I've gotten home now but thought I'll just finish what I started...
We started the day knocking on the door of the vice-principal of the Lango Middle Secondary School. Did the elevator pitch on how visit to the National Library had generated curiosity and interest in school's library resources and access to information, internet, etc. She kindly gave us a brief tour of the library which was about half the size of a classroom and could do with more books. We didn't get to see the computer room but she described it to be amply equipped with 16 PCs; however, lamented that it was largely underutilized because of not having data connectivity. Tobgay and I are working on a little project to get a data line fixed up.
Most would say a visit to Bhutan isn't complete without a visit to Taktsang (also known as the Tiger's Nest Monastery). The hike up takes about two hours. Quite early in the walk we passed a group of three: a nun, an elderly man, and an elderly woman; they were not related. As usual there would be some friendly banter initiated. The nun spoke English and shared with me that she was going to be up at the monastery for a 2 month retreat.
It would never have occurred to me to offer but Tobgay noticed that the two elderly folks had backpacks. Much to their appreciation, he took the bags from them and saddled them onto his back. I felt it was really thoughtful of him but had no idea that the bags contained more than just a change of clothes......
A third the way up, we took a short break and I offered again to take one of the backpacks cos he looked a bit silly carrying two. When I picked up the smaller one, I then discovered it had a sackful of rice in it - with the two bags he would have been carrying close to 30kgs!...and could see why the folks were quite relieved. Though he was managing without breaking much sweat, did manage to convince him to let me have a go at the smaller pack for sport...:) I later found out that the rice was brought as offerings for an important occasion taking place the next day - it is the one day in the year that the sacred cave where Guru Rinpoche had meditated in would be opened to the public.
Aside from the religious importance of this site, the Takstang monastery and its setting is breathtaking. I particularly enjoyed the waterfall that greets visitors close to the monastery's entrance - the water flowed with a beautiful balance of grace and energy landing on rocks sending a refreshing spray of mist into the air.
Back at the hotel, indulged in a hot stone bath and massage in the perfectly situated spa overlooking the Paro valley. The bath uses the traditional yet novel way of heating and adjusting the water temperature in a wooden tub using stones that had been earlier heated over fire wood. Would give the spa and treatment two thumbs up!
It being my last night in Bhutan, I asked the guys to take me out for a truly local experience ie somewhere they would go. We went downtown Paro (all in all no larger than a typical US outlet mall) and they picked an obscure enough eatery - quite promising this. When they ordered noodles by the name of "chow mian" I got a bit suspicious. I asked if this was really a local dish and they both nodded in unison. Well, sometimes you never get a straight answer no matter where you are....Another dish looked and tasted very much like jiao zi - at least they had a local name for this one. In any case, it was the most satisfying 'local' meal I've had in Bhutan.
After dinner, knowing my curiosity if there was more to be seen, the guys led me to Dragon Entertainment - now this is the real 'in the know' experience! My best attempt at describing the place and what it has to offer would be: tea dance meets karaoke meets local pub meets community centre. The 'live entertainment' consist young ladies in full Kira (traditional dress) singing and dancing to requests from the patrons. Instead of buying tickets as was the system for tea dances of the old, the ladies carry around jotter books to record requests made and tips collected. The performers were painfully shy - apparently this is one of the avenues for young people to meet. Men, women and children pile in to watch the show...
The next day, I was due to leave on an 11am flight which would allow me to catch a connecting flight from BKK on the same day back to SIN. A stray pigeon had knackered the turbine of one of the two planes in the fleet - so flight was delayed to 5.20pm which meant I had no way of getting home to SIN that day. As I later found out from the SQ ground staff, delays in the flights out of Paro happen quite a bit so best to allow for some buffer if planning for a trip.
The last learning experience of the trip took place on the flight to BKK. I sat next to a very pleasant French lady who is project manager of a national environment advisory board commissioned by the ADB. Earlier in the lounge I had noticed her and her colleagues of various nationalities discussing technical details of a proposed Water Act. Looks like my little wish re engineering expertise is getting checked off....
Final thoughts: this is a place of great natural beauty, and for just that alone, would be worthwhile visiting. The steeped history, folklore, cultural rites and rituals certainly add to its tapestry. But I think it's the people and the simplicity, honesty and kindness that pervades in the way they live that makes Bhutan a rather special place indeed.
