Bhutan Trip Report- Active & Cultural trip
 

We are at the beginning of our much awaited Bhutan trip. I will post as we go along - depending on Internet service. Thanks to Craig for his post in 2012 - we are using Kencho/ Snow White Travel based on his experience. In the planning stages I found her quite responsive and helpful. We only arrived in Bhutan yesterday- but so far so good. We requested an active vacation ( but we're not interested in treks that involved tent camping) and higher end hotels. There is not a lot to pick from - absent Aman. Though we have stayed in Aman resorts in other countries- we did not opt for them in Bhutan. They are wildly expensive - impeccable - but it many ways once your staying at one you could be in any country. We were hoping to get more of a feel for Bhutan by not going with that choice. We shall see.

Our journey here involved Business class on Etihad . Chicago - Abu Dhabi- Dehli. The seats were flat beds which is my requirement for those long flights. The seats were on the smallish side ( narrow) but they were fine. I am 5'10 and my husband 6'2" and they worked out. If you are heavy set I would not recommend however. If you fly Etihad check the Seatguru website to select your seats. We got a middle section " pod - which affords the most privacy away from the aisle. Same with window seats. They are staggered - one close to windo - one away. Hard to describe but if u are on the outer side of aisle people walking in the aisle could bump into you while you are sleeping.

Etihad sends a limo service as part of the ticket price - so we were picked up at home in Chicago, and met on the other end in Dehli. Our flight arrived at 7:20 pm - and we were taken to the JW Marriott ($200) where we spent a few hours sleeping. Our wake up call was 3:30 AM ! The hotel was very nice - close to airport- quiet. I would recommend it - though we didn't see much of it!

Our Druk flight was at 6:30 AM. We flew business class . Business Class has higher baggage allowance, an airport lounge, bigger better seats etc. it does not cost a lot more. The ticket check- in gates close 1 hour before flight ( according to info at the ticket counter) so arrive in plenty of time. There was no line in B Class at the counter, passport check & security had faster separate lines for B class. The coffee and food was decent in the lounge, however their wifi wasn't working.

Flight made a stop in Katmandu for about 30 minutes. As indicated in other posts- sit on the left side to get photos of the Himalayas. Service on board was good - breakfast on first leg and snack on second leg - even though flight times were fairly short.

Immigration was fairly smooth and we were met by our guide and driver in baggage claim. ( I need to get spellings of names - so for now rhet are guide and driver)

We left the airport and went straight to the National Museum at Ta dzong. It is small but interesting for a 30 minute visit. A display of masks, paintings on textiles, taxidermy of local wildlife, exhibit on flora and fauna etc. Interesting to see - but it is small and 30 minutes covers it.

We then went to a buffet spot for lunch. It was ok - I am not expecting much in the food arena in Bhutan. A Buffett of green beans with pistachios ( very good) cauliflower, curried chicken bread, sweet potatoe hash, rice and some lukewarm vegetable soup. We weren't very hungry after breakfast at the airport and breakfast on the plane - so had a small plate and it was fine.

After lunch we went to the Kyichu Temple. It is very small and very old - 8th century. Fun to have a look but it is not a lengthy stop. If you have spent any time in SE Asia you have seen similar . However I have never seen prayer wheels - and those were pretty cool. There were smaller ones surrounding the temple, and then a set of 4 or 5 very large ones - all of which you could spin.

We then left to drive to Thimphu to the Hotel Therma Linca where we will stay for two nights. Our room is located along a pretty river....which makes a pleasant rushing noise outside our window. I have seen many comments about barking stray dogs in Bhutan..and the hotel is quiet. Our room is very large - comfortable king sized bed, large bathroom with single sink but plenty of counter space.

The staff thus far has been very sweet and kind and eager to please.

Signing off now - more as I get time.

Thank you your report so far. I just finished reading Craig's Bhutan report a few days ago after finishing up his recent South Africa report, so this is timely. Bhutan was not on my radar until then, so I'm very interested in reading more as you go along. I looked up your first hotel and it looks lovely. How's the food there? Your description of the prayer wheels is very interesting. Keep it coming when you can!

Lolazahra....I just wrote a huge post to update...and when I hit submit it disappeared. I am dashed! I will try tomorrow.

