Koh Chang

 The car ferry crossing.

 Fishing boats on the mainland.

 Koh Chang.

 Views from the scooter ride.

 The fishing village and pier.

 Gotta have at least one Thai temple.

 The far south east end of the island.

One end of White Sands Beach.

Friday, April 27^th.

When I woke up I reorganized my bag as I had decided to only take what I needed for the islands and the beach, electronics, bathing suit, towel, etc. Then I checked the large red bag with the rest of my stuff at reception. They will hold it until I return on the 5^th.

I opted to take a taxi to the airport as it is only $20 and I don’t want the hassles of trying to figure out the public transport. I arrived at the airport with plenty of time for my 11:40 flight, which was only 45 minutes in duration. When I disembarked there was my pickup driver in a nice new SUV. He drove through an intensively farmed area with many different kinds of plant and tree crops, including forests of rubber trees. The canopy of some of them is so thick that the floor of the forest is dark. The drive took about 25 minutes to the boat dock. Then to my surprise he drove onto the ferry with me. I thought it would be three separate legs, but he also drove me for a half hour from the boat dock to the other side of the island where my resort was located. I arrived about 3:30.

I am staying at the Bialen Beach Resort. The ‘resort’ property and the little cabins are quaint and nicely kept, but the ‘beach’ is shit. I can see the sea from my second row little cabin, but the shore is all stones. At the far end in front of the main building that includes the restaurant, there is a sandy beach, that I’m sure was imported by dump truck. It magically appears out of the rocks. The water was really shallow and silty, not sandy and there were stones in it too. Disappointing.

I spent the hot afternoon in the really nice pool and in my room. They have scooters to rent but decided to wait until the next day. At dusk I had a good dinner at the resort and then went for a walk around the little town on the road. Seems like a lot of places are closed or for sale. I think it is the end of the season here. When I got back to the room we had a loud thunderstorm and it rained all night.

Saturday, April 28^th.

There was thunder all night and some heavy rain. I finally got up around 8:30 when it let up and went for the included breakfast, which was a nice buffet including muesli and eggs. It looked like it was going to clear, but it started raining again about 10, in what we recognize at the cottage as an ‘all day rain’.

I hung around the cabin, reading (Gut still), watching a few Youtube things, and dozing off. Then I started feeling not very well. I had a tummy and bowel upset. I just laid about and relaxed and stayed near to a toilet. If you are going to get sick, a rainy day is the best. And I can’t complain, as this is the first day where rain wiped out the whole day.

The good news is I got my Myanmar visa approved already. 

I skipped lunch and dinner and was in bed by about eight and slept on and off all night.

Sunday, April 29^th.

I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof. I stayed in bed and watched a couple of Two and Half Men compilations, which made me laugh out loud, which they say is the best medicine. By about 9:00 it looked like it was going to clear. So I got up and went for breakfast. I skipped the eggs and ketchup, which I think was the culprit yesterday. Is a ketchup bottle supposed to sound like a can of Coke when you open it?

Then I rented a scooter from the resort for 250 Bhat ($10) and decided to explore the island. I headed south first to a fishing village at the end of the island. The village was connected with a long pier with shops on it. There were clothing shops, souvenir shops, restaurants, tattoo parlours and food stores. It was quite amazing. After that I drove north again, past the resort to the top of the island where the ferry was and then around and down the east side. At the bottom of that side I came across another little fishing village that was built on stilts. Then I took another road for twelve kilometres to the end of the land. There I found a little beach and a memorial for some naval battle, unfortunately it was in Thai. I had a little swim there to cool off, but the water is so warm that it really is not refreshing.

Before I began the ride back I checked the map that the resort gave me, because I had yet to find any real beach. I saw one on the map that was listed as the widest and busiest beach, so I headed for White Sand beach. I found the White Sand Resort and drove down their very steep 600 metre road to the beach. At last I found a nice beach. I walked from one end to the other, about 2 kilometres just enjoying the surroundings. I had a couple of dips in the water to cool off. When I got to the other end it started to rain lightly. Funny how everyone on the beach heads for cover when they were there to get wet in the first place. I just walked back, had one more dip and then road the bike back up the hill and down to the resort. 