Tashi Delek and thanks for reading :)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Day 5
Forgot to share hotel tips/experiences on days 3 and 4, so here they are:
In Punakha, I stayed at the Meri Punseum. It wasn't that merry - wifi didn't work, electricity got cut, and they closed the bar at 10pm (ok it was supposed to have been closed anyway on Tues); but generally good enough as a rustic 3 star hotel offering huge rooms. Bed was comfortable, dinner was pretty good, and they provide a fan in the guest room - which I found useful (none of the hotels in Paro, Thimphu and Punakha offer AC for cooling, only heaters installed). Presently, there's only one other tourist class hotel in entire Punakha - also operated by relatives of the Royal family, and it is not any better.
Returning to Paro, I was booked one night at the Tenzinling - purportedly 3.5 stars, but best avoided. It looks decent, in fact attractive from the exterior, but rooms are poorly executed. If you have to stay there, do ask for a room on the ground floor. They've installed water pumps in the attics of the 2 storey accommodation buildings and the pumps start and stop every 30 secs. When I called the front office at 1.00am, the rudely awoken staff knew exactly what I was talking about and where the noise was coming from. Curiously they never thought it was a curable problem!...sleeping with ear plugs on (thank goodness I had a pair) is never pleasant, more so when on holiday...
Which brings me to my little gripe and hope for this place...The revered Thangtong Gyalpo (King) was a pioneering engineer who built 58 iron chain bridges in the 15th century, several of which are still in use today. Sadly, the Bhutanese seem to have lost much interest in science and engineering in the time between then and now. Having decentralized university campuses when there is hardly critical mass (with country population of 700,000) and locating the engineering college in a small town in the remote southern tip of the country (only a 6 hour drive, sir) isn't helping much.
Certainly there are resource and funding constraints (the World Food Programme and other UN initiatives are still very active here)....it's just that general focus and pursuits seem to only center on religion, rituals and things of the past. I'm sure this is likely a poorly informed perspective, akin to trying to size up the proverbial elephant from its rear end....But perhaps therein lies the appeal of less complicated lives and secret to greater happiness.
Today the plan was for a meditation retreat. The travel agency website had advertised a "meditation session with a senior monk" - I thought this might be my chance at Satori (yes, profoundly optimistic) so signed up for it :). As it turned out, much as Tobgay is good at many things, he does not have a Rolodex of senior monks to call on...sometimes his sales & marketing colleagues get the better of him.
So we switched plans, as we've been quite adept at doing often cos the itinerary never considered my waking hours,...and opted to visit a farmhouse instead. This was fun and educational. All the crops are grown organically - the bite and flavour of the apple is making me rethink the produce we buy and consume back home. Also got to sample a home brew of ara which is made from fermentation of rice and wheat assisted by yeast, and scented with a hint of sandalwood...happy days...
Later in the day I checked into the Uma Paro...nice. InterContinental-ish in style and approach :))
You never know whom you might meet...there's a wanderlust afflicted, single malt loving, Singaporean sous chef at this place, by the name of Val, who whips up a pretty mean and innovative Indian mee goreng!
In Punakha, I stayed at the Meri Punseum. It wasn't that merry - wifi didn't work, electricity got cut, and they closed the bar at 10pm (ok it was supposed to have been closed anyway on Tues); but generally good enough as a rustic 3 star hotel offering huge rooms. Bed was comfortable, dinner was pretty good, and they provide a fan in the guest room - which I found useful (none of the hotels in Paro, Thimphu and Punakha offer AC for cooling, only heaters installed). Presently, there's only one other tourist class hotel in entire Punakha - also operated by relatives of the Royal family, and it is not any better.
Returning to Paro, I was booked one night at the Tenzinling - purportedly 3.5 stars, but best avoided. It looks decent, in fact attractive from the exterior, but rooms are poorly executed. If you have to stay there, do ask for a room on the ground floor. They've installed water pumps in the attics of the 2 storey accommodation buildings and the pumps start and stop every 30 secs. When I called the front office at 1.00am, the rudely awoken staff knew exactly what I was talking about and where the noise was coming from. Curiously they never thought it was a curable problem!...sleeping with ear plugs on (thank goodness I had a pair) is never pleasant, more so when on holiday...
