Myanmar

As I could not get enough of this place in 2014, I decided to make a return trip to see some sights that I simply loved- Yangon, Bagan, and Inle Lake.  Of course there are many places I loved here, but these two stood out and I wanted to spend more time there.

As the country is developing very fast with China, Japan, Korea investing heavily in infrastructure, I knew that my time to see Myanmar as I remembered it, is running out.  As tourism is a great source of income for this country, tourists are treated with the utmost respect and this will continue for years to come. 

You can either come here as an independent traveler or you may use a company as assistance.  The company that I have used and am never disappointed with is Exotic Myanmar.  The Itineraries they have are totally flexible and they always offer the best guides and drivers that are familiar with just about everything.  You can spend your time in tourist attractions or visit the off the beaten path places like villages and markets. 

      The Places we visited were as follows:

Yangon- Biggest City where progression collides with traditional

Bagan- Scenic landscape with more stupas than you can imagine

Mt. Popo- Mountain inhabited by spirits and aggressive monkeys

Inle Lake- Most picturesque lake I have been to with shops and hotels on the water

Yangon is of course the biggest city in Myanmar and still has its charm.  Of course, big buildings and chain restaurants and hotels are going up everywhere (but what place will you not find these in the world). 

Landing in Yangon, I noticed that they have a Pizza Hut and KFC which they did not have four years ago.  The new airport terminal is beautiful and one of the cleanest airports I have seen. 

Of course if you have never been to Yangon before, there is a couple day itinerary you can follow, however we wanted to see the sites rarely visited by tourists.

We decided to go to the local markets in which they sell everything from coconuts, bananas, and everything else you can think of by the bulk to local shop sellers.  All of this stuff is brought from the countryside for people to sell and this market is not one to be missed at all as many tourists obviously do not frequent markets….

Of course, driving around you can see people going about their daily lives and even though this country is becoming more westernized, many people are still holding to their past traditions as in dress and small shops on the street…

We decided to take a city train for about an hour just to see the sites it passes along the way as this is a great way to see the less touristy parts.  We sat down in the old train and passed by small sections of the city watching people along the way and seeing people get on and off at different stops…..

As we had already visited many pagodas last time, we decided the only one we wanted to see again was Swedagon Pagoda which is one of the world’s most spectacular monuments.  It is a gleaming bell structure that dominates the city and it is said to have the hairs of the Buddha enshrined there.  It is nice to take time to walk around there and see how the people pray and the different rituals they perform at the many small sites inside the pagoda

 

Bagan is a site that is never to be missed in Myanmar.  Sitting on the banks of the Irrawaddy River, it is home to the largest concentration of Buddhist temples, pagodas, and stupas in the world.  Most of them date from the 11^th to 12^th Century. 

A great hotel to stay at here which is my second time is Kumadara Hotel.  This hotel located just a few minutes outside of town, has one of the most tranquil spots in Bagan.  With different styles of accommodations, it will make your stay even better.  Their food menu is one of the best I have seen in Myanmar with western, Chinese, and local food.  You cannot beat the prices of any of the dishes here and the wait staff is extremely friendly.  Even better than the hotel itself is the view that you get if you get a Pagoda view:

 

 

 

 

 

Our first stop was the local market which they have everything from street food, to fruits and vegetables, to fresh fish and chicken to household items.  This is one of the best organized Asian markets I have been to and we had a chance to walk up and down these many corridors to see the items people had to sell or trade to each other….

The On the road pics were some of the best here as people really do live a simple life here away from the hotels.  We had a chance to see local workshops, villages, and people selling stuff everywhere.  A sunset cruise down the Irrawady River provided some great photos of villages swimming or bathing and while the sunset was not spectacular as there are many clouds in the sky because of monsoon season, it was a very relaxing time.  People even not in the tourist industry are very friendly here which makes me always want to return here over and over again….

