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October 2001
Phuentsholing, Paro, Thimphu, Bumthang District
Brett Voegele2005-11-14 18:40:19
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one side of the vehicle to the other, as there are no straight stretches.
Paro
Paro isn't the capital, but does boast the country's international airport. It's a picturesque town, with the very nice national museum and a dzong - or fortress. These are found throughout the Kingdom of Bhutan, and often serve as both administrative offices and monastery, and is the location of the various dance and mask festivals throughout the year. They basically look like the monasteries you may have seen in pictures of Tibet, such as the Potala in Lhasa. The local homes are very unique, both architecturally with their cross-beams and window designs, but also in the paintings around the windows and doors, on the trim, and larger tigers, snow leopards, or other motifs on the side of some buildings. Very nice. Everywhere you turn in Bhutan you are confronted with prayer flags - some small 1 foot square flags strung together, and other single - 1' X 15-20' flags on a pole by themselves. Very peaceful to see them and to hear them flapping in the breeze. Buddhists believe that the prayers written on the flags will be dispersed on the wind.
That first morning in Paro we hiked up to about 9600' to a point where we could look directly across to Taktsang - the Tiger's Nest monastery. If people have seen anything from Bhutan, this was probably it. It's a monastery perched precariously on a vertical cliff. It's a dramatic setting - quite amazing, though I would come to expect that in Bhutan, as most monasteries are perched someplace spectacular - hilltops or cliff faces. Some of the monastery burned down in '98, but they are in the process of rebuilding, with most of the outside completed. It was truly amazing - one of the things I had really wanted to see in Bhutan, and I wasn't disappointed in the least.
I next met Yeshup, the owner of the company
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See photographs from:
Bhutan Gallery
