The introduction to a country sets the tone for your visit. Our introduction to Bhutan was via Druk Air and the most spectacular airflight we have ever taken.

Our flight began at Kathmandu Airport where the aftermath of the hijacked India Airlines flight was still being felt. We passed from body searches, through x-ray machines to bomb sniffing German shepherds. After the third hand luggage inspection, we were directed to the plane on the tarmac - at least that's what we thought. As Tim was repackaging his camera bag, I quickly walked to the plane with the intent to claim one of the 4 window seats with an unobstructed view. Our 72 passenger plane would travel along the Himalayan range, past Everest, with the mountains best seen from the left side of the plane. Joining three other passengers at the steps of the plane, I looked around for Tim. After a few minutes, it became obvious that Tim and the rest of the passengers had been directed to board a bus which was still back at the terminal. A Druk Air official came running up to our small group waiting patiently outside the airplane. He was horrified when he found out that we had walked to the plane. This was a security breach and the airline could be fined. Not too reassuring. But we were there and, partly to get us out of sight, he led us quickly aboard the plane where we could claimed our prize windows. I just hoped that Tim had seen me board the plane because I wasn't going back to tell him where I was and give up that window!

The flight was incredible. The day was perfectly clear. Within minutes we were flying along the Himalayan mountain range. Snow covered peaks higher than the plane. We could have sworn that the plane was tilting to the left with all of the people from the right side of the plane standing in the aisle, craning their necks to look out the left windows. Tim became the official photographer for those sitting on the right side - camera after camera was passed over so that he could take the perfect picture out of "his" window. While the entire range was magnificent, Everest was awe-inspiring. Clouds in the shape of a Buddhist prayer flag were flying from the peak of Everest.

Preparing for our landing into Paro Airport, the pilot announced that since Paro is in a steep valley, we would be flying close to the sides of the mountains. "Don't worry - this is normal procedure." We are used to planes landing on parallel runways at San Francisco airport but that did not even come close to preparing us for this experience. We didn't want to be reminded that Druk Air was only inaugurated in 1983 and the entire fleet consisted of two planes! As we flew into the Paro valley conversation stopped as we all slightly leaned toward the middle, almost as if we were trying to pull the sides of the plane in closer. The valley seemed so narrow that it felt as if we could have reached out the window and touched the trees; we could wave to the people climbing the mountain paths and see them wave back!

Immigration was a snap, we were visa #400. Bhutan first opened it doors to tourists in 1974 and still limits its visas to 7,000 per year. Tourists are required to use a Bhutanese travel company, to be accompanied by a guide and a driver. As you can imagine there are not too many US companies that can help with these arrangements. We ended up working through Adventure Quest out of Maine who in turn worked with Yod Sel Tours run by a Bhutanese named Dawa Penjore. Yod Sel Tours was the only agency we found that would set up a special itinerary for two people in the midst of their busiest time, the Paro festival. Knowing that it was peak season (we had been warned that the hotels might be overbooked and we would be sleeping in a farmhouse), and that the estimated national population is only 600,000, we were ready for the tourists to outnumber the Bhutanese. Happily we never found ourselves in a crowd of more than a handful of tourists.

At the airport we found our guide, Karma (!), holding a sign with the name - Mr. Jane Zinner! Karma is a charming 27 year old native Bhutanese who speaks a perfect English with a thick Indian accent. Later in the week we had the pleasure to meet his wife and son and to join them at their Thimphu apartment for tea.

Walking out of the airport, our first impression was one of stepping into a world that we thought only existed on a movie screen or in books. We knew that we were certainly off the beaten path of world tourism and far away from the culture we recognized. We were in a kingdom that just 40 years ago did not have a single road, a conventional school or a postal system. Forty years ago there was no radio, no motor vehicles and no electricity.

At 7,382 feet Paro is set in the midst of pine forests that stretches as far as you can see with the freshest cool mountain air we could ever imagine. A clear stream runs through the middle of town. Sunshine, 50 degrees and a light breeze. Over 60% of the country is legislated to remain under permanent forest cover. Imagine Tahoe with a single road and a scattering of homes with Tibetan architecture!

The airport was the last modern building we were to see for days. The single road followed the river, turning and curving past rice terraces, white dzongs and temples and the occasional home. We shared the road with a few cars, ponies and donkeys and many villagers walking to town. The town is aligned along a wide street about 500 meters long with a grass area that forms a town square. The single street takes you past a post office, bus stand, gas station, a few hotels, handicraft shops and restaurants.