Terma Linca must be new(ish). I read some reviews on TA and it sounds lovely. Looking forward to hearing more...

So I am going to try again...but I will submit a paragraph or two at a time. Still mad my hours worth of work down the drain from yesterday. Craig - thank you for your trip report - it inspired our trip.

I will condense my comments - lots to report.

On Terma Linca - we liked it and would recommend it. The staff was great - I loved the location by the river. It was so pleasant to hear the river rushing by. I had no interest in staying in Thimpu. It was nice to walk around etc - but happy to be a little outside the city. No barking dog noises. The only thing we didn't like was our dinner the first night. We were the only hotel guests ( we are just ahead of " high season" - it starts next week). We waited over an hour for an order of steamed dumplings and a stir fried ( my description) pork dish. When it arrived - the pork was a slab of fat. I told my husband to eat whatever accompanied it and bagged it. We didn't have another hour to wait for something else. I really think it was an anomaly ? The breakfasts were made to order and terrific. Great coffee - even cappuccino - eggs fruit pancakes etc. all very well executed. Our room was enormous - very comfortable- good shower pressure - no hot water issues etc. There was a nice long window seat over looking the river.

Enjoying this very much.

It's frustrating losing a bunch of writing. So, a gentle suggestion, use word (or notes on iPad) then cut and paste into your post.

Happy continued journey !

To finish the topic of hotels - we went to the Aman resort or a drink. We have stayed at several Aman resorts - and as a general comment have think they are terrific. There was something about the Aman hotels that didn't enthuse me when I looked at them on the Internet - and decided against staying at any of the properties. The one in Thimpu did nothing for me. The rooms are always lovely - and we did not ask to see one. But the setting was not as nice as Terma Linca IMO. Sort of sterile...even with the fireplace going it was cold. The dining room had no view and reminded me of a coffee shop at a Marriott. I think the place misses the mark.

Sartoric....I am afraid I don't know how to cut and paste from notes...so I will do it this way. Bits and pieces. When I get home I will try to figure out the other. Thanks for the tip tho...

For activities the first day - we hiked to the Chagri Monastary. ( I hope I have the name right. The it in says Cheri and my photo of sign says Chagri). Anyway - it was an excellent 45 minute hike uphill - nice exercise and fun place to explore once we arrived. There was no one else there - had the place to ourselves. I am pretty happy with the timing of our trip. Apparently the festival in Paro starts the spring " high season". The festival in Thimpu starts the fall high season. Paro festival will be at the end of the trip ( next week) so nothing is crowded.

After Chagri we went to see an ENORMOUS sitting Bhudda - 150 meters tall. It is fairly new - and construction of the temple is not complete inside. There are going to be 100,000 mini Bhuddas lining the walls - they are not all in place yet. When it is finished you will be able to walk up to the nose of the Bhudda. Right now you can't go up. Anyway - it was fun to see and got some great pictures.

Snow White Travel / Kencho. After Bhudda viewing we met Kencho for lunch at a great spot I think it was called Karma Coffee? I didn't take picture of the name. Kencho preordered FABULOUS. Bhutaneses food. There was enough for ten people. Great steamed dumplings , a mushroom pepper cheese dish, stir fried beef and mushrooms, a salad of red onion chilis. All was delicious. Anyway - they don't offer this on the menu but she preordered. It was really good. Kencho is delightful. She has 6 guides that work with her - and if they are booked she will turn business away. I think that ensures high quality and attention to detail. We love our guide - Tashi , and our driver Namgay. They both are fun and happy, but take their jobs very seriously. The roads are bad when you get out of Thimphu ( more on that later) and Namgay is very responsible driver. Tashi is both a cultural guide as well as a trek guide. We are very very happy with him. We were very interested in hiking in Bhutan - and he is exactly what we wanted. Craig thank you again for the recommendation.

After lunch we walked around Thimphu and did a little shopping. I only bought postcards - I have too much stuff at home I don't need!

We went back to the hotel for a couple hours to rest read etc.