Of course no visit is complete to Bagan without visiting the many pagodas and temples that literally dot the whole landscape.  The pictures are always iconic in this great land and while you cannot climb to the top of them anymore to get photos (because of the devastation caused by the 2016 earthquake), you can still get great photos wherever you are.  Whether you walk, take a scooter, take a car, or go by horse carriage, you can spend weeks here exploring all the Pagodas, some big and some small.  Some simple and some lavishly painted with Buddhist scenes inside……

Inle Lake is possibly one of my favorite destinations not only in Myanmar, but in all of Asia!!!!  It is becoming touristy during the recent years, but I believe it is good for the peoples economy here!!!!  It seems that tourism has not slowed down their traditional way of life as they have been doing the same ways of fishing and water farming for generations.   

A great hotel that is not to be missed while staying at Inle Lake is Myanmar Treasure Resort Inle Lake.  This hotel has beautiful water villas that sit directly on the lake for a view of sunsets and water that you will not soon forget.  The water villas come in three tiers, front, middle, and back and the front villas offer you a relaxing view on your porch of all the happenings on the lake.  The restaurant offers a very high end priced menu in American Dollars but is worth the cost as you are paying for the location.  All rooms come equipped with all the amenities you will need an an outside shower where you can view the lake while you rinse off.  This hotel offers the best sunset views as you can sit from the bar and sip on a drink of your choice while you watch the clouds and sun roll by.  I will return here and I believe anyone going to Inle Lake should stay here.  Perhaps the photos will help you make your decision….

The ride out to the lake was a typical ride out of people living their everyday lives…

Its always nice to go to markets to see the local tribes and villagers come in to sell their items.  I had been to this market once before and this time was a little less hectic..

We also had the chance to stop by a Buddhist Monastery Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung, which is nothing like I have ever seen before with the mosaics and murals made completely of glass.  This is not a place to be missed as you enter into the town before the lake…

As our full day around the lake began, we couldn’t help but hit a few tourist places but also some off the beaten path places.  The images on the lake are amazing with houses built up on stilts, people boating all around, and floating gardens.  This is why I came back here and will continue to for years on end….

What better way to start a day than another market otherwise known as the 5 Day Market in which people come to sell their goods and it rotates every 5 days to different areas around the lake…

Of course you will see a few birds….

The Dragon Boat Temple is a place where we have visited before which I loved, as it is the start of the Dragon Boat Races once a year.  Here in the middle is two Buddha and three monk statues covered by gold leaf as people buy them as they enter the temple and paste them on as they have become bigger over the years…

Ngwe Zin Yaw shop in the Pauk Par Village part of Inle Lake is another place I returned to.  Here you can see how they make the traditional cigarettes that are seen all around Myanmar.  These cigarettes are sometimes wrapped in leaves or corn husks with different flavors.  We spent some time here watching how fast the ladies were rolling the cigarettes as if it was no problem.  This shop also offers a lot of souvenirs and different tobacco for sale.  They will greet you with a glass of tea or whiskey while you sample the cigarettes as they are free of additives and made with pure tobacco.  This place is not to be missed on your trip to Inle lake (Even if you don’t smoke)….

Indein Stupa site was closed last time we were here so I took this opportunity to visit it.  The 1058 stupas some new and some over 200 years old dot the landscape outside this tiny village.  It was said that the people that live around there are descended from slave families that helped build the stupas.  This is the first place I noticed a clash between Thai and Burmese style stupas and was a wonderful place to spend a few hours walking around….

As I ate lunch at a small restaurant called Green Chili Restaurant in the wood making village at Inle Lake, I noticed a curtain with some good light coming in from the kitchen.  I took this opportunity to shoot some good ghostly images of the people working in the kitchen.  As the lighting was perfect where I was sitting and also in the kitchen, these images came out better than I had imagined after darkening them up a bit…

Mt. Popo

We had the chance to get out of Bagan for a day and travel along one of the main country roads to Mt. Popa.  Along the way there was great scenery of farmers working in the fields and on the roads….

We had the chance to stop by a sugar factory in which they make different candies out of palm fruit- coconut, regular, tamarin, ginger, and plum, including a liquor they make from the palm oil that is rather strong….