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day. Thankfully I felt much better today. It felt great to be riding a two wheeler and riding up and down the hills through the rainforest, and to get in the water. As I was riding around I realized that this is an island that Thai visit for their holidays. I did see western tourists but not in the numbers that you see in Phuket, Samui or Phi Phi. When I got back I had a swim in the pool to get the salt off and then went for dinner. And finally back to the room to relax and get some more sleep.

Bangkok and Stuff

 My frustrated tuk tuk driver in traffic.

 Scenes of the skyline from the roof of my hotel.

Wednesday, April 25^th.

I was up early and writing until the prearranged breakfast time with Will and others from the group. I handed over John’s errant laptop to April who volunteered to take it to the UK for me as she lives in London. That will be a much faster and cheaper way to get it back to John.

We all said our goodbyes and best wishes and then I took a taxi to the airport. The Kathmandu airport is probably the worst I have been too. Crowded, out dated and run down. I had to wait a couple of hours to board and then wound up beside the most annoying passenger I have ever sat beside. He could not sit still, his TV didn’t work which caused him stress and he was constantly leaning over to my seat to peer between the two seats in front to see… I don’t know what. He was sitting beside his wife, but her TV worked so she ignored him. I asked him what his problem was, but he did not speak English so that went nowhere. Later I saw him come out of the washroom just a couple of row in front of us, and the stewardess, looking quite disgusted, asked him to flush the toilet. Can you guess what country he came from?

The flight was just under three hours. My TV worked but it kept dropping the signal which made watching the film very annoying, so I just listened to music.

When I arrived, I got my bag and headed off to catch a taxi but was intercepted by a woman who told me about the bus that went to the city centre. It was only 60 bhat which is about $2.50, so I figured it was much cheaper than a taxi, so I decided to take it. I told her the name of my hotel and she told me bus S1. I went to the driver who was standing outside and told him my hotel and he pointed at the bus. I sat on the bus for about 20 minutes before the driver and a ticket collector got on and we set off. I told the ticket lady the hotel and she told me to get off at Kohchan (or something like that) where all the hotels are. The ride took about 45 minutes. When we got there all the other tourists walked from there to their hotels. I asked a tuk tuk driver and he told me that the Park Plaza was ‘very far away’. He asked for 400 bhat and we settled for 300 (I had no idea where we were going). The tuk tuks here are larger, more powerful and sound souped up compared to India. Well about an hour later and after lots of traffic and a couple of jams, we arrived at the hotel. I gave him the 400 he asked for because the ride was so long. All told I spent about as long on the ground getting from the airport to my hotel, as I did flying from Nepal to Bangkok.

This just reinforced why I much prefer having an airport pickup. It takes all the hassle and stress (some would say adventure) out of the process.

I arrived at the hotel and checked in by 9:00. Going through my bag and sorting things I found my debit card was missing! I had used it at the airport to withdraw some Thai Bhat, so I either left in the machine, or on the bus or in the tuk tuk.

I went for a short walk around the area of the hotel as I had been here back in 2011 and wanted to refresh my memory. Then I returned and went to bed. I decided to wait until morning to do anything about the card, as I wanted to look through my stuff one more time and I thought that maybe the driver might bring my card to the hotel.

Thursday, April 26^th.

I sifted through all my stuff looking for the card to no avail. So I called the TD helpline to cancel the card. I explained to the agent that I had booked two nights here before I go to the islands for a week and then I will return to the same hotel. I gave him the address and he checked it on Google (which he says is never wrong) and he got approval from his boss to send me a new card. The hotel will sign for it and hold it until I return on May 5^th. Hopefully that will work. If I was going to lose my card, this was the best place to do it as at least I am here long enough to have another one sent.

I went through my documents for the airport pickup, boat transfer, and hotel reservation for April 27^th. So I went to print the plane tickets and discovered they were for the 28^th! Mad panic, trying to find who and where I had booked it. It was a 1 800 number and I couldn’t use Skype to call it, because I didn’t realize it was in Canada. When I figured that out, the office hours were closed. So I phoned the Bangkok Airways directly and thankfully they were able to change the flight for no charge. I guess this illustrates why I use Denise. So, I had the hotel print off the tickets and the boarding pass and a couple of other flights for later. 

Then I went out and found a dental office very close to the hotel and got an appointment for later. I continued walking looking for pants. I found a couple of stores and even one that sold the zip off leg variety, but they were all winter weight material. I have one pair left and was looking to buy a light weight pair, but no luck. My shoes are also falling apart so I checked a few shoes stores and actually found one that sold Keen’s, but they wanted almost $200 for them. So, I gave that a pass too.

