Amankora Bumthang

... high you get when you're done backpacking? - In Bhutanese culture, crows are viewed as Gods. As opposed to being scary, signs of the devil, or annoyances, the sense is that crows are omniscient and conscious of where food is. So that when monks put food out as an offering to the gods, the crows somehow 'know' that food has become available. Their arrival is a good omen that the monk's prayers are being heard by the Gods ...

... All were 80+ years old dressed in peasant clothes. They had to stop periodically to rest their creaky knees. One had traveled two days on foot to come and pray here. I asked Sangay if he would be able to get an address from them to mail the photo. He insisted he would be able to find them. I insisted, and amusingly, they start poking around inside their Kiras and Ghos (their traditional clothes, that look like striped bathrobes. There's ...

... into a privy. I wasn't sure what to do actually - and for a few freezing moments I debated in my mind the options. Pick it up? Do I "dust it off"? Should I just bury it and go without? After a few moments, I decided that I should pluck it out of its smelly grave and give it a proper burial in the woods behind the tent. Which is where my beloved wooly hat now rests for all eternity, on a mountainside in Bhutan. Better this than wear a poop hat....

... a little uncertain of how the curry was going to affect me!! Throwing cauton to the wind, I ate everything! Continuing our ascent, we reached just under 3600m (from our starting point of 2500m), with excellent photos of the valley below on either side of the pass. This portion of the trek was a steady paced uphill climb, and we took it at just under 4 hours. We had decided at the outset that we would compress the trek into 3 days, so instead of making camp here at Jili ...

... two fo them here. Drukpa Kuenly went to a Rimpoche (enlightened person) and received a blessed string for good luck. Most Buddhists put these strings around their neck or wrists. Not knowing what to do with it but wanting good luck he decided to tie the string around his penis. The sanctity of this guy then stemmed from his ability to turn his penis into any shape and become any weapon. Most notably, evil spirits would typically come to Earth as ...

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 Trongsa to Bumthang Dear Readers: We start the day driving over yet another mountain pass. The views are completely captivating, and the traffic is light as always. The roads are not really two lanes, and I wonder how many cars plunge over unprotected curves every year. We walk the last kilometer or so to the top of the pass to stretch our legs, and then head into the Bumthang province of Bhutan toward the city of Jakar where our hotel is located ...

... pony drivers requested have not shown up, and we must reduce the amount of luggage being carried during the trek. Even with all the reshuffling of gear, we are still on the trail by 10am, and it is a steep climb from the very beginning. In fact, we ascend over 5,000 feet from our starting point today! We reach camp around 4:30pm and enjoy tea and cookies in the dining tent. The crew makes a roaring fire, where we proceed to eat dinner ...

... a giant demoness), to several impressive "dzongs" (fortress-like buildings, ½ monastery and ½ district government offices), to the famous "Taktsang Lhakhang" (Tiger´s Nest), built into a cliff some 800 m above the valley floor. They were truly amazing - see photos below. We also went to National Day celebrations in Thimphu, the capital, where everyone turned out in their finest to watch parades and dances and to hear a speech by the King. We ...

... war sieben Jahre in der Schweiz, wo er Koch bei der Armee war und eine Ausbildung zum Kaeser gemacht hat. Die Uebernachtung war frisch, die Temperaturen unter 0 Grad, mein Schlafsack ist allerdings recht gut, was man von den Schlafsaecken der anderen nicht sagen konnte:-) Am naechsten Tag sind die anderen Traveller dann ueber einen Pass ins Tang-Tal gewandert, ich habe mir das Festival angeschaut. Es ist ein ewtas kleineres Festival ...

... had gone ahead and we walked mostly on the flat along the river valley. The weather was perfect and we were followed by lots of children along the way. Phub Dorji our guide was with us, but Phub 2 (our driver) stayed back in the village. We were invited into a village house on the way, and also saw women weaving. We also visited the Swan Temple on the way. Later in the afternoon we reached our camp. We had a lovely modern tent all ready for us. There was a dining tent which ...