Mt. Popa was nothing less than amazing as it said the mother of Mt. Popa is a spirit called a Nat with her family and inhabits the mountain, the hike up was rather fun on 1000 stairs with monkeys stealing something in every direction

The monkeys were the funnest as they were after food, sunglasses, flowers or anything they can get there hands out.  We bought them bananas at the bottom of the hill and watched them snatch them and run away….

As we headed back to Bagan we ended up at Salay Monastery who is a beautiful wooden monastery with lovely carvings that dates back a couple hundred years…

Nepal- Snow capped mountains, fertile valleys, colorful cities, beautiful people, aggressive monkeys and the famed one horned rhino

Nepal in Winter of 2019- The Return

 

 

 

 

 

Nepal is a destination that has been visited by travelers for years.  It is of course home to some of the best trekking in the Himalayas and is a starting point for many treks.  Although it is known for trekking, it offers so much more including national parks, very colorful cities and many different ethnic groups all making for good photography. 

If you want to make your stay and accommodations, comfortable in Nepal, probably one of the most professional groups to go with among the hundreds is Nepal One.  Binya is one of the owners was nothing more than professional the whole time.  He helped to set up just about the perfect schedule for us, with the perfect accommodations and also food.  He was there to welcome us in Kathmandu and set us up with a driver who knew the roads and was able to get us from place to place while we still enjoyed our time.  Contact me for more info on how to get in touch with the tour group or click the link above to fill out their trip request.  The price was very reasonable for the service that we got and they can accommodate any type of traveler or schedule….

As we took our short flight from Bhutan, we saw something that I did not expect, and that was the majestic Himalaya Mountain Range with Mt. Everest looking right at us while it juts through the clouds

As we started our adventure in Nepal, our first top of course was to see a couple World Heritage Sites in the city…

Kathmandu- Day 1

As we drove on the highway to Pokhara with the plethora of buses and trucks and traffic, we had time to stop and photograph the beautiful landscape and people along the way….

On the Crazy Road to Pokhara

As we left Pokhara we headed back along the mountain roads by beautiful villages and landscapes to Chitwan National Park- Home to the One Horned Rhina

Pokhara to Chitwan- Mountains and Rivers

Chitwan National Park was amazing.  Probably the best Rhino sightings I have ever seen in the world…

Chitwan National Park

As we left Chitwan, we ran into a bit of a landslide on the road, but it did not stop us from taking photos an taking time to see the lovely scenery and people

The Road back to Kathmandu

The final day in Kathmandu was the most interesting with all of the temples and stupas…..and monkeys!!!!

Kathmandu- The Last Day

Kathmandu-  The Last Day

The last day in Kathmandu was probably the most picturesque as we went to different temples, stupas, road pictures, and monkeys!!!

We went yet again to the to the Monkey temple and watched the monkeys run around and saw a different part of the temple and it was not disappointing….

 

It was then on to Bhaktapur Square which was the capital of Nepal until Kathmandu.  As we crossed the river we noticed a quick change in how people were dressed as this place had some of the best wood work architecture I have ever seen.  The streets were lined with people and if it was not for rain, the photos would of come out better….

Next stop was a nice and rainy one at the Boudhanath Stupa.  This is a very beautiful stupa built in the city.  We got to witness many people in praying and it was beautiful how many people came out during the rain to pray and the droves that came out after the rain…

As we were rushed to get to the airport, we went to the Pushupatinath Temple last and would of loved to spend more time there.  The temple is a walk up from the river and it is filled with very aggressive monkeys.  It seems that this is the main temple and river people go to in Kathmandu in order to be cremated and we witnessed some going on, we saw many interesting people there and this is a place i could of spent the day sightseeing….

And of course….people on the road doing their everyday thing while two guys drive by with cameras out of the car window…

Kathmandu is a sprawling metropolis that reminds me of a cross between Cairo and Dhaka.  With big truck, cars, motorcycles and scooters coming at you from all directions, you must really watch where you walk. 

