December 27, 2010
I thought I had seen it all travel wise but the start of our journey to India, Bhutan and Nepal was unique. It started with the Christmas blizzard dumping 18" of snow on JFK Airport. Now to get there- trains not running so I rented a car and drove. Roads were great until the Hertz counter- no Airtrain- had to pay a guy $20 to take us to Terminal8 where we found utter chaos. People had been sleeping there for 2 days- could not leave the terminal because there were no shuttles. When we tried to check in we were told that yesterdays passengers had priority and now we were standby. After a 6 hour wait we were awarded the last 2 seats- then told there was only one so I passed. Made a bed of 3 plastic pallets and 2 very thin red blankets. I was sitting next to Eddie Loh, a fellow OAT passenger with an eye on Mr Khan, the Jet Airways agent. There were about 30 others waiting as well. Just as I was falling asleep around midnight, Mr Khan called out, "Mrs Hess you are a nurse. We have a medical emergency on board the plane. Get your bags and your husband and come with me." He whispered, "You're on!" We ran to the gate after waking the TSA guy where they were offloading some poor French woman. Then we sat on the runway for 3 more hours. Transited Brussels and the only flight to India was to Chennai in the far south of the country. all day in the airport and 3 hours back to Delhi. Met by Mr Singh and taken to Ibis Gurgaon about an hour or 10 miles away. Whatever I had seen or read about Indian traffic was true. No such things as lanes. After 6 hours sleep , we headed back to Delhi Airport with Eddie who had made it in the hour before. Since we had missed our direct Druk Air flight to Paro, Bhutan, we had to fly through Kathmandu, Nepal, although, again, a delayed flight. Then we were unable to land in Kathmandu due to fog. Flying very slowly though the snow covered Himalayas we almost missed our flight again but waiting for us at the airport a representative ran us through luggage and security like VIPs and onto the small Druk plane. This is the only airline to Bhutan. Only 16 pilots in the world are licensed to land here and we saw why. About 10 minutes out of Kathmandu, we saw Everest- really good views. landing in Paro was an adventure. It is in a very narrow valley among peaks over 6-8000 feet- you feel you can reach out and touch on either side as you come in. Unfortunately the first time the wind kicked up buffeting the plane and causing sudden drops. People screamed and one poor Chinese lady absolutely lost it. The pilot pulled up and we spent 30 more minutes in the clouds and mountain tops before the 2nd attempt - successful. Was this 3 day journey worth it? You bet!
December 29,2010
Four more group members were already here and out on tour so the3 of us had a quick walk through Paro town- 30,000 population. Nearly all in their Bhutan native dress - Khos for men and Karis for women. Basically the men wear a skirt and knee socks with a tunic and cinched waist. They are all different colors and patterns. the women's karis are longer.. The houses and stores are all similar- by law. Rather large, 3 story, square, white with timbers. Kind of an Asian Swiss house. Whole generations of families live together and these properties are handed down to the daughters in each family. The top floor is open and holds grain and hay. The roofs are tin and held down by a multitude of large rocks due to the wind.
There are very few western faces- only 20,000 tourists are allowed in a year to protect the culture and environment. the law says everyone must have a guide, not travel on your own and spend $250 a day per person. They have a 30 year old king who is immensely popular. He seems to get out all the time and greet people. Most everyone we talked with has met him. Bhutan is a democracy for the past 2 years with a Prime Minister however the head abbot of the Buddhists is equally as powerful. You see many monks with dark red robes- all ages. Buddhist philosophy is endemic to Bhutanese life. They kill nothing- no fishing, hunting,etc. Practice kindness. Little crime. As safe a place as you can be. Somewhat conformist and ethnocentric. Children learn English from infancy and all signs are in English as well as Dzonka.
Bhutan is 72% forested and incredibly mountainous. Farming is done on terraces where possible.
December31, 2010
After a night in Paro at the Tashi Namgay hotel- no central heat but an electric heater, we left for our next town, Punakha. Though less than 100 miles away, it takes 5 hours to get there. One highlight is the Dochula Pass at 10,000 feet. Here we witnessed a stunning panorama of the Bhutan Himalayas. At the top of the pass we saw 23 white stupas which memorialize Bhutan soldiers who were killed in a terrorist attack. A stop at the tea room provided a chance to just gaze at the scenery and prepare for the winding road down to Punakha.
The Punakha Dzong- a dzong is a fortress and monastery- is reputedly the most beautiful in the country. the king is coronated here/ This one has 500 monks living there who walk all over in their maroon robes and flip flops. Some wear sweaters for the cold. New Year's Eve was quiet. They do not celebrate as we do. Theirs is in February like the Chinese.
January 1 ,2011 Punakha, Bhutan
Our first rainy day- a little colder and obviously damper but not too bad. We visited a nunnery built by the 4th king's wife- though there are 4 of them. I must mention here that Bhutanese people also practice polygamy and polyandry. So if it is OK with your first spouse you may take others. Of course that is a big "if". The nunnery is rather new and similar to other monasteries though smaller. The nuns also shave their heads and wear robes similar to the monks.
Then onto to Wangdu Phodrang an old rather derelict town built on a cliff. Because of a recent earthquake and fears for the public safety, the government is building a beautiful new city in the valley. Nearly complete it looks modern in a Bhutanese way. the problem is the Wandue people are not in a hurry to leave. The market was fun. the people are incredibly nice- always friendly and ready to smile and wave. The monastery attached to the town has been left pretty much unrestored to remind people of the "old way". Very interesting though they will need to shore it up soon.
After lunch in Lhakhang we hiked to Chimi Lhakhang temple devoted to the Divine Madman. This is the village of the phallic symbols. They are painted on houses, walls and wooden ones are sold in all the little stalls and shops and are everywhere you look.Couples come to the temple to pray for fertility and then to give thanks with their baby. Indeed, we saw a baby being blessed with an 18 inch long wooden penis while we were there! On the way back to the bus we stopped in the village to visit an old farmhouse owned by a woman elderly in looks but only 66. It is a hard life here.
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