At 5 pm we were picked up to go see the Dzong in Thimphu. Tashi encouraged us to walk swiftly to the entrance once it opened at 5:30 pm. I got great pictures because we got in ahead of everyone else. There was a line for this site because it doesn't open to the public until 5:30 pm. The king works there during the day so it is off limits. Btw - we saw the king walking home to his palace after work. I guess maybe he doesn't always walk home - maybe he takes Uber- because Tashi says you don't always get to see him.

The next day the plan was to travel from Thimphu to Punahka with a hike along the way to break up the trip.

The Roads. Ok - there is a " road widening project" going on. It is dreadful and not going well. I am not sure if I have the story straight - everyone tells a different story. One story is that multiple contractors have different sections of the road? I don't know. But it is a mess. Parts have big earth moving equipment. Parts have giant piles of rocks on either side of the road. Most of it is not paved. Furthermore - if these roads have been widened ( which for the most part is the case - they are waiting to be paved) I cannot imagine them before they were widened? They are barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Thank god Namgay is a good driver. I guess they are doing a lot of work at night ...but there was definetly work going on during the day. It is a nightmare - irritating - and if you are planning a trip check on the status of said project. We changed our itinerary today and eliminated a destination because we wanted to cut down on the amount of driving.

Anyway - we did a GREAT hike to Lungchutse Lakhang to Docula temple. ( I think it has a diff name but this was the picture of the sign) It was about 3 hours round trip - elevation went from 3100 meters to 3600 meters. Great 360 degree views from the temple at the top. I would highly recommend.

We had lunch at the base at a buffet restaurant - great views - unremarkable - but edible food. I think the name was Dochu La Restaurant. If you miss it don't fret about it.

What a treat to see the King! Your hikes sound glorious. I am an avid hiker, so I am so happy you are enjoying them. You sound like you got a good meal too, when Bhutan is not known as much for the food. Still following along and enjoying your report. Keep it coming.

After the hike to Dochula temple we drove to Punakha and checked into the Uma resort for two nights.

In short - we loved the Uma resort. The staff was fantastic from start to finish. There was a lovely gentleman, Roy Todemann who managed to distinguish himself amongst a group of stellar employees. I don't think he ever sleeps and absolutely bent over backwards with food preferences etc. Our room had a spectacular view of the river and the snow capped mountains in the distance. The food was terrific by any culinary standard. They pride themselves in making everything from scratch. The breads and muffins were divine ( I usually avoid both but this selection was totally worth the calories) . We had pasta starters both nights ( homemade noodles). The salads were lightly dressed - locally grown greens. The offerings for both breakfast and dinner completely changed both days - including the flavors ( 3 types each morning) of muffins. My husband had filet mignonette one night and braised lamb shank the second night. I had kingfish the first night which was great. The second night the fish was salmon which I don't care for- so Roy suggested prawns or kingfish. I couldn't decide so he had the chef fix both - grilled. I wanted some spicyness - so he brought two sauces on the side. Both were great. The dining room has a great view - there is outdoor dining with warming fireplace if you desire.

The only thing I didn't love is that the room was very small. I have never been on a cruise but I imagine cruise ship rooms to be this small. The reason I comment on it - is because we are traveling for over two weeks -and each have a suitcase and a carry on. There was barely room to maneuver. It would not stop me from returning or recommending the place - but if I owned the hotel I would lose the small L shaped alcove sitting area and put in someplace to accommodate suitcases.

Anyway - as referenced above - we altered our itinerary slightly and wanted to stay at Uma another night. Unfortunately they were booked (10 or 11 rooms total) so we moved to the Dhensa resort for one night. I will report on that later.

The next day was spent in Punakha hiking and sightseeing. We did a nice hike to Khamsum Yueling Temple which is fairly new - pretty grounds - beautiful inside. It is being built by the crown prince mother - ( get this - the 4th King had four wives and they are all sisters. I guess wife number two had the first male child - and he is now the fifth king. I find this all sort of entertaining.) the hike is nice and steep- but easier than the day before because Punahka is around 1200 meter elevation. We then walked through farm/rice paddy area which was fun. The aforementioned took around 2.5 hours.