We were staying a few kilometers outside of the town of Paro at Hotel Tiger Nest Resort. Tiger Nest Resort has six cottages and a dining room, is run by a delightful woman and a staff of 4, and has the best view of any Paro lodging.

Our simple but perfect cottage has a wood burning stove in the center with pine cones and kindling outside the door. All of the intricate paintings in the room are done by hand; the heavy hand-woven drapes covering the windows and doors help to keep the chill out. The biggest challenge to the room is the single electrical outlet. In order for Tim to get power to the computer to work on the website, he had to unplug the lamp and sit next to a candle for light, getting heat from the wood stove! We feel that we are going back and forth between centuries!

After a day of hiking and sightseeing, we would warm ourselves by the wood stove in the dining room. Aside from the stove, the room was dominated by a silk draped picture of the King.

Our charming Bhutanese hosts shared stories about their country, introduced us to their children and even read our horoscopes (we are both born the year of the snake, but Tim is the water element and I am air). We reciprocated by sharing the Kitkat bars we had brought from home and by being the first to take their picture with a digital cameras and put their pictures on the computer.

The view from our room is of the famous Bhutanese landmark - Takstang, the Tiger's Nest.

The monastery, built in 1692, is perched on the edge of a 2,600 foot cliff high above Paro Valley (at 9,982 feet). In 1998 portions of the monastery caught fire from one of the butter lamps and burned. There is an international team working to restore the entire monastery.

I agreed to join Tim and Karma on a trek to Taktsang when I learned that I could ride a pony to the tea house. Little did I know that the tea house was only 2/3rds of the way up and that the pony ride was only one way - thankfully uphill! Tim and Karma made the climb in an unbelievable 90 minutes, only 20 minutes behind the pony.

After a rest at the teahouse the three of us (minus the pony) climbed the last 1000 feet to a spectacular spot at 10,000 feet, looking down on Taktsang. The uphill dirt path took us through blue pine forests with trees dripping with hanging lichens and ferns growing atop the branches, past water-driven prayer wheels. The hot sun baking on the pine needles filled the thin air with the most incredible fragrance.

Finally, there was Taktsang Monastery. It looked like it was growing out of the hills. You felt you could almost jump onto the monastery roof but in reality it was on the far side of a deep chasm, about 150 meters away.

Tim and Karma made the hour long climb down a steep flight of stairs along a precipitous cliff to a waterfall cascading into a sacred pond. From this point they were below the monastery and its tiny meditation huts. Hard to imagine that high above the town in this most remote of places, there is an even more remote hut in the crevice of the rock. A monk will live in complete isolation at the meditation hut for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days.

I was more than content to skip the last part of the hike and enjoy my solitude at the overlook. I had carried a CD player and discs in my backpack just for this occasion. Perched on a large, warm rock at 10,000 feet, overlooking a 17th century monastery and surrounded by a pristine forest of pines, I found that the beautiful voice of Andrea Bocelli was the ideal 21st century accompaniment for enjoying the 17th century landscape.

On every drive and every walk, we would come across a friendly game of archery. Bhutanese are passionate about their national sport of archery, datse. Nearly all villages in the kingdom boast an archery range and each dzong has a space set aside nearby for a bha cho (field of target)

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Competitions are a riot of color and excitement, with two teams in traditional Bhutanese dress shooting at small wooden targets placed 150 meters apart! (The Olympic standard is 50 meters.) The distance is so great that team members gather dangerously close to the target to yell back to the archer how good his aim was. This feedback is usually accompanied by howls, chanting, encouragement and jokes. Members of the opposing team shout back and tell the archer how terrible his aim is and make ribald remarks. When the arrow hits the target, the archer's teammates perform a celebratory slow-motion dance and sing the praises of the shooter. We even saw tournaments where each team brought its own cheerleading section of girls decked out in their finest clothes. They perform dances in between play, and during the shooting they do brief routines and shout lewd and disparaging comments about the opposing archer's parents or sexual prowess

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Using traditional bamboo or high tech carbon fiber bows (costing 800 US dollars!), inevitably while we were watching, the target would be hit with such force that we could hear the thunk of the impact and the arrows had to be pried out with knives.

