We had wonderful weather with incredible views of the snowcapped mountains beyond the valley that we wound our way through as we headed to Paro. Paro is where Bhutan’s only international airport is, and the district has many sacred sites worth visiting. Our first stop was Ta Dzong, originally built as watchtower, it now houses the Bhutan National Museum. It overlooks an incredibly lush valley – apparently placed there on the hilltop hundreds of years ago in defense against invading Tibetan armies.

The extensive museum collection includes many antique Thangkha paintings, a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton or silk, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala. Most thangkas are relatively small, but some are extremely large and were designed to be displayed on a monastery wall as part of religious festivals. Most thangkas were used for personal meditation or monk instruction. They often have elaborate designs including many very small figures. A central deity is often surrounded by other significant figures in a very symmetrical pattern.

The rest of the exhibits were of textiles (for example, typical clothing of certain periods), weapons & armor, centuries-old household objects and lots of other natural and historic artifacts.

A quite striking thing about this museum was trying to navigate the exhibits because the inside of the “watchtower” is round so you are walking literally in circles. Add to that many staircases in strange arrangement to get from one floor to the next…an experience in its own rite.

Our next stop was an “eco farm” that offered a bunch of different activities, including archery, darts, watching ceremonial mask painting, and attending a traditional Bhutanese cultural performance. A few of us attempted archery and competition between our guide, our driver, and our comrades was fun to watch.

The cultural show was really lovely. The costumes were colorful, and the dances were energetic and full of traditional storytelling, It was a great way to get a flavor of the rich folklore attached to this country.

The next morning, we set out for the famous hike to “Tigers Nest” or Paro Taktsang. Paro Taktsang is a Buddhist temple complex that clings to a cliff, 10,236 feet above the sea level on the side of the upper Paro Valley.

Looking at the monastery from the area where we parked and then started to climb seems an impossible feat…the structures really do look like they cannot be accessed other than by scaling the cliff below! It turns out that there is part of the path that is hidden from view during the first part of the trek – a set of about 800 stone steps that are sequestered between two cliffs that face each other. I was able (and willing) to hike up the first half of the trail through very steep and winding forested and rocky paths – a couple of us called it quits there at a conveniently located cafe that looks out at the Tiger’s Nest across the valley.

A few folks soldiered on and did make to the top and said it was well worth it for bragging rights more than anything else. Apparently, they were also treated to a beautiful waterfall that cascades down between the two main cliffs – I unfortunately missed out on that. I’d say that this hike would not be fun if you get winded easily or don’t fancy uneven terrain at elevation. Well worth it otherwise. Part of the experience was walking along side monks as well as quite elderly women who sang and prayed the whole way up.

The next day was our last day in Bhutan and as we flew back to Kathmandu at sunrise the Himalayan range was majestic above the clouds. We did catch a clear glimpse of Mt Everest!

Back in Kathmandu, the frenetic pace of the city hit me hard. Compared to the quiet and orderly traffic in Bhutan cities, this looked like chaos. It was refreshing to get back – although briefly to the serene monastery guest house, have a quiet meal, gather all the luggage now filled with memories and memorabilia for our home and for family, and steal myself for the VERY long trip home. The routing was Paro to Kathmandu (~1 hour)…Kathmandu to Doha (~5.5 hours)…layover in Doha airport (10 – yes TEN hours!)…Doha to San Francisco (~16 hours!)…finally, SFO to San Diego a final 2 hours or so. Yep, counting transit times we are talking close to 36 hours. I did ask myself “WHY???” on the way home but concluded it was all worth it. I did realize after the fact that my journey to Nepal through Singapore went in one direction halfway around the world, and the return through Doha took me the rest of the way around the world. That was cool.

I want to thank my dear friend, Laura Voskova and her daughter, Julia, for planning and hosting us on this incredible adventure. My travel buddies – Shellie, Claudia, and Tara – were amazing and I feel as though we shared an unforgettable experience.

Namaste…