We found ourselves at the base of the road that leads up to the Aman resort at Punahka. We decided to go up and see it and have something cool to drink. A darling young man ( so far everyone in this country is very very nice and eager to please) took us on a tour and showed us around and we looked at a room. The room was maybe 3 times the size of ours at Uma...but the view and setting at Uma is far superior. I did not care for the architecture of the buildings that housed the rooms. They looked prison like. A regular room there starts at $1550++. It does include 3 meals, guides, house liquor etc. Honestly if they were the same price I would still pick Uma...but Uma is $550 a night. So win win.

We then had lunch at a very questionable spot called the Rinchenling Cafeteria. My. I am not sure where to begin. We were brought a soup course of " river weed soup". We really didn't even want to touch it since it was gray and watery and looked like it had some pink oily dots floating on top. Nonetheless we each had one bite and it was foul. Tasted like fishy water. Our next course was rice, a bowl of peppers with cheeses, a bowl of spicy chicken parts ( not sure what part..throat..wings ..I don't know). I think there was one other dish but I am trying to erase the whole thing from my mind. Anyway - there were sort of ground up bones in the chicken - and after encountering two of those I moved onto the granola bar in my bag. My husband ate some peppers and rice and some chicken and he didn't get sick so I guess it was safe. The only other people eating there was a group of 10 Chinese tourists. There were two cats wandering around the dining room. We adore cats so that didn't bother us one bit. The thing that was weird is that one was really healthy looking and the other one clearly had an issue. I am not sure what was wrong with it. He only had half his fur...I felt bad him. But I also didn't want to get too near him because if it was communicable I do not want to take those germs home to my cat. If they had a donation box for him I would have donated. Anyway- the cats clearly live there. So the Chinese people complained about the cats- so the head lady put them in a cupboard and locked the door. I am not making any of this up. My view of the cupboard was from the side - so I assumed that the front had chicken wire on it. Wrong. The Chinese people left - we got our bill (about 15 minutes later) for the drinks and paid it. On the way out I realized the cupboard was completely enclosed- wood doors!! I asked the lady if I could see her cats. I think she forgot they were in the cupboard. She let them out. I am sure I have carried on too long about this but my husband and I have not quit laughing about the whole thing since it happened yesterday.

After lunch we went to the temple of the divine madman. It is walking distance from the aforementioned restaurant. There were lots of tour buses , groups etc. The temple itself is not memorable and it is flooded with tourists. I could have skipped the whole program. I think the general story of this guy is he was a partier and revolted against orthodox bhuddism. Don't take my word for it...please feel free to research yourself. The thing that is interesting is that apparently he is believed to be a symbol of fertility so if you are a childless couple you drop by his temple for a blessing. The thing that is " unique "... Is that there are wooden penises for sale everywhere. They are penises painted on the sides of the souvenir shops. The arrows to the restrooms are penises. Frankly if I were reading this post I wouldn't believe it but it is true. Between that program and the river weed soup and the cats in the cupboard...we had quite a day.

As discussed earlier- we decided to change our itinerary and nix driving to Trongsa. The roads aren't great and this was likely to be a five hour drive to see another dzong and a museum. We bagged that and opted to stay in Punahka another night and hike instead. Tashi and Kencho sorted out a hotel room for us, and our driver (Namgay)told Tashi about a hike in the area because he grew up here. The hike was AWESOME. Around 5 hours total. Up to a very old temple, then across a ridge - FABULOUS VIEWS of the dzong- 360 degree views. I loved the hike and would recommend.

We had brought granola bars and beef jerky along on the trip...having heard the food wasn't great. After the river weed soup incident - we told Tashi we wanted to skip lunch and just eat the stuff we brought. He was game.we finished our hike and headed to the new hotel Dhensa where we are now. We have a big nice room with a pretty view. I will report on it tomorrow.

Oops - one thing I forgot to mention is that we visited the Punahka Dzong yesterday. It is quite lovely- and apparently the most famous one. Having seen the one in Thimphu and the one in Punahka - they are very cool to see but I don't think I need to see anymore. You get the idea after awhile. Don't get me wrong...they are a must see...but if you are planning a trip I would not add hours of drive time just to see an additional one.

Observations

1. The temperature varies a lot. It was on the cool side in Thimpu. The range was probably 30-50 degrees because it is at much higher altitude than Punahka. Where the temp is cool in the evening (40's) but during the day it gets close to 80.

