It turned out to be quite a good idea, not only because now we can tell the difference between Mahayana, Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism, but also because our car suffered from a leaky radiator, and we ended up stopping every 30 minutes or so when the car overheated. Also fortunately for us, as we were driving along mountain slopes where mountain springs are plentiful, our driver & guide were able to obtain cold water to cool down the radiator each time.
Enlighten me....
The coolest breakdown spot ever, next to a Bhutanese prayer wheel continuously spun by spring water flowing down the mountains.
This disruption to our journey could be the reason for the room upgrade to a suite on our last night in Paro.
A sundry shop in Paro town
This is Paro town
On Day 5, we visited a couple more dzong by hiking, probably a way to gear up for the big hike the next day. The trail towards the Ta Dzong (Tiger Fortress, not the famous Bhutanese landmark, the Tiger's Nest), which also houses the National Museum, starts in the mountains just behind our hotel.
No wrong step here!
Paro town and Bhutan's only international airport in the background
A better view of the airport runway
My toes were actually clawed to the ground here
Ta Dzong came into sight, just down the hill
We arrived after an hour or two's hike in front of the dzong and the National Museum of Bhutan. The museum building was damaged by a recent earthquake so it is still under repairs and will reopen next year. Only a small selection of items were on display, mostly dance and ritual masks, and thangkas (silk Buddhist paintings).
From there, we went on to Rinpung Dzong (Fortress on a Heap of Jewels).
On our way out, we crossed paths with a lay monk, who insisted on giving us prayer strings and sweets. Initially we declined, thinking it was some sort of gimmick to sell things to us (yes, we are horrible cynical world-weary travellers!), but he just genuinely wanted to give us some blessings. That is the difference with Bhutan, and we hope it stays that way.
From Rinpung Dzong, we drove up to a village in the foothills of Drukgyel Dzong (Dragon Fortress) and walked up an easy footpath for about 20 minutes. It was an evocative place, burned down a decade or so ago, due to a fire started by a fallen butter lamp. The damage was exacerbated by the old ammunition stored at the complex (it is a fortress, after all), so today it is practically in ruins.
What's left of the fortress. It reminded me very much of Machu Picchu with its stone ruins, mountain background, abandoned grounds and hint of past glory.
Hah, we can do the Tiger's Nest Monastery hike tomorrow, no problemo!
There is our camp site tomorrow, just below the clouds! Just 4,500m above sea level, no problemo!
On the drive back to the hotel, we saw many children on their way home from school. It had just rained, so the ground was wet, muddy and slippery, and road construction had thrown up loads of obstacles and stones. But the little ones trudged on and up, together with their seniors and, not unusually, alone, carrying their school bags and lunch boxes, dressed in their elegant national costumes. It is not unusual for Bhutanese children to walk 1-2 hours to and from school every day. They would wake and leave the house at 6am to get into school on time, and then walk the same distance home in the afternoon, reaching around 5pm.
We tried to impart the impressive feats of these Bhutan children to Sophie, and to get her to appreciate her luxuries, but who knows what got through to her....
After that long day of hikes, we rewarded ourselves with a bit of fun with the marijuana plant.
Relaax.....
Marijuana plants grow wild in Bhutan, and are found everywhere, almost like weeds. This is just some random patch we came across during our hike. It is used to make medicinal herbs. Mountain people seem to find the most interesting plants for their remedies. In the Andes, it is the coca plant (which is the raw ingredient for cocaine, of course)
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