Tiger's Nest monastery- and our first hike!

Today, on our first full day here in Bhutan, we hiked about 7 miles- and more importantly about 2,000 feet in elevation. Our destination was an amazing monastery perched on the side of a cliff, that was originally built hundreds of years ago, completely by hand.

You can get some perspective of it in this photo... It sits in the middle right of the frame.  But of course, the view only improved as we got closer to it- here it is with a couple people you might know:

It was truly beautiful and awe-inspiring... And the weather today could not have been better.  It was cool and overcast when we started in the morning, and then the sun came out and shone brilliantly on the forest, the mountainside, and our impressive destination. I still can't believe I am hiking in the Himalayas!

But there were reminders all around us to kept us aware of where we were.  First, many of the people we passed along our way were dressed in traditional Bhutanese clothing- most notably their beautiful robes. Second... The prayer flags!  I think I saw more prayer flags today than in the rest of my life combined!  It was very cool- they had likely been hung by Buddhists on pilgrimage to the Tiger's Nest. It is such a special place that almost all Himalayan Buddhists will visit at least once in their life. And many monks will go up and stay for long periods to meditate - years, in some cases! They only come down the mountain once a year to gather supplies. What a life it must be...

The hiking itself was a great test- mostly pretty straightforward, but with a lengthy section of stairs right near the monastery. Tiring, but a great shake-down hike.

I don't have any photos of the inside of the monastery- in fact none of us do because it isn't allowed.  But it seemed appropriate, in that place, to quietly respect it rather than snapping photos to immortalize it digitally. It was very cool.

Well... This will be my last post for a while. I will keep writing on the trek, but won't be able to post until we are back to town in 10 days.  I expect this will be one of the most incredible experiences of my life... And I look forward to sharing it with all of you! In the meantime, take care- and send good thought for our safe travel through the Himalayas!

Bhutan!

This is our first view of the Himalayas as we came in on the airplane- and what a ride it was!  The last 20 minutes felt like we were in a movie... The big jet was descending toward Paro, banking right, then left, then right again as it wound between ridges just above the valley floor.  At one point hillside filled the window panes on both sides of the plane, and we all took a collective breath as we realized how unusual (and a little intimidating!) it was for a plane like ours to do such acrobatics.

Finally we set down on the Tarmac... And all of the passengers clapped their hands in appreciation of the impressive flying skills that had just been displayed.  It was amazing.

Once on the ground we were met with a beautiful Asian-style airport building, with friendly local people all dressed in traditional Bhutanese garb.  

 

We met our guides and each other, and hopped in a van for the winding, sometimes bumpy trip up to our hotel.

After settling in and having our third breakfast of the day (airport, plane, hotel...all before 10AM local time!), we got back in the van and went to the local Dzhong.  In Bhutan these buildings are combined Buddhist temple and government center, usually high on a hillside overlooking the town.  This one had Buddha statues and paintings all along the entry, each with its own story and reason, with a whole row of prayer wheels along the inside courtyard. It was beautiful.

One wild thing that I couldn't get over about the town... Cows wander freely here, and stray dogs are extremely common.  So we walked by one grassy vacant lot in particular where three cows grazed and two dogs played right next to them... And within 30ft on every side of this scene was multi- story buildings and paved city streets! 

Bangkok

I am barely started on this journey and I can already tell I will need to adjust my blogging strategy.  There is so much that happens in a single day of traveling, I can't imagine readers tuning in to hear all the details of a three week trip.  So for today, at least, I will keep it to a couple of my favorite stories.

Bangkok was unlike anywhere I have been before- a very old, huge city in the tropics, with millions of people living on seemingly just a few pennies a day.  The culture of the place is unmistakable.  There are Buddhist temples and open air markets every few blocks, with thousands of vendors selling everything from dried fish to chicken satay to knickknacks, cassette tapes and used clothing. Dad and I took a few scenic routes and ended up in some very poor areas... But people were friendly everywhere we went, even if they might have been surprised to see us in their neighborhood.

My favorite part of the day was at the end- our feet were getting sore and we decided to take a 'taxi' back to the sky train.  Think of a rickshaw crossed with a 3-wheeled golf cart - with a two-cycle engine - and you'll get the idea.  I meant to take a picture of our chariot but was too busy holding on for dear life...

Anyway, traffic is crazy there.  Half the vehicles are scooters and small motorcycles, and at every traffic light the bikes squirt between vehicles to get to the front. They dodge and weave and it seems impossible that they don't collide. 

Except they actually do, as we found out when our driver tried to make a power move and change lanes, pulling right into the path of a scooter flying up behind us. The scooter smacked into our back bumper, exchanged some choice words in Thai with our driver... And then off he went back into the chaos!

It was also clear that many of these scooter drivers don't have another vehicle... we saw some amazing examples of just how much awkward weight a scooter can carry. (Hint: it's much more than you might think!) Dad took a great picture that I will add here once I'm re-connected to technology.

