Gateway to the Dragon Kingdom

Hello from Bhutan! From Chitwan to Kathmandu and onto Baridbas, the countryside has rolled by: water buffalo, rice paddies, and the slow rhythm of Nepalese farm life.

There’s no direct path into Bhutan, so we‘ve dipped down to Karkabita, India, battling horrible roads, to enter Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon at Phuentsholing. Instantly, everything was cleaner, the air fresher, the mountains steeper, the pace quieter.

We’ve now reached Paro, a peaceful town of about 50,000. Bright colors, clean streets, smiling faces, even in the rain. Over the next few days we’ll attempt to hike the famed Tiger’s Nest, series of ancient Buddhist temples that hang precariously to a nearby mountain, a series of fortresses, and sample Bhutanese food and language. This is an exceedingly unique country struggling to hold onto its rich and storied past while simultaneously entering a clean, sustainable and democratic 21st century.

Scribbling notes madly …stories percolating ...

Chip and Cyn