Day 0.

Outside Terminal 2 at Dubai International airport on a Tuesday afternoon.
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Getting a bite to eat airside in the Marhaba lounge.
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And I couldn't resist some dessert too.
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I had a few days of leave about to expire from the previous year so started looking at possibilities for a quick getaway from Dubai.

I initially looked at a quick trip to Norway, the Balkans or Tajikistan, but it was the wrong time of year (winter). I hadn't been to Bhutan before and although it was winter there too, the weather looked relatively mild and dry.

A mountainous country roughly the same size as Switzerland but with a population of ~800,000, Bhutan as a country had always intrigued me. It is often billed as the 'last Shangri-La' and is also famous or pioneering the concept of Gross National Happiness, based on the four pillars of good governance, sustainable socioeconomic development, preservation and promotion of culture, and environmental conservation.

Bhutan adopted a “high end, low volume” tourism policy when the reclusive nation first opened its doors to foreigners in 1974. Hence the country imposes a minimum daily fee of ~$250 per person per night, of which includes a $65 government tax and a $10 Tourism Development tax. The fee typically covers accomodation, guide, car & driver, food, entrance fees etc., so while more expensive than neighbouring countries, it still reasonable for a single traveller.

I organised my trip through Raven Tours and Treks after a recommendation and the total price of my tour for three nights was $835 including the $40 tourist visa fee.

Paro Airport is situated at an elevation of 2,235 metres in a deep valley and is one of the world's most challenging airports. It is only possible to fly in on one of the country's two airlines, Drukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines and Bhutan Airlines.

Raven Tours and Treks organised my flight booking for me on Drukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines, flying from Kathmandu to Paro (KTM-PBH) return for $420.

To position to Kathmandu from Dubai I booked a cheap flight on Flydubai for $290 return.

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Boarding the Flydubai 737 on time for the 6:20pm departure.
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Looking over to the Dubai Creek and the Burj Khalifa in the distance just after take-off.
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Chicken biryani that I had pre-ordered for dinner.
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The rugged terrain below of Sistan and Baluchestan Province in Iran.
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Tasty cappuccino for 10 AED.
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The dry desert of Balochistan in Pakistan.
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The lights of Delhi below in India.
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Lucknow, the capital city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
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Disembarking at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport.
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Welcome to Nepal.
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With my $5 transit visa for my short stay in Nepal.
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And after a short walk I arrived at the Regal Airport Hotel. Very reasonable $22.50 including breakfast for my one night stay in Kathmandu.
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Day 1.

Enjoying the hotel breakfast just after 7am.
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I then made the short trek back to Tribhuvan International Airport.
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Checking in for the 9:15am flight to Paro. I had been advised to get a window seat on the left side of the plane to get a view of the Himalayas and Mount Everest but the closest I could get though was a middle seat on the left.
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Airside with my boarding pass in a colourful Drukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines folder.
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After arriving at the gate one of the Druk Air gate agents had some good news for me, I had been moved to a left-side window seat.