2. One thing that is quite a disappointment is the amount of trash I have seen everywhere I go. You can't go hundred yards without seeing a juice box or a plastic bottle. Even on the hikes we have gone on where we have literally not encountered a single person along the way. It has been bugging me since I can't imagine a tourist interested in making the journey to Bhutan being so careless about the environment. Finally I asked Tashi who throws the garbage on the ground? I point blank asked if it was tourists. He said no...it was locals. That makes sense...because the worst trash I have seen is walking through little towns/neighborhoods. For a country where the number 2 source of income is tourism fees - they might need to get a clue. It is illegal for the Bhutanese to smoke, illegal to drink alcohol on Tuesdays. They ought to make it illegal to throw garbage on the ground. I noticed that Backroads references the trash in their trip brochure...so I am not the only one who has noticed it.

3. I believe the term " let sleeping dogs lie" originated in Bhutan. I have never seen so many dogs sleeping in my whole life. For the most part they look pretty perky and healthy - but there are loads of them.

More later.

Fascinating read!

I know Bhutan is expensive, but some of the prices you mention make my jaw drop.

Unfortunately, it will probably be a generation (at least) before the trash problem is resolved. In many, many of these poor, developing countries we have visited we have noticed the same problem. Initially they just didn't have the money for facilities for trash disposal, and then came the advent of non-decomposable plastic which is a problem with their old ingrained habits. Education is the solution, and that type of change takes time.

I'm pretty sure that the place with the cats is the same place where I caught food poisoning. Unfortunately, there aren't any alternatives in the area.

Okay, I laughed out loud about your day with the river weed soup, the cats and the penises. You did have quite a day! I looked up the temple as I just could not imagine what you were talking about, and there they were! How interesting. Huffington Post had a story on it. Really great report. Your hotels seem divine and the hikes and views just glorious. Keep it coming!

The one developing country I've visited that didn't have the trash is Sikkim. I'm disappointed to hear about the trash in Bhutan - makes me glad we went to Sikkim instead.

Enjoying your report, chichi, keep it coming.

Julie's - we upgraded the hotels to " luxury" and fully expected to pay the prices. We take one big trip a year and like to indulge a bit.

Lolazahra- I am glad you got a chuckle out of my post. I was laughing so hard I was crying when I wrote it. I forgot one other touch of ambience at that restaurant...it was a VERY windy day. I would guess 30 mph winds. I thought I was going to blow over. So the restaurant was glassed in - but one of the side windows was open -Screened. Anyway the wind was making ALOT of noise blowing by the one screen.
So...after the Chinese people left head lady turned on two industrial strength over head ceiling fans which sounded like a helicopter taking off. I am not sure why? It was not hot in there nor did it smell? Go figure.

Craig I reread your trip report last night. The view and ambience was the same as your spot- but your food poisoning emporium had a different name. Could be the same place same owner and they change the name every few months? Who knows. If I returned and wanted a nice lunch I would go the the Uma resort and eat there. However the laughs from the place were worth it in hindsight!

Kathie..I think I have followed you all over this part of the world. Thank you for all of your great posts. I honestly don't know where Sikkim is but intend to look it up.

chichi, reading material for when you are finished with your report: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...p-to-india.cfm

photos at www.marlandc.com

Thank you Kathie. It took me awhile to get connected to the Internet so will try and post to keep this up to date.

Dhensa Hotel - Punahka. As mentioned before- we extended our stay by one day in Punahka because we wanted to bag the 5.5 hour drive to Trongsa. Uma was full so we switched to Densa. I really liked our room. It was spacious, had a drop dead view, pretty little balcony. Soaking tub with a window to view the valley, nice shower, big closet etc. There was a sign, and also the guy who took us to our room told us we would have to wait 25-30 minutes between showers for there to be enough hot water. I am fine with that...as long as you know it is not a big deal. So the room was great. The food was not so great. For dinner they have a set menu - but you pick your main course. We started with a prawn fish cake. It was good. Then there was a cream soup which I wasn't crazy about, my husband ate about half. Then...for a main course you could have 1) pasta in a beef sauce, 2) fish and chips 3)something Bhutanese 4) chicken leg with vegetables. My husband had the pasta which was good. I ordered the chicken leg ( ok where do chicken breasts go in this country...the neck and wings go to the cafeterias my the divine madman temple, the legs go to Dhensa Resort ). The chicken leg arrived with a lot of brown sauce on it.
However when I cut the leg open it was very pink and bloody red juice oozed out. Of course I started thinking about Craig and his food poisoning and I had them take it away. They brought me some pasta instead and that was good but frankly I try to avoid pasta and rice so I wasn't thrilled. Dessert was named " coffee cake" which I think of as a breakfast dish. What arrived was a brown piece of cake - no frosting - that tasted like coffee. It wasn't bad. We had an ok bottle of Australian Cabernet which was a treat because there is no wine to speak of here.

