hweeyen's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member hweeyen on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/hweeyen en-us Copyright ©2012 TravelPod.com Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:32:31 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com fotoart ~ to the shetlands — Scotland, United Kingdom http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/11/1255271048/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/11/1255271048/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/11/1255271048/tpod.html Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:32:31 +0000 Revisit to my fave place on earth, Scotland, and up to its most northerly point, the Shetlands!
Scotland, United Kingdom

Where I stayed
Glasgow
Fort William
Aviemore
Braemar
Aberdeen
Lerwick
(Lerwick hotels)


Some art pics from my journey from glasgow, to the highlands on the train, to cairngorms and a touch of royalty, then aberdeen, and finally off to shetlands and puffins-land..





To view the other art pics, please go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yentravels /sets/72157622014713469/

For other travels, visit my homepage at:
http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3



]]> An American Tale Part II: Tribute to the East — New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington DC, Boston, United States http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/us-east-2000/1130738400/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/us-east-2000/1130738400/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/us-east-2000/1130738400/tpod.html Sun, 04 Sep 2005 14:54:14 +0000 Returning to US after 5 yrs, this time my rail travels take me to New York,Chicago,New Orleans,Washington DC and Boston.
New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington DC, Boston, United States

In the year of the millenium, I finally returned to the US, this time with an Amtrak East Rail Pass, to complete my unfinished trek. Little was I to know that barely one year later, on 11th September 2001, the landscape of New York was to forever change. Indeed the sad tragedy has transformed America, and the whole world, from the secure one that we once knew and took for granted. Perhaps it will be a long long time before things return to normalcy, if it ever will. But it will be a pity if travelers are to turn away from visiting this great country. And thus I began compiling the two trips I made in 1995 (see An American Tale Part I: Amtrak-ing in the West) and 2000, into this 2-part tribute, in dedication to the Americans and in the hope that the conflict we see today will soon end. SPIRITED NEW YORK The Big Apple is big, even bewildering, to a city-bred person like me. And it certainly lives up to its self-dubbed tag as "Capital of the World". Not just a concrete jungle of skyscrapers, the city buzzes with a high adrenaline level, combining the colourful chaotic energy of Hong Kong with the cultural dignified staidness of London. The unique character is complemented by the surprisingly friendly New Yorkers who voluntarily offer their assistance to blur-looking backpackers like my companion and I, as we sauntered lost in the maze that is called Manhattan. While the travel literature says the place is easy to navigate with its grid-like avenues, a few blocks looking deceptively near on the map can be dauntingly far when one is saddled with a heavy backpack, not to mention the exhausting hiccups encountered when we took the wrong train on the confusing subway. But we eventually did make it to a hostel beside Central Park, the famous green belt of Manhattan which as with everything else here, is a mammoth stretch. There is so much to see and do in New York but our timetable is tight. So we decided to zoom in on a couple of highlights. Starting with the mother of all icons in the city and indeed, the United States - the Statue of Liberty. The carnival mood was in the air as we arrived at Battery Park and queued for tickets for the boat trip to Liberty Island. It was a maddening tourist crowd with everybody snapping frenetically at the Manhattan skyline as we departed, at the first glimpse of the islet with the grand dame holding the torch, at the rear end of the same lady as we got off the boat from the back of the island - you get the picture. But it was all riotous fun and got us perked up into a touristy mood immediately, after our long haul flight from Singapore. As it was already late afternoon, there wasn't enough time to climb the 354-step up to the Crown. In any case, getting to the top of the Pedestal alone was a long-drawn process as we had to queue for hours, climb up the equivalent of ten storeys, inch our way through the sardine-packed bodies in the narrow balcony to do one round of views back to the entry doorway, only to be told we could only go down from the opposite end. While the Pedestal offers nice views of Manhattan and New York Harbour, the close-up view of the Statue from its feet up was nothing to shout about. The lady is best viewed afar from the front of the island where one can take a leisurely cooling walk without tussling with the crowds. Now, that's what I call "liberty"... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels1 1_us2_east1.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> Mont Tremblant's Autumn Splendour — Mont Tremblant, Canada http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/tremblant-2000/1124635800/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/tremblant-2000/1124635800/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/tremblant-2000/1124635800/tpod.html Sun, 21 Aug 2005 15:13:31 +0000 Autumn sojourn at the Mont Tremblant Park - the pearl of the Laurentians in Quebec.
Mont Tremblant, Canada