Boarding the A319 at the rear stairs. Both Drukair — Royal Bhutan Airlines and Bhutan Airlines operate the A319 for its superior take-off and landing performance versus the A320.
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The Flight Attendants performing the safety demonstration.
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Two Xian MA60's on the tarmac belonging to Nepal Airlines.
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The small snack box handed out on the short flight.
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Looking out to the Himalayas with Mount Everest to the left and the 8,485 m tall Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world, to the right.
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Banking left as we descend down into Paro Valley.
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And disembarking at Paro Airport to clear blue skies.
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With my passport stamped into Bhutan, my 116th country visited.
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I then met with my guide, Hem and driver, Seren. Posing with Hem with my new Bhutanese scarf they had given me.
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We then headed off for the ~40 kilometre drive to the capital, Thimphu.
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On the way we stopped at an iron chain bridge dedicated to Thang Tong Gyalpo, a pioneering Buddhist civil engineer from the 14th and 15th century. Thangtong Gyalpo is said to have built 58 iron chain suspension bridges around Tibet and Bhutan, of which several are still in use today.
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Hem explaining the details on the prayer flags. At center is a Lung ta (powerful or strong horse) bearing three flaming jewels on its back. Four powerful animals known as the Four Dignities adorn each corner of a flag: the dragon, the garuda, the tiger and the snowlion.
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A Stupa with mutiple prayer wheels beside Paro Chhu river.
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Tsa-Tsa or mini stupas amongst the prayer wheels. Tsa-Tsa are offerings for the well-being of someone – either living or passed away.
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More Tsa-Tsa in the side of the hill.
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Looking across the river from one of the towers of the bridge.
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The colourful mandala on the ceiling inside the bridge tower.
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Buddha with one hand on the earth and the other holding an alms bowl.
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Looking down on the Thimphu Chhu river, and where it meets the Paro Chhu on the far left.
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Also visible on the left is three stupas, one each constructed in Bhutanese, Nepali and Tibetan styles.
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And arriving in the capital city of Thimphu. Outside my hotel in the city centre, Hotel Thimphu Tower.
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I was offered coffee or tea but just opted for water.
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The double bed dwarfed by the massive room.
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The view of Clock Tower Square from my window.
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And lunch at a local restaurant with spicy chicken and some locally grown red rice, a Bhutanese staple.
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After lunch we headed out for some sightseeing. At our first stop on the edge of the city, Motithang Takin Preserve. A Himalayan serow feeding at a trough.
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The Preserve is home to a herd of Takin, a goat-antelope that is also the national animal of Bhutan.

They were quite an unusual looking animal, looking like a cross between a yak and a deer. Unfortunately all the Takin were munching on grass quite far away and I couldn't get a decent photo with my wide-angle lens however (Photo below by Kyaw Thu Oo, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0).
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On our way back into the city we stopped briefly at Thangthong Dewachen Nunnery.
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The offerings included bowls of water, milk and a large, symbolic cake (centre).
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Looking down the valley from Tashichhodzong View Point and into Thimphu with terraced rice paddies in the foreground and the impressive looking Tashichho Dzong, a Buddhist monastery and fortress, in the distance to the right.
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At our next stop, the Jungshi Paper Factory. Jungshi means 'natural'.
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The factory uses traditional methods to produce the Bhutanese paper known as Deh-sho from the bark of the Daphne bush and Dhekap tree.
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The bark is first boiled and then allowed to soak.
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The fibrous product is then separated by hand.
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Next, the material is pounded into a pulp and mixed with water and starch made from Hibiscus plant roots.
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From this mixture a thin layer of the pulp is filtered out, using a wooden frame and bamboo screen.
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It is then elegantly shaken in a rhythmic fashion to spread out the material and laid down as sheets of pulp.
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The pulp sheets are then compressed to squeeze out excess water.
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The sheets are then individually placed on a heated surface.
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And left to dry out to produce the final paper sheets.
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In the graphic workshop where the paper is cut, printed and painted for products such as journals, envelopes, paper bags, and even lamp shades!
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In the factory shop where I bought a postcard with the head of Druk, the Thunder Dragon from Bhutanese mythology and who features on the flag of Bhutan.
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After the very interesting visit to the paper factory we headed to the local archery range.
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Archery is a national and the most popular sport in Bhutan.
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I was expecting more traditional wooden bows and arrows to be used, but they obviously take the sport seriously and were using compound bows and aluminium arrows.
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There were targets at either end of the range and they would alternate between both of them.
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It was my first time seeing competitive archery up close and was amazed by both the speed (300+ kph) and almost silence of the arrows.
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Although it is largely a male-dominated sport in Bhutan, apparently women sometimes participate too.
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An archer wearing a gho, a knee-length robe that is the traditional and national dress for men in Bhutan.
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The target 150 meters away in the distance. It was incredible how accurate they were, especially since there was a gusty cross wind.
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Although alot of arrows hit the surrounding dirt, plenty still hit the target.
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After the fascinating visit to the archery range, we went for a walk through central Thimphu.
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Shopping.
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Two ladies wearing the kira, an ankle-length dress, and the wonju, a long-sleeved blouse, both of which are the national dress for women in Bhutan.
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Two Royal Enfield motorcycles parked on the main street.
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A policeman directing traffic.
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General Shop.
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Smile.
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In the late-afternoon we went for a visit to Tashichho Dzong.
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Bhutanese men wearing a kabney, a silk scarf worn at special occasions or when visiting a dzong.
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Looking across to the nearby National Assembly of Bhutan.
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The VIP entrance to Tashichho Dzong. The entrance for ordinary citizens and tourists was ~100 metres further on but just as grand.
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An angry and fiery looking representation of Buddha just inside.
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And in the main courtyard. A dzong is a distinctive type of fortress found in Bhutan and Tibet with towering exterior walls surrounding a complex of courtyards, temples, administrative offices, and monks' quarters.
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Known as "fortress of the glorious religion", Tashichho Dzong has been the seat of the Bhutanese government since 1952 and presently houses the throne room and offices of the king, the secretariat and the ministries of home affairs and finance.
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Looking up to a gargoyle like figure on the corner of a building.
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Tashichho Dzong was built in traditional style using neither nails nor a written plan.
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Buddhist prayer wheels.
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Taking in the beautiful architecture.
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Hem said that as the main type of wood in Bhutan for construction used is pine, restoration and replacement is required every decade or so.
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Hem posing with his silk kabney. Ordinary citizens wear white while judges wear green, royal officals wear red, orange for members of parliament and saffron reserved solely for the King and the country's chief monk.
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And outside the now lit up Tashichho Dzong at dusk after the very interesting visit.
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For dinner I headed to the hotel restaurant. Chicken soup to start.
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With some fish, rice, and chapati from the buffet.
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And some honey banana to finish at the end of a great first day in Bhutan.
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Day 2.