Which brings me to my little gripe and hope for this place...The revered Thangtong Gyalpo (King) was a pioneering engineer who built 58 iron chain bridges in the 15th century, several of which are still in use today. Sadly, the Bhutanese seem to have lost much interest in science and engineering in the time between then and now. Having decentralized university campuses when there is hardly critical mass (with country population of 700,000) and locating the engineering college in a small town in the remote southern tip of the country (only a 6 hour drive, sir) isn't helping much.
Certainly there are resource and funding constraints (the World Food Programme and other UN initiatives are still very active here)....it's just that general focus and pursuits seem to only center on religion, rituals and things of the past. I'm sure this is likely a poorly informed perspective, akin to trying to size up the proverbial elephant from its rear end....But perhaps therein lies the appeal of less complicated lives and secret to greater happiness.
Today the plan was for a meditation retreat. The travel agency website had advertised a "meditation session with a senior monk" - I thought this might be my chance at Satori (yes, profoundly optimistic) so signed up for it :). As it turned out, much as Tobgay is good at many things, he does not have a Rolodex of senior monks to call on...sometimes his sales & marketing colleagues get the better of him.
So we switched plans, as we've been quite adept at doing often cos the itinerary never considered my waking hours,...and opted to visit a farmhouse instead. This was fun and educational. All the crops are grown organically - the bite and flavour of the apple is making me rethink the produce we buy and consume back home. Also got to sample a home brew of ara which is made from fermentation of rice and wheat assisted by yeast, and scented with a hint of sandalwood...happy days...
Later in the day I checked into the Uma Paro...nice. InterContinental-ish in style and approach :))
You never know whom you might meet...there's a wanderlust afflicted, single malt loving, Singaporean sous chef at this place, by the name of Val, who whips up a pretty mean and innovative Indian mee goreng!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Day 4
Day 4 (27 July)
If there is one reason to visit Punakha, it would be the Punakha Dzong. Historically, a dzong is a military fortress. Today it has kept its relevance performing a unique role of marrying the political and spiritual leadership functions ie government offices and monastery reside in a shared compound. It is also an architectural masterpiece (regarded as the most resplendent dzong) - built in 1637, painfully restored after run-ins with fires and glacial floods.
Other places visited - Namgyal Chorten and Chhimi Lhakhang (another chorten/temple) were also interesting.... though I still think of the 76km hair-standing-on-end journey to get to these sites.....
Between the two, the Chhimi Lhakhang has perhaps a more colourful story. It was built to commemorate the Divine Madman's (Drukpa Kuenlay) very unorthodox slaying of the village demon/ness (unclear) using a particular appendage. It is also now apparently a pilgrim site for barren women - I wonder why the travel planners would think i'm a fit?! Nonetheless, the visit was useful and insightful in helping me understand why a number of houses are adorned with large drawings of phallic symbols (well, they are actually more graphic than just symbols) flanking the main entrance.
The trip back to Paro involved the Paro-Thimphu highway (yes, this is a proper one) which offered a different sort of entertainment. Instead of giving clear, specific instructions like 'slow down, steep slope ahead', etc; the road signs are more....err, philosophical and poetic in nature:
Keep your nerves,
On sharp curves.....(sounds more like a tip to a race car driver...and truck drivers who seem to take it to heart trying to better their time at the next bend)
Life is a journey,
Complete it.......(could spend a lifetime pondering that, and I wonder what an octogenarian driving down the highway might think....)
Don't be gama,
In the land of the lama...(even the Bhutanese don't know what in the world a 'gama' is!)
I've had oodles of time to observe and reflect these last few days. Without sounding like I would even begin to know enough, would venture to share among friends, what seems to make Bhutan and Bhutanese endearing, is that they are dignified yet light-hearted, truly believe in making an honest living, have a half-full glass attitude and live by a kindness begets kindness ethos.
The happiest and most pleasing moments of the day were watching Tobgay and Tinley banter, haggle, and tease the many friends and strangers they met along the way.
If there is one reason to visit Punakha, it would be the Punakha Dzong. Historically, a dzong is a military fortress. Today it has kept its relevance performing a unique role of marrying the political and spiritual leadership functions ie government offices and monastery reside in a shared compound. It is also an architectural masterpiece (regarded as the most resplendent dzong) - built in 1637, painfully restored after run-ins with fires and glacial floods.
Other places visited - Namgyal Chorten and Chhimi Lhakhang (another chorten/temple) were also interesting.... though I still think of the 76km hair-standing-on-end journey to get to these sites.....
