BHUTAN

 March 30-April 4th, 2024

After a few days in Kathmandu I flew to Paro, Bhutan to begin my 6 day tour. I was picked up at the airport by my guide, Sonam.

Our 1st stop was in  Bhutan's capital city Thimphu. After lunch we visited the 

Great Buddha Dordenma is a gigantic Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the mountains of Bhutan celebrating the 60th anniversary of fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck.^[1] The statue houses over one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues, each of which, like the Great Buddha Dordenma itself, are made of bronze and gilded in gold.^[2] The Great Buddha Dordenma is sited amidst the ruins of Kuensel Phodrang, the palace of Sherab Wangchuk, the thirteenth Druk Desi, overlooking the southern approach to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Construction began in 2006 and was planned to finish in October 2010, however construction did not conclude until 25 September 2015. The completed work is one of the largest Buddha rupas in the world, at 169 feet (52 m) and contains 100,000 8-inch-tall and 25,000 12-inch-tall gilded bronze Buddhas.^[3][4] 

Day 2 was to Punakha which included 2 hours hiking in mountains. 

Day (3) involved several hours driving along the Cliffs to the Gangtey - Phobji Valley.  It was a beautiful drive and provided an adrenaline rush.  After visit the Gangtey Monastery,  we walked down into the valley where the hotel was located. Horses, cows and yaks graze in the valley.