The view from my hotel room with clear blue skies again today on the morning of day 2.
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Breakfast at the hotel before checking out and meeting up with Hem and Seren for some more sightseeing.
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Arriving at our first stop, Memorial Chorten.
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Memorial Chorten is a stupa built in 1974 to honor the third Bhutanese King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, and grandfather to the current king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. We then joined the numerous residents of the city walking clockwise around the stupa while they recited prayers at the start of their day.
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And spinning the prayer wheels for a blessing.
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After a short drive up the hill we arrived at the Buddha Dordenma statue. The 52 metre tall statue was built for the 60th anniversary of the fourth Bhutanese King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
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Kanthaka, a favourite white horse of Prince Siddhartha and whom later became Buddha. The statue was completed in 2015 after nine years of construction and at a cost of $47 million.
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Two of the many statues of dakinis (sky dancers) or ‘female messengers of wisdom’ surrounding the Buddha Dordenma.
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We then headed off for a trek through the nearby Kuensel Phodrang Nature Park that is situated in the hills above Thimphu.
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Prayer flags fluttering in the breeze with the north of Thimphu beyond.
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The trail is said to be used by the King for mountain biking and it seemed to be the perfect place for it.
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Looking down the valley to the southern end of Thimphu.
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It was great to be out and about in the almost perfect weather.
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Tashichho Dzong in the distance before we made our descent back down into the city.
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Back in central Thimphu where I met up with Ms. Maya, whom I had been emailing back and forth at Raven Tours to organise my trip. She had started out as an intern at the company while Hem was a tour guide and they were now husband and wife.
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Enjoying a lassi with my gift of lemongrass spray that Ms. Maya had given me.
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We then hit the road again for the one hour drive back to Paro.
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Rinpung Dzong beside the Paro Chhu just after we arrived in Paro.
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I had asked Hem earlier about having some authentic Bhutanese food so we headed into town to see how my tastebuds would cope with the super spicy cuisine.
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Apart from the red rice, all the dishes had some measure of chili added. On the far right is the super spicy Ema datshi, a national dish of Bhutan. It is made from chili peppers and cheese; "ema" means "chili" and "datshi" means "cheese". I only managed a small bite of the Ema datshi before I was gulping down the water!
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After the fiery but very tasty lunch we headed up the hill to the National Museum of Bhutan. The main building was closed for repair after an earthquake in 2011 and instead they had a sample of exhibits in an adjacent annexe.
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The original museum building was built in 1649 as a ta dzong (watchtower) to protect the Rinpung Dzong in the valley below.
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Looking down the valley to Rinpung Dzong.
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And at the entrance of Rinpung Dzong after walking down the hill.
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Just inside was a very colourful mural of the six realms of existence of Saṃsāra: gods, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hells.
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Inside the dochey (courtyard), the five storey tall utse (central tower). Built in 1644, the dzong survived an earthquake in 1897 but was severely damaged by fire in 1907.
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Looking north-west along Paro Valley.
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To the south with the Nyamai Zam, a traditional wooden covered bridge that spans the Paro Chhu river.
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And a panoramic shot of the valley.
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Crossing Nyamai Zam. Earlier versions of the bridge were removed in time of war to protect the dzong.
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We then went for a stroll down the main street of Paro.
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Shopkeeper.
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The goods were from both neighbouring China and India.
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Phallus art for sale. Bhutan has celebrated the phallus for centuries and its origins have been traced either to a popular Bhutanese saint or pre-Buddhist pagan rituals.
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Local teenagers hanging out in Paro town centre.
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Looking down the runway of Paro Airport as we made the short drive to the hotel.
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And about to check in for my two night stay at Tashi Namgay Resort.
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Welcome hot towel.
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A short walk to my unit, #125 , just up the hill.
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The interior decor was modern but with touches of traditional Bhutanese design.
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I was impressed that the bathroom had an actual bath too.
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And the view from my patio of the airport across the river.
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Dinner was at the hotel again. They had quite a few Indian guests (who are the biggest visitors to the country and are exempt from the daily tourist fee) so the buffet was mainly Indian food with chicken curry and paneer.
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And enjoying some bread pudding and honey for dessert at the end of day 2.
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Day 3.

