Middle aged explorers on the diggy diggy bey

About eight years ago when Chris and I climbed Mount Killimanjaro the local folks would occasionally turn to us and say "pole pole" - this translated roughly to "slow down you silly people,don't you know you're at altitude" or something to that effect. On the last day of the trek we asked our guide, Pema, what the term was in Bhutaneese for slowly slowly and he said (spelled with great inaccuracy) "diggydiggybey". This is very fun to say. They should put it on t-shirts.

The day after we finished the trek and the epic sleep we headed up to the Tiger's Nest monastery. This is the pictures that we got in the habit of showing people when they asked us why we were going to Bhutan, and while it was not permitted to take pictures in the monestary itself we got some great shots going up and coming down.

 We also had invented a new reality television show about ourselves called "Middle Aged Explorers" while we were out on the trek and it got a lot of airtime on the hike up and down from the nest. Most of the reality show involved us doing super mundane things - "this week on Middle Aged Explorers watch M and C and D climb over rocks. Next week on Middle Aged Explorers, see more rocks!"

The hike up was tricky at times, but not too bad. I think if my knees had not been jelly like and my lungs less grunkfilled it would not have been too bad. It was so worth the hike up the mountain. Lots of stairs, lots of rocks, but very worth it. Fortunately, after the trek the altitude was no problem at all.

That evening we got back to the hotel and packed up our stuff. The hotel was the first hotel in Bhutan and it is the height of 70s style. Unfortunately I got zero pictures of the place.

This morning we got picked up bright and early at 5:00am and headed to the airport for a 7:00 flight. We all got window seats in the right side of the plane. It turned out to be a prop job which was somewhat terrifyinging in theory but it was a smooth flight and the sky was clear enough to get a good view of Everest and other fine tall mountains. You really get a sense of the earth smashing itself together when you see the whole range from above. I am also fully convinced that it is a terrible idea to climb these things. 

We landed in Kathmandu where we can enjoy the crazy energy and make things up as we want to rather than being under the careful watch of a guide all the time. I have a room to myself tonight even though it was not my turn because I do a lot of coughing and would probably make a very irritating roommate. 

Tomorrow we get a full day in Kathmandu before we start the long trip home.

Beauty and mud and mountains and poo

Back in Kathmandu and with a whole lot of pictures of walking across what seems like a good chunk of Bhutan. This post will be the trek and then the next post I will do Tiger's Nest since is suspect the pictures will make the Internet freak out a bit.

First a few little tidbits. We trekked over 60 miles, went over four high passes, and slept above 4000m for five nights. We had measurable snow twice. We also saw every variety of poo possible. 

The first day we did a hike up in the mountains above Paro to become acclimatized. In the past, the first day would have been a trek to the first camp site, but the path was replaced with a logging road which is not a pleasant place to walk. Of course it rained on us which was slightly unseasonable. Also Chris got a bit of altitude sickness which we all encountered at one point or another. There was also a mudslide on the road on our way to the trek.

That night we camped in what seemed like someone's backyard.

The first real day of trekking was 21k, which would have been a slog in and of itself, but the rain the day before, plus an unusually wet monsoon season had left the train a muddy mess. Even at its best, the first day of the trail was very rocky, but now we had the added bonus of hopping from rock to rock hoping that we did not end up knee deep in mud. Plus the trail was well traveled by ponies and mules who did indeed poo and so the mud was mixed with poo. It was a super special concoction. 

The walk took about nine hours. Our campsite was also a giant mudpit.

Day two was a mere 19k. It turned out the the path was much nicer, the views much prettier, and we even saw our first yaks. They also poo.

This hike took us in to base camp. Now originally we were going to do the full Jomolhari trek, but due to the weather some of the trail was terrible and maybe one of the bridges was washed out. Or now. It is possible that the guide thought about it, shook his head and opted for the more reasonable Jomolhari 2 trek which is shorter and has better views but some nasty high passes. As my hiking speed is slug like maybe th prospect of being on the trail for a zillion hours did not appeal? Who knows. In any even, we made some itinerary adjustments and we're all the better for it.

We had one "rest day" at base camp where we climbed which I like to call bulls**t mountain. This did no go week since there was no real trail and it was very steep. By the time we got back to the bottom both of my big toes were numb. We saw some blue deer which was pretty cool.

We were going to have another day at base camp and then do a 16k day, but we decided instead to head out and break things up a bit. We did 8k to the base of the highest pass of our journey. The path went through a beautiful valley with glacial lakes and the weather was gorgeous. This was also the point where I started to get a nasty cold.