Our trip to Bhutan was timed specifically to see the Paro Festival.
The festival shuts down the town. The banks are closed for 5 days and schools declare a holiday for the week. Religious dances are performed by the monks to teach the precepts of Buddhism, to subdue evil spirits or celebrate the greatness of Buddha. Dressed in extravagant costumes with intricate hats or carved masks and accompanied by the long horns that we associated with Tibet. The celebration also includes atsaras, clowns who wear expressive masks and carry an eighteen inch stick carved as a large red penis, who make extremely ribald jokes and mock the dancers to wake up the audience and get them roaring with laughter.

The festival was magical. Walking up the long, steep hill each day, being passed by the local villagers dressed in intricately patterned kiras who had already walked for miles to reach the town, we claimed our viewing spot for the morning. We were greeted with betel nut stained smiles by our neighbors who always found a few extra inches to allow us room to sit. Alternatively freezing in the shade and warming in the sun, we had as much fun sharing the digital pictures with those next to us as we had watching the dances.

This building can be seen in the previous pictures, on the north side. The monks watch the festival from this three story building. Notice the two Tibetan horns being played by monks on the top level. The




Dance of the 21 Black Hats with Drums

Dance of the Terrifying Deities

Kyecham Dance

Dance of the Lords of the Cremation Grounds

The last day of the festival is the most important. The giant Paro thangka featuring Guru Rinpoche is displayed only on this day, for less than 7 hours.

In the dark chill of the night, the thangka is brought from the Dzong and unfurled at 2:30 AM; to be rolled back up by 8 AM.

The dances are replaced by the head lama seated on a raised platform and rows of monks sitting on the cold stone pavers, chanting prayers. The lama and the monks in their thin saffron colored robes remain seated in their one spot through the entire freezing night and early morning, even the young novices, some only 7 years old.

People throng to get a blessing from the lama and to walk past the thangka. Business men prostrate themselves before the lama, approach him with a white scarf to be blessed, and then distribute money to each monk one-by-one. This scene is repeated over and over until the sky lightens.

At the end of the festival we left Paro and drove 50 kilometers to the nation's capital, Thimpu, population 40,000. Thimpu lies in a wooded valley, sprawling up a hillside on the west bank of a river that runs through town.

It is the most modern and urban town in Bhutan. Although the first vehicles appeared in Thimphu in 1962, it is often said that it is the only world capital without traffic lights. One was almost installed several years ago but the King decided that it was too impersonal. Traffic is directed by policemen stationed at two traffic circles, one at the north end and another near the middle of Thimphu's wide tree-lined main street.

We stayed in a hotel used by the cadre of businessmen hired by the Bhutanese government as consultants. The hotel (the building to the right of the car) is conveniently located next door to the bakery shop (the sign is above the bakery door). Below is the hotel lobby - even in the capital the paintings on the walls and ceiling are done by hand.

Our room on the 3rd floor (4 flights up with no elevator) was a suite, including kitchen and sitting room, with a large marble bathroom and kidney-shaped bathtub. You would have thought that we were nuts the way that we were talking about the number of power outlets and the continuous hot water!

Our sightseeing in Thimpu swung from the expected to the bizarre. We saw the Memorial Chorten built in memory of the third king, the School of Arts and Crafts and the National Assembly Hall. Then we made a special trip, driving and hiking to visit what remained of the national zoo. The king had decided that a zoo was not in keeping with Bhutan's environmental and religious convictions and the animals were released into the wild. But the takin, the national animal of Bhutan, simply wandered around the streets of Thimphu looking for food. The only solution was to put them back into captivity. So we went to see the zoo which contained only one animal, the Takin! That's him below. At least there weren't any crowds at the zoo. In fact, we were the only ones there!

Bhutan is slowly allowing the global world to enter its borders. The residents, whether Bhutanese or Nepalis who have immigrated to Bhutan, are required to wear the national costume. Television has only been introduced in Bhutan this past year and is still not widely accessible. We were under the impression that there were no internet connections but the first thing we noticed at the hotel in Thimphu was a small note at the registration desk posting their Internet rates and the address of an Internet cafe.