This city is a very colorful city with buildings painted different colors as well as very colorful dress for the men and women from the Hindu religion that dominates that country and the Buddhist minority. Many of the people here are a cross between SE Asian and Indian, which makes their skin and eyes very beautiful!!!!  Of course you cant forget the on the road pictures around Kathmandu…

Our first stop was the UNESCO site Swayambhu Mahachaitya, which is one of the most famous Buddhist Temples in Kathmandu.  However as religion is not an issue here for many people, it is still visited by Hindus by the thousands on a daily basis.  A quick jaunt around here you will see people giving offerings and praying to the different shrines located in the premises. 

Of course the temple has another name- “Monkey Temple.”  Hundreds of Rhesus Macaque Monkeys inhabit this area and as I have experience with photographing them, they took me by surprise as they were actually jumping into a pool and swimming….

I thought I had seen it all until I was standing by a Stupa and low and behold a monkey had stolen an ice cream from someone and perched himself up on the base of the Stupa and ate the ice cream almost like a human while people watched in amazement…

 Our last stop in Kathmandu was another UNESCO site named Hanuman-dhoka Durbar Square named for the famous Hindu hero Hanuman the Monkey God.  This square was also home to the many kings of Nepal up until 10 years ago.  Walking the streets here was amazing looking at all the architecture as well as the people.  We were treated to a festival on a float as we rounded the corner which made for great photos and we were even thrown good luck charms…

Leaving Kathmandu, we headed to Pokhara which is a lakeside town that is beautifully built.  The scenery along the way does not need writing but viewing the photos below…

If you can get away from the scary roads with the buses and trucks, then you can notice people everywhere living out their lives as the cars stroll by.  There are many small villages along the way and the people who are working in the fields or working in shops are seen everywhere along the way…

As we arrived in Pokhara, we went on a tip around the lake in the area and went to a Hindu temple on an island in the middle of the lake.  There will still be more exploring to do in this wonderful little city…

From Waterfalls and Mountain Scenery to Chitwan National Park

In Pokhara we had the chance to visit a lovely waterfall that went to an underground cave and see how the Hindus made a shrine out of it which was miraculous to see…

We had the opportunity to go to a Hindu Shrine in which people were making offerings in each of the little shrines located inside the structure.   I decided to see what a goat was bleating about and the owner came over and untied him and took him into the shrine to make an offering (no sacrifice).  It was interesting to see the different types of people there and what they did for each ritual….

The rest of the day was pure mountain scenery with rolling hills and the greenest valleys and mountains you can imagine, stopping along the way to see the rice terraces bring me back to memories of Madagascar..

Don’t forget when you are on the road it is smart to get pictures of everyday people in their every day life….

Chitwan National Park was the first National Park established in Nepal in 1973.  Since its inception, it has garnered world wide attention for its grasslands and subtropical deciduous forests.  Its main claim to fame is of course the One-Horned Indian Rhinoceros which has its largest Nepalese population here in this park.  

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A great place to stay here that rests in a perfect location in Chitwan Tiger Camp.  It sits right on the confluence of two rivers and is the starting point for a small jungle trek, large jungle trek, canoeing down the river as well as Jeep 4X4.  The food here is some of the best I have ever had in my life as well as great service from the waiter as well as guides.  I will not forget this place…..

We did mostly jungle treks here as with the monsoon season, the roads were to muddy and most were closed.  I was fine with the jungle trek safari as it went through very dense green brush.  I ran across a few leeches attached to me a few times as it had just rained so they were out in groves.  Whenever we went out it was hot and humid, perhaps the worst humidity I ever ran into as within five minutes in the shade or sun, you would already be drenched in sweat.

Besides Tigers (who are hard to spot in the monsoon season because of the thick grass, the main attraction here is the famous one horned Indian Rinoceros which is an endangered species just like its African counterpart. 

We were able to see at least five or six different rhinos on our trip here, including 5 on the first day.  We even got to hear and see two males battling for territory running after each other across the river, but they were too fast for any good pictures from the point I was at.

