Today we were leaving Bhutan, flying out on Druk Air’s ATR42-600 back to Kolkata and back to the hustle and bustle of India. As we took off (half an hour before schedule) and gained altitude there were great views of Paro Valley and – later on in the flight – of some of the giants of the Himalaya.
Tag Archives: Bhutan
Bonus temple: Kyichu Lhakhang
We made it back to town in the early afternoon – and in time for a late lunch. From the restaurant it was on to a bonus temple: Kyichu Lhakhang.
This temple is truly ancient, the first one in Bhutan, originally built in the 7th century. This was probably one of the more atmospheric temples on the trip – and it certainly helped that this one was fairly busy with locals going by their religious rituals. While we had the usual guided tour, the real enjoyable piece here was to just soak in and enjoy the atmosphere.
If tigers could fly … up to the Tiger’s Nest
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If there is only one photo, you have ever seen of Bhutan … that one photo likely showed the Tiger’s Nest – or Paro Taktsang. The Tiger’s Nest hangs on a cliff about 900m above the floor of Paro Valley; … Continue reading
From Zhong to Town
After our visit to Rinpung Zhong we had a short walk, following the stairs downhill towards the river. A short side trip got us to Hungrel Gyem Lhakhang, another (smaller) temple next to the river. From here we continued to and across the Nyamai Zam Footbridge – with great views of Paro Zhong from the other side.
After a quick visit to Kaja Throm Market and checking out the festivities at Druk Choeding Lhakhang (the Buddhist temple close to Paro’s city center), we finally made our way to the hotel North of the city center.
On to Paro …
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Loaded with all that phallic energy, we were ready for the long (~100km) drive from Punakha to Paro. The first half of the drive was along the same road we had taken a few days earlier in the other direction … Continue reading
Valley of Phalluses
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This morning we were heading out for Chimi Lhakhang, the Divine Madman’s fertility temple. To get there we had short walk starting in the village of Sopsokha and through Teoprongchu and rice paddies – both villages with a full line-up … Continue reading
Punakha Dzong
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After a quick lunch in a nearby restaurant, we continued deeper into the Punakha valley for the highlight of the day – Punakha Dzong. If you have seen just a few photos from Bhutan, chances are one was similar to … Continue reading
Wangdue Phodrang Dzong
We had a very early morning today, as there was the long drive to Punakha – a distance of about 200km – ahead of us. We were now heading back the same way that we had come in two days before – so, there were only limited stops along the way. We reached Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang Dzong around midday – and had a quick tour of this dzong – that sits nicely on top of a cliff overlooking the valley and offering great views. The dzong was originally built in 1638 – but did burn down in 2012, the re-building only finished in 2022 (now with proper firefighting equipment in place).
A monastic Afternoon
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We spent most of the morning at Jambay Lhakang temple – before making our way to a nearby homestay, for a chance to try some archery and the Bhutanese version of “darts” (to me it felt closer to ax-throwing than … Continue reading
Temple Festival at Jambay Lhakhang
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Today started with great views of the valley from our hotel and a great breakfast (with great bread and cheese, plus home-made jam and yogurt). The drive was local today, we were just heading for Jambay Lhakhang, a temple believed … Continue reading