Flying or rather hiking to the Tiger's Nest - Day 9 & 10 in Bhutan

Saving the best for last, the hike to Paro Takstang or Tiger's Nest as it is more widely known was done on our second last day of the trip. When you think of Bhutan, you probably conjure up an image of it and no surprise it was the only place in Bhutan that we encountered the most tourists in our entire trip.

We started the day bright and early and had a full breakfast to prepare ourselves for the hike. At the carpark there were stalls selling various knickknacks and souvenirs, you can also hire a horses and mules to bring you up the path, though they only bring you to the halfway mark as the rest of the trail is too steep for them. It is also probably unwise to be perched on an animal if it is that steep. We chose to hike up the entire way ourselves and off we went.

Since it was the tail end of winter while we were in Bhutan, it was still relatively cold weather for us. The trail wasn't particularly hard however since we had to share it with the horses/ mules and other tourists, it could get crowded and took a bit of maneuvering at times to avoid colliding with others. The altitude also made it tougher for us since we were not used to it, having lived in Singapore our entire lives. Luckily it didn't take too long for us to reach the halfway mark where we could catch our breath and gulp some tea to warm ourselves up. We spent some time there admiring the view before we set off again as we needed to ensure we had enough time to make it to Tiger's Nest and back down again.

The second half of the trail felt steeper but as a lot of tourists give up at the halfway mark it was a lot more pleasant as there were less people on the trail making it more enjoyable. Considering that we didn't train for this and were not physically active people, I would say most people should be able to hike up to the top, though of course the length of time will vary depending on your fitness level.

After what felt like forever, we finally made it to Paro Takstang. As it is still a place of worship, it is important to remain respectful and be mindful when taking photographs. The monastery itself is made up of different buildings and you can take your time to explore them one by one. We certainly spent quite a bit of time wandering around and enjoying the view. After that, it was time to make our way down for a well deserved dinner after the arduous hike up. 

On our last day, it was a rush to wake up, say our goodbyes to our guide and driver as well as the lovely staff at the hotel. It was then off to the airport for a flight back home. Bhutan has been an experience that would probably be unmatched anywhere else. Though we could only travel with our guide and follow the same itinerary as everyone else, it was still a once in a lifetime experience that I would highly recommend. As the first day and last day are usually taken up by flights, do ensure that you choose an itinerary that allows you sufficient time to explore the places you want to. 

Edit : This is posted in 2023 thought the trip was in 2018, a lot of memories have faded, posting this so as to remember the trip. 

Seat of the dragon kingdom - Day 6, 7 & 8 in Bhutan

It was another long drive towards Thimpu, which is the capital of Bhutan. However before we got there, we stopped by at Phobjikha Valley to see the black-necked cranes, but unfortunately there was none as the weather was too cold so they were all hiding. The valley did look rather majestic though I sadly cannot find any pictures of it.  

Along the way to Thimpu, we stopped at another pass which CS described as looking like the set of Game of Thrones after the white walkers fought with the crows. 

We finally reached Thimpu after yet another long drive and boy that was the first time we saw so many people! By Singapore standards, the population is quite small but by Bhutanese standards, it was a huge city and was the first time in our trip we experienced so much traffic. Our guide told us that there would be traffic jams during peak hours, which is understandable since it is the capital and tons of people are living and working there. 

Since it was the capital, we encountered crowds everywhere we went, which was a bit of a shock to the system after having the luxury of being able to have most places to ourselves as we slowly wandered around. We did manage to have the most wonderful lunch before we went to the various attractions. 

the small bowl of chili is similar to the sambal we eat in Singapore and it was so good I could eat it with plain rice

it doesn't look like much but even now in 2023 I remember how good it tasted

While we did do the touristy stuff like visiting the National Memorial Chorten as well as Buddha Point, we also asked our guide to bring us to the local market where we had a good time walking around and looking at what the locals buy. It's very much like a wet market in Singapore just that they have way more of each items. 

We also finally bought prayer flags and went to Chelela Pass to hang them to make merit and for general good fortune. More explanation on the different colours of the prayer flags and what they meant can be found here. 

It is a popular place to hang prayer flags and the sight of so many of them fluttering in the wind is really quite calming and soothing. 

Edit : Posted in 2023 though the trip was in 2018. 

Of monasteries and prayer flags - Bhutan Day 4 & 5

The next day, we readied ourselves for the long drive towards Bumthang. Not as many tourists visit Bumthang as you have to either drive there, which meant almost an entire day of driving, or fly there, which meant additional costs. On top of that, there are usually landslides during summer due to the rain which meant roads would be closed and driving would not be an option. 

While there were planned stops to do sightseeing, we didn't really do much of that but the scenery along the way was amazing. We stopped here and there to take some photos but most of the day was spent sleeping and chit chatting about various topics with our tour guide and driver. According to our driver, Bumthang is where all the pretty girls come from in Bhutan. And later as we found out, they also made very good apple cider. We also listened to a lot of Hindi pop as our driver preferred that music to keep himself awake. 

One of the places we stopped along the way was Trongsa Dzong, which according to Wikipedia is the largest in in all of Bhutan. As was becoming the practice, once we started walking towards the dzong, one of the stray dogs sleeping outside started following us. It's almost like they are showing us the way in, which is kind of cute and reassuring at the same time. It was pretty quiet at the donzg when we were there, probably due to the late timing 

After that it was another long drive before we reached Kikila Pass. There were probably thousands of prayer flags. It felt really really serene and calm and I really enjoyed looking at the prayer flags fluttering in the wind. 

We had a short walk around the town where we got a bottle of Bumthang apple cider before heading to the hotel to get some rest. We lost our driver for a while as he was on a hunt to get some betel nut leaves which was supposedly only found in that area. It was quite funny though and with the extra time we had, we walked around 

The next day, we visited Jambhay Lhakhang which is said to be one of the 108 temples built by the Tibetan King Songster Gampo in a single day, to pin down a demoness to earth. From there we did a short walk to Kurjey Lhakhang. We met a stray cow along the way which to us city dwellers looked really cute. Then it was off to Tamshing monastery for more temple hopping.

Edit : This is posted in 2023 thought the trip was in 2018, a lot of memories have faded, posting this so as to remember the trip.