That night it snowed. 

We then headed out to do the high pass. We could have just done the pass and gone down to the valley, but in order to break things up a bit we pushed on to camp in the backyard of th family of our horseman. It just so happened that the family was going to be making their seasonal move down to the valley the next day. It was great to have the opportunity to camp further up the trail. There was also a lot of poo. 

The following day we only had to do 8k because we had already done a good chunk of the next trek. That meant we got to the next campsite early. It just so happened that there was a nomadic family home next to the camp site. Of course our horseman knew then so we got to visit and Darielle was able to buy some yak cheese. They told us that they were very happy that we visited because although people camp right next door, they do not ever visit.

The house was very warm and there was a kitten who fell asleep on Darielle's lap. The family said that they were going to be staying in their summer home for ten more days before going down into the valley. 

In the summer the yaks cannot survive at the lower elevations because of the heat. Also many of the medicinal herbs are found up in the mountains. It seems like a difficult life, but the homes are very cozy.

The next day was our final push out of the mountains. We had to do one high pass and then go downhill till we were back in the Paro valley. By this point my best cold and reached raging proportions so I was a bit delirious. My usual slow and been reduced to sludge speed. Still, after the pass, it was just a matter of climbing down those rocks one after the other. And avoiding pony traffic jams.

D got back to civilizations by about 2:15 with Chris about fifteen minutes behind her. I finally made I out at 3:00 and there was celebratory beer, veggie momos, and a local wine. We then went back to Paro and I managed to strip off all my gross clothing and take a hot shower before I fell asleep for thirteen hours straight. 

Not dead yet

At the airport. It is a prop plane so this should be fun. Will do a real post when we are back in Kathmandu with real internet access.

Sun and rain and masks and silence

This is going to be my last post for about a week since we are going to be on trail in the mountains. So prepare for some radio silence. 

A couple of days ago we went to the festival in Thimpu. It was the second day of their giant annual festival. Everyone shows up in their finest attire - Goh for men, Kira for women - and brings to whole family to watch the masked dancers. It is quite the shindig.

We then went to see the giant market that had popped up in the Main Street. 

That evening we were headed to stay in a farmhouse near Paro. We stopped at a temple along the way.

I ish I had gotten better pictures of the farmhouse. It had a lovely phallus painting on the side. We had a hot stone bath and dinner and then had a very peaceful sleep fueled in part by a wheat home brew. It was so quiet, all you could hear was the steady rain, and there was a nip in the air that was perfect for sleeping under warm blankets.

Today we were going to hike to the Tiger's Nest but it was pouring all day so we did indoor activities. This means that we will do tiger's nest after our trek. It will feel like a piece of cake that that point hopefully.  

We went to several temples, fortresses, and monestaries including the Paro Fortress.

We also had some good coffee.

Tonight we are staying in an old palace. We had some nice beer and are waiting for dinner. I have been packing and unpacking my things preparing for the trek. The trick is to bring everything one might need, without bringing too much unnecessary junk. Plus, we will have very warm weather and very cold weather. Most days we are hiking around 19k and we have some substantial altitude, though by this point we are hopefully acclimatized. Fingers crossed. 

Dog day

Something that we were warned about, but then probably underestimated, is the number and volume of dogs in Thimpu. Now in Kathmandu there are dogs, but in Thimpu they appear to be organized into a parliament or something. They are very loud. Fortunately, the weather is cool and the traffic sounds are practically nonexistent so I did not even notice the dog sounds. 

Bhutan is amazing and beautiful. We hard a lot about the history and culture of Bhutan, but I must admit that is am very tired and so you are going to get mostly pictures sans commentary. Trust me, it is all very interesting and wonderful.

First off, there are no stop lights. This guy controls the business intersection. 

There are many temples and they at all fantastic.

There are many people in town for the festival tomorrow. Still, many of the places we went were not very busy. Your could take your time.

We learned a lot about the history of Bhutan and about the way that people in the country practice Buddhism. 

We also went to the local craft market and stimulated the economy.

It was along day and quite wonderful. Our guide and driver are great, the food is marvelous and it is so quiet and cool and green here. Tomorrow we go to the festival and then we do a short hike and do a stay at a farmhouse. Tomorrow I suspect I will not be blogging but the next day we go to the Tigers Nest and I am sure to get some great pictures before I post again. 

Now to bed. The dogs have already begun their nightly chorus.