We were up about 4:30am. Had coffee in the room and left for our walk around 5:45.

Above: the gate to the property, ABC Lodge. Below: we were immediately greeted by a cow.

Ash gained a friend early on.

And then there were two. They stayed with us for most of the walk.

The dogs are in the grass. The clouds add a wonderful atmosphere. But that’s what happens at 10k feet. Can’t even call them “low.”

These photos don’t really do it justice. I’ll stop now.

We went back to the room a little after 7 to wash our shoes which had gotten very muddy. Then breakfast, and on the road by 8:30am.

On our way out I snapped a photo of this house under construction to remind me to say this: when we passed it yesterday there were probably 20-30 guys there helping. Dorji explained it’s a community thing – a cultural tradition of shared labor which turns into a spiritual celebration of unity and heritage. It was actually lovely to see.

We stopped here for coffee etc around 10am.

It had a typical Asian toilet. Funny that I haven’t had to use them yet. Everything I’ve encountered has been a Western toilet so far. In this version, there’s no flushing as you’re used to. Instead you fill that bucket of water from the pipe and wash it down.

We stopped for lunch around 11:30.

The ever present photo of the royal family.

Another gorgeous view.

Another family style meal.

Dorji, our guide, and her badge below. Remember I said yesterday you can’t get a visa without having a guide. Guides go through a rigorous 9 month training program to get the Cultural certification which is indicated. The Trekking portion is like another 3 years and includes first aid training and a lot more.

I managed to get a photo of a monkey on the side of the road from a moving vehicle.

We stopped again at Dochula Pass for a restroom break. It looked different this time since it wasn’t covered in clouds.

We made it back to Thimphu a little after 2pm. We went directly to Buddha Point. You may recall from our morning walk on the first day, we saw a huge Buddha in the hills. We figured it would be in the tour at some point. This was it.

First sighting after Phurpa dropped us off.

The entrance was beautiful. The colorful fabric is up because this is a holy week celebration.

He is pretty impressive. 169 feet high. Notice how small the people are. Construction started in 2005 and was completed in 2015 at a cost of $100 million.

Ash was attempting to touch the tip but couldn’t quite reach it. 

There’s maybe 4 acres of tents set up, packed with monks, nuns, and devotees. This week is an annual event where the whole country prays for world peace. At this important spiritual site in the capital, they go from 7am-5pm for 7 days.

Ash got his tip.

A huge staircase from the bottom of the hill.

Breathtaking views left and right.

You can sort of see the people under the tents.

The base is surrounded by many of these statues.

There’s also a temple inside which houses 125,000 smaller Buddhas. And of course lots of beautiful art. And of course photos not allowed.

From there we made it to our last stop around 3:30pm: the Royal Takin Preserve.

A takin is an animal in the bovine family which appears to have the body of a cow and the head of a goat. Do you remember the Divine Madman from Sunday? The guy who thought the phallus should be worshipped? In Bhutanese mythology, takins were created by him. He was asked to prove his powers by performing a miracle. He asked that a feast be prepared roasting a cow and a goat. When all that was left were the carcasses, he attached the head of the goat to the skeleton body of the cow and brought it to life.

Takin.

Baby takin.

There were about 30 of them in a variety of ages.

We made it back to The Capital Hotel where we stayed Saturday night by 4pm. When we were here last, Ash and I had ordered new rings for our annual handfasting tradition where we recommit to each other for a year and a day. We have added a tradition of our own which is new rings every year from a different city. So far they have been from Paris, Johannesburg, Lima, and Puerta Vallarta. And now from Thimphu.

We dropped our bags in our room and walked to the jeweler’s about 10 minutes away, only to find it locked up. We asked the shop next door to call him and Ash talked to him in Hindi. Short version: he was out and would bring them to the hotel around 6pm.

We had planned on getting haircuts and there was a barber across the street. Ta da! We both got haircuts. Ash got a shave and I got a decent massage focused on head, neck and shoulders. Total cost including tip: $7.29.

Dorji treated us to DFC – Druk (dragon) Fried Chicken so we could sample it. It was pretty good!

Ash and Ari ordered a bunch of Indian food. Since I ate most of the chicken, I just got Bhutan’s version of saag which is my favorite Indian dish. It’s creamy spinach with cheese. The Indian version is chunks of paneer. This was a creamy white cheese. I may have even liked it better.

And he brought our rings! The actual day is tomorrow but we figured close enough. Total cost 4000nu. Or $41.68.

What a day. It’s barely 7:30pm and Ash is already snoring. Glad we weren’t driving because riding is tiring enough. All of Bhutan is in the Himalayas so all the roads are winding and up and down. Many of them not in great shape. Here’s how bumpy the ride was: my phone registered 7.61 miles in steps. We actually walked maybe 5 at the very most. The rest is the bumpy ride.

We are here for just one night again. I can never remember the name of the town that’s next on the list. Baa or something like that. Come back tomorrow to find out.