I returned to Canada, four years after my first trip, hoping to catch the autumn colours and the famed red maple leaves. Lucky me was more than handsomely rewarded this time round... At the enthusiastic behest of the folks at the Montréal youth hostel, who had "promised" mountains of flaming ruby, my companion and I were lured into taking an excursion out to Mont Tremblant - the popular ski resort in the Laurentians, which is the wilderness expanse of Quebec province. The mountain also happens to be the highest peak in eastern Canada at 3,175 feet, while the Park, or parc du Mont-Tremblant, is Quebec's largest protected area with almost 1,000 square miles of sprawling territory. Montréalers are really a lucky lot. Barely half an hour out of the city, rolling hills interspersed with lakes came into view. While not exactly fiery crimson, the forest was a myriad of pretty colours, as if tantalizing visitors like us with sneak previews of what was to come. With a welcoming appetizer like that, nobody could complain about the many local stops along the way as we rumbled on contentedly in the bus for almost three hours. The "National Geographic" prelude came to an abrupt end when we were dropped at the youth hostel. The cosy little place is conveniently located at the Mont Tremblant Village, about three miles west of the mountain itself. Inspired by the alluring scenery thus far, we hurriedly dumped our luggage and excitedly ventured out to explore in the remaining hours of daylight. Nothing like the splendid autumnal colours, couched in warm sunset rays, to uplift the spirits. Oh, our hearts were singing as we took a really long walk to the centre of the village, making detour after detour into inviting side paths and discovering quaint cottages, pretty signage and mysterious blue lakes (or lacs in French). My friend was clicking away endlessly on her camera like a possessed woman, whilst I, was dreamily making plans about early retirement and migration... Miraculously, we did reach the centre before dark. Part of the road was undergoing paving works but it would take a lot more to dampen our happy state. The village was quite a self-contained place, with its own market, post office, eateries and other amenities, despite the rural feel. We were just in time to witness the lovely sunset at Lac Mercier. And we sauntered on along the bank of the lake, quite forgetting ourselves in the surreal surroundings until the last vestiges of dusk faded away. After all, we hail from a country which is invariably green all year round. It helped too that I have a natural inclination and affinity towards warm palettes, for we seemed to have stumbled into a William Turner painting... After a night of lyrical dreams (where I could have sworn that I was spouting French poems), I was rudely awakened by my early bird of a companion who set the alarm at 7 am, sigh. But this was going to be a great day ahead... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels1 3_canada2_tremblant.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> An American Tale Part I: Amtrak-ing in the West — Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, Arizona, United States http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/us-west-1995/815119200/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/us-west-1995/815119200/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/us-west-1995/815119200/tpod.html Sun, 21 Aug 2005 14:36:44 +0000 On that memorable first trip to the US in 1995, I fell in love with backpacking, I fell in love with trains ...
Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, Arizona, United States

