Friends, family & loved ones,
We were up early today to hike up to Tigers Nest Monastery. Just under 2,000 feet of gain under cloudy skies on a scenic trail brought us to the spectacular monastery set into the cliffside. Views were atmospheric and amazing. We toured the monastery and learned a bit about Guru Rinpoche, who flew to the site of the monastery on the back of a tiger and brought Buddhism to Bhutan.
We had a delicious lunch assortment of typical Bhutanese food served in a lovely farmhouse. Our favorite was the national Bhutanese dish of peppers in a type of cheese sauce. A bit spicy but perfect over a bed of red Bhutanese rice. All washed down with some butter tea, another local staple.
A quick stop at Kichu temple was our last stop of the day. It’s one of the two oldest temples in Bhutan and very beautiful inside and out.
The team is a bit tired from all the activity but all doing very well. We managed to pick a team name today and will hereinafter be referred to as Team BEST (Bhutan’s Eleven Smiley Trekkers).
We hit the trail tomorrow and will check back with you then.
Vern and Carole