I need a visa for Myanmar in couple of weeks, so I applied for an e-visa on line. I needed to upload a passport photo and didn’t have one on my computer. So I went down to the lobby and asked them to scan it for me. They couldn’t figure out how to lasso just the small picture and gave me full page scans, so I eventually went out to a print shop around the corner and they did it for me and sent it to me. The visa should be approved in three business days.

Then I went for the appointment and got my cap glued back into place. This is the same cap that fell out in Ethiopia and I had reglued in Sri Lanka $12. This time it fell out in Bhutan reglued in Thailand for $20. I hope the pants and shoes last and that the cap stays put until I get home.

When I got back I went up to the roof and relaxed in the pool before it is closed for a private party. Then I went out for dinner and returned for a quiet night in my room.

Bhutan Summary

The royal lineage of the five kings from 1907 to present.

King 5 with his father king 4.

King 4 married 4 sisters and had 10 kids, 5 boys and 5 girls. He now has one grandchild.

The Bhutanese flag.

Encouraging the populace to maintain their culture and traditional clothes.

The famous saying modified on a bus.

Feral dogs.

Traditional horns.

A Bhutanese cemetery.

The women carry their children like this. The Africans tend to wrap the legs around their waist.

Summary

I loved my stay in Bhutan. It is a beautiful country with beautiful people. After spending six weeks in India, Bhutan was a welcome relief. It was clean, quiet, serene and cooler. The difference became instantly apparent to all the members of our group as soon as we crossed the border. Gone were the incessant horns, the chaotic and crowded streets and traffic, the sometimes vile smells, the omnipresent poverty and people living in the streets and the endless litter. Over the next couple of days as we travelled further inland into higher elevation, the heat and the pollution dissipated as well. 

If it were not for the Bhutanese architecture and the people wearing traditional clothing, you might understandably mistake the country for British Columbia, with its endless series of evergreen forested foothills and snow-covered mountains. The architecture is beautiful and unique and is represented in their fortresses, the Dzongs, their temples and their houses. Most have a covered open attic which in the farms and houses is used for ventilation and storing grains and other crops. Most houses have iconic paintings depicting events or people from the religious beliefs. 

Bhutan is the second least populous nation in South Asia at 725,296, after the Maldives. Thimphu is its capital and largest city at 104,000.

The following is a precis of the Wikipedia article on Bhutan combined with things I learned from Chimi and Sherba and my personal observations.

The independence of Bhutan has endured for centuries and it has never been colonized in its history. Situated on the ancient Silk Road between Tibet, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the Bhutanese state developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism. Headed by a spiritual leader known as the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the territory was composed of many fiefdoms and governed as a Buddhist theocracy. Following a civil war in the 19th century, the House of Wangchuck reunited the country and in 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck was unanimously chosen as the hereditary king of the country by an assembly of leading Buddhist monks, government officials, and heads of important families. He established relations with the British Empire. After the new Union of India gained independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, Bhutan became one of the first countries to recognize India's independence. Bhutan fostered a strategic partnership with India during the rise of Chinese communism and has a disputed border with the People's Republic of China. 

In 1953, the fourth king of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuck established the country's legislature – a 130-member National Assembly – to promote a more democratic form of governance. In 1971, Bhutan was admitted to the United Nations, having held observer status for three years. In July 1972, Jigme Singye Wangchuck ascended to the throne at the age of sixteen after the death of his father, Dorji Wangchuck. In 2008, it transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and held the first election to the National Assembly of Bhutan.

The people of Bhutan love their monarchy and there are pictures of the present king and his wife and the king’s father everywhere, in all the restaurants, hotels and in the houses we saw.

The fourth king was the one who turned the country into a democracy. He is also the one who coined the famous: Gross National Happiness (also known by the acronym: GNH), when he stated in 1972 in an interview, that Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product. It is a philosophy that guides the government of the country. It includes an index which is used to measure the collective happiness and well-being of a population. Gross National Happiness is instituted as the goal of the government of Bhutan in the Constitution of Bhutan, enacted on 18 July 2008. 

In 2012, Bhutan's Prime Minister Jigme Thinley and the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations convened the High Level Meeting: Well-being and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm to encourage the spread of Bhutan's GNH philosophy. At the High Level meeting, the first World Happiness Report was issued. Shortly after the High Level meeting, 20 March was declared to be International Day of Happiness by the UN in 2012.