A Druk Air A319 taking off in the distance on the morning of day 3.
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A banana smoothie with eggs and pancakes for breakfast.
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At 8am I met up with Hem and Seren and we drove up Paro Valley to the starting point of the hike to Paro Taktsang, or also known as the Tiger's Nest Monastery. Walking sticks for rent for $1 at the entrance.
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Horses waiting to ferry up less able hikers.
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Paro Taktsang visible in the distance, sitting on the side of a sheer cliff and 900 metres above the floor of Paro valley.
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At an elevation of 3,120 metres (10,240 ft), the monastery is often shrouded in clouds. Today however the sun was out with ample blue skies again.
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The monastery was first built in 1692, around the cave where Indian Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8th century.

Inside the small buildings where water flowing down the hill spun large prayer wheels. Apparently the water that is touched by the wheel is said to become blessed.
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Despite the elevation the hike was fairly easy going with the grade not too taxing.
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Prayer wheels made from empty bottles that are spun by the wind.
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A glimpse of the Paro Taktsang through the trees. Taktsang means "Tiger's lair", and it is believed that Guru Padmasambhava flew here from Tibet on the back of a tigress.
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Colourful prayer flags along the side of the track.
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After about 90 minutes of hiking we rounded a corner we were treated to the amazing view of one of Bhutan's most famous cultural icons.
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Looking down Paro Valley as we descend down and across to the monastery.
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At the entrance of the monastery where we had to store our camera's, phones and bags and then get a pat down to ensure we weren't sneaking anything in.
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Inside we first visited the entrance to Dubkhang, the cave where Guru Padmasambhava meditated for three months. Just outside the cave was a statue of Dorje Drolo, one of the eight Manifestations the of Guru - in wrathful form riding upon a tigress with which he flew to Taktshang. The cave itself is opened for public viewing only once a year, and is said to hold the phurbu (ritual dagger) of the guru

We then visited the different Lhakhang or chapels. First was Guru Sungjonma Lhakhang, which has a central image of Pema Jungme, another of the eight manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava.