The main attraction which we followed around for the two days at different points in the park was the baby rhino.  It seems that during a flood, it had lost its mom so it was seen roaming around different parts of the river or on the banks grazing.   I was ablet to snap off some fabulous pictures of this great beast going about feeding or sunning most of the time…

During one of our jungle walks, we ran across a scene that looks like it is from a post apocolyptic movie.  The abandoned hotel or Gaida Wildlife Camp was once a sprawling destination inside the park for people to start their safaris.  However 8 years ago the Nepalese government banned any hotels or camps from operating inside the park, so this place was left to fade away into the jungle as mother nature has definitely retaken it.  I was able to get some great pictures inside the bar and reception area which would make for a good scene in the walking dead if it was to take place in a jungle…

The landscape here was amazing with the jungle and the sunset and the rivers.  No wonder why this place attracts people from all over the world….

 

Walking out to one of our jungle treks we noticed they were filming a movie (possibly a photo shoot) and snapped a few pictures of the people in the sweltering heat…

 

If you do not like bugs or spiders, then the jungle treks are not for you as we ran across many different types of bugs including beautifully woven spider webs…

Small Frogs were out in droves and I managed to get a few snaps of some before they jumped away, as I did of a snake which I am still trying to identify before he slithered into a pile of dead leaves and branches

There are two types of Crocodiles here- The Common Crocodile and the Gharial, which has a longer snout and only feeds on fish.  They were often seem swimming by or sunning themselves on the banks of the river…

The types of birds in this National park is countless as we ran into storks, kingfishers, swallows, and herons plus countless more….

You cannot go on a Safari without seeing monkeys.  The shy Rhesus Macaques were seen in trees jumping around on our 4X4 safari, with a cute baby away from his mom learning how to forage for food himself…

 

Its not often that you run into a problem with landslides going back on the main mountain highway of a place, but we sure did, however, that did not deter us from making the best out of it as there were many photos to be had along this slow journey…

The rest of the time….well take a look at mountain villages along the roads back to Kathmandu…

Paro to Thimphu

Flying in from Dhaka, we only had six people on our flight which is probably a record for me on any flight I have ever taken.  Immigration was cleared in a second and the only problem I had was paying a 200 percent tax on tobacco (this would have been a good time to quit), but still under what the US charges for a pack.

We visited Rinpung Dzong Fortress as every town/city in Bhutan has one of these fortresses to protect them against invaders.  You will notice the architecture is very close to the architecture of UTEP and inside was amazing as half of the fortress is a monastery while the other half deals with administrative dealings….

As we drove to the capital Thimphu, we drove through some of the most beautiful scenery I have every seen, through the mountain passes and rolling clouds with a blue sky, stopping alone the way to buy snacks like cheese candy and spicy fresh potato chips at roadside stands….

Thimphu Area

Thimphu is the capital city of Bhutan with around 150,000 people.  Built in a valley among some mountain passes and next to a river, it is one of the most picturesque cities from the mountains in a lot of Asia. 

We went to a Memorial Chorten Stupa and saw some of the older people staying here all day to pray and watching them go around the Stupa and staying by the prayer wheels to pray.

We made our way up to(what will be upon completion) the biggest sitting Buddha statue in the world that overlooks the city.  The sheer size of this is amazing and the statues surrounding the Buddhas are very colorful that glisten in the sun…..

An old temple was a very interesting place we stopped as people bring their kids their to be blessed by the Monks.  We were not allowed to take photos inside but it was awe inspiring seeing the Monks chant…

We had the chance to go to a Wild Animal Reserve in which we saw a bizarre looking animal called the Takin.  This animal looks like a cross between a goat and a buffalo but are very shy and it was hard to photograph them.  We were also able to see a Musk Deer off in the distance….

We also had the chance to go to the Tashochlo Dzong Fortress (Fortress of Auspicious Glorious Religion), which like the other fortress is built along a river and was used to protect the city from invaders. 

We then made our way to the farmers market in which people sold everything from dried beef, to dried bacon, to more vegetables that you can imagine.  Most of the food is organic and are produced by farmers from nearby areas.

As we drove by the national staidum we noticed they were having an archery competition.  As archery is the national sport of Bhutan, you see people practicing everywhere!!!!   During the competition which is shooting an arrow 145 meters away we saw how the teams react to their wins or losses in games that can last a full day….