Between the two, the Chhimi Lhakhang has perhaps a more colourful story. It was built to commemorate the Divine Madman's (Drukpa Kuenlay) very unorthodox slaying of the village demon/ness (unclear) using a particular appendage. It is also now apparently a pilgrim site for barren women - I wonder why the travel planners would think i'm a fit?! Nonetheless, the visit was useful and insightful in helping me understand why a number of houses are adorned with large drawings of phallic symbols (well, they are actually more graphic than just symbols) flanking the main entrance.
The trip back to Paro involved the Paro-Thimphu highway (yes, this is a proper one) which offered a different sort of entertainment. Instead of giving clear, specific instructions like 'slow down, steep slope ahead', etc; the road signs are more....err, philosophical and poetic in nature:
Keep your nerves,
On sharp curves.....(sounds more like a tip to a race car driver...and truck drivers who seem to take it to heart trying to better their time at the next bend)
Life is a journey,
Complete it.......(could spend a lifetime pondering that, and I wonder what an octogenarian driving down the highway might think....)
Don't be gama,
In the land of the lama...(even the Bhutanese don't know what in the world a 'gama' is!)
I've had oodles of time to observe and reflect these last few days. Without sounding like I would even begin to know enough, would venture to share among friends, what seems to make Bhutan and Bhutanese endearing, is that they are dignified yet light-hearted, truly believe in making an honest living, have a half-full glass attitude and live by a kindness begets kindness ethos.
The happiest and most pleasing moments of the day were watching Tobgay and Tinley banter, haggle, and tease the many friends and strangers they met along the way.
Day 3
Last couple of days were a washout connectivity wise....
Day 3 (Tues 26 July)
Spent the morning still in Thimphu. Tobgay and Tinley (our driver) took me to the National Memorial Chorten (temple), a few handicraft places (to perform the Singaporean ritual of making sure the luggage is amply stuffed), a nuns' monastery, and a number of government/national administration buildings.
What stayed with me was this: the National Library held many books and records of historical and religous significance, which is entirely important, but only two half-filled 'Ikea' shelves on DDC 500 Science and 600 Technology. Got into discussion with Tobgay about the education system, schools and facilities, access to books, PCs, etc, etc...He thinks it's alright in the major cities but isn't sure elsewhere. On our return to Paro, we fortuitously passed by the primary and middle school his 3 daughters attend. He's kindly arranging a visit this Friday to give me a glimpse into things....
The journey from Thimphu to Punakha, the ancient capital of Bhutan, was an adventure in itself. There is only one highway and possible route traversing east-west. The 76km 'highway' is probably most objectively described as a mostly paved, perilous mountain road largely in state of disrepair (ie axle damaging potholes ubiquitous, vehicle swallowing sinkholes quite a few). In most places the road is very barely just wide enough for one large vehicle and a small one to pass - so there's really no need for lane markings as you'll never know which is passing on which side. During this monsoon season, fresh landslides that pockmark the route at rather regular intervals add to the thrill/fear factor.
While I enjoy driving and would like to think I am quite good at it, this trip has been a humbling experience. Having survived the Thimphu-Punakha journey twice (yes, there and back), am convinced that the Bhutanese are exceptionally gifted in hand-eye coordination (first evidence of this was at archery). Passing the driving test must involve a standard maneuver of keeping half the tyre width on the edge of the road (also the mountain precipice) while negotiating hairpin bends at straight-line speeds - Tinley does this effortlessly, and I had full view of his display of skills riding shotgun.... There are also many intricate customs, gestures and signals that help keep the motorists alive; such as flashing lights to allow overtaking, letting vehicle going uphill have right of way, etc. Most times though, the only thing that really seemed to matter is the universal pecking order ie 10 ton trucks, buses, offroaders/SUVs, regular cars, Suzuki Marutis....
Tipple report of the day: the Druk 11000, as the label says, is 'Super Strong Beer'. Declared alcohol content is less than 8%, but locals seem to think it's more like 8-14%. The real sly and insidious ploy, me thinks, is in how it tastes. It is like a flat, diluted pilsner that gets you gulping as you try to detect some flavour in the ale....then before you know it...
