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21/06/2024

Earlier in the week our friends at United Airlines invited a group of us to inspect their flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner prior its return flight to Los Angeles.

The aircraft boasts 38 Polaris business class seats that convert to fully flat beds, 21 premium economy, 39 economy plus seats with additional leg space and increased seat recline, and 149 economy seats in a pleasant 3-3-3 configuration.

You should consider United for your next flight across the Pacific. Currently they operate daily to LA with the 787, plus daily to San Francisco with their Boeing 777. Services are planned to increase to their seasonal two daily flights later in the year.

Naturally, we can package United with any planned holiday package.

For further details please call 0419417827 or email [email protected]

24/05/2024

We returned to Kathmandu for our final day, giving us an opportunity to look at more accommodation options.

Such a stark contrast between the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu and the laidback Bhutan.

The return flight gave us further opportunities to see the Himalaya’s.

Special thanks to our friends at Enticing Bhutan for putting the trip together and to the government of the Kingdom of Bhutan for waiving their usual daily tourist fees for us. It was important to meet the people on the ground who put together and provide the various travel services and options.

Bhutan is a charming place to visit, offering an enriching and unique travel experience. It has successfully preserved its rich cultural heritage.

If you’d like more information about travelling there, please reach out to me on 0419 417827 or [email protected]. In conjunction with our partners we can create a bespoke package just for you.

22/05/2024

One of the highlights of this trip (in a mascochistic sense) was the opportunity to climb to the Tigers Nest, just outside of Paro.

The return distance of the trek is around 7km; however the killer is in the starting elevation and an actual rise on 900m. I thought that it was a bastard to do, but so pleased with my achievement.

Just to add to the degree of difficulty, my hiking boots blew out not long into the start of it.

22/05/2024

Heading back to Paro, we visited Bhutan Spirit, Como Uma Punakha and Zhiwaling.

The Zhiwaling was by far the better resort.

22/05/2024

We had the opportunity to go for a 5km walk through the forests of Phobjikha valley behind our accommodation at Gangtey Lodge - the Lodge is at 3,100m while the valley is at 2,800m. The peaks in the background are over 4,000m.

During the summer flocks of Black-Necked Cranes arrive from Tibet. Two injured Cranes are being kept in protective custody at a nearby sanctuary and are quite a drawcard.

The meals at the Gangtey Lodge were a highlight.

22/05/2024

Another day, another Temple, this time Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, founded in 1638 and home to around 400 monks and students.

The route took us through Wangdue Valley, which is quite picturesque and where we came upon a small herd of Yaks.

We had inspections at both Gangtey Lodge and Gangtey Tent Resort.

22/05/2024

Day 3 saw us drive from Thimphu to Punakha.
We headed out from Thimphu on the National Highway. The road runs from the country’s west to east, predominantly single lane side. Along its total length it winds its way up and down mountains, across bridges, along the side of cliffs and over high mountain passes with plenty of sharp bends.

Elevation on this section peaked at 3,100m at Dochula Pass, where 108 “Chortels” (monuments for worship) have been built as a memorial in honour of the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed in a battle with insurgents from India in 2003.

En route to Punakha we had a hike to the Chimi Lhakhand Temple (Fertility Temple). It’s dedicated to a dude from the 1700’s (Lama Drukpa Kunley), aka the “Devine Madman”, because of his non-conventional and ‘outrageous’ style of teaching – cue to the innumerable numbers of phallus’ (pen*ses) of all shapes and sizes on display and for sale nearby. It’s frequented by childless couples and others alike for blessings – in fact one of my fellow agents underwent a blessing process.

We visited Punakha Dzong, essentially a fortified Monastery. This one was constructed around 1637. It’s considered the most beautiful in Bhutan. The nearby city of Punakha was the capital of Bhutan from 1637 to 1907. It’s Bhutan’s second oldest and second-largest Dzong and one of the most majestic and famous structures in the country. While monks still live there, it’s the administrative headquarters for the local region.

Given this is really a business trip, we had the opportunity to visit more hotels - &beyond’s Punakha River Lodge and Pemaco

19/05/2024

Our first two days were spent in Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital city. At its lowest point it’s 2,250m above sea level – to put this into some perspective our Mt Kosciusko is 2,228m.

Amongst other things, it boasts Bhutan’s only traffic control point – basically a roundabout with a Policeman directing traffic with a series of graceful hand signals.

Sitting on a hill just out of the city is the statue of Buddha Dordenma. This 51.5m statue, made of bronze and guilded in gold, is a pretty impressive sight and is visible from many parts of the city. It's the world's largest sitting Buddha. It was to become the first of a number of statues of Buddha that we would encounter.

Simply Bhutan is a living museum showcasing traditional Bhutanese lifestyle - demonstrating making compacted mud walls, traditional songs and instruments, traditional games such as archery. We had the opportunity to sample Ara – traditional Bhutanese beverage distilled from fermented rice with an alcohol content of around 45-50%.

The National Memorial Chorten is “Stupa” – a sacred monument used for worship – built to commemorate Bhutan’s third King. Local congregate to pray there.

14/05/2024

Flying across the rooftop of the world. Our flight from Kathmandu to Bhutan took us past the majestic Himalayan Mountains, an absolutely awesome experience.

14/05/2024

The Pashupatinath Temple is Hinduism's most holiest site. The river flows into the Ganges, so numerous cremations are held on the river bank there.

14/05/2024

Kathmandu is Nepal’s capital city – home to around 850,000 people. It’s a popular entry point for people heading for Mt Everest base camp and beyond, or in our case, an easy stop on the way to visit Bhutan.

One full day is no way to do justice to this city – just provides an excuse to come back again.

4.30am start to head out to Nagarkot, for some wonderful views of the sun rising above the Himalayan peaks - sadly the weather had other ideas. On the way back to the city we stopped at a Buddha Peace Park to see our first of no doubt many statues of him as this trip progresses, along with taking a walk along the Bageshwori Nagarkot Suspension Bridge - on a clear day you can see Mt Everest.

Swayambhunath is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal, worshipped by Buddhists & Hindu's and its home to hundreds of monkeys.

Bhaktapur is around 13km from Kathmandu and was first settled in the 12th Century. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site.

22/04/2024

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