GNH is distinguishable from Gross Domestic Product by valuing collective happiness as the goal of governance, by emphasizing harmony with nature and traditional values as expressed in the 9 domains of happiness and 4 pillars of GNH. The four pillars of GNH's are 1) sustainable and equitable socio-economic development; 2) environmental conservation; 3) preservation and promotion of culture; and 4) good governance. The nine domains of GNH are psychological well-being, health, time use, education, cultural diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality, ecological diversity and resilience, and living standards. 

One example of pillar number 2) that Chimi explained to us was the new metal rooves that the government subsidized and have replaced the traditional wooden slats. The metal rooves last for years and save countless trees as the wooden rooves rot with the rains and snows. The government also holds all Himalayan mountains sacred and no one is allowed to climb them or to cut large trees.

All of this may sound idealistic and maybe naïve to us, but it really seems to be working in Bhutan. The people love their country, their culture, the monarchy and their religion. The people I met seemed genuinely happy. Maybe it is a better way to live than chasing the almighty dollar.

Traditionally Bhutan was a country that chose isolation. For example, TV and the internet were only introduced in 1999 and there are still a few areas who have just recently got it or because of their remoteness are still waiting. These two modern forms of communication are changing things in Bhutan as the people are realizing that there are other ways to live and things to do. As a result many of the children of farmers are choosing education and careers in the cities rather than traditional jobs. For years the government kept its borders closed to tourism. They saw the changes that tourism made to other countries, notably Nepal, and eventually decided they wanted to do it differently. They decided to strictly control who came into the country and how much they spent. In 2014, Bhutan welcomed 133,480 foreign visitors. Seeking to become a high value destination, it imposed a daily fee of US$250 on tourists that covers touring, hotel accommodation and meals. The tourist industry accounts for 1.8% of Gross Domestic Product and improves Gross National Happiness by employing 21,000 people. 

As a result all tourists to this point have to enter the country in a tour group and have to hire local guides. Tours tend to be one to two weeks in duration. The steep price and organization of group tours excludes most young backpackers and solo travellers. I am not sure who sets the itineraries but I think it is the Bhutanese tour groups or foreign tour groups, like Dragoman and Intrepid, who have to have them approved. In this way the government can control who can come in, where they can go and what they can see. There were numerous check points along our routes where Chimi had to present our group travel documents to an official. However, when we were in towns or cities we were allowed to wander around freely and were never questioned where our guide was. Interestingly, Indians get a much cheaper visa that all other nationalities. This is because of the close bond between the two countries. Bhutan exports much of their hydro-electric power to India and India provides money and manpower to build the roads and infrastructure. Chinese tourists are not welcome as they are not trusted.

All of the hotels we stayed in were top notch, very clean with all the amenities Westerns want. The meals were all buffet style. I presume that in this way they can control the cost by providing the same meal options to everyone but it also has the added value of speeding up the meal times, because the food is ready and we don’t have to order things separately and wait for it to be cooked. At many of the restaurants we visited there were other tour groups as well, kind of a ‘gringo trail’. I found it interesting that in Bhutan there are no breads served, except for toast at breakfast, unlike India and the rest of Asia where there are many types of bread such as chapatis, naans, rotis and pappadums. The two farm homestays were quite basic but realistic. The families did everything they could to make us feel welcome and the food and water was all cooked with our digestive tracks in mind.

The people are encouraged to wear their traditional clothing and many of the people do, especially in the tourist business. 

The people of Bhutan are very devote. There are temples everywhere, from very large to small neighbourhood ones to prayer rooms in private houses. It is estimated that between two-thirds and three-quarters of the Bhutanese population follow Vajrayana Buddhism, which is also the state religion. About one-quarter to one-third are followers of Hinduism. Other religions account for less than 1% of the population. Buddhism was introduced to Bhutan in the 7th century AD. Tibetan king Songtsan Gambo (reigned 627–649), a convert to Buddhism, ordered the construction of two Buddhist temples, at Bumthang in central Bhutan and at Kyichu Lhakhang (near Paro) in the Paro Valley. The leader of the Buddhist religion is said to have the same powers as the king and they wear yellow sashes on their clothing to indicate their equal status. 

