Yeedzin Guest House Thimphu

... a special fertility blessing if<br>you wish. Dinner and Overnight in Hotel at Punakha.<br><br>Day 03: Punakha-Trongsa.<br>After<br>early breakfast, drive to Trongsa. Enroute sightseeing in the valley of<br>Wangdiphodrang includes: visit to Wangdiphodrang Dzong built in 1638.<br>Legend relates that as the people were searching for the site of the<br>Dzong, four ravens were seen flying away in four directions. This was<br>considered auspicious sign, representing the spread ...

... local residents. The income generated from tourists and trekking staff goes directly to the local community, and they have full control over these shelters. 3. Local communities along trekking routes supply provisions for trekkers. This provides additional income for local people. Tourists are given a local diet, rather than imported foodstuffs. 4. All transport for trekking - yaks, horses and human - is provided by local people. This is ...

... and other little pastries and tea ( I can see how Ian managed to put on so much weight!) Ian finally finished his meeting and we journeyed back to Paro via the local supermarket and then back onto the mountain highway, luckily the journey home was much kinder to me.<br><br>Eventually we arrived back in Paro at 7pm and I was ready for bed. I have been going to bed at really weird times here in Bhutan am usually fast asleep by 8pm wake up around 4am and then my day starts at 6pm ...

... food and Wiz was even offered to have her ears cleaned by a small man with large tweezers. We scurried back over the border with T and Sonam for our final Bhutanese meal of Chilli Cheese and rice, before boarding our bus, hearts heavy, mouths burning and wishing we were staying longer. we weren't ready to go back to India. It felt as if we had arrived again for the first time and within minutes, the crowded bus was rambling away along a dusty road and away from the land of the Thunder Dragon.

... retirees. Amazingly, the people are very chill about Westerners, and don't stare or even bat an eye seeing me. This could be just life in the big city though. Rumor has it (from the head of the tour company) that Cameron Diaz came here and no one cared cause 1) they don't really pay attention to Westerners and 2) they had no idea who she was since they don't get Western movies in their movie theaters (only on cable TV). Speaking of which, I went to the ...

... and fewer people would visit. There were amazing examples of stone tools from 4750 BC, amazingly thin stone pots from the 9th century as well as very fine and brightly colored textiles. The history of Bhutan is a bit difficult to decipher as it's heavily loaded with myths and legends with dragons, snakes, visions and symbolism. On thing that was particularly interesting was to learn about the ongoing challenges with the invading Tibetan from the north ...

... only five people who were coming in as tourists, one as a diplomat, and the rest were Bhutanese. There is only one airport in the entire country, which is in Paro, and only one airlines - Drukair. Drukair has three planes total, which alternate flying between Bhutan, India and Nepal. There are only two flights in from Gaya, India each week and only two going out outbound to Kathmandu each week. Thus, my itinerary schedule was fairly restricted by when flights were ...

... 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 ...

... after we collected our luggage, we were greeted by our local guide, Sonam (a very popular name here), and our driver - whose name I still cannot get correct after 5 days! We were taken to our hotel outside Paro (Kashi Resort, or something like that) which was a beautiful little compound consisting of an ornate main building (with the lounge and restaurant inside), and a series of outt-buildings or cabins that contained the numerous guest ...

It's impossible to travel in Bhutan without being affected by the dogs here. They are everywhere and almost as numerous as the dogs in Bali. However, despite their being wild (they are fed, although not let into houses, and apparently not pet too much). they are a good looking lot! Stout and with thick fur, they are surprisingly cuddly. The one trait they do have in common with Balinese dogs is a dedicated habit of barking ...