Romancing the rail... Armed with a 30-day "Far West Rail Pass" from Amtrak, the US national railway - and a whole host of other items in my luggage which I was to later find out to be unnecessary dead weight (hey, this was my first backpacking trip after all!) - I embarked upon sunny Los Angeles as the start of my great Amerika journey, with a great stumble. Okay, it wasn't that bad. Just that I hadn't learnt how to balance my backpack and made the fatal mistake of bending down to pick up something, instead of squatting down slowly while shifting the weight on my back. So it was a tad embarrassing to lose one's balance and had to be helped up by the driver who fetched me to my hotel in Anaheim (whom I have had to tip generously to refrain him from rolling on the floor with laughter). But it was still a wonderful beginning - to my one month of absolute freedom... Freedom, alas, I found came with a price: hassle and more comedy of errors. After an overdose of saccharine theme parks in touristy LA, I was gaining confidence in my new-found independence and feeling proud at my adeptness in planning the exciting train expeditions ahead, starting with the easy short connection from Anaheim to LA. With a keen sense of anticipation, I hopped onto the first vehicle that came. Hm, why did it look so much like the MRT (Singapore subway) back home? Oh dear, those seats didn't look too comfortable for long journeys... I arrived at the huge LA Union Station wondering why my ticket was never collected by anyone. And the penny finally dropped. I was on a subway. Coming from tiny Singapore where we are not given to travelling long distances, and being generally "swah-gu" (i.e. mountain tortoise, or ignorant) about tracks being used by different types of trains, I had taken the Metrolink instead of the Amtrak. Well, we learn something new everyday, don't we? And I did get to my destination, by hook or by crook (oops, thank goodness I wasn't caught). How could I have mistaken a subway for the real thing?! Amtrak trains were fantastic, superb, spacious, and all I imagined the setting for a romantic railway odyssey to be. With tremendous relief, I sank into the big and comfy seat with plenty of leg-space, feeling like a queen in a first-class airplane seat. And thus, I embarked on my first memorable train voyage - a 33-hour sojourn on The Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle, with dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean coast, sometimes with the water edges right below the window, and subsequently giving way to gorgeous views of fertile wine valleys, dense forests and snow-covered mountains... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels1 0_us1_west1.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> Beyond the Pyramids — Aswan, Luxor, Cairo and the Nile, Egypt http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/egypt-1997/862459200/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/egypt-1997/862459200/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/egypt-1997/862459200/tpod.html Mon, 04 Jul 2005 14:45:31 +0000 Off to Egypt for a fascinating encounter with a galore of mysterious relics and ancient monuments..
Aswan, Luxor, Cairo and the Nile, Egypt

Mysterious relics and ancient monuments abound in its shifting sands, Egypt - dubbed the "gift of the Nile" by Greek historian Herodotus - is a fascinating living index of several great civilisations. The Pharaohs, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Turks, the French and the British have all left their mark, as with the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims, with the latter being the predominant religious group in modern day Egypt. ASWAN Avoiding the inevitable crowds at the Great Pyramids in Cairo, I chose to begin my journey from the other end of the Nile, namely at Aswan. The southernmost city of Egypt has a distinct resort feel and a decidedly graceful and laid-back pace, with its setting of swaying palm trees and feluccas (white sail boats) gliding lazily on the Nile. A felucca ride can be had for E£10 but as with everything else, it is open to bargaining. After getting used to being "hissed" at, which appeared to be the typical way to get a tourist's attention, I had a wonderful time exploring the bazaars and engaging in the all-too-familiar game of haggling while soaking in the scents of exotic perfumes and spices. The next day brought home to me the mammoth proportions of the ancient monuments when I embarked on a visit to the famous twin temples at Abu Simbel, built around 1250 BC and dedicated to Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. 280km away from Aswan, it was a four and a half hour drive in the wee early hours through the desert, with starry skies giving way to a beautiful sunrise en route. Still, nothing quite prepared me for the spectacular sight of the temple facade with four colossal seated statues of Ramses II, gazing out at the blue Lake Nasser, while the mere mortals (meaning the hordes of tourists including myself) marveled literally beneath his feet! What was even more amazing was the fact that the temples, which were cut entirely from rock, had been moved 225 feet up the sandstone cliff and 80 feet inland, when they were threatened with submersion in Lake Nasser... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels5 _egypt1.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> Gaudi, Barcelona's Famous Son — Barcelona, Spain http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/barcelona-1998/915166800/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/barcelona-1998/915166800/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/barcelona-1998/915166800/tpod.html Sat, 11 Jun 2005 14:17:17 +0000 About Gaudí, Spain's famous architect, and his fascinating legacy to Barcelona.
Barcelona, Spain