We slept well...everything was fine. Breakfast has been consistently the best meal in Bhutan. No one has really screwed it up and most have actually been good. So - we arrive at the dining room - order coffee which arrives and is excellent. There is an a la carte menu - my husband and I both order omelets - the waitress does not write anything down - so naturally the order gets messed up. We get things straightened out and the omelets were good. However....the " bread basket" is advertised on the menu as " white bread, oat bread, wheat bread, coffee cake, muffins". So I think they are trying to keep up with their competitor down the street. I am thrilled because we brought Tashi and Namgay muffins from Uma and they were so appreciative and tickled - I thought we would take them some. Well the bread basket was several pieces of white toast and a couple pieces of something that looked like pound cake.. My husband said the pound cake thing was ok. I asked the waitress about the muffins and she said they were out. I said ok. Then she came back to the table and said they had coffee cake. I said no thanks I had that for dessert last night.

Today was a long drive (3.5 HR) from Punahka to a drop off point for a hike - over a pass - into Gangtey. On the itin it reads Pele la hike to Gangtey. It was a great hike...maybe 3.5 hours from start to finish with a couple stops along the way. There was an 1.5 hour part with 800 m elevation gain...I think 2800 to 3600. We started walking through a farm...then up through the forest. Saw some cows and yaks. It was pretty fun. The descent wasn't too bad...then Namgay met us at a farm and picked us up.

Tonight our itin had us staying at Hotel Dewachen...but I had REALLY wanted to stay at the Gangtey Lodge. It was booked/reserved when we made our plans 11 months ago. Well ...Roy from Uma is friends with the manager at Gangtey Lodge - so he said he would phone ahead and perhaps we could eat there. Well...Roy did as he said he would...we arrived and Ateeb the Mgr knew our names. He showed us around...the place is an absolute dream. Well..it seems that the rooms had been blocked off...perhaps for a group )...but anyway..they had a room. So...we could not obviously get a refund on Hotel Dewachen...but we could gift it to Tashi to stay there. So he was so tickled...and I am so tickled because this place is divine. We have a big gorgeous room overlooking the valley, fireplace, heated floors...it is just awesome. The main house has two big fireplaces...only twelve rooms total. It is like a big wonderful comfortable home. Kathie...it is obviously different...but I felt the same way when I set foot at Tea Trails in Sri Lanka. Magical.

Anyway...they have a lovely ritual when you arrive. The staff sings a welcome song in Bhutanese, then give you the translation in English. The welcome drink has hot cider with an apple slice garnish and a cinnamon stick. Then...the spa manager comes over to explain the services...and we each got a free 10 minute " mini massage". Once they showed us to the room...they explained that laundry was complimentary. We have been here a week...and hiking every day...so we have taken advantage of that!

Julies...question for you. I agree with your comments about trash in developing countries. However...when the government charges a tourist tax AND demands you spend at least $250 per person per day...in my view the govt should take some ownership of making it a fabulous tourist 'experience'. They can't control bad food or water temperature or good wifi service. I don't really care about any of that honestly. But...the govt seems pretty willing to tax people here, so what about a fine for not keeping your land cleared of trash? The temples are all staffed ...monks come and go..they have caretakers. Why can't they be charged with picking up the trash? In Chicago you get a ticket if you don't shovel your walk after a snowfall in a timely fashion. Anyway...it is truly a magical place...it is gorgeous and the people are wonderful. But I think the govt mandated tax/expenditures sets up an expectation?

chichichicago--Hello from Minneapolis where we have a new 1.5" of snow this morning, and yes we too get fined here if we don't shovel.

