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.