Bhutan

January 2, 2010 Thimphu
We travelled back from Punakha through the Dochula pass to Thimphu. This time there was snow from about 9,000 feet up. Great driver. These are basically one lane roads and as winding and twisting as anywhere I have been. You literally cannot go more than 1000 feet without a turn.
This is the capital city, population 70,000. there are no traffic lights, none in the country at all. There is one main street with the many small shops. There are absolutely no large stores, Nothing approximating a supermarket or department store. All shopping seems to be done daily. as everywhere here there are dogs. they seem to be one of the major disturbances in this "Land of Happiness". The sleep all day and bark all night. There was an effort to round them all up and cage them but the stronger dogs preyed on the weaker ones and so they were all neutered and freed. Because of the Buddhist belief system they cannot be euthanized.
We went to the Takin Preserve higher up the mountain- everything in Bhutan is higher up the mountain. The national animal seems to be a cross between a goat and an antelope. Very tame. cute and shy. We descended to visit the Thimphu fortress and temple- clean and impressive- and finally, the weekend market. Always fun. The hotel- Jumolthari is on the main street. Night time means dogs barking but OK, we were tired.

January 3, 2011 Tiger's Nest , Bhutan
Because we missed the first day in Bhutan, we arranged for a special trip to Takshang Monastery aka the Tiger's Nest. This sacred monastery is built at 10,200 feet into the side of a cliff. So bright and early, Eddie, Bert and I were driven back a hour past Paro to the start of the trail. For the first part of the terrain we rode horses. Mine was named Rumpenchen. The Bhutanese horse guide let me ride alone though Bert and Eddie were led by our driver and our guide. The exciting part was that the horses walked right on the edge of the cliff- it's down 1000s of feet. Once I just closed my eyes and held my breath but, as I got used to it, the vistas were spectacular. After an hour we reached the tea house with a view across the gorge to the monastery. We stopped for tea, let the horses go and then climbed another 1000 feet. Here I stopped for a while while the men trekked on. I sat for a long time on a rock luxuriating in the peace, listening to the echoes of a barking dog, greeting passing trekkers and monks and smelling the pure fresh air. Though I was not supposed to be alone, I made my way higher to the second viewpoint amid the many tattered colored prayer flags.
After a few hours the fellas made it back to the tea room where we had lunch with our fellow pilgrims. The way down was hard on the knees, no horses, took a while. The guys made it to the monastery, up and down 800 steps. I was impressed. Just a wonderful day!
Jan 4. Bhutan- Katmandu
An hour's drive from Thimpu to Paro, a 50 minute flight on Druk Air to Katmandu. Passed Everest again-ho hum. This is monotonous. LOL
Katmandu was an eye opener. Traffic clogged every street. Most were not paved or any pavement was broken. The bus bumped alongg at 10 MPH at most.Rivers were fetid with garbage and human waste.. children picking through heaps of trash. There were too many people for the city to absorb. Our hotel, Gokarna Forest outside the city is an oasis. Located in a royal hunting preserve, it is fairly modern and has generators. This is a big plus because Nepal only allots 12 hours of electricity a day throughout the country. there is a published schedule and is something like 6 hours on and 6 hours off and changes so that sometimes you have power during the day and other days during the night.
At Gokarna besides the clean rooms, the attraction for me was the monkeys. theymaremeverywhere- even getting into the hallways. So funny to,walk down to breakfast and see the banana peels on the stairs. we had dinner here and welcomed 3 more to our group- now 10 . Our guide is Suladev Panday-Dave for short.