It was very interesting listening to Hem explain the background and significance of each of the Lhakhang, as well as insights into Buddhism practiced in Bhutan and its contrast with the Abrahamic faiths.

Another view of Paro Taktsang as we started our descent back down the mountain.
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Some of the horses following us down.
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And posing for a selfie with Hem at the end of a great hike.
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Buying a souvenir to take home.
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We then met up with Seren for the drive back down the valley.
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For lunch we headed to a local house in Paro Valley.
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happy
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Some coffee to recaffeinate after the trek up to the monastery.
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A potrait of the Royal family on the wall with the King and Queen with the young Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck.
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Preparations under way in the kitchen.
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A serving of red rice along with an array of tasty Bhutanese dishes.
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And a portrait of my waitress with her dark blue silk wonju.
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Our original plan after lunch was to visit Kyichu Lhakhang, originally built in the 7th century and one of the oldest temples in Bhutan. However when we pulled up a policeman outside said that it was closed as the Royal family was visiting.

Spinning prayer wheel. We instead then headed to Drukgyal Dzong, built over 400 years ago but almost completely restored by a fire in the 1950's .
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Looking down a path to one of the dzong's defensive watchtowers.
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Drukgyal Dzong (victories fortress) was built to commemorate Bhutanese victory over Tibetan-Mongol forces in 1644.
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After laying in ruins for over 60 years, refurbishment of the dzong began in 2016 and was still in progress.
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Descending down the ancient steps. Drukgyal Dzong is also on the UNESCO tentative World Heritage site list.
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In the late afternoon we headed to a local farm which offered Bhutanese meals and the opportunity to enjoy a traditional wooden hot-stone bath.

The hot stones are first heated up in a fire until they are red hot.
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The red hot stones are then placed into a chamber at the end of the wooden bath tub, purportedly releasing high concentrations of minerals.
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Rows of sandals in the changing room. The baths were unisex so I was fortunate that I had brought my swimming trunks!
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My wooden bath with Artemisia herbs (the source of Absinthe) sprinkled into the hot water.
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And enjoyed a sublime 40-minute soak. Perfect for easing the aches after the hike earlier in the day.
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Just outside some locals were playing, Khuru, a form of outdoor darts and a traditional Bhutanese sport. As with the archers I had seen in Thimphu, their accuracy was quite impressive.
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As well as for fun, Hem said that they were also playing competitively for money.
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At the farm restaurant where I was treated to some Ara, a Bhutanese rice wine similar to Japanese saké or Korean soju.
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A photo on the wall of the King of Bhutan.
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And enjoying a final Bhutanese dinner with Seren and Hem.
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Hem was busy with an exam at the Ministry of Tourism tomorrow so after being dropped back at the hotel we said farewell and I thanked for him for the great and very enjoyable trip.


Day 4.

In the morning I walked up the hill to the airport lookout. A Druk Air ATR 42–500 in the distance taking off and on its way to Dhaka.
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Pancakes, omelette and baby potatoes for breakfast.
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Just after 9am Seren took me for the short drive to Paro Airport.
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Using my last Bhutanese ngultrum for a cup of Himalayan Java coffee. The currency is pegged to the Indian rupee and I got given 100 rupees as part of my change.
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The departure area was quite chaotic, with several morning flights leaving close together with everyone in the same waiting room and no indication of what flight was boarding apart from an occasional muffled call on the PA system.

Our 11:30am to Kathmandu was the last to be called and I finally made my way across the tarmac to the waiting A319.
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And about to board after a fascinating and memorable trip to Bhutan!
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Loved this one, Daniel - I too am horribly jealous of another cool place visited.