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    • TravelerIndia, Nepal & Bhutan
      Day 26

      To the Tigers Nest (Taktsang Monastery)

      November 16, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

      Today is the day I’ve been looking foreword to for the whole trip. We are hiking to the Tigers Nest. It is a monastery located on the side of a cliff, overlooking the valley below. It is old and mythical and considered holy by most people, not just the Buddhists. Our hike starts fairly early. We started about 7:15 at an elevation of 8300 feet. The destination is about 9800 feet.

      Together we had talked a lot about this hike, among ourselves and with others who had done the hike. You can rent a donkey for the first part of the trek if you don’t think you are up to the whole thing, and some of us had considered that as we had some coughs and colds left over from India and Nepal. In the end though we all elected to walk. While we were walking, I noticed that some of the donkeys needed some motivating to keep going, a lot of motivating. It looked like the donkey motivator was pulling the donkey up the hill with a person on it.

      Our hike up the mountain started out chilly and got warmer as we progressed first from the sunrising and also from climbing. We took it slow and steady, taking breaks as we needed them. Didn’t take too long until we were out of our jackets and down to short sleeves. We stopped at the tea house for tea and a biscuit. Donkeys only go as far as the tea house and it gets steeper after that. We saw some donkey riders going on from there and some of them required motivators too.      Read more

    • TravelerIndia, Nepal & Bhutan
      Day 26

      We did it!

      November 16, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      Descending the mountain is more dangerous, but less tiring than the climb. Even so, it is hot now and my quads are aching. We all rented some poles for the journey this morning and they do come in handy but as poles go, these are not much better than a stick you find on the trail. Sounds like the lament of a Prima Donna.Read more

    • TravelerIndia, Nepal & Bhutan
      Day 26

      Country Luncheon

      November 16, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      We have planned a tradition Bhutanese lunch today around a farm close to Paro. The farm seems prosperous considering the size of the farm house. We are led into a windowless room that is decorated with water carrying skins and a hide satchel, all from yesteryear. I think this could be interesting because I know DIanne is not as adventurous as I am when it comes to food and Liz and Alan eve less than she is. However, they are all polite. Should be fun.
      First on the menu is butter tea. They didn’t say what kind of butter; I immediately think Yak. The tea is strong and flavourful. For more enjoyment we add home made Rice Krispies to the tea. Its good, but you need a spoon to finish it. The food comes out all at once. Pumpkin soup, cooked radishes, steamed cabbage, pork belly, cheese chilli, (the national dish), beef with rice noodles and red rice. There was was way more food than we could eat. The most fun dish was the cheese chilli. It looked inviting and tame. Dianne got a little rice and a couple of forks full of it in her mouth before she realizes the heat that was generated by the chillies. Her eyes were watering as she pushed the rest of hers on to my plate.
      Everyone did great. We tried everything and ate our fill. There was a milk tea for cooling your mouth if needed. We were all hungry after our morning hike and this was the perfect meal.      Read more

    • TravelerIndia, Nepal & Bhutan
      Day 26

      Topo 6; Topo 7

      November 16, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      I mentioned the farm was prosperous. They have a side business that offers herbal baths, in a wooden tub, with water heated by river stones. The four of us are looking for something extra after the hike and this seems like a fun thing to do. We all get a look at the backside of the tubs and where they heat the stones. All you have to do is yell out Topo 6 to get more hot stones in your bath water and a hotter tub. Dianne and I share a room with 2 baths. So do Liz and Alan. I’m in tub 6 and she is in tub 7. I yell out topo 6 and soon I have more hot stones in my tub along with some fresh herbs. Just between you and me, the herbs could have been weeds grown at the side of the road, but whatever, they smelled nice. Dianne yells out topo 7 and more stones and weeds appear for her. Between the four of us we keep our boy pretty busy for 45 minutes or so. Topo means more stones in case you havens guessed. It felt great after the hike.Read more

    • TravelerIndia, Nepal & Bhutan
      Day 26

      One of the Oldest Temples in Bhutan

      November 16, 2019 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      This 7th century temple is held as one of the most magnificent sites of worship in Bhutan. Some say it is the oldest.

      As usual when entering the temple no shoes, no cameras. It is decorated beautifully with Buddha’s, paintings and gifts. The walls still show the original paintings, still have color but faded. We thought we were invited into the main temple with some monks but as Alan and I stepped in we were shooed out unceremoniously. We all hustled our way out and walked the grounds.Read more

    • Rita YeeTo the East
      Day 50

      Hiking Tiger’s Nest Day 2

      June 20, 2023 in Bhutan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      I rose early before 5 and decided to check out the scenery outside. We were told we could see a cloud blanket below us early in the morning around 530. Thankfully I went out early as the most rolled shortly after I took in the views. One of the other girls said it was a full blanket at 445 but she was feeling sick and didn’t take any photos.

      We began our descent after breakfast and light rain gave way to mist and then dryness. The hike wasn’t hard at all save for a couple of slippery spots and then the steep climb up to Tiger’s Nest itself. I was super thankful that I was able to borrow poles as it definitely made the effort easier. Some of the steps were really high so I had to use my arms quite a bit.

      The beauty of Tiger’s Nest is really incomparable to what you see in photos. In person you really appreciate the sheer cliff it is perched on and the deep gorge that you have to descend into before you ascend. Definitely the most challenging hike of the trip but we took as many breaks as needed.

      There are 4 temples in Tiger’s nest with most dedicated to the great Rinpoche who also meditated in a cave there. This site is also a pilgrimage site for Buddhists but it is hard to get to.

