Woman with peppers drying in window

More chillies hanging out to dry in Paro windows

Bhutanese weaver takes several months for one piece

Bhutan weavings are supposed to be the most intricate in the world...these cost about $1,000 each

Second Highest Peak in Bhutan from near fort guarding pass

Fort protecting pass from Tibet and snow capped mountain in the background

October 1 Paro and back to Chiang Mai

Rising early to pack and check out of our cute hotel, we drove along the Paro valley floor about 12 kilometers to the ruined fort called Drukgyel Dzong, which was built in 1649 to defend against Tibetan invaders. It has a secure passage to access river water, and a trick entry to tempt invaders into a courtyard where they could be easily disposed of. It guards a pass coming from Tibet and even now there is apparently some smuggling trade moving through the pass. Tall old cypress trees with pine cones attract an unusual bird called a Spotted Nutcracker.

We next drove back into Paro to see the Druk Choeding, built in 1525 by one of the prince abbots. It contains a prominent statue of the present Buddha and also has a temple built by a member of the royal family so it is used by them frequently.

The Paro Dzong was built in 1644 on the site of a monastery built there almost 1,000 years earlier, with an associated watchtower above that is now used as the national museum, closed since the recent earthquake. It is a good example of Bhutanese architecture.

We left for the airport after watching an archery competition, and our direct flight took about two and a half hours to reach Bangkok, where we had an hour and a half to clear immigration before catching the last flight out to Chiang Mai. Our taxi was not sure he could make it to our building due to the flooding, but the water had receded, leaving a lot of mud on the roads but no deep water.

Our building's restaurant owner was sitting with friends on the steps as we arrived, and he helped us carry our bags up to the 15th floor, as the elevator was still out of commission although electricity had just been restored after 3 days of being without. So we slept in air-conditioned splendor in our own bed for the first time in a month.

Our apartment building area had about three feet of water. Thus the water had gone over the building entry steps and into the kitchen, offices, lobby area, mini mart and elevator shafts, covered our bikes parked downstairs, and left smelly mud everywhere. I imagine it will take a few weeks to get it cleaned up. In the meantime we will be getting plenty of exercise just climbing the stairs to the apartment.

Paro Dzong built in 1600's

Verditer's Flycatcher

Rufous sibia?

Green Backed Tit?

Scarlet Minivets Decorate Treetop at 10,000 ft. elevation

White Throated Laughing Thrush

Magpie in flight

Birds we have seen in Bhutan

(Partial list - many were seen but not identified)

Verditers Fly catcher
Blue whistling thrush
Black billed magpie
Yellow billed blue magpie
White capped water redstarts (renamed River chat)
Oriental white eye
Yellow billed chough
White throated laughing thrush
Rufous capped babbler
Scarlet minivet
White wagtail
Grey wagtail
White throated fantail
Ashy Drongo
Large billed crow
Common myna
Oriental turtle dove
White throated kingfisher
Grey-backed shrike
Yellow breasted green finch
Brown dipper
Red-vented bulbul
Common hoopoe
Long-tailed shrike
Eurasian Jay
Darjeeling woodpecker
Common kestrel
Rufus sibia
Plumbious water redstart
Blue whistling sun thrush
Spotted nutcracker
White browse fulvetta
Green backed tit
White-collared black bird
Rock pigeon
Tawny owl

Tea at our hotel Gantley Palace

Arrived at Tiger's Nest

Taktshang Goemba "Tiger's Nest Monastery

September 30 Paro Tiger's Nest

Today we were up and out the door by 7:30am heading toward the very famous Taktshang Goemba "Tiger's Nest Monastery" that hangs on the cliffside about 1,000 meters up above the valley floor just a little outside of Paro. As Leslie is already limping around with her left hip issue we decided to take the mules up the mountain to the drop off point. From there you have to walk down along the cliffs past a waterfall and then up on the other side of the cliff to the Monastery which is believed to have been built in 1629 originally. A fire in 1998 destroyed the main structure which was rebuilt in 2000. The views of the Paro valley as you climb are outstanding. This hike is on every tourist's itinerary and for those trekking this is used as the first day acclimatization exercise.
We enjoyed our lunch at the cafe and viewing area at the half way point on our way back down. It took us a little over 2 hours to walk down and we were very happy to have our hiking poles. It was a bright sunny day so we saw some interesting birds on the way up. At the cafe stop on the way up for morning coffee we met another guide that was carrying binoculars so we asked our guide if he might know something about birds and help us identify some of those we had pictures of but had problems identifying. Turns out that fellow was a trekking guide with specialization in birds and used by National Geographic. So with his help we identified more of the birds that we will post separately as our bird list. We were very tired after this hike ( altitude starting is about 2,200 meters) so were happy to have a tea in the hotel courtyard, repack our bags as we will be flying back to Thailand later tomorrow afternoon, and have an early evening.