Olathang Hotel Paro

... so friendly, polite and open, and what really struck me was their kindness.

I was then taken to my 'office' at the Spa centre, where I met some of the team, and was informed that 5 therapists were being transferred here from the other 5 Amankora lodges who were going to be my team whilst I was here, to train under my guidance for the next few months! I was rather humbled at that, but pleased that I could give back, for everything that I was experiencing in the here ...

... 2 lane highway was both a source of pride for the Bhutanese and a relief from the bumpiness of the narrower, bumpier roads for Jeremy. By that afternoon, with the sun setting behind the mountains, we realised that our decision back in Kochi to send home some of our warmer gear was, perhaps, slightly over-enthusiastic. It got cold. About 2 degrees cold. The following day, we hiked up to the Tango monastery out of town where it began to hail, which was quite beautiful as it was soft ...

... s shave their heads when they're in mourning. Interesting to learn per my past pics of men getting their head shaved while at the ghats in Varanasi, India. *****Note: I also just uploaded ABOUT 60 PICS and MOVIES to my past two Bhutan blogs - number 18 and 19 - so please check those out as well!!**** To put things in perspective in relation to the cranes, the Layab women who I've photographed (with the cool pointy bamboo hats) are from a ...

... no one stares at me here - quite a contrast to India. So, my tour guide, Sangay, and the driver (who's name escapes me) met me at the airport with a sign with my name on it. They were wearing the traditional male Bhutanese clothes, a robe and tall socks, which they legally have to wear whenever they're conducting any kind of business (tourism, workplace stuff, etc). It looks like a striped bathrobe with Bermuda shorts (long socks hiked up over the knees). I find ...

... it needed to be wrapped tightly at the waist with a fabric belt, and the excess material at the back pleated on the bottom, and bunched up to form sort of a bustle above the waistline. There is NO WAY I could have put this sucker on myself, but I have some interesting shots of Sonam dressing me up fo the big event. The wollen knee-high socks were a treat, but given that I lacked the traditional leather loafers that Bhutanese wear ...

... the petrol stations are attractive). All of this is in a wonderful setting of mountains covered with trees, some of which are displaying their autumn colours. It is an absolute delight. Our first site we visited in Bhutan was the Thimphu Dzong (fortress). This remarkable building houses the King's administrative area at one end, and we even saw the 5th King walking around the grounds with his followers. He is incredibly well respected by the ...

... see them sleeping everywhere (in the middle of roads even) all day long. We joked that all the laying around during the day was to rest up for a whole night of barking. We were told a number of anecdotes about why dogs maintain their popularity amongst Bhutanese people, despite their penchant for disrupting everyone's sleep. One person explained that the dog is supposed to be very close to the human on the reincarnation ...

... In the next 30 minutes I started to feel sick and by 90 minutes I was curled up in my tent in pain. The amount of grease that hit my stomach after a long day of hiking was something my body wasn't ready for. Extreme nausea set in and I eventually darted from my tent and threw up every last bit of those delicious Indian treats. Way to over do it again Matt. The next few days saw us visiting our horseman's village (I use this term loosely, it ...

... by myself with a note on my door telling my guide to meet me there. Luckily, he wasn't angry, or so he says. My driver gave him a hard time though. It was worth it. The thangka was already hanging when I got there, but i managed to get a good spot to watch the puja. They were praying when I arrived and then a procession walked in with monks and performers. They sat down and more prayers went on accompanied by some dancers with little drums, cool! Then a lot ...

... of things. It was nice to feel like part of a family again. That is something that we truly miss. In Bhutan we began our stay with a quick visit to the hospital as I had managed to get a touch of tonsillitis while in Chiang Mai (Thailand) just before we arrived. No big deal, but the doctor recommended day of rest, some medication, and tender loving care - all of which helped me heal in no time at all. I must say that Norm and I were very ...