Nov 3, 2014 Monday, Kathmandu - Paro, Bhutan

After a leisurely breakfast we headed to the international airport for our flight to Paro Bhutan.  We had a long wait as the plane was late arriving.  The airport was a bit of a zoo with no indication of which gate to check in at or what gate they would be boarding from.  However, we eventually took off and the views of the Himalayas were spectacular (be sure to sit on the left when flying east).

The flight path into Paro is like riding a rollercoaster.  They have to fly around several mountains and then drop rather quickly in order to land.  We arrived an hour or so before the rest of our group was coming in so our guide, Tshering, and driver, Sangay, took us into Paro for some window shopping.  The drive out of the airport was lined with colorful flags in preparation for an upcoming visit from the President of India.  



Paro has a very quaint downtown with lots of shops for both tourists (souvenirs) and locals (staples and clothing). 





We also saw our first chili's set out to dry. Ema Datsi, a chili and cheese dish, is Bhutan's national dish.

After some window shopping we headed back to the airport to pick up Jessica and the rest of the group.  The tour included the three of us, guide and driver, Tara (our travel agent), Aakriti (her adult daughter from New York), and Randy from San Jose.  Once we were loaded up we headed east to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.  The drive followed the Wang Chu River valley through some beautiful country. 

 

Iron Chain Bridge

There was a brief stop at an iron chain bridge that spanned the river and led to the Tachog Lhakhang Dzong (fortress).






700 year old iron chain links

The bridge is reported to have been built by Drupthob Thangtong Gyalpo, who is said to have built 108 of these Iron chain bridges around Tibet and Bhutan in the late 1300s. Many of them are still in use today, showing how strong and durable the bridges are.  There is was second bridge made of wooden planks that is used by cattle to cross the river.  (Not as scary to cross.)  It is used to move livestock.



Murals in the bridge towers

Itty Bitty Stupas at the bridge towers

It was dark for most of the trip so we didn’t get to see much of the countryside after the bridge.  Paul, Jessica and I stayed at the Taj Tashi, with the others staying at a nearby hotel (Randy signed up late for the trip and Tara couldn’t get him into our hotel).  The hotel was a beautiful, rather grand hotel with a lovely lobby and we had a great room with huge bathroom.