Wednesday October 29, 2025
We had a bit of time this morning to
take some photos of the Lodge.
the hotel was spread out in many different buildings - this was the lobby, and the restaurant was down more stairs
we were on the second floor
On the 4-hour drive Tashi asked if we
had ever tried roasted corn and if we would like to try some. We said sure and
it was a tasty and fun stop. We also stopped at the same Dochula Pass to use
the facilities. It wasn’t as busy as last time, but the view hadn’t improved as
it was cloudy and there was some rain. It was a pretty drive other than dodging
the occasional cow in the road.
Along the highway we saw large groups
of people planting prayer flags for National World Peace Day on Nov 4. We saw
them for miles leading to the airport.
roasted corn stop
they also sold fruits and vegetables
she was selling locally grown peanuts and we bought a bag
some of the many Prayer Flags we saw
planting the prayer flags along the highway (digging holes for the poles)
driving by Paro airport
We arrived in Paro and had an ATM stop
and he said the restaurant was too busy, so he chose another one. (we should
have waited at the other place since the one where we ate had cold steam tables
and the food wasn’t great)
restaurant
the fried eggplant was the only decent thing to eat
After that we visited the National
Museum of Bhutan. There were some great views of the area from there. The
museum was interesting with art from various areas of Bhutan. It was laid out
to walk in a circular path with steps to the next level and then around and
around.
views from the hill
the museum
view from a window
these textiles were amazing in person to still have so much color for as old as they are
Dampa Kunzang Dorji was said to possess great spiritual power that he was able to impress the form of his foot into stone. The gold paint is later applied to the footprint as an offering and a sign of respect
tooth relic of Zhabdrung's pet dog
snow leopards
a Kaple is a bowl made from top of human skull used for holding offering to wrathful deities during certain rituals
Paro airport from the Museum
After the museum we visited Paro Dzong
which is a beautiful fortress monastery and is a great example of Bhutanese
architecture. The dzong has a long and fascinating history. Its full name is
Rinpung Dzong, which means the fortress on a heap of jewels.
It was getting dark on the
drive to the Himalayan Keys Resort on a bumpy and curvy dirt road up a steep hill in the rain. We got checked in and the pesky rain was getting harder now. It was cloudy and rainy all day. We were shown to our cottage which was the second one from the top. (long walk on slippery dirt, grass and steps) It was in a lovely setting as the cottages were nestled amongst the trees.
It was another hotel where everything was in different areas each separated by many steep steps. It was a workout to get to breakfast and back to the cottage and then back down to tour. While the room looks charming in the photos it was really uncomfortable and there was no room to put anything. If you were a backpacker with just a backpack, maybe it would have been OK. Of course, it's at altitude and cold and rainy and there were radiators and a large heat lamp in the center of the bedroom. The chairs weren't comfortable, and the bed wasn't either. Outlets were troublesome.
The bathroom was so cold even with the radiator that was so close to the toilet you could burn yourself if you weren't careful. Taking a shower on the stone icy floor was not pleasant.
our cottage
Nobgang Cottage
part of the walkway to get anywhere
We made the trek down to dinner at hotel in the dark in the pouring rain. Food was good. Since it was so remote there wasn't anywhere to get drinks or snacks, and the mini bar (free) didn't have much in it.
It poured rain HARD all night, which wasn't good timing since the hike to the Tiger's Nest Monastery is tomorrow. We hoped it would stop before then.
Paro, Bhutan https://photos.app.goo.gl/bwmSnzE6KWzDsTmD6
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