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!