"If anyone would like a photo of the phallus..."

Trip Start Jun 29, 2008

Trip End Nov 27, 2008

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Flag of Bhutan Paro, Bhutan
Saturday, November 1, 2008

Our morning in Paro was spent visiting the National Museum and the local Dzong. But before we made it there, we passed a local home decorated with a penis and our guide said the above quote of the trip. These are a symbol of fertility (not surprisingly) and Lonely Planet also states they offer protection for the inhabitants of the house. It seems a strange thing to see on the wall of a house in Bhutan, but there you are!!

The National Museum was quite large and had some really interesting stuff - thangka hangings from the last 4 centuries, Buddha icons, stamps (Bhutan is famous for its stamps), historical armoury, stuffed animals and animal heads, and historical household objects. The Dzong was on a much smaller scale than the one in Thimphu.

After an early lunch, we spent the afternoon hiking to Tiger's Nest

National Museum

. I say hiking, but because I have managed to get a cold and I feel pretty ordinary, I went on a horse for part of the way up with one other in the group, while 2 walked the 50min hike uphill to the cafe. After a brief stop at the cafe, I joined the other 2 and walked the remaining 2 hours to the Monastery. The walk was delightful with lovely trees draped in moss and wonderful views of the mountains with the Monastery, and also of the valley below. The final 750 steps went quickly enough on route to the Monastery, but after our visit seemed a lot harder.

Tiger's Nest Monastery was delightful - incredibly peaceful, nicely decorated and with awe-inspiring views. This would be THE place to aim for enlightenment. One of the monks showed us around the monastery and then we helped him carry some butter up for the butter candles. After a short stay it was time to head back down the mountain before the sun set. And with that, our trip to Bhutan was essentially complete, having ended in the best possible way.

Now all that remains is to get our flights home, through Bangkok (via Calcutta!) and Singapore. Hopefully we will make all our connections and be home on Saturday morning. After 4 months of travel through some amazing but sometimes challenging destinations, I am very much ready to come home. I look forward to seeing my family and all my Aussie friends soon. Thank you for joining me on my journey.