January 5, 2011. Katmandu
Namaste! Our first full day in Katmandu starting with a very long bus ride to Durbar Square, the center.. We passed the Palace where the Royal family was assassinated in 2001. A republic for the past few years , much of the terrorism and Maoist unrest seems behind them. 2011 is the year of the tourist. Perhaps they should have cleaned up a bit more. we walked through the Ason bazaar purchasing tea and eying the spices and eclectic mix of things for sale. Herethe traffic is mostly carts, men and women carrying huge bundles and the annoying motorcycles which honk constantly. Durbar Square is the heart of Katmandu. comprised of many shrines,temples , forts and palaces, millions of pigeons, the usual dogs and touts and beggars, it is all very exotic. We entered the palace of the living goddess. She is the" Kumari" , a young girl around 6 who is venerated by the faithful. Her " reign" lasts about 2 years before another " perfect" 6 year old is chosen from among the girls of Patan. She never leaves the palace except for very rare occasions, such as a festival. all her wishes are obeyed. Anywayshe came to a balcony to wave to us. Expressionless face, I felt sorry for her but then I see how the other children live and I guess she ' s lucky. " Freak Street" was the home of the hippies from the 70s and was interesting. they are gone but their memory lives on in the head shops.
Onto Patan- the second city in the Katmandu valley. again a virtual cacophony of sounds, smells and ancient temples. Lunch in a quiet courtyard was the best food I have had.The vendors are fun to watch and bargain with. " Danny bad" means " thank you" . Still don't know the word for " no"- they wouldn't listen anyway.
We ended the day at a place. Very. Similar to Varanasi, India. Located on a river- now nearly dry- bodies are brought for cremation. Indeed we witnessed several funeral pyres with relatives and friends saying goodbye to their loved ones. Vert eerie to watch. we then climbed higher to see more monuments. we left at 4:30 PM- monkey rush hour. We literally had to pass. Between hundreds of monkeys, making sure not to make eye contact. I guess they get grouchy at sunset. Amazing experience.

January 6,2011
A busy day in kAtmandu. first stop the monkey temple- for obvious reasons. These rhesus macaques are everywhere, even more than the ubiquitous stray dogs. Climbed about 100 steps to the top, a white stupa with surrounding smaller smaller temples and many vendors. Saw chanting monks playing drums and ringing bells in a side temple. So fascinating, in Nepal you see a blend of Buddhism and Hindu- sometimes separate, sometimes together. a large Tibetan influence as well. We also went to Boudhanath, the largest stupa in the world. by now I am somewhat used to the overcrowded slum that is Katmandu. there are, to be sure, pockets of quiet and peace. This stupa is Tibetan, again quite interesting
A highlight today was our trip to Bhaktapur, the third city in the valley. a former kingdom before unification, this UNESCO. Site was wonderful and costs $15 to enter. It is a collection of ancient ornate wooden buildings and temples and almost too much to take in. Except for the motorcycles you would think it was the 17 th century. we ate in a rooftop restaurant overlooking the older square filled with stupas, temples and street vendors selling everything from spices and tangerines to puppets and pashmina shawls. Many of the buildings were made of red brick with extremely ornate Windows's mostly without glass.
n the evening we attend a home hosted dinner in a family home. Our group of 5 ate rice, eggplant, chicken with a side of local moonshine made from millet"The extended family ranged in age from " Mary" who was 3 to her mother who looked about 40 . they had 4 children and assorted aunts and uncles and cousins. Lovely people in a nice home. Would have been even bettering if it wasn't dark and if we had power!

January 7,2011. Pokhara
Today we lleave Katmandu for a short flight- 30minutes via Yeti Air- on an old jet stream prop plane. Right now the pilot has left the plane- explanation in Nepali? OK now the ever present Katmandu fog has cleared and we're off past more magnificent snow- covered 20,000 ft mountain. Tops. We only fly at 13000 feet so very impressive. Pokhara is a smaller, cleaner city on a lake surrounded on 2 sides by those mountains. It looks almost fake. We stop at the trekking place to ditch most of our luggage and then drive 2 hours to the trailhead. Using an all female group of Sherpas to carry our small bags, we walked the old route used by traders for thousands of years past villages and huts along a river . Two hours later we arrived at Sanctuary Lodge, our home for 3 nights. Very beautiful setting next to the river and under the sacred " Fish Tail" , Maccha Picchre mountain. we had a large bedroom with a shower but no heat nor power. WThe water is heated via solar so maybe a hot shower. dinner is near a fire and the hot water bottle in the beds were a blessing. we celebrated Garry 's birthday. What a memory for him!

January 8,2011 Birethanti,Nepal
This AM I am catching up on my journal as the group goes for a hike. It is so peaceful to sit in the sun and write listening to the river. In the afternoon four of us took a 2 hour stroll past the lodge on the path towards more settlements and farms. Packs of horses and mules with large bells and colorful cloths carrying empty gas cylinders rushed past us.We stopped to talk to young children and met again one of the young porter girls who carries our bags other back up the mountain.She is17 and in the 8 th grade and wants to be a movie star. Bert called his daughter Helena after dinner to wish her a happy birthday. Glastonbury CT seems a million miles away. tomorrow we are warned. Will be a very difficult trek up the mountain to the school and the village.