I have only read about Bhutan and probably will not be visiting precisely because of the government's per diem monetary requirement and tax. From what I've read, those standards were set to keep the backpackers and less affluent tourists out. My guess also is that your tourist tax money is going to things like the infrastructure, medical care, education etc.

I take countries as they are warts and all, but I can see why you might think they could do better when you are being charged such a high rate. Plus, individual are different. We have friends who think places like Portugal are too dirty, and they want all pristine Switzerland-like environments. I remember a trip we took to Romania (another gorgeous country) nearly 15 years ago. We were in a mountain area and wanted to stop along a roadside stream for a picnic. Every place we could find to pull over was filled with trash, and one even had a bloated dead dog lying in the trash.

A couple days have passed since I last posted ...we have been busy and Internet off and on.

Gangtey Lodge was honestly spectacular from start to finish. It is one of the rare hotels that is a destination in and of itself. The hotel is independently owned and not part of a chain. It was built as a farmhouse - I use that term loosely because it doesn't resemble any farmhouse I have ever seen. The rooms (12)are spacious and luxurious. There is a bathtub that has Windows on 3 sides - overlooking the valley. I was chilled after a long hike on a windy day - and decided to take a hot bath. Honestly it felt like I was taking a bath in the clouds. The floors are heated throughout , there is a fireplace that the staff lights in the evening. It does get chilly at night...so of course there is a hot water bottle in the foot of your bed. Of course because they don't miss a trick at this place. When you retire for the evening you can request coffee or tea to be served in your room. Other hotels have a coffee pot in the room with powdered Nescafé. ( That said - every hotel we have stayed at has served brewed coffee at the restaurant). The main room of the lodge is very warm and cozy. It is just pleasant to sit there and read or have a glass of wine. There are two fireplaces and as soon as you sit down a fire is lit. The snacks they bring with cocktails change each nite and are delicious. There is a lovely balcony that runs the length of the dining room which is available to eat outside if you wish. Of course they provide blankets if it is chilly out. We especially enjoyed breakfast - made to order choices accompanied by fresh fruit, bread/ muffin basket, fresh juices. The dinner menu was a choice of either a la carte or set Bhutanese or Asain or Indian menu ( you could also pick from the set menus on a la carte basis if you wish.we had a picnic lunch for one of our hikes - it was fabulous.
The general manager Ateeb - was always present and bent over backwards to make sure everything was perfect. He was making a point to talk to every guest - and doing everything he could to make sure everyone was having the best possible experience. He is a delightful person - and this is one of the finest hotel experiences we have ever had. We would absolutely return.

We did two hikes in Gangtey. The first was a day hike around the area. The hike was fine - but probably my least favorite of the trip. It was cold and windy which I wasn't thrilled with, and it was relatively flat. I think it would appeal to many people...so I don't want to diss it...but because we live in flat Chicago...I prefer hilly hikes when we get a chance. We ended up cutting the hike short - 3 hrs. We had our picnic lunch then went to the Black Necked Crane visitor center. The flock of cranes left for Tibet in February ...but one sad bird couldn't make the trip because he has a broken wing. So we got to see him but he seems pretty lonely hanging around by himself in a wooden pen. There is an interesting little film - 15 minutes- at the center that explains about the birds etc. I actually am not very fond of birds - they sort of scare me - but the film was good. They are funny birds...they sort of hop around and flap their wings. See it if you are there when the birds aren't.

The next day we did an awesome hike from Phobjikha Valley over a pass - Sasha La. I really liked it. There is an uphill climb from 2800 m to 3200 m- about an hour - then around 3 hour hike down...and we were met by Namjay. Apparently the hike cuts off about 1.5 hours of driving. Well worth it.

We began our drive back towards Thimphu - where we met Kencho for a late lunch/early dinner - around 4 pm. She is really delightful. We had pizza which was delicious. There were many other Italian options but we opted for pizza. We also had a lovely Australian merlot. Time flew by as we discussed our trip, politics etc.

We left around 6:30 for another 1.5 hour drive to our hotel Zhwai Ling on the outskirts of Paro. I will review the hotel when we leave.

