A very restless sleep – a bit of worry about the bugs, and I also must get up early – 5 AM. And I am also saying “Goodbye” to eastern Bhutan.
Up, shower – yeah no new bugs to the one found in the clothes I laid out on the bed. A female member of the hotel staff comes to help me dress (traditional kira dress) – and things seem to fit fine! Yeah.
A very light breakfast and off to the airport at 6:15 AM – about 1 1/4 hour drive. Easy road. Arrive. Check in is pretty easy! The scanner is down, so only a verbal questioning.
The runway & airport really are on the top of a mountain that has been leveled enough to land a dual prop plane – seating about 40. You can see a few snow capped mountains from the runway, and they seem to be at the same height as the runway! The three from Moldova (Dad, friend, and 8 year old son) show up and we chat. They did not recognize me in my traditional Bhutanese dress. I feel awkward in it, but the stewardess comments that I look wonderful. I have a window seat on the starboard side, so an amazing view – mile after mile of snow capped mountains. As we fly they get closer – though not too close. The takeoff is as I expect – a taxi to the end of the runway – rev the motors – and start a taxi at full throttle. We lift off about 100 m from the end of the runway. And the ‘end of the runway’ is just that – it ends at a steep drop down the mountain. It makes me laugh, as the approach to Paro did, when I arrived in Bhutan. A great flight. Views hard to beat. We pass Thimphu and I see the giant Buddha far below, and then that lovely approach to Paro. The fields are now a pale golden, and the rice harvest has begun.
Collecting baggage the three from Moldova & I chat about their plans & mine. We may meet up tonight. But they will climb to Tiger’s Nest today, so that sounds like wistful thinking on their part.
Sangay is waiting for us – she will drive today. It is wonderful to see her again. To the hotel – indeed a resort. It is lovely – the grounds & gardens so good, and it is right on the river! It’s great to hear the river again. My room is great – a deluxe cottage. I feel so pampered.
Sangay asking about my trip so far. Eastern Bhutan? Is it what I expected? It’s so hard to reply. I feel so content and calm, and at ease being here and in eastern Bhutan. We talk too of how things went in Merak – it is so hard to explain. But also talk of the business of her and her husband: firstly IT and connectivity; tours and how it is not her sole source of income so she has the freedom to set up these individual tours such as mine; and the big venture (with Royal support & investment) a full film / video production company. To produce documentaries, videos, films, and to provide full film support to outside companies wishing to film in Bhutan, including editing & post production. Amazing!
We also talk of other projects re tours – fishing and plein air (painting).
I have just had a flash thought – wish I had come when I was younger to be involved. I’ll try not to get into this regret thing – an aging issue for sure.
Lunch at a heritage house. And then a tour of the old part of the house, with many antiques, including the original kitchen! It’s as it was when first built – 4 generations ago – with that male member of the family fighting in the last civil war in Bhutan.
To the fortress – which is being completely rebuilt – it was in bad condition. The construction is incomplete, so we may only be outside. The work seems amazing. the view over the fields also never ceases to amaze me. The starting point for all of the major treks in Bhutan start here – footstep ‘0’.
Temple – Kyichu – the foundation stupa was of the 108 original. The temple was built on this old foundation. The temple in Bumthang is also of the 108. The gardens are lovely – they have been designed so that each garden is to evoke the sense of an element of Buddhism. There is one lone ginkgo tree which I point out is one of the oldest plants – if not the oldest. I realize that I think I’ll plant a ginkgo!
To the hotel. Sangay is off, and likely I’ll not see her before I leave Bhutan, unless she, her husband, and friends, decide to come to Paro for a beer some evening when I am here. But she has done so very much to make this trip so, so good that I don’t want her to feel she must come.
A rest, though I use it to check email – nothing to deal with.
Dinner at 7:30 PM – western, Indian & Bhutanese. A drink before in the bar – a cold Australian chardonnay! And Spanish peanuts. Dinner a second glass and chat with Jamyang. Talk about trekking and why he enjoys it so much? Me, I guess it is swimming – or anything near the water. Talk too of the climb to Tiger’s Nest. I’ll just do what I can and enjoy this much. I think I could enjoy trekking if I thought I could go at my pace, yet not hold people up. (Thought – I could hike in Powell River that’s for sure!)
To bed. I have a strange night’s sleep – feel rested, but phone rang at 11:30 PM – but slept again after.