Cybercasts

Hello Everyone,

Everyone always talks about how magical and beautiful Bhutan is, but it’s hard to really understand what people are talking about until you step off the plane and walk across the tarmac, looking out into the mountains and hillside monasteries, that it starts to settle in. For the rest of the day for the group here in Paro it continues to settle in. There is no traffic, not much noise, and no crowds. Maybe it’s because I just came from Kathmandu, but Paro seems completely silent— in a way that seems like that’s exactly how it should sound.

Our whole team arrived at roughly at the same today, and once through immigration and customs (which didn’t take more than a couple minutes) we met with our local outfitter and headed to our beautiful hotel overlooking the Paro valley. We then hopped back in the van and headed a short distance to a fortress/monastery called Rinpung Dzong on the other side of the valley. An impressive building originally built in the 17th century, its current condition was constructed over 100 years ago. The courtyard, the size of the buildings, the paintings, and the peacefulness of the setting made this one of the most beautiful monasteries I have ever seen.

After a nice tour and some review about different types of Buddhism, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and a good night’s sleep. We are all a little tired from the travel but excited for our first full day tomorrow when we will head to the famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery.

Follow along here on our great adventure through Bhutan!

Ben Jones

Hello friends, family and loved ones,

Our last day in the Kingdom was one of taking in culture and exploring new and old landmarks. We circumambulated the memorial Stupa in city center. Mingling with the prayer wheel spinners and prostrators, we inhaled the Juniper incense that filled the air. Many of the town elders sat all day turning van sized prayer wheels and socializing with their friends, a rather nice alternative to life in a nursing home.

Then we were off to the Baby Temple, where Thimpu children are blessed by the monks each month until they are 3 years old. The kids seem to enjoy the doting attention of holy men and the monks enjoys the gift of food treats.

Climbing to the top of town we were awed by the immensity of the largest bronze sitting Buddha statue in the world.

Then we took in the whirling of dancing monks in Thimpu’s grandest Dzong. Demons were sent on their way. And we too are soon to be on our way back to our friends and families.

Thank you for joining with for this fabulous and challenging adventure of discovery in Bhutan.

All my best,
Vern Tejas

Hello friends, family and loved ones,

Having completed our 220 mile trek across the “Happy Kingdom” we are on a cultural tour to take in all the many wonders of the old and new capitals of Bhutan. We began by viewing the ancient Dzong of Panaka, a fortress Gompa guarding the confluence of the Mo and Po rivers.

Next was a visit to the temple of the “Divine Madman”, a 17th century monk who practiced his own brand of enlightenment through wine and women. He is still widely revered here with phallic symbols adorning many of the buildings.

We ate a traditional (spicy) lunch among the many rice paddies. Then we headed across the mountains to the new Capitol of Thimpu where we had a delightful celebration dinner with all of the local team members that made our success possible.

Fun was had by all.

All my best,
Vern Tejas

Hello there friends, family, and loved ones, this is your Bhutan Trekkers checking in with you.

We’re just having a very fine meal. We’ve finished our trek today. It was a wonderful morning walking through the fog in the forest. Had a great lunchtime with all of our staff and was able to generously thank them for all of the help they’ve given us to complete our trek, over 200 miles, almost 220. A very challenging trek, but very beautiful as well.

So now, we have driven for three hours, from Sephu, the town that we finished in to the old capital of Punakha. We’re here in Punakha and we’re going to do some sightseeing tomorrow. We’re down at 1400 meters above sea level so we’ve got a lot more oxygen and we’re anticipating a beautiful night of sleep now that we’re down at the low elevations.

So stay tuned for tomorrow when we do some touring of the sights of the old capital of Bhutan. Ta ta for now!

Hello there friends, family, and loved ones, this is the Bhutanese Trekkers. Wow, what a day!

We started out by leaving our beautiful lakeside villa and hiked up over our last pass of the trip. It was beautiful, lots of sun underneath granite cliffs. And
coming down the other side, we came onto a most pristine lake. (transmission garbled, then cuts out).