Anyway, this driver carried us for about 30 minutes, and we arrived safely at our train. For his time and the fuel used to move us, he charged us 20 Baht- or about 65 cents! We didn't have any small Thai change for a tip... So we offered him a single American dollar.  He tried to refuse but we insisted, and as we walked away we saw him staring at it in disbelief as though it could have been a nugget of gold.  A few people around him made comments in Thai as we walked away... And I wondered where that dollar would end up that night.  Would he find a place to exchange it?  Or keep it?  Would he share his good fortune with friends over bowls of fish curry? I guess we will never know.

Flying to Bangkok

I am sitting on my bed in a hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand!

Including the connection, our flight here was right around 20 hours... Wow! The first leg was 12hrs, which was surprisingly easy for me with the help of a couple movies.  But the second leg was through the middle of (what I usually consider) the night; we were delirious and slap-happy and couldn't wait for the food to come- and then go- so we could sleep! 

But we arrived in Bangkok on time, and our bags made the trip uneventfully. So we really couldn't ask for more.  Dusk was falling as we arrived, so we just beelined for the hotel to take advantage of sleeping horizontally.  Tomorrow we will explore the city!

On my way

Well, it's a beautiful morning, 7:15 AM and I'm watching the sun come up from 30,000 ft.

I'm on my way- six months of planning and this is finally really happening! 

Finished packing yesterday afternoon... the bathroom scale got a workout making sure I stayed under 32lbs for my trekking gear and under 50 in the gigantic bag I just checked at the airport. But we did it!

Funny drama/news this morning: as I was waiting for the plane to take off, I saw an email from Tusker (the tour company), warning people not to take the trip if we aren't feeling well.  Apparently someone on a recent trek got sick right before leaving and went anyway... They ended up getting much sicker, having to be evacuated and getting six other people from the trip sick too! Yikes!

So I'll try not to be a hypochondriac as I sit here, wondering if my throat is scratchy because I'm breathing airplane air... Or if something much more sinister is going on! I think I'll choose the former...

Anyway- back to the trip. Today I head to New York. Dad is picking me up there and we head straight to my nephews' football game in CT.  I can't wait- haven't seen my sister and the kids in over a year, so this will be a great chance (though short) to catch up. 

Before I sign off here, I need to have a moment of appreciation.  I just want to take a minute to say thanks to my wonderful husband... Who has wholeheartedly supported the decision to send me on this trip, even though it meant leaving him behind. He helped me shop, pack, and train over the past few months, and I really have no words to express how grateful I am for everything. I will miss you Patrick!

The Background

All right, I'm back.  I think I figured out how to set this thing up, and now I've got it loaded on my iPhone so I can write from my tent during the trek.  So I think I'll get started - by giving a little background on the trip.

Dad was planning on taking this trek with his friend Dick from high school (that would have been during the Stone Age, right Dad?).  Unfortunately Dick had a pretty horrible skiing accident last winter, and had to back out of the trip because he likely wouldn't be healed enough for the hike.  Instead of leaving Dad to go by himself... I decided join him!  It's not every day that an opportunity arises to go to the Himalayas for a multi-day hiking trip.  Right?

So I signed up for the trip.  Our itinerary, which still seems unbelievable to me, is as follows:

We will be 2 nights in Bangkok, Thailand, then 2 nights in Paro, Bhutan, followed by 9 nights on trail hiking and camping along the base of the Himalayas.  It is called the Jomolhari Trek, and I'm sure I will give a MUCH more detailed description of what it entails as this blog progresses.  Finally, we finish with 2 nights in Thimphu, Bhutan, and then back through Bangkok on our way home.  In total, we will be gone for almost three weeks!

Since I decided to join the trip back in May, it's been a whirlwind of preparations. 
- First, I needed a new sleeping bag, warm enough to keep me cozy when the temps fall below freezing.  In case you're wondering, I don't think I've ever camped below freezing before!

- New hiking boots, of course - because my trusty old boots had been my loyal partners for over a decade.  Since they were already de-laminating, I didn't think they would survive a trip across the world for 11 days of hiking.  And even if they did... I'm not sure my feet would have appreciated it very much.

- Backpack, better raincoat, hiking poles... you get the idea. For someone who feels like I spend a lot of time in the woods, I sure needed a lot of new stuff for an extended trip like this!

- Oh, and I wouldn't want to forget the meds.  Two needles and an oral vaccine, to keep me healthy on the trip... plus a drug to help me acclimate to higher altitude... and a boatload of other prescriptions "just in case" I 1) get altitude sickness anyway, 2) eat something foreign that my system doesn't like, or 3) come down with some kind of infection while hundreds of miles from modern medical help.  Whew!

The most fun part of preparations, however, was the physical aspect.  Patrick and I spent more time hiking this summer - in Montana, Wyoming, and all over Minnesota - than we have in years.  It has been truly awesome, and I hope we keep it up after the trip.  I don't know about you all, but nothing heals my soul quite like being in the woods.

Kicking it off!

Well, here we go!  I've never blogged before, but doing something like a trip to the Himalayas seems like a good reason to get started.  We leave in just about ten days - hard to believe it is coming up so quickly!

Before I start waxing philosophical, I should get back to setting up this blog!  Thanks to Meghan for the advice on getting started.

More soon...