Tuesday is supposed to be a dry day. However, on excuse that the bloody wifi failed to work, they were more than happy to be flexible...did say I think the Bhutanese are nice people :)
Final note: seeing my despair when the wifi failed to work, Tobgay without hesitation offered use of his spanking new notebook (as it has a pre-paid calling card connection), no password needed, no questions asked.....very trusting, very kind
Day 3 (Tues 26 July)
Spent the morning still in Thimphu. Tobgay and Tinley (our driver) took me to the National Memorial Chorten (temple), a few handicraft places (to perform the Singaporean ritual of making sure the luggage is amply stuffed), a nuns' monastery, and a number of government/national administration buildings.
What stayed with me was this: the National Library held many books and records of historical and religous significance, which is entirely important, but only two half-filled 'Ikea' shelves on DDC 500 Science and 600 Technology. Got into discussion with Tobgay about the education system, schools and facilities, access to books, PCs, etc, etc...He thinks it's alright in the major cities but isn't sure elsewhere. On our return to Paro, we fortuitously passed by the primary and middle school his 3 daughters attend. He's kindly arranging a visit this Friday to give me a glimpse into things....
The journey from Thimphu to Punakha, the ancient capital of Bhutan, was an adventure in itself. There is only one highway and possible route traversing east-west. The 76km 'highway' is probably most objectively described as a mostly paved, perilous mountain road largely in state of disrepair (ie axle damaging potholes ubiquitous, vehicle swallowing sinkholes quite a few). In most places the road is very barely just wide enough for one large vehicle and a small one to pass - so there's really no need for lane markings as you'll never know which is passing on which side. During this monsoon season, fresh landslides that pockmark the route at rather regular intervals add to the thrill/fear factor.
While I enjoy driving and would like to think I am quite good at it, this trip has been a humbling experience. Having survived the Thimphu-Punakha journey twice (yes, there and back), am convinced that the Bhutanese are exceptionally gifted in hand-eye coordination (first evidence of this was at archery). Passing the driving test must involve a standard maneuver of keeping half the tyre width on the edge of the road (also the mountain precipice) while negotiating hairpin bends at straight-line speeds - Tinley does this effortlessly, and I had full view of his display of skills riding shotgun.... There are also many intricate customs, gestures and signals that help keep the motorists alive; such as flashing lights to allow overtaking, letting vehicle going uphill have right of way, etc. Most times though, the only thing that really seemed to matter is the universal pecking order ie 10 ton trucks, buses, offroaders/SUVs, regular cars, Suzuki Marutis....
Tipple report of the day: the Druk 11000, as the label says, is 'Super Strong Beer'. Declared alcohol content is less than 8%, but locals seem to think it's more like 8-14%. The real sly and insidious ploy, me thinks, is in how it tastes. It is like a flat, diluted pilsner that gets you gulping as you try to detect some flavour in the ale....then before you know it...
Tuesday is supposed to be a dry day. However, on excuse that the bloody wifi failed to work, they were more than happy to be flexible...did say I think the Bhutanese are nice people :)
Final note: seeing my despair when the wifi failed to work, Tobgay without hesitation offered use of his spanking new notebook (as it has a pre-paid calling card connection), no password needed, no questions asked.....very trusting, very kind
Monday, July 25, 2011
Day 2
Forgot to mention, I'm staying at the Kisa Hotel in Thimphu which is a great 3 star hotel - staff are fantastic (will put a few 5 stars to shame), rooms are comfortable and there's a little bar tucked away at the back of the lobby. Free wifi, which drives all recent non life-changing decisions when travelling, is also available; albeit intermittent and only really works in the lobby, where the bar is - good up selling.
Checked out the Taj Tashi - looks like a million bucks in the photo shoot but more like a million Ngultrums on closer inspection. The Aman Tora apparently is not as nice as the Aman Paro - will have a look when we get back to Paro.
Plan for Day 2, today, was to trek from Thimphu to Phajoding. I actually had it in my mind that it was only 3-4 hrs cos that's what I felt a trek of 'moderate' difficulty was and that's what i thought we'd agreed - but fibbed at last writing to make it sound more impressive :))
Met up with my guide, Mr Tobgay, at 8.45am - his face read like he was going for a walk in the Botanic Gardens. I thought good he's sussed out the city slicker, so off we went. While expecting a rather relaxed physical activity, but trained somewhat by profession to anticipate eventualities, I had a backpack that was stocked with some rather useful stuff like a rain jacket, first aid kit, and even a pack of Augmentin...all it was missing was a spot of water. Did look at the 1 liter bottle of water in the room and decided it was too heavy, thought by chance we might pick up a more civilised 330ml bottle somewhere on the way (need to leave behind images of the InterContinental ride with ready bottles of aqua, typically chilled, in bespoke black and beige labels).