We went in search of the Internet cafe. Karma and our driver had never been to the cafe, so they asked directions and took us off across town to the national telecommunications building. After being directed upstairs, we saw a small door with the sign - Druknet. We walked in and asked if we could send an e-mail to the USA. We were sure surprised when it turned out that this was not the Internet cafe, but rather the headquarters for all of Druknet (nationally owned and operated) and the room that housed the main (and only) server for the entire nation - a Dell Computer! Not only was there no security in the area but the server looked smaller than those used in our past offices. The head techie for the nation was extremely friendly, talked about the conference he had been to in San Jose last year, and directed us to the only Internet cafe in Bhutan. We actually did send an e-mail from Thimpu, with the dial-up number being simply '100'. Our bill for 7 minutes of Internet was 60 Ngultrum; our laundry bill for 12 items was 42 Ngultrums! (43 ngultrum = $1).

Leaving Thimphu we would spend the next two days driving east on the national highway, the only road that cut across the country to Bumthang and the town of Jakar. The distance we would cover would be minimal, less than 300 kilometers (186 miles) total, but it would take us a minimum of 9 hours of hard driving. Picture a road the width of a standard driveway, largely unpaved with large potholes and periodic boulders from mud slides, unrelenting tight switchbacks and sheer cliffs with no guard rails. Then add two-way traffic, primarily trucks from India overpacked with goods for sale and ancient buses loaded with people and their belongings. Mix in a few herds of yak and bunches of monkeys and you have the route for the next few days.

Our drive took us over the Dochu La , Pele Le (11,121 feet), Yuto La (11,155 feet) and Kiki La (9,515 feet) passes with their breathtaking views. We would descend from maple and blue pine forests to a moist mountain forest of rhododendron trees, magnolias, cypress and hemlock.

Imagine driving out of a nation's capital on the national road and not seeing a town for three hours. We quickly gained an understanding of the physical barriers that serve to insulate most Bhutanese from the outside world. While the countryside was beautiful, we almost had a feeling of relief when we saw the sleepy town of Punakha.

Every strategic area has a dzong, a fortress which now houses the administration and district monastic community. The Punakha Dzong (above) was built in 1637 and houses 21 temples. It is a beautiful building and by far the largest structure for miles around.

From Punakha we got an early morning start for Bumthang. While the distance is only 180 kilometers, with the nonstop hairpin turns, the drive from Punaka to Bumthang took 6 hours. Of course that included getting stuck, less than an inch short of going off the road, while trying a short cut. The road took us through beautiful pine forests, highlighted with rhododendron and dogwood trees in bloom, snow covered hills and provided a spectacular views of the mountains.

Bumthang was well worth the drive. It's a beautiful, high (8,530 feet) valley and, in Bhutanese terms, a large village. There are pristine rivers a short hike from the road, the most sacred of which are marked with rows of prayer flags blowing in the wind.

Our sightseeing took us to Jampey Lhakhang, a 7th century temple; Jakar Dzong, founded in 1549; Kuje Lhakhang , built In 1651; and Tamshing Monastery built between 1501 and 1505.

To balance out the religious sites, we visited two well known Bumthang sites - the Swiss Cheese Factory and Panda Brewery. They are located in the same building and together employ two people. Below left is the cheese maker and below right is the brewer. The cheese was great, but skip the beer!

Jakar Dzong was the first Dzong in which we were allowed to walk through all of the religious areas. Four young monks, no older than seven, and one ancient dog followed as we walked through the narrow court yard and took off our shoes before we went into the main prayer room. We noticed a neat row of blankets along the wall and learned that the monks sleep in that room. We could barely stand the cold through our socks and it was the middle of the day. We could not imagine how the monks sleep there with no heat - the floors are wood, the walls are mud bricks and in March the temperature at night was close to freezing.

Special permits are required to enter the temple at Kuje Lhakhang where a rock with the imprint of Guru Rinpoche is kept. Not having the necessary permit, we visited the temple grounds.

Luckily, it turned out that the Prince of Bhutan was at Kuje Lhakhang while we were there. Since permits are no problem for the Prince, the monk had unlocked the building with the sacred shrine. We were allowed to enter once the prince and his companions had left. Our timing was perfect - even our guide had never been in this temple. It was incredible, The wood floors had been polished smooth as silk by the years, one thousand gold Buddha's were in cases around the room, huge ivory elephant tusks framed the alter, silk weaving covered the ceilings and giant thangkas decorated the walls.

Leaving Bumthang, we broke the long journey back at Trongsa. Other than the one street, the only things to see in Trongsa is the Dzong and the watch tower (look up the hill in the upper right corner for the watchtower).