The rest of the day was just spent people watching as we sat near a café and did some street walking to see how people went about their everyday life….

Road to Phobjikha

It is time to get up into the highlands of the country as we go from 4500 feet to 9600 feet in just a few hours of driving along some of the most brilliant landscape you can imagine. 

Going along the windy roads was met with the brilliance of the pine covered landscape with the sun shining so brightly among the mountains. …

We had the chance to stop in a village and walk along the street and talk to people.  A few men were sitting along a store front enjoying the weather as they were quite keen to us taking their picture.  As we stopped into a tea shop, the waitress who had a very highland look to her served us….

As we kept climbing up in the mountains, we suddenly started dropping down into the glacial valley in which thousands of migrating Cranes come there during the winter months to feed.  The villages in this valley looked something like Switzerland with the beautiful backdrop of the rolling hills.  We had a chance to hike along the valley on a nature trail and enjoy the vastness of the land that went on for miles. 

During our lunch, we went to a home stay to eat some local food they grow in the area and I had a chance to photograph a beautiful highland girl who was the sister of our driver.  Her smile and generosity she showed us made me respect this culture even more than I already did

After our hike, we ran across the Gangtey Goenpa Monestary from the 17^th Century.   As we had already been to a few monasteries, we were not expecting much, however we were treated a festival which happens at most once a year (pictures not included) and noticed some of the more wicked looking drawings and carvings in the monastery wall…

Road to Punakha

As the scenery here is amazing, we left Thimphu and went over the pass to Punakha through pristine trees and lovely mountain scenery.  The pass at the top had a memorial to the soldiers who lost their life during the Indian insurgents who lived in a part of the country some years ago that wanted to create their own state.  As we were high up, the fog rolled in and made the photographs amazing.

The scenery along the way was magnificent as the clouds rolled slowly over the mountains and the greenness of the terrain stretched for miles with people going about their everyday business in this beautiful country. …

THE DIVINE MADMAN

Our highlight of the day was visiting the “Temple of the Divine Madman” or “The Fertility Temple.”  In the village leading up to this temple they have paintings of phalluses aka penises all along the different houses.  As the short story goes, there was an enlightened Buddhist in the 15^th to 16^th Century named Lam Drukpa Kuenley who had an unorthodox style of teaching.  He was portrayed as a vagabond around the countryside indulging in song, dance, alcohol, women, feasting and hunting.  Weather this was true or not is definitely speculation, but in reality he was beyond the norms of society at that time.  He was against the established norms of the time and taunted the monastic order of the time.  The use of his “Phallus” as a flaming thunderbolt weapon can symbolize the discomfort society experiences when facing the truth. People from all over the world namely Buddhists come to this place to pray for the wellness of their children as he is seen as somewhat of a liberator which released Buddhists from their cyclical existence.  I actually like this guy and he may be one of my new heroes!!!!!

 

We then headed to the Fortress of this ancient capital of Punakha aptly named Puna Dechen Phodrang or the Fortress of Happiness.  As in other fortresses in the towns/cities, this one is built on the convergence of two rivers.  This is one of the most elaborate fortresses as it is the second oldest and the many murals depicted inside depict the life of Buddha in pictures.  I was happy with how empty it was as pictures came out pristine…

Doing another walk we headed across a beautiful suspension bridge that was filled with beautiful prayer flags and people going about their everyday life walking across it….

Highlands to Paro

We left the beautiful highlands in the morning on our long road back to Paro seeing the scenery that we passed just days before, and yet it was still amazing as the people were out going about their every day life and the clouds were floating above…

Our lunch stop was over a lovely rice patty with a lovely waitress who was very shy to take pictures but finally was happy to pose for us and very thankful we wanted to take her photo….

As we were still up in the highlands we decided to stop by a local roadside stand and saw two highland girls with their red cheeks.  They were quite thankful that I gave them pen and paper and were quite shy but happy to take photos…

We got to see some monkeys that were jumping from tree to tree on the roadside.  They were a lot shyer than most previous species of Rhesus Macaques that I have seen, however they still decided to pose on the ground or up in trees for pictures…..