30 minutes into the trek, it was getting quite challenging - so I decided to ask Tobgay how much further. It was then I realized we were going from an elevation of 2300m to 3700m and would cover 9+ kms. Aha...slightly minor detail left out in the itinerary. This was beginning to sound a bit similar to the Mt Kinabalu climb I attempted last year with a fair degree of difficulty and lots more preparation!
Given the slight mismatch in expectations, and reflecting on our conversations; it then occurred to me that in mountaineering vernacular, there is a bit of a difference between a trek and a hike. A trek is more like an an expedition, like the 25 day Snowman Trek that Tobgay's attempted 13 times, 7 successfully. A hike is a much happier walk counted by hours not days. So as I've only used the term trek and looked quite well equipped, he must have thought I was more than up for it and this is probably too easy. And surely he wouldn't insult me by asking me if I had water in my backpack....btw Tobgay never carries any water - he'll just drink when he finds it.
Much as I had the 'no water' card in the backpocket, it was way too early in the day to turn back, so asked where could we find water. Tobgay replied that there's a stupa about a third the way up and there was a tap we could drink from. Good enough, so on we went.
Got to the stupa and there was no tap - "might have been washed away by the recent heavy rain". He then gently shared that we should take it easy and that this is typically the point at which the "tourists who book from Druk Asia Singapore" would decide to spend the rest of the day on a cultural tour. He next pointed to the monastery in the distance which looked magnificent. I asked and he confirmed that we could find water up there, so I said let's see how much further I can go.
The rest of the hike up was rather quite pleasant - just an occasional cramp and slight pounding in the head possibly due to elevation. The forest was tranquil and little surprises like the sweetest wild strawberries more than made up for it. Most importantly, the monsoon rain (and leeches) stayed at bay.
On the way up I shared with Tobgay my little wander round town yesterday, and how I had passed by and been quite keen to catch a movie at the local cinema (certainly not watched a Bhutanese movie before and probably instigated by recent viewing of Forever Fever and how the cinema looked much like one in the set ie 1970ish). Did realize that the lack of subtitles posed a significant challenge. Tobgay was quite amused and promptly called his sister-in-law (a school teacher) thinking that between the two of them, they could interpret the dialogue. The sister-in-law reasonably thought it was a bit of a stretch, as I did, but the thought and gesture were certainly appreciated. In my estimation, the Bhutanese are genuinely nice people even going on brief interactions over the last two days.
The Phajoding Monastery is quite a sight - was told that the World Monument Fund lists it as one of the 5 most endangered monuments in the world. The monastery was founded in 1224 and many of the buildings are a few hundred years old. As serendipity would have it, in our quest for some water, one of the monks opened a shrine for us so that we could have some tea. Perhaps it was fatigue but the few minutes of rest and meditation in the shrine was quite special - it was a very serene and peaceful setting.
All said, the hike to the Phajoding Monastery was well worth it. Walking sticks, in my mind, are a must unless one's been weaned on yak's milk since the age of three. Other than that it's all quite doable in 5-6 hours.
Other note of the day: the Bhutan Highland blended whisky is not a bad tipple.
PS: would love to share/post a few pics but can't seem to get it to work.
Checked out the Taj Tashi - looks like a million bucks in the photo shoot but more like a million Ngultrums on closer inspection. The Aman Tora apparently is not as nice as the Aman Paro - will have a look when we get back to Paro.
Plan for Day 2, today, was to trek from Thimphu to Phajoding. I actually had it in my mind that it was only 3-4 hrs cos that's what I felt a trek of 'moderate' difficulty was and that's what i thought we'd agreed - but fibbed at last writing to make it sound more impressive :))
Met up with my guide, Mr Tobgay, at 8.45am - his face read like he was going for a walk in the Botanic Gardens. I thought good he's sussed out the city slicker, so off we went. While expecting a rather relaxed physical activity, but trained somewhat by profession to anticipate eventualities, I had a backpack that was stocked with some rather useful stuff like a rain jacket, first aid kit, and even a pack of Augmentin...all it was missing was a spot of water. Did look at the 1 liter bottle of water in the room and decided it was too heavy, thought by chance we might pick up a more civilised 330ml bottle somewhere on the way (need to leave behind images of the InterContinental ride with ready bottles of aqua, typically chilled, in bespoke black and beige labels).