Antoni Plàcid Gaudí i Cornet (1852 - 1926), one of Spain's most prolific and arguably greatest architect, was born in Catalonia, the fifth child of a coppersmith. His keen sense of vision was honed from his childhood days when rheumatic fevers often kept him at home, allowing him to spend many hours observing nature. The story goes that when his teacher explained that birds had wings to fly, little Gaudí replied the chickens at his home had wings but couldn't fly. Instead they used them to run faster! Although Gaudí underwent formal training in architecture at the Escola Superior d'Arquitectura, where he eventually qualified as an Architect in 1878, his mind was never constrained by conventional rules. He was interested in subjects like Philosophy, History and Economics because he believed that architectural styles depend on the social and political atmosphere. When asked to submit a project on the entry gate of a cemetery, Gaudí instead drew a hearse with sad characters to set the scene. The innovative combination of medieval structures and organic shapes free from straight-line rigidity and forms, which characterizes his later masterpieces, reflects Gaudí's sensitivity to the movements at the time. Gothic art was experiencing a renaissance, while Art Nouveau had newly arrived at the start of the 19th century. His good grounding in the use of materials derived from his apprenticeship as a smith before he began his study of architecture. Patronage by the rich bourgeoisie was essential for projects to a young architect, and one Eusebi Guell became his greatest patron and confidante, but Gaudí never renounced his origins from the less-privileged classes and supported the political struggles of the workers. The shy Gaudí fell in love with one Miss Pepita Moreu but proposed too late, when she was already engaged. It appears that matters of the heart were forever buried, from that point onwards, as he dedicated himself solely to his architectural cause and never married. In 1883, Gaudí became linked with a project that was to be intertwined with his destiny for 43 years of his life, until his death. This was the Sagrada Familia... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels6 _spain1_gaudi.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> The Beautiful Cape — Cape Town, South Africa http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/africa-2002/1020225600/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/africa-2002/1020225600/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/africa-2002/1020225600/tpod.html Fri, 10 Jun 2005 15:10:10 +0000 1st time visit to South Africa, wowed by spectacular Cape Town, expecting to see wildlife.. but penquins and seals?!
Cape Town, South Africa

I had read that Cape Town (or Kaapstad) is a lovely city at the southern tip of South Africa. On the other hand, preconceived notions of Africa - i.e. dry deserts, yellow grasslands, lions, etc - didn't quite gel with the green lush sparkling city that greeted me, with its dominant Table Mountain, the Cape Peninsula's 'surf-haven' coastlines, and some unusual wildlife which one least expects to meet in a non-icy region... My initial reservations, being a lone female traveler in a country with an unsavoury reputation for crime, were dispelled fairly quickly once I made my way out of the hostel into the well-kept streets and gardens, soaking in the relaxed atmosphere. Browsing and haggling at the flea market in pleasant Green Market Square certainly helped to make me feel at home, having come from one country where shopping is actually a national pastime. The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is another popular place with lots of interesting outlets and cool places to hangout. Touristy but charming nevertheless. By the end of this jetlagged day - my first in South Africa after 18 hours of flying and stopovers all the way from Singapore - I came to fully appreciate why Cape Town is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and why fellow travelers that I was to meet subsequently simply raved about it. My only regret was my limited time here, although I did manage to visit the ubiquitous Table Mountain (which the locals somehow manage to be oblivious to) and the famed Cape of Good Hope "where the two oceans meet", or so I thought... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels1 8_safrica2_capetown.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> Exhilarating Highlands — Scotland, United Kingdom http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/scotland-1999/936072000/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/scotland-1999/936072000/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/scotland-1999/936072000/tpod.html Thu, 09 Jun 2005 15:17:53 +0000 My fave place on earth - the Scottish Highlands - which has everything the rugged beauty of nature can offer...
Scotland, United Kingdom

