This is my second trip to Bhutan- having visited previously 4 years ago- and the only trip I've ever repeated which should indicate how much I loved this small Himalayan kingdom that takes pride in measuring "gross national happiness"
The main purpose of the trip was to kayak the amazing rivers there, but we also tried to explore the rich culture and landscape of Bhutan- here we went to an animal preserve to see the Takin, the national animal-
and visited dzongs- once fortresses to defend against invaders, now Buddhist monasteries-
and visited dzongs- once fortresses to defend against invaders, now Buddhist monasteries-
We watched some of the favorite national sport, archery-
and were fortunate enough to be guests at a festival in Indochilling, the site of the winter residence of the 2nd king of Bhutan, now a dzong-
There was lots of construction and expansion going on since my previous visit to Bhutan- new roads, new towns and expanded cities. Sadly, the once pristine rivers are being marred by the sign of "progress", with large dams being built to supply energy to India-
But that didn't deter from an outstanding paddling trip with a great group of people-
There was lots of construction and expansion going on since my previous visit to Bhutan- new roads, new towns and expanded cities. Sadly, the once pristine rivers are being marred by the sign of "progress", with large dams being built to supply energy to India-
But that didn't deter from an outstanding paddling trip with a great group of people-
No comments:
Post a Comment