairly flat and easy to walk. But the winds rushing through the valleys and from over the mountains were extremely strong and bone chillingly cold. It really debilitated energy out of me. The weather was also slowly turning lousy and the sun hid behind clouds that threatened to rain/snow soon. After snapping a few quick pictures at the lake, we went to a yak herder shelter nearby and hurdled behind the low stone walls for a quick lunch.

Light snow flakes fell while we were on the way back to the campsite. By early evening, a heavy snow storm had started. The wet towel that was hanging outside of the tent was frozen solid hard!

The temperature plummeted at night at 3,500m and the ground was covered with frost early in the morning. Getting out of the warm sleeping bag and getting out into the cold was quite a task. After a nourishing breakfast of warm oatmeal, we started on the trail to Jangothang which was my favourite.

We finally saw the peak of Jhomohari shortly after being on the trail. The scenery changed as we gained altitude. The landscape changed from the alpine forests to the vastness of the highland with sturdy and thorny shrubs, Juniper trees, semi-nomadic settlements and yaks grazing in the open. The trail changed from bumpy rocks to fairly flat terrains, making walking a pleasure. It was very windy out in the vast open without the protection from the dense forests.

We past by several settlements of the nomads who were mostly yak herders. Houses were also sparse at the high altitude, passing through several villages each with only a few houses. We past the second army post and had to be registered again. Because of the strong winds in the vast open, we could not find any suitable places to take a break for hot tea.  We ended up having lunch inside an empty shed at the last village before the base camp that was recently used as the voting post.

From the last village to the base camp, we had spectacular view of Jichu Drake, At 6,974m, it is located directly east of Jhomolhari and has a distinctive pyramid-shaped peak composed of razor-sharp ridges.

Jangothang is also known as Land of Ruins as a ruined fortress towered over the campsite from a rocky outcrop with coloured prayer flags spanning its forlorn walls. In the early afternoon, the clouds had already set in and even though our tent was pitched directly in front of Jhomohari, all we could see was a partial view of the glacier with the ruined Dzong in the foreground.

The morning was very cold and the heat from the camp fire was very welcoming. The trek to Thangthangka was a little strenuous with plenty of ascent. The trail was still very bumpy and hopping between rocks and boulders was quite a constant thing. The view along the trail was still limited to the pine trees, narrow gorges with the gargling river slicing through it. We hardly met any trekkers along the way except a group of Koreans but instead met a number of Bhutanese proceeding back to Paro after having gone back to their own village for the new government voting.

We started seeing yaks in the later part of the trail, a sign that we were gaining on altitude.

The surrounding view at the Thangthangka campsite was again limited to the immediate surrounding mountains. We were supposed to be able to see the Jhomohari peak from the campsite but had no luck as the peak was covered by a thick veil of clouds.

We rested for a day in Thangthangka as part of the acclimatization program since we had ascended nearly 600m from Shingkharap - twice the recommended daily altitude gain of not more than 300m. Plus we had already ascended 1000m from Paro, it was yet another reason to rest and to avoid altitude sickness. Always seizing the opportunity to speak to other trekkers along the way, we came to know that two trekkers had to return to Paro because of altitude sickness, something which they could avoid with proper planning!

Having the time to sit around, we spent the morning trying to catch a glimpse of the Jhomohari peak which played hide and seek with the clouds. We could only get a tiny partial view of the mountain at any one time in the morning. The reason was that clouds move towards and envelop the peak from both sides. By mid day, the chance of seeing the peak became nil as the sky became cloudy.

Sleeping in a tent was alright but getting up and not being able to properly wash and brush the teeth was an adjustment. The mules were set free to roam around at night but they promptly came back to the campsite in the morning because they knew their once-a-day meal of dried corns and grains awaits them in the mornings.

After a breakfast in the sun, we set off on the trail which was muddy and we had to frequently hop between rocks. We crossed the boisterous river on study platforms of wooden logs and passed through conifer and mixed broad leaf forest. The view was limited to the trees and plants along the way, the gargling river slicing through the valley and of course the rocks and dung along the trail was we had to see where we stepped.

We reached the campsite at about 2.30pm and our tent overlooked some beautiful mountains on the horizon. As we were still in the valley, the sun over the immediate mountains about 3.30pm and the temperature immediately became a few deg C cooler.

The sky was cloudless that evening and was completely full of stars - big, small, bright, glistering, etc. What a wonderful sight! A sight that eludes city dwellers. I was only able to recognise the Kite formation.

The trek started at the trailhead near to the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong where we meet with the trekking crew - a cook, an assistant cook, the herdsman, his nephew and the seven mules being heavily laden with equipment and supplies stuffed into bamboo baskets. We set off north along Paro river and following an ancient trade route to Tibet.

We caught a glimpse of the glistening snow capped peak of Mt Jhomohari at the trailhead and that was all the view we had of the mountain till we reached higher altitudes.

The trail through the valley was long but fairly easy and took us past villages, farmhouses and wheat fields. We came upon a house where the farmer was sun drying beef strips while his sons were playing archery. The boys were kind enough to let us try our hands on archery. I failed miserably as the arrow refused to leave my hand and when it finally did, it landed only about 10m away while the boys could shoot it off about 50m away.

The peach trees were in blossom and it was a pretty sight. We were offered smoked dried yak cheese to try by some local ladies. It was rock hard with a smoked flavour and would take more than an hour to have it dissolved in the mouth. Not quite my type of candy!

Beyond the entrance to Jigme Dorje National Park was the first army post where everyone had to register before proceeding either way. The trail after the army post started to be rockier as we walked next to the river. Our first campsite was in Shana, overlooking across the river to one of the last houses in the vicinity that have electricity.

The night was cool and the campfire offered comforting heat. Bedtime was at 8pm as there was nothing much one could do after darkness had set in.

Taktsang Monastery is the most famous and picturesque monastery in Bhutan. The monastery clings impossibly and precariously to a sheer granite cliff almost a kilometer above Paro valley.

The furling of the Thongdrel (large Thangka / religious picture) from the building overlooking the dance floor is a very auspicious event, done on the final day of the festival and before sunrise. It means “liberation on sight” and it is believed that sins are wiped away simply by viewing it.

We got a wake up knock on the door at 2am, got dressed warmly for the cool night of a couple of degrees above 0 deg C and drove to the festival ground. The furling process had just started and it took over an hour for the people to get the Thongdrel fully furled. The monks then started their prayer session while an extremely long queue of Bhutanese was formed quickly as they waited patiently for their turn to be blessed by the monks.

We enjoyed the event thoroughly and it was nearly 5am by the time we returned to the lodge to catch some beauty rest. The afternoon was spent visiting the museum - Ta Dzong which has plenty of interesting and historic artifacts, the main streets in downtown Paro and Rinpung Dzong which house the administrative government office and a monastery.

Flight from New Delhi to Paro was to depart at 5am in the morning but we were already at the airport by 2am waiting for the Druk Air counter to open and to get our seats on the left side of the plane. Being the second in the queue, we got what we wanted and the next three hours were spent trying to catch some sleep in the noisy airport with uncomfortable seats.

This is without a doubt, one of the prettiest and one of my favorite countries ever visited (out of 107).  The people are so genuine and laid-back and the food is scrumptious.  It is so clean, I forget I'm not in the Swiss Alps.  The perfect antidote to my current home in Bangkok.

After a harrowing landing through a narrow, twisting valley, I meet my personal guide and driver to be whisked off to see the country for three perfect days.  Cheap it is not, but Bhutan is well worth the price.  I hope it never changes (but places always do, don't they?)