After three days of travel we ended up in a tiny village outside the small town of Jakar. As we drove through Jakar, it reminded me of a wild west town with small wooden storefronts on both sides of a narrow main street. Half of them were a General Store and Bar/Saloon. Virtually all of […]
David
David’s Bhutan observations
We’re on a rather routine schedule here in Bhutan. Having a prearranged tour means that we never have to figure out where to stay or where to eat or how to get from one place to another. There’s one main east-west road that winds around these mountains. It’s paved most of the way but very […]
Bhutan slideshow
For a collection of photos of Bhutan, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11790404@N02/sets/72157622449743440/show/
Bhutan’s beauty
Our guide, Sangay, recommended by a friend on Whidbey Island, is wonderful, happily answering our endless questions. When we stayed on in Thimphu, his hometown, we were able to meet and have dinner with his family which gave us another look at Bhutanese life. We had a conversation with his wife about education here since […]
First Impressions of Bhutan
We arrived in Bhutan Monday afternoon the 21st. We touched down in the western town of Paro just an hour after an earthquake struck in eastern Bhutan, but didn’t hear any news about it until Wednesday. Apparently this was the most powerful earthquake in Bhutan since 1941. Over 1100 homes were destroyed and the death […]
Returning to Kathmandu
Tuesday, Sep 15 Mingma suggested that we drive from Manasarovar all the way to Saga, instead of spending the night at Puryang; he said the hotel in Saga would be better. I was keen to do this as well, since it would put us in Kathmandu on Thursday and Julian and I would have more […]
Farewell Kathmandu
David and Julian arrived from their ADVENTURE yesterday, two days early, brimming with great stories. I am thrilled that I get two extra days with Julian before he departs for Seattle. I spent 3 days with Rita Thapa, a feminist peace and social activist here in Kathmandu. I had the good fortune to hear of […]
Mt Kailash kora
Thursday, Sep 10Today we drove from Taklakot to Chiu Gompa on Lake Manasarovar. This is the start of our kora, a circumambulation of the sacred mountain Kailash, which is an important devotional practice by Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. The road is fully paved from Sera where we first entered Tibet up to Darchen where we go […]
Our approach to Mt Kailash from Western Nepal
We plan to trek through Western Nepal before crossing into Tibet to begin our walking pilgrimage (kora) around Mt Kailash. Tuesday Sep 1 Arrived in Nepalgunj, a town in Western Nepal near the Indian border. Loaded up a trailer with our gear and checked in at Hotel Sneha. Increasing clouds. Wednesday, Sep 2 Weather in […]
September 13,2009
Rested in Katmandu I continue to become better acquainted with Kathmandu. I finally found my way out of Ranibari, (Queen’s Garden) where I am staying, a warren of small street and alleys . Making only two wrong turns on my way out, I felt quite confident I could make my way back. I made […]