First built in 1543, the Dzong was later enlarged and now more than 200 monks live there. It contains 23 temples and is also the headquarters of the Tongsa district. The Bhutanese agree that the Tongsa Dzong is the most impressive in all of Bhutan.

Before visiting the Dzong, we hiked to the watchtower. Formerly a museum, it appeared that the watchtower was empty. Determined to explore the tower, Tim and Karma kept searching for an unlocked door and finally found one that opened into a dark room with a single steep ladder made centuries ago.

We carefully climbed up the smooth and slippery ladder and walked out onto a wood deck that overlooked the entire town. A second ladder, even steeper and with impossibly narrow steps, led to yet another landing and a third ladder. From our final climb, we entered a small room at the very top and discovered a single monk seated with his back to the only window, reciting his prayers. Arrayed before him was a standing drum, cymbals, small prayer drum, rice, prayer pages and other articles that he would need while in prayer and meditation. He welcomed us into the room even though regulations had the entire building as being off-limits. As our eyes grew accustomed to the dark, we noticed a beautiful alter. Moments later we noticed that the walls were covered with ancient leather shields, leather helmets, swords and guns. It turned out that when they closed this museum they took most of the items to the museum in Paro, but had left the pieces at which we were now staring. Standing barefoot in the dark room on the satin-smooth wood floor, the only sound being that of the single monk in prayer, the smell of sandalwood incense swirling through the air, touching leather shields and helmets, we felt that we were slipping into an earlier century. It was incredible.

On the last leg of our journey to Thimpu, we passed herds of wild yak and a large family of monkeys.

Re-entering Thimphu it seemed that the small town we had left just a four days before had turned into a bustling big city. What a contrast to the rest of the country! We returned to the same Thimpu hotel only to find that we were now on the 4th floor (5 floors up). Given that Thimphu is at an altitude of about 7,000 feet, Tim was delighted that I would get my exercise just by walking to our room!

Having seen the tourist spots in the town of Thimphu, Karma and his family led us on day hikes to their favorite spots - Changangkha Lhakhang, a 12th century fortress-like temple and monastic school perched on a ridge above Thimpu and to Chari Goemba, a 17th century monastery. Along the way we would pass incredible religious paintings such as this one on a rock above a stream.

Since Karma's family would frequently hike to the monasteries to pray and seek the guidance of the lama, the resident monks knew them quite well. Introduced as friends, the monks treated us an extension of Karma's family which allowed us access to the monastery grounds and the opportunity to witness a bit of traditional life in a Bhutan monastery. Below is the gateway to one monastery, the inner courtyard where the monks have their rooms and the meditation hut..

While the daily life at the monastery seemed to follow a routine that we could relate to, the entrances to the temples never failed to take us firmly back to a very different culture. On one hike when we entered the main temple we saw a massive door painted with a mask of the cremation dance, with small skulls around the top of the mask. Through the door we found a ten foot tall prayer wheel in a room also decorated with masks and skulls. Up the steep slippery ladder to a landing guarded by 2 eight-foot figures with the same masks and then up another ladder. Finally stepping into the main alter room, in a room filled with unbelievable treasures, the senior monk met us. He poured holy water from a silver and gold pitcher topped with peacock feathers into our hands for us to sip and put on our heads. Chanting all the time, the monk touched our heads with a sacred sword wrapped in gold silk and blessed our prayer flags.

Bhutan was fascinating. We were fortunate to visit the country before cable TV and the Internet changes it too much. The Bhutanese are still required by their King to wear their national dress every day. As we walked through the towns, we often found ourselves in the middle of a circle of men in what looked to us like flannel robes with deep lapels, sleeves with 6 inch white cuffs, tied at the waist, pleated at the back, stopping just above their knees. What you find out when you travel with a Bhutanese man, is that under the traditional dress is often a polo shirt or a blue oxford cotton shirt with a button down collar!

On our last evening, Karma and his family invited us to their home for tea. They live with Karma's uncle, a doctor and director with the World Health Organization. Their spacious apartment is above a grocery store, in the heart of town. It was a wonderful evening as we shared presents and favorite foods.

As we boarded our plane for Nepal the next morning, we sadly said good-bye to Karma. We were touched as he draped a white traditional scarf around our necks and wished us a safe journey. A perfect way to end our visit to this unique Country.