One can never get enough of Scotland and if you are a lover of wide spaces and the great outdoors, the Scottish Highlands offer rugged and unspoilt scenery of immense beauty and unimaginably varied landscapes under the ever-changing skies. Harsh climate notwithstanding, it is precisely this interplay of dramatic rainstorms with brilliant sunny spells which gives the land a splendid range of vivid colours, not to mention rainbows a-plenty. Loch Ness Taking a cruise boat from Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, my first stop was at the popular domain of the Loch Ness Monster (also known affectionately as Nessie). The loch (meaning 'lake'), estimated to be at least 700 feet deep, is the single largest body of water in Scotland, and indeed in the United Kingdom. There was a riotous atmosphere on board with plenty of binocular-toting tourists. Dark and murky, the waters were suitably brimming with mysterious shadows which no doubt contributed to the numerous sightings. Unfazed by the monster mania, I was more intent on enjoying the sights from the cruise boat which climaxed with the approach to the impressive Urquhart Castle, perched dramatically on the edge of the loch. One of Scotland's best known castles, Urquhart was fought over by practically everyone who passed this way, including Edward I of England and Robert the Bruce. Repeatedly ransacked, damaged and rebuilt over the centuries, the castle was finally destroyed in 1692 to prevent the Jacobites from using it. The Jacobite cause, a Highland-backed attempt to replace the Hanoverian kings of England with the Catholic Stuarts, ended in defeat at Culloden in 1745. A drawbridge leads to the sprawling castle ruins, which inspired a sense of fascination in me as I wondered about the countless battles fought here and the powers that had been. The five-storey tower house in the north allows visitors to climb up and gives good views of the ruins as well as the loch. Elusive Nessie I did not spot but the castle certainly made my day... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels2 _scotland1_highlands.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> Alaskan Sojourn - The Inside Passage — Seattle, Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, Whitehorse, AK http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/alaska-2002/1125547200/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/alaska-2002/1125547200/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/alaska-2002/1125547200/tpod.html Wed, 08 Jun 2005 14:48:19 +0000 Off on my 'last grand adventure' to Alaska, following on the footsteps of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98...
Seattle, Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Skagway, Whitehorse, AK

There is something romantic about going to Alaska, and it has nothing to do with a cruise (which I did not take anyway). Be it gold and riches in the past, or the grandeur and power of nature and wildlife today, the lure of the Final Frontier remains as latent as its promise of adventure. So with a huge sense of anticipation, my trusty backpack, and aargh, a bulky sleeping bag, I set off for Seattle, the start of my 'last grand adventure' following on the footsteps of the colourful Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98 ... Oh, it was so good to be in Seattle again. Miraculously, the sun was out. Golden rays in abundance, quite unlike the grey drizzly city I remembered; I could actually see the mountains as we touched down (so they really do exist!) The déjà vu feeling was especially strong when I trudged with my heavy load from the bus drop-off to the HI-Seattle hostel, my first hostel eons ago it seemed. This was my supply stop. Seattle had flourished precisely because of its strategic location, not only as a transport hub but as a centre for outfitting prospectors during the gold rushes. As I was to learn on the hilarious, and highly recommended, Underground Tour at Pioneer Square, Seattle was a buzzing ground for entrepreneurship, not to mention scams a-plenty, to help "equip" the hapless miners heading for Alaska and Yukon as well as "relieve" the successful ones who actually made it back with gold. The same zealous spirit was applied to the way the city developed, which (would you believe it?) was all due to a sewage problem! The Pike Place Fish Market was as entertaining as ever. Coincidentally, I was to attend a course back home one month later, conducted by the owners of the joint. They had gone from being fishmongers (albeit 'world famous' ones) to credible management gurus with a bona fide video hit on 'Fish Philosophy'. Yes, the 'Seattle Spirit' coined by the Underground Tour is well and alive! There is no direct overland route to my destination - Southeast Alaska, also known as the Panhandle - which stretches 500 miles from north of Canada's Prince Rupert to the Gulf of Alaska. It's either the sea or by air. So the cash registers go a-ringing for the popular cruises that ply the waterway, dubbed the Inside Passage, for the very brief tourist season, effectively from June to August each year. The brochures promise dramatic fjords, cascading waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, calving glaciers, lush forest valleys, pristine islands, scenic villages, not to mention "guaranteed" humpback whales, orcas, seals, bald eagles, salmons, bears, etc. However, as I couldn't fit myself into any of the categories of "The Newly-Wed", "The Nearly Dead", or "The Overfed", I opted for the public ferry transport, called the Alaska Marine Highway... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels2 1_us3_alaska1.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
]]> Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon — Paro and Thimphu, Bhutan http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/bhutan-2003/1117901280/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/bhutan-2003/1117901280/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hweeyen/bhutan-2003/1117901280/tpod.html Mon, 06 Jun 2005 01:10:52 +0000 Journey to mystical Bhutan, a stunning Himalayan kingdom lost in time and steeped in Buddhist traditions.
Paro and Thimphu, Bhutan