Today we went to the Paro festival. It is the 4th day of a 5 day festival. This morning it was rainy foggy gray and overcast at 7:30 am. By 8:45 it was sunny and gorgeous. The hotel is about 15 minutes from Paro...and we were dilly dallying this morning - so we didn't get to the festival until around 9:30. We have been leaving around 8 am most days...I wish we hadn't horsed around this morning. There is some seating...but it was all taken by the time we arrived. The festival is pretty interesting and I would highly recommend attending one if you visit Bhutan. There are dancing performances which are very fun to watch. The costumes are elaborate - native dress and very unique unusual masks. The other thing that is very fun to see is the locals wear their finest clothes to these festivals. It is a riot of color - beautiful silks - quite stunning. All of the aforementioned provide great photo opps.

We left around 11:45 and visited the Paro Dzong. As stated before - they are interesting but after awhile they all sort of look the same to my untrained eye.

Having hit on a yummy dish last night we decided on pizza again for lunch. Chicago is known for pizza but - just saying - they know how to make it here. It was excellent. I especially like it with the chilis on it. Spicy and delish.

We walked around Paro and looked at the souvenir shops. There are a lot of Bhutanese paintings, prayer wheels , tapestries, shawls , jewelry. Frankly a lot of the stuff is nice...but I am in the declutter mode so just bought postage stamps for my post cards.

Tomorrow is the hike to Tigers Nest.

Excellent report... eagerly awaiting the next instalment....I am just waiting for a costing for an almost identical itinerary and hotels!

Thank heavens someone is reading this! Let me know if you have any questions.

Being from flat Chicago, have you had difficulties with the climbs (I am assuming you didn't do any training ahead of time).

I'm still following your report. I'm surprised you have had as much internet connectivity as you have.

I wish there had been places like the Gangtey lodge when we were there...

We didn't train for the hiking...felt the altitude the first day but that was about it. Lucky I guess.

The Internet has been surprisingly good IMO. I think the govt mandated Internet access at hotels - either wifi or a computer available. We have had wifi everywhere. Sometimes slow - or not available for a period - but it has been ok. There was a complete tool at Gangtey dressing down the Mgr because Internet was out for a little while. If 24/7 connectivity is crucial then this isn't the place...but I think it has been very good.

As for Gantey...I put it in a very small subset of hotels...Tea Trails, Amans in Bali, Camp Jabulani South Africa, Kasbah Tamadote Morocco. All worth every dime ...a destination in and of themselves.

Still following along and enjoying your report.

The Gangtey Lodge sounds heavenly from your report. I have not been to all of the hotels you mention above, but I have been to the amazing Kasbah Tamodot in the mountains of Morocco and your comparison makes me realize how special The Gangtey Lodge must be. As staying at Kasbah Tamodot was truly an outstanding experience.

Keep it coming!

As good as Tea Trails and Kasbah Tamodot? Wow!

Yesterday was Tigers Nest. I am guessing anyone who is reading this knows it is a Monastary built on the side of a cliff. It is a bit of an architectural feat....at 3120 meters! You can either hike the entire way up - which we did (1:45 minutes but I think we were on the quicker side- the guides allow 3 hours). Or - you can take a horse or mule halfway up then walk. They do not allow you to take an animal down...you have to walk. We left the base around 8:15 am. A few observations. I saw no trash until the halfway point. None. It is possible! It was the only hike of the trip that we had other people on the trail with us...which is of course to be expected.
So...while there was no trash on the trail...OMG...those animals must have had big breakfasts that did not agree with them. They all seemed to have "air raid " (spelled backwards... get it?). My oh my. It smelled to high heaven. In Chicago they make the horse carriage drivers tie baskets under the horse's behind so they don't leave
their " business"behind. So to speak. Anyway...the only reason to ride up IMO is that maybe you would be above the stench. After the halfway point we lost the stench and most of our company. We pretty much had the trail to ourselves - just a couple other people. It is a great hike...pretty views..etc. The last 45 minutes we were actually walking through snow covered trees, and it started to hail, and it was foggy. That may sound bad but it was actually very cool and mystical. Not far from the top (20 minutes) we encountered a woman on her way down who stopped to let us know that when she had headed up earlier you could see tigers nest from that spot but now it's in the clouds. She was very pleased with herself. I am not sure why she had to let me know that she had had a good view and we had missed it.