The Bhutanese people are cremated but families hoist a prayer flag to honour them. They are replaced once a year until either the family can no longer afford or they decide not to. They are usual posted in a cluster on hills and slopes overlooking the valleys. This is their cemetery.

I asked Chimi how does someone become a monk and she told me that they are often the youngest child in a family that cannot afford a large family, or they are orphans or other unwanted children. The parents send the five to eight-year-old child to either a monastery or a nunnery. They are fed, schooled and raised as strict Buddhists by the monastery. They perform their rituals and take care of the monasteries. When they reach a certain level they become masters and then raise and indoctrinate the next generation. With the advent of social media the monks are realizing that there is another world out there. If they chose to leave they have to buy their way out. This can only be done if either their family can give them the money or they earn enough as masters and teachers. Again, the modern forms of communication are changing things.

The one problem that Bhutan has in common with India is animals. There are free range cows and feral dogs everywhere. The cows wander across roads and through towns leaving their mess behind and the dogs sleep all over the place in the day and bark all night as they guard their territories. The local people do feed the dogs and the cows too. The dogs are timid and didn’t bother us, however, their mess is also a problem. The Buddhist religion does not allow the killing of animals which is part of the problem. We saw many unhealthy, wounded or mangy dogs that in the West that would be treated or euthanized. At the very least they need to neuter some of them to control the population. 

I will always remember Chimi’s expression when you said thank you, she replied: ‘you are most welcome’. But it came to a head when I found out she was divorced and I asked if there was a stigma attached to that as there is in India (she says there isn’t), and she said ‘no, if you and your partner argue all the time and can’t get along you are most welcome to get divorced.’           

My visit to Bhutan was wonderful. Chimi and Sherba were excellent ambassadors for their country. The climate at this time of year was much like spring in Toronto, warm sun and a slight chill in the air. Altogether time well spent.

To Kathmandu

The fields in front of the hotel.

A woman carrying some crop back to the village.

Royal Bhutan Airlines to Kathmandu.

Scenes in the streets of Kathmandu.

Back to van buses, with the ticket seller hanging out the window.

Tourist shops near the hotel.

 Dance performances.

Tuesday, April 24^th.

I woke up early and spent the early morning updating the blog for yesterday and then repacking my bag to make room for my gho.

Then I went down for breakfast but got waylaid by Nico who wanted to interview me for his mini documentary about the Dragoman trip from Chennai to Bhutan. It would be amazing to be included in the video.

Then I had breakfast with the group before getting my bags to load on the van for the last time. Sherba and Chimi drove us to the Paro Airport. It was very sad to say goodbye to them. They are both amazing people and treated us so well. They truly became friends to the whole group.

We checked in, waited for the flight and then left Bhutan. The flight was about an hour. Unfortunately, there was too much cloud cover to see the Himalayas. We managed to get our visas at the airport. Most people got one for one day or a week. I needed to get a multiple entry one good for a month, as a couple of my upcoming trips start or end in Kathmandu. And I had to borrow the money from Will, as I was out of cash. We all got through except for Jenn, who for some reason was delayed for over an hour and we all sat around waiting for. It was not explained to her why she was sent from one line to another and then back again. Finally, when she came through we all loaded up in the Dragoman van that was sent to pick us up.

When we got to our hotel, I recognized it, I stayed here back in 2011. After settling in our rooms, Will took us on an orientation walk and to the local ATM’s and money exchange places. Now I have the money to repay Will.

A couple of times today people were asking about tipping Will. I gave my spiel and found myself nominated to collect the money. So, I talked to everyone and explained how it worked and why. There are three New Zealanders on this trip, and tipping is not part of their culture, so it is foreign to them.

Because we had so much fun last night at the cultural dinner, Will found us another one tonight in Kathmandu. We met up in the lobby at 6:30 and were picked up in the restaurant’s van. We sat on chair with no legs at tables with no legs and had a variety of samples of local dishes while listening to a number of cultural presentations. It was good but as much fun as last night. After the performances were over, I presented Will with his group tip and we headed back to the hotel for the night. 

The Tiger's Nest and a Cultural Evening

 Our hotel.

 Our first view of the Tiger's Nest, up on the rounded mountain on the right.

 Prayer flags and recycled plastic prayer wheels.

 One of the eight temples in this area, but not the one we hiked to.

 The view from the beginning of the seven hundred steps.

 Two devotees.

 The stair entrance.