As we were driving up to over 12000 feet to a hike to a nunnery, the views were amazing covered by sun one minute and foggy clouds the next…..

The hike to the nunnery took a few hours through the clouds in the sky to dry pine forests to wet forests with rhododendron trees.  Breathing fresh air was great and so was the hike was we neared the nunnery….

The nunnery was an old temple that was converted as a place for Buddhist nuns about 15 years ago.  The live a simple life and are only allowed to leave the nunnery for 15 days a year, making their life very isolated as this is a long way from any civilization…..

Before reaching the hotel we had the chance to stop at a new micro brewery that just opened named Namgay Artisanal Brewerey.  The owner has imported all of the equipment to brew his own beers and as we tried tasters of all of them we were amazed with the flavors.  The bottle and send to different places in Bhutan a wheat beer, dark ale, and red rice beer.  The three that they have on tap that are only at the brewery are a milk stout, IPA, and apple cider which is made from the freshest apples in Bhutan.  They have a lovely selection of pub food and a menu that they will start pairing with beers for dinner as this brewery/restaurant will be one of the up and coming places in Bhutan for beer lovers!!!!  They are working on their website, but you can see them on Facebook here. 

Bhutan

Paro to Thimphu

Around the Capital Thimphu

On the Road to Punakha

On the Road to the Highlands

Highlands to Paro

Nunnery and Brewery

Paro Taktsang– The Tigers Nest

If you have spent your life living in El Paso and you look at the architecture of Bhutan, you will notice the country looks like one big UTEP campus.  Most of the architecture at UTEP was infact taken from the Bhutanese style which dots this entire landlocked small country, dubbed by many different websites as “The Happiest Country in the World.”

The Kingdom of Bhutan is landlocked between parts of India and Tibet and is the second least populous country in South Asia next to the Maldives.  It has a long history of being along the silk road and was never colonized by any countries which means they developed a very extinct identity.  With only 700,000 people in the country, this is the second least populous country in South Asia next to the Maldives. 

This is perhaps the most expensive country to travel to as there is a daily rate set by the government of 250 USD per day.  Tourism has gradually been rising over the past twenty years as more people are coming to visit this beautiful country. 

As it is mandated by the government to use a guide and driver, a great person to use that was referred to me by a friend and I am referring to everyone is Rinzin Thunderbolt.  He has been in the tourism industry since 2010 and his English is perfect and his history of the country and the different buildings is impressive.  He can organize any type of tour and he can carefully select the best itinerary, hotels, and food that you desire based on your preferences. He will help cater to any clients needs and is probably one of the best guides I have ever had in my years of travel.  If you ever go to Bhutan, he is your man to organize any type of tour with.

The following are the best ways to get in touch with him:

email- ginger22nd@gmail.com.  

Wechat- rinzinjr22

Whats app- +975 7720 5059

Website for his company- Bhutan Heights

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paro to Thimphu

Around the Capital Thimphu

On the Road to Punakha

On the Road to the Highlands

Highlands to Paro

Nunnery and Brewery

Paro Taktsang– The Tigers Nest

Tigers Nest or Paro Taktsang is a Himalayan Buddhist site that is located just a few minutes from the town of Paro.  This site is one of the most iconic and visited places in all of Bhutan and should not be missed if you travel here.

Of course we had our last day of on the road pictures that showed just how colorful this culture is and how beautiful the landscape is no matter where you are in the country….

The hike up to the Tigers Nest is a bit of a difficult one as 90 percent of the time it is uphill on a very muddy path with more than a few people slipping both up and down.  However along the way you will see many people both old and young making this trek to this sacred site.  Some people even posed for pictures…..

While we did not actually go into the Tigers nest (line was three hours long as this is a very auspicious day), but we got plenty of pictures of the different vantage points along the trail.  Some of them were covered by clouds at times and some of them by trees, and some of them with the sun shining on the monastery, but all came out beautiful with this lovely monastery built into a hard to reach cliff….

As the night set in, we were able to get some photos of the fortress which was our first stop at night from our hotel ending an excellent trip with one of the most scenic countries in the world…..