      Once we retraced our steps back to where we began our descent into the gorge the going was back to fairly easy descending which was good news as folks were starting to feel dizzy and light headed from fatigue, elevation and simply needing some sustenance in their system. I count myself lucky as I was ok, just tired from all the steps. We were so happy to see our bus in the car park after lunch. Did I mention some of the girls named the bus Bob?

      Back at the hotel, it was either some relaxing and showers or shopping. Before dinner we also got to watch some traditional dances by local students. It was really interesting and cool because these are normally performed during festivals.

      Tonight we had our final group dinner. As usual it was bittersweet as we bid see you layers to everyone. I’m glad we got along so well and hopefully we’ll remain connected and see each other again on future travels.

      I realize I’ve taken next to no food pictures on Bhutan. Not that the food isn’t good but it’s usually been buffet or family style where we pass the dishes around to share.      Read more

    • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest
      Day 64

      Day 64 - Punakha

      November 10, 2023 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      A 10:30 start today on the bikes meant that we had the chance to explore a bit more of Thimphu and importantly send our postcards (some of which we have been carrying since Dubai!).
      Back on the bikes we climbed up to a chilly 3200m for lunch (in the Royal Botanical Park) before then descending 2000m to the plains (twisty roads and prayer flags all the way). It’s much warmer down here and we were starting to overheat as we reached the hotel. Mark’s bike is having some work done in the morning as the clutch can stick and when it does can take off abruptly and cause a loud screeching noise. Today was finished off with a trip to the fortified castle/ monastery (Punakha Dzong) before coming back to the hotel.Read more

    • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest
      Day 65

      Day 65 - Gelephu

      November 11, 2023 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Big riding day today, 190km from Punakha to Gelephu on the Indian border. The national speed limit is 50km/hr and the roads are very twisty so it took most of the day. In general the roads have been very good, but today they got narrower and parts of the road had collapsed or the tarmac was missing! Our off-road riding skills are improving but we were still caught out by some big pot holes, chickens running across the road and cows refusing to move. The scenery has been amazing all day. It's gradually got more jungle-like as we headed south. We were surprised to see monkeys at the side of road (golden langur) and warnings about elephants crossing. It feels a poorer area and there are fewer people wearing national dress. There are proposals to build an IT mega-city here but it's very controversial.Read more

    • Two wheels to the Tiger's Nest
      Day 68

      Day 68 - Phobjikha

      November 14, 2023 in Bhutan ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      A slightly shorter day today on the bikes broken up with a visit to Tongsa Dzong (fortified monastery). We arrived in good time to see some of the black necked cranes (which migrate here every winter from Siberia) including a couple that were being treated for injuries*. Also saw some yaks on the way. It’s very cold here after the heat of the last 3 days. The hotel has a nice wood fire on the go and we even have a wood stove in the room!
      *We're staying in a Ramsar Conservation Area. There was no electricity in the valley until 2008, as they didn't want to disturb the cranes.      Read more

    • TravelerBhutan 🇧🇹 2024
      Day 12–13

      Von der neuen in die alte Hauptstadt

      April 4 in Bhutan ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Punakha, das wir nach kurzer Fahrt mit wenigen Zwischenstopps erreichen, war einst, seines Klimas wegen, die Winterhauptstadt Bhutans,
      bevor Thimphu zur Hauptstadt erklärt wurde. Hauptanziehungspunkt der
      Stadt ist der Punakha-Dzong, der nach mehrmaliger Zerstörung durch
      Feuer, heute in alter Schönheit erstrahlt. Dieses Kloster zählt zu den
      beeindruckendsten Sehenswürdigkeiten Bhutans. Als einer der wenigen
      Dzongs, die in einer Ebene liegen, wurde der Punakha-Dzong als „Palast
      der großen Glückseligkeit“ entsprechend den Eingebungen des
      Baumeisters Palep im traditionellen bhutanischen Stil erbaut. Früher ein
      Zentrum religiöser und weltlicher Macht, ist Punakha auch heute noch
      Winterresidenz und ein Symbol der Freiheit und des kriegerischen Geistes
      der Bhutaner. Die Klosterburg des Punakha-Dzong, die von zwei Flüssen umströmt wird, erreicht man übereine Hängebrücke, die uns in Richtung riesiger Gebetsmühlen führt. Diese verweisen auf die große Bedeutung des Punakha-Dzongs als heilige Stätte der Buddhisten.      Read more

      See translation

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Kingdom of Bhutan, Bhutan, Bhoetan, Butan, ቡህታን, Bután, بوتان, ভূটান, Bhután, Бутан, भूटान, Butaŋ, ভুটান, འབྲུག་ཡུལ།, Bhoutan, بووتان, Bhútán, ބޫޓާން, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Bhutan nutome, Μπουτάν, Butano, Bh2utan, باتان, Butaan, Botan, Bûtan, An Bhútáin, Butàn, ભૂટાન, Butana, בהוטאן, Boutan, Բուտան, Bútan, ブータン王国, ბუტანი, Butani, ប៊ូតាន, ಭುತಾನ, 부탄, Butania, Butaani, Bhoetaan, Butáni, ພູຖານ, Butanas, Butāna, Bhotana, ഭൂട്ടാന്‍, भूतान, ဘူတန်နိုင်ငံ, Bhutani, Bhutaan, भुटान, Iiʼniʼ Tłʼiishtsoh Bikéyah, ଭୁଟାନ୍, Buuten, بھوٹان, بوټان, Butão, Butäan, භූතානය, IBhuthani, பூட்டான், భూటాన్, Шоҳигарии Бутан, ภูฏาน, Pūtani, بۇتان, Bu-tan (Bhutan), Butän, 不丹, Бутанмудин Нутг, Orílẹ́ède Bútánì, i-Bhutan

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