Karma Tobden Mountain Lodge Bumthang

... as they're dedicated to a democratic system (as free elections were just held, the congress is debating new laws as we speak). Western journalists are required to have a guide (as all travelers are) and their guide will keep their reporting in check as best they can while they're in the country. - Sangay and the driver both noticed that I'm responding to and taking lots of photos of cute babies and fuzzy puppies. They politely ...

... a mountain peak, a bridge or governmental body (a Dzong), there are multicolored prayer flags dancing about in the wind. A prayer for peace, happiness and well being among all beings is printed and reprinted hundreds of times on each. As the flag flaps it is viewed as 'saying' the prayer over and over again to all beings on earth. What a delightful idea, that when you cross any body of water, you enter into any gov't office, or go into ...

... guide made for the bushes, we got a littl bit of Christmas cheer on with a terrible rendition of 'Let it Snow', but aside from that, it was all hard work and focus! We managed to reach the second campsite after 3pm, a long day of exhausting hiking. By now a light coat of snow had blanketed the ground, making the campsite look a little more forlorn that perhaps it might have. Though, we were in the middle of nowhere, and like ALL of the ...

... Eventually, we reached Paro's only roundabout (there are no traffic lights in this country), and made for the roadway that scaled the Paro Valley toward the National Museum. Here, we met our trekking crew which consisted of 2 horsemen and their herd of seven or eight horses, our cook and his assistant, and the helper who turned out to be a jack of all trades. Along with ourselves and our guide, we were a party of 8. After a few moments sorting our gear into that which ...

... and realising it was best if she did, we swapped into another. Once settled, the guide came and explained that the owner of the company said our chosen hotel was fully booked, even though there had been correspondence between him and Lucy up until we left !!! This was not going down well at all !!! And during dinner, it came to a head. I told the guide that we were paying a stupid amount of money, and the hotel we were staying in wasn't up to it. Trust me ...

... on mats near the fire to keep warm, or at the very least in adjoining rooms. They guy sneaks into the house, creeps up to the girl without distrubing anyone, and they fool around. He then, equally as gingerly, sneaks out without waking the family. Now get this, if the woman gets pregnant and has a ******* child the family is not only OK with it but happy that there is an addition to the family that will be able to help in the field or herding yaks ...

... It is rough going, but we are excited about the destination. The palace is on a high promontory overlooking a lovely valley. The bus drops us at a river, and we hike up to the palace for about 30 minutes. The Lieutenant Governor of Bumthang is present with a high level dignitary from India when we arrive, so we postpone our entrance until they have come out. In the meantime I chat with the ladies from the nearby village who have come to welcome the visitor, and say such ...

... Bhutan is moving rapidly into modernity and at the same time trying hard to maintain its traditional culture. Until the 1960s there was no electricity, no roads, no telephones, and no mail. TV and the internet made their first appearance as recently as 1999! More than ¾ of the population are subsistence farmers, and many still live days´ walk from the nearest road. Public servants are required to wear their traditional dress during business ...

... in Tibet im Prinzip ja auch nicht, es sei denn man zahlt), und der Koerperabdruck ist verschlossen und wird nie geoeffnet. Im Jampa Lakhang fand dann noch ein kleines Festival statt, mit einem Tanz des Schutzgottes des Tempels (ein weisser Tiger). Die Uhrzeit war aber sehr flexibel, erst sollte es um 10 Uhr sein, dann um 14-15 Uhr, starten tat es dann erst kurz nach 15 Uhr, so dass die armen Touristen (aber auch die locals) etwas warten ...

So we were back in Bumthang late Sunday night. Next morning Miranda put on her new hand woven kira (traditional Bhutanese dress) and borrowed a matching silk jacket from a lovely girl working in the hotel. We then all went off to the festival at Tamshing monastery. This is like a country fair with religious overtones. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes and gathered to watch the masked dancers and the women doing traditional folk dances, as well as meet up with friends. We ...