 The views from the return hike, with the better light.

 Taken from the cafeteria where we had lunch.

 The boys dressed up for a night on the town.

 An evening of cultural dances, music and singing, taken from the videos I took.

 The black necked crane dance.

The yak dance.

The beautiful instrument they used.

Monday, April 23^rd.

We were up, breakfasted and out by 7:30 for our morning’s exercise. We had a half hour drive to get there. Our destination was the sacred Taktsang monastery which clings to the rock face 900m above the valley floor. According to Bhutanese folklore Guru Rinpoche is said to have flown to the site riding on a tigress and subdued the local demon to free the valley inhabitants, and subsequently meditated here for 3 months. This gives it its colourful nickname, the Tiger’s Nest. It is one of Bhutan’s most holy sites and draws pilgrims not only from Bhutan but also from neighbouring Buddhist countries. The monastery was founded here in 1692 AD.

We set off on a two-hour hike on a well-worn trail that led up through the blue pine forest. The trail was hard packed and quite steep. To be honest I had been dreading this hike because of the exertion required at altitude, which makes it hard to breathe. I just set off walking ‘pole pole’ (slowly slowly) like up Kilimanjaro or Machu Picchu. I found a speed I could go where I was able to breathe, albeit huffing and puffing. Finally, we arrived at the café that marks about the half way mark and provides a spectacular view of the Tiger’s Nest. The views on the way up weren’t the best as the sun was in the wrong place. We stopped for a tea before continuing on. Gae, at 75, is the only one in our group who stayed behind and did not do the rest of the hike. Sherba had walked with her this far and stayed with her there.

Eventually we got to the 700 steps, half of which take you down and the other half back up on the next mountain. Down was easy, but up with the pumping of the muscles was hard. But, I have to say that although it was not a race or a competition between us, I was amazed and delighted to find that I was the first in our group to arrive at the steps to the entrance of the temple. So even after eight months of sitting on buses, I still have a reasonable level of fitness.

Once everyone arrived Chimi collected all of our bags, cameras and phones and locked them in a locker. Then we were allowed to enter. There were at least another 100 steps inside the temple that led to five smaller temples, all of which were dedicated to different buddhas, the one for long life, one for compassion, one for wealth. They were all very elaborately decorated and beautiful. This temple burned down twice, once due to a forest fire about a hundred years ago and more recently in 1998 caused by a butter lamp. These are lit by the monks and are all over the temple. Interestingly, when they rebuilt it they constructed a cable car to haul the materials up to the temple. But, upon completion (five years later), they removed the cable car as the people wanted to maintain the traditional climb.

After we were finished, we had to walk back down the 700 steps and up the other side, and down the trail to the café where we had lunch. The views going down were much better as the sun had moved into a more advantageous position. Then we walked down the rest of the long trail to the car park and our van.

When we got back to the hotel, I lay on the bed and promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half. Then as we were going out for dinner and a cultural event, I tried to put on my gho, without success. I went down to the lobby to find Sherba but couldn’t but another guide took the time to help me and try to explain the complicated process. There were other people there and I think all the Bhutanese people like to see us wearing their clothes. They said I looked good. I saw another guy who was wearing a down vest over his gho and I said, hey I don’t have one of those, he looked at me and said I don’t have one of those (pointing at my camera), maybe we can trade. Lots of laughs all around.

We drove into town to a restaurant where we were met by the owner of Blue Poppy Tours and Treks, the company that Chimi and Sherab work for. He wanted to know how we enjoyed the trip through Bhutan and thanked us for our patience with the roads, he said the one under construction used to be much worse. Then he gave us a box of beer and wine. We had drinks and were entertained by a group of dancers and singers. They performed eight different dances, including one to honour the black necked crane, and a hilarious one, called the yak dance, where two men inside a yak costume danced around, tried to charge us and eat food off our table. After the performance dinner was served. It was similar to all the meals we have had, rice, potatoes, chicken, cooked veggies.

After dinner we presented our tips to Chimi and Sherab. Will asked me to present it to Sherab, which I was very happy to do as he is such nice guy with a very infectious laugh. Then we wobbled out after our drinks and headed back. I met Nico outside the hotel who showed me how to use the manual mode of my camera to take a night shot of the Dzong. Then I sat outside alone and soaked up the atmosphere of my last night in Bhutan. This was the best day in Bhutan and one of the best of the whole trip.