January 9
So I made it to the village. we had to cross a 300 foot long chain bridge over a gorge and then a small log bridge, Up a few thousand steps.. It took an hour. the school has 30 children grades 1,2,3 . The kids were adorable singing their ABCs and numbers in English and Nepali.They loved the Winnie the Pooh books I brought. Lunch was further up in the village- outside with a stunning view of the Annapurnas. In all a 7 hour hike but well worth it.
the spirit here is so serene and peaceful. I have especially enjoyed our guide Santaman. He is a Gutung tribesman about42, small and wiry, and a virtual mountain goat. Maybe five feet tall and 100 pounds but as strong as any man. always a smile, is also kind and considerate. His life has been so interesting- grew up herein the mtns and ran away at age 14 from a strict father . He made his way toPokhara where he lived in the streets working as a dishwasher. He is such a friendly soul and was taken under the wing of an .emglishman, a Mr Edward who bought him clothes and brought him along a s a porter giving him gloves. santaman told me he lost the gloves one day and was so afraid to tell him that he had no appropriate shoes for the work. but Mr Edward understood and bought him the boots and helped him to learn to guide. today he is married with a 6 and 10 year old. he makes $15 a day as a guide.ide. Which is quite prestigious. I will be sorry to leave him. I hope I can send him some business when I get home. He is a terrific man. He even made peace with his now deceased father.
Except for the very cold nights and power only 3 hours a day, this lodge is wonderful. I will not take a heated house and 24 hour electricity for granted again. it is hard to describe this trip to anyone. you have to exappearingperience walking the trails, passing the goats and chickens, women carrying 100 pound baskets laden with wood or manure or crops with straps on their foreheads. Tomorrow we hike out the two hours to the road and then the two hours by bus to Pokhara. I will miss it here
January 10,2011
We hiked down the mountain, it seemed so much easier today. stopped to talk with a physicians asst. He trained for three years and administers vaccines,meds, assists with births, sets fractures and general first aid for the 5000 who live on the trail. So interesting. along the way we were passed by an old man , possobly dying, being carried in a basket on the back of a family member, followed by his wife, son and granddaughter. we stopped to watch oxen plowing a field, the left one a bit confused as it was in tri ing. all in a day in the life of a village on the Annapurna trail. Kids in blue uniforms hurrying to school calling Namaste to us. few. Eg. they are poor but reasonably happy.
a two hour bus ride to Pokhara, pop 300000, mainly a trekking center.Lots of cheaper knockoffs of trek gear. And crafts. we checked in to the Pokhara Grand, a hotel that tis just OKbut at least warm and they get tower 4-6 hours a day. nothing to sneeze at! In the late afternoon we watched " Himalaya " a compelling movie about the kingdom of Mustang and Dolpi. So excited to have heat and a room!!!!!!

January 11,2011. Pokhara
This morning out group was taken on small rowboats out on the lake Fewato a small island with a temple. asit is Tuesday there had been animal sacrifices, thankfully we missed them but we did see the blood. Then a tour of the mountain museum. Bert and two of the men decided to try paragliding. the rest of usenet to the landing area to have lunch at the Maya Devi which is a raptor refuge where we met " Ken" and "Bob" who ate Egyptian vultures. there also 3black kites- the birds not the toys. we were then dropped in the center of town to shop after which we walked the hour back to the hotel. stopped for dinner at " Brothers and Sisters" , an open air cafe across the street owned by " Sam"an expat from Pa. He was fun to talk to. Full dinner cost 210 rupees or $3 for the 2 of us. Incredible! tomorrow river rafting.

January 12.2011
An hour bus ride brought us to the raftut icon the Seti River. For 31/2hours we rafter through the hills passing under occasional chain pedestrian bridges and small hamlets. he water is glacial Greenland studded with cataracts. SETI Lobdge camp is basic tents. Freezing cold as we were soaked. no place to warm up but the staff started a camp fire to help. the hot water bottles. Not nearly enough and it was a long night.

January 13,2011. SETI LIodge
today Knox, a fellow group member, and I and our guide walked about 4 miles to a village passing and talking withpeoplegoing about their lives. there was a man making moonshine, a woman ,culling fodder for the buffaloes, a preacher starting a Christian community. the afternoon sawing me lazing on a rattan chair reading Snow Leopard and watching the river. Heavy rapids tomorrow.

January 14
The rapids were fun. - got a bit wet but not too bad- mostly2 s. Another2 hour bus ride took us to Naranya Safari Lodge in the south of Nepal. now we are on the rather flat lowlands. Once a malaria infested jungle filled with tigers,leopards and rhinos, it is now called Chitwan and is the former hunting reserve of royalty and a national park.