Mountain Drive

Not too much excitement today as we made a long drive to the picturesque Haa Valley. Our road had has backtracking to Thimphu and then beyond.

Past Paro, the road turns challenging as locals are working to widen the existing road to Haa. This road used to be widely used for trade with Tibet before China took over that region.

We did witness a cow jam which was pretty fun after lunch. I think it’s moments like these that open minded travellers find enjoyable to just be present.

Haa Town has local shops so not much shopping but there are murals done by students in town. While wandering, I had a chance to chat with some locals as well and even learned a new game as I watched them play. It’s similar to snooker but played on a square table the size of a mahjong table where players try to sink their chips into opposite pockets.

Our hotel for the night turned out to be the same place the monk minister of education was staying as he was to perform a blessing ceremony at the local military camp. We got to see what the welcome ceremony looked like and he blessed us as well.Read more