Nestled between China's Tibet and India, Bhutan is an exotic kingdom steeped in Tantric Buddhism yet at the same time embracing, albeit ever so carefully, the trappings of modern technology. The place is a living ancient civilization, as if one has stepped back into the rich medieval age - with beautifully decorated chalet houses dotting the rolling green hills, colourful monasteries and prayer flags adorning the mountain sky line, friendly people in bright traditional costumes mixed with the crimson-robed monks - a culture that is reminiscent of Tibet yet so uniquely its own. At the same time, English is widely spoken and one can have 'bizarre' sightings of computers in the administrative quarters of the dzongs, the massive white fortress-like monasteries-cum-administration dominating each precinct. Druk Yul, as the country is known to its inhabitants, has a sense of peace and orderliness under the protective tutelage of the current monarch, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, an enlightened leader by all accounts. He has continued the modernization programme started by his father while steadfastly maintaining the policy of environmental conservation and the preservation of Bhutanese culture and tradition. In fact, the coronation of the King on 2nd June 1974 marked the first time that Bhutan opened to the world, with the international press being allowed into the country. Today Bhutan is open to tourists with a budget strictly not of the shoestring variety, and provided the trips are kept within defined restrictions. This system of imposing high prices for the privilege of a glimpse into the protected land acts as a 'natural' cap on the number of visitors, the result of a deliberate policy to avoid the destructive effects of opening to all and sundry which was the experience of its illustrious neighbour, Nepal. The seemingly overzealous isolationist measure certainly hurt our pockets, but having visited both countries, I could understand the rationale and even support it, unless a better way can be found to allow genuine and responsible visitors without importing the undesirable influences of unfettered tourism. In any case, the journey was for us, worth every cent we expended. And more... Especially when we went at a most tumultuous of times for any sort of travel. The Iraq war had started. Then the first cases of the dreaded ailment, otherwise known as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), emerged, that was to continue to have a devastating effect on our social lives long after we returned to Singapore. Finally, we read about an earthquake in Bhutan measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale just a couple of days before we set off. Suffice to say, it felt almost like a miracle when we took off from Bangkok on the small Druk Air flight, the national carrier of Bhutan. This was only one of two ways for foreigners to enter the country, the other being by a road route via India. It was one quaint flight. The last three rows of seats also acted as cargo hold with overflowing luggage, no doubt due to the country's nationals trying to make the most of their rare 'shopping trips' to Bangkok. As we were to learn later, foreign amenities were hard to come by in Bhutan and most were from India or Thailand. In fact, we found ourselves also part of the postman network, carrying a baby pram and an assortment of other items that were meant for delivery to various people in Bhutan, including the Queen herself! But that is another story. Long before we sat foot on Paro airport, we had already been treated to the hospitality of the country by our wonderful tour operator, Mr Sangay Tshering, and his Singaporean wife, Sara, of Yeti Tours & Treks. Such was the intimacy of arranging a trip to Bhutan where everything was done by hand on a personal basis, right up to the checking-in of luggage at Bangkok airport by Druk Air's staff instead of a ground handling agent. So with a huge dose of anticipation, we cruised down Paro valley with an airport elevation of 2235m. Stepping off the plane, we had our first encounter with the elaborate Bhutan architecture. The airport terminal looked like a temple! Thus began our magical tour of the land stilled in time... To continue reading this travelogue, please go to: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3/travels2 2_bhutan1.html For other travels, visit my homepage at: http://www.freewebs.com/onghy3
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