Swiss Guest House Bumthang

... if I was planning to have kids soon. That one took me by surprise... ;) Can't they just be cute without being a sign of something?! ;) - Sangay and I had a terrific time going to a monastery in the Bumthang district in Central Bhutan. WE had the unexpected pleasure of watching a yearly ceremony that's conducted by Bhutanese monks that subscribe to a Tibetan branch of Buddhism. The monks were rhythmically drumming on huge drums with ...

... monastery; you offer a prayer for happiness among all beings. How humbling. How generous. How much again, is it based on 'Us' and "We' not our culture's 'You' and 'Me'. As you walk into any building of significance, you'll also be greeted by prayer wheels - you must walk clockwise and spin each, as a way to 'say' each prayer again and again. Today I went to the oldest monastery in Bhutan, made in the 7th Century, and about ten old people ...

... campsites, we were totally alone. The silence was overwhelming - only the hush of the falling snow or your own breath. No people, no animals, no planes ahead. Amazing. It took a couple of hours to unwind, and some Bhutanese Highland Brandy by the fire. Dinner was served in the main tent again, and it was impressive. Home-made dumplings filled with vegetables and cheese, a curry dish, rice and more. And always dessert - fruit and cream. A ...

... would carry in our day pack (water, gloves & hats, chocolate and varous cameras), and that which would be strapped to our horses, we set out on the Druk Path Trek. The initial climb was extremely steep and followed a rutted and poorly traveled roadway that represented the trailhead. Along this porton of the trail, we passed numerous houses, orchards and farmer's fields, where I captured several amazing images that I hope to upload when I get a decent internet ...

... stay in cheapies all the time, but when you are paying US$460 per day, you kind of expect hot water !!! I explained this, and he assured me that it would be there tomorrow, so I appologised for losing it, but also told him that if there was no hot water, my bags would be packed and he would be finding us a new hotel !!! I don't think he believes me though !!! And Finally We both knew it wouldn't last, we both can't stand tours. Oh well, five more days to go !!!

... here is the doozey: if the guy manages to sleep with the girl on 3 consecutive nigths then he and the woman are considered married. Yup, married. With all of this sex you may be thinking "how on Earth are there only 600,000 people in the country? Surely there must be widespread use of contraception." Well, if you said that there are a lot of condoms used in Bhutan than you would be correct; however, if you said those condoms were used during ...

... things to one of them that she actually cries. We have our photo taken together. I think she is absolutely beautiful, and looks fabulous for 75 years old. I make a joke about coming night hunting, and the entire group of ladies crack up. Night hunting is a practice in this part of the country where young men sneak into the homes of young girls at night, usually through the window, and try to sneak into bed with them. Because a lot of family members sometimes sleep in the ...

... The King is determined to move the nation into the modern age. He coined the term "Gross National Happiness Index," which he deemed to be more important than our Gross National Product. Two years ago, the much-beloved monarch voluntarily abdicated his throne. He turned the crown over to his son, who will be officially crowned this year (2008), and who will serve as a constitutional monarch. The King also demanded that the people vote in a ...

Our second attempt at a trek in Bhutan was chosen not so much for the mountain views but rather the "culture" aspect. Sadly there wasn't as much culture as we had hoped and we traipsed through the forest for much of the time. It was also extremely muddy after the heavy recent rains, though luckily we didn't have to suffer too much more rain ...