30 minutes into the trek, it was getting quite challenging - so I decided to ask Tobgay how much further. It was then I realized we were going from an elevation of 2300m to 3700m and would cover 9+ kms. Aha...slightly minor detail left out in the itinerary. This was beginning to sound a bit similar to the Mt Kinabalu climb I attempted last year with a fair degree of difficulty and lots more preparation!
Given the slight mismatch in expectations, and reflecting on our conversations; it then occurred to me that in mountaineering vernacular, there is a bit of a difference between a trek and a hike. A trek is more like an an expedition, like the 25 day Snowman Trek that Tobgay's attempted 13 times, 7 successfully. A hike is a much happier walk counted by hours not days. So as I've only used the term trek and looked quite well equipped, he must have thought I was more than up for it and this is probably too easy. And surely he wouldn't insult me by asking me if I had water in my backpack....btw Tobgay never carries any water - he'll just drink when he finds it.
Much as I had the 'no water' card in the backpocket, it was way too early in the day to turn back, so asked where could we find water. Tobgay replied that there's a stupa about a third the way up and there was a tap we could drink from. Good enough, so on we went.
Got to the stupa and there was no tap - "might have been washed away by the recent heavy rain". He then gently shared that we should take it easy and that this is typically the point at which the "tourists who book from Druk Asia Singapore" would decide to spend the rest of the day on a cultural tour. He next pointed to the monastery in the distance which looked magnificent. I asked and he confirmed that we could find water up there, so I said let's see how much further I can go.
The rest of the hike up was rather quite pleasant - just an occasional cramp and slight pounding in the head possibly due to elevation. The forest was tranquil and little surprises like the sweetest wild strawberries more than made up for it. Most importantly, the monsoon rain (and leeches) stayed at bay.
On the way up I shared with Tobgay my little wander round town yesterday, and how I had passed by and been quite keen to catch a movie at the local cinema (certainly not watched a Bhutanese movie before and probably instigated by recent viewing of Forever Fever and how the cinema looked much like one in the set ie 1970ish). Did realize that the lack of subtitles posed a significant challenge. Tobgay was quite amused and promptly called his sister-in-law (a school teacher) thinking that between the two of them, they could interpret the dialogue. The sister-in-law reasonably thought it was a bit of a stretch, as I did, but the thought and gesture were certainly appreciated. In my estimation, the Bhutanese are genuinely nice people even going on brief interactions over the last two days.
The Phajoding Monastery is quite a sight - was told that the World Monument Fund lists it as one of the 5 most endangered monuments in the world. The monastery was founded in 1224 and many of the buildings are a few hundred years old. As serendipity would have it, in our quest for some water, one of the monks opened a shrine for us so that we could have some tea. Perhaps it was fatigue but the few minutes of rest and meditation in the shrine was quite special - it was a very serene and peaceful setting.
All said, the hike to the Phajoding Monastery was well worth it. Walking sticks, in my mind, are a must unless one's been weaned on yak's milk since the age of three. Other than that it's all quite doable in 5-6 hours.
Other note of the day: the Bhutan Highland blended whisky is not a bad tipple.
PS: would love to share/post a few pics but can't seem to get it to work.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day 1
This whole idea of making the trip on my own was always going to be iffy. Will I be bored to tears....well I guess this attempt at a first ever blog might give a clue.
It was a bloody early start - 5.30am at the BKK check-in counter of Druk Air for the 6.50am flight. Tip for fellow travellers...do give it time cos there'll be people checking in light bulbs, fridges, WCs, and all sorts of non-living paraphernalia imaginable. And if you're flying in from Singapore to connect, try to avoid staying at the Airport Hotel tempting as it may sound. SGD250 for a 5hr kip is a bit of a price gouge.
Was somewhat relieved spotting the aircraft on the tarmac was the jet plane rather than the propeller one. Inflight entertainment discovery of the year runner's up - there is none on Druk Air. But fret not, there is the Inflight Magazine - Tashi Delek, which is a real find. Most of the articles are written by Bhutanese which is fantastic to begin with...but these guys have quite a flair me thinks. Confident, unpretentious, delightful observations and a rather unique self-deprecating brand of humour ...a bit reminiscent of Top Gear, done Bhutanese style. Had me in stitches good part of the way....and gave me the perception while they are known for their Gross National Happiness, spirituality, etc, etc they don't take themselves too seriously on those counts at all...perhaps a good sense of humour is where happiness starts.
