Bhutan > Back towards Paro

Today is Vaishakha Purnima, a holiday in Bhutan. It is the day when Lord Buddha returned from heaven. Many people have the day off and visit various Buddhist temples. This also means the temples are closed to tourists today. For this reason, we already visited the Chimi Lhakhang temple two days ago on our way here. So today we will mainly use to drive back to Paro. A downside of a mountainous country is that there are only a few roads through the mountains. We therefore drive back the same route we took earlier eastward. Around nine o’clock, we leave the hotel in Gangtey and exit the Phobjikha valley. We will only remember the cranes from the informational video. The road winds upward to the Lawala mountain pass. Today’s drive is full of curves because we have to cross two mountain passes. Due to landslides and frost damage, there are many bad spots in the road. Gelle carefully slows down at potholes to avoid too much shaking of the car. He also sticks to the maximum speed of forty kilometers per hour. This sometimes makes it feel like we are crawling along the road. On the descent, we pass the lunch restaurant from the day before yesterday. We continue descending to the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong. The fortress was rebuilt after a fire in 2012. We get out and walk over the Swiss bridge at the foot of the fortress. From the other side of the bridge, there is a beautiful view of the Wangdue Phodrang Dzong.

Bhutan - The previously visited Wangdue Phodrang Dzong monastery

The Swiss bridge is called that only because the Swiss sponsored the bridge after the previous one was washed away by floods. From Punakha, the climb to the Chelela pass begins. Such a return trip is also a reflection on the previous days. Hanuman langur monkeys sit among the trees. When we stop, the monkeys quickly climb to the safety of the high treetops. From there, they watch us out of curiosity. Just before the top of the Chelela pass is the lunch restaurant. A buffet is ready. Afterwards, we are surprised at the price of a cola. At about two euros, it is more than three times as much as the previous days. The mountain pass with the 108 stupas is shrouded in clouds today. What a difference from the clear view on the way here.

Bhutan - From a safe distance the monkeys watch us

The parking lot is overcrowded, and cars are parked along the side as well. Due to the holiday, people are walking the kora, a clockwise circle around the stupas. On a day like today, devoted Buddhists try to walk 108 rounds. In Thimphu stands Bhutan’s oldest Dzong. The Simtokha Dzong monastery was founded in 1629 by Ngawang Namgyal, the founder of Bhutan. Today, this Dzong is a school for monks. Rinchen hopes the school is open for viewing. It is also busy around this monastery with people wanting to visit the temple. Rinchen walks to the entrance and asks the police officer at the gate if we may visit the monastery. This turns out to be no problem. In the courtyard, several people walk the kora around the temple. I try my best not to get in their way. At the temple entrance, hundreds of shoes lie. I also take off my shoes and enter the temple. This time I do not enter an empty temple. About fifty young monks sit in rows in the temple in their burgundy robes. They sing, pray, and play the drum. The youngest children sit in the back row and do not seem to fully understand what is happening. Some fight sleepiness. While the prayer continues, the young monks watch our movements. Not many tourists will come here today. Suddenly attention is diverted. A well-known Bhutanese actor enters. He visits the temple with his family. When he passes us, he curiously asks where we are from and how long we have been in Bhutan.

Bhutan - This monasteryfort is one of the oldest Buddhist forts in Bhutan

Then he moves on. We stay a little longer in the temple to listen. In the late afternoon, we arrive back in Paro. The hotel for the next two nights is near the airport. This is a few kilometers outside the center. To buy souvenirs, we are dropped off in the center. The main street is lined with souvenir shops. It is amusing to see tourists enter the shops with their guide. The guide praises everything. Before going to the hotel, we still have time to order a drink at the Mountain café. We have to hurry a bit to be back at the car at the agreed time. It is half past five and already dark outside. As Gelle drives the car off the parking lot, the car starts to shake. The shaking seems to get worse. Something is wrong and we have no choice but to pull over. Rinchen quickly calls the hotel to arrange for a pickup. Gelle calls for technical help. Shortly after, we get into another car and are driven to the Tashi Namgay Resort. A luxury resort on the edge of Paro. The rooms are in the new section. This means we have to walk a bit from the reception. The rooms are spacious, very spacious. Dinner is served in the restaurant above the reception. A buffet with the now usual dishes. Additionally, there is a choice of Indian dishes. After dinner, I prepare in my room for tomorrow’s hike. I will walk the trail to the famous Tiger’s Nest monastery. A climb of about seven hundred meters altitude difference.