..."For a country where everything flies - Dragons, Garudas, Ravens, Black Naked Cranes (yes - here they go naked), and Tigers - there is only one airline with two planes. The in-flight peanuts are to die for!"
Landed in Paro at 10am. Was politely told that the guide who was supposed to accompany me the
whole trip has been called away to more important things - archery. Next suggestion was why don't we go and have a look. When we got there it was all shaping up to be a great 'insider', authentic local experience...which it was...the skills were amazing - hitting the target from 140m away (Olympic distance only 100m apparently) - it looked no larger than a 10cent coin from that distance. We sipped butter tea (which is tea with a good dosh of ghee :p) in the fields accompanied by bees, flies, dragonflies, gnats, and a myriad of other bugs; watching the archers do a little celebration dance after each hit. It was all really good but two hours later, having exhausted every question I could possibly think to ask about archery and watching 300+ arrows fly past....I was ready to go
We finally got to lunch at 1pm which was a cultural experience but otherwise uneventful. The yak ghee still takes some getting used to...
Next we travelled from Paro to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. My guide decided I looked a bit tired at 3 pm and decided to leave me for the day - which actually worked out fine cos it allowed me to wander round Thimphu properly...even if in the rain....which led to a few interesting finds and encounters....best told rather than documented.
It's about time to go to bed - I've run out of whisky and wifi. 5hr trek tomorrow...am getting a bit worried about the "thousands of leeches falling from trees during monsoon season". May have a lie in.
All in all having a great time :)
It was a bloody early start - 5.30am at the BKK check-in counter of Druk Air for the 6.50am flight. Tip for fellow travellers...do give it time cos there'll be people checking in light bulbs, fridges, WCs, and all sorts of non-living paraphernalia imaginable. And if you're flying in from Singapore to connect, try to avoid staying at the Airport Hotel tempting as it may sound. SGD250 for a 5hr kip is a bit of a price gouge.
Was somewhat relieved spotting the aircraft on the tarmac was the jet plane rather than the propeller one. Inflight entertainment discovery of the year runner's up - there is none on Druk Air. But fret not, there is the Inflight Magazine - Tashi Delek, which is a real find. Most of the articles are written by Bhutanese which is fantastic to begin with...but these guys have quite a flair me thinks. Confident, unpretentious, delightful observations and a rather unique self-deprecating brand of humour ...a bit reminiscent of Top Gear, done Bhutanese style. Had me in stitches good part of the way....and gave me the perception while they are known for their Gross National Happiness, spirituality, etc, etc they don't take themselves too seriously on those counts at all...perhaps a good sense of humour is where happiness starts.
..."For a country where everything flies - Dragons, Garudas, Ravens, Black Naked Cranes (yes - here they go naked), and Tigers - there is only one airline with two planes. The in-flight peanuts are to die for!"
Landed in Paro at 10am. Was politely told that the guide who was supposed to accompany me the
whole trip has been called away to more important things - archery. Next suggestion was why don't we go and have a look. When we got there it was all shaping up to be a great 'insider', authentic local experience...which it was...the skills were amazing - hitting the target from 140m away (Olympic distance only 100m apparently) - it looked no larger than a 10cent coin from that distance. We sipped butter tea (which is tea with a good dosh of ghee :p) in the fields accompanied by bees, flies, dragonflies, gnats, and a myriad of other bugs; watching the archers do a little celebration dance after each hit. It was all really good but two hours later, having exhausted every question I could possibly think to ask about archery and watching 300+ arrows fly past....I was ready to go
We finally got to lunch at 1pm which was a cultural experience but otherwise uneventful. The yak ghee still takes some getting used to...
Next we travelled from Paro to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. My guide decided I looked a bit tired at 3 pm and decided to leave me for the day - which actually worked out fine cos it allowed me to wander round Thimphu properly...even if in the rain....which led to a few interesting finds and encounters....best told rather than documented.
It's about time to go to bed - I've run out of whisky and wifi. 5hr trek tomorrow...am getting a bit worried about the "thousands of leeches falling from trees during monsoon season". May have a lie in.
All in all having a great time :)
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