Paro to Thimphu

I ran out of time on my post about landing in Paro.  We were greeted by our guide and met some of our fellow travelers for the first time.  In Hawaii, you are "lei-ed" when greeted, in Bhutan, you are "scarf-ed".  We were directed to our air-conditioned van (air conditioned here means open all the windows) and left Paro and drove straight to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.

Thimphu is the only capital city in the world without a traffic signal.  There is building going on everywhere.  This is a growing country.  They didn't even have TV until 1999.  The technology is so new that it is the best we've found in just about any country we've traveled to.

Our first stop on the road to Thimphu was a visit to the 13th century temple of Tamchog Lakhang, which can be reached by a short walk across a river over a bridge that is over 600 years old.  The original iron bracing is still there, but the bamboo has been replaced with chicken wire, so you are seeing the river raging below you as you walk.  The temple was built by the famous Tibetan Iron Bridge builder, Thangthong Gyalpo, who was an architect, physician, teacher and a saint.  The temple is still maintained by his descendants.  He built over a hundred bridges in Bhutan.

Upon arrival in Thimphu, we visited the giant Stupa (shrine) to the 3rd king of Bhutan, the grandfather of the present king.  We joined the locals by walking around the stupa three times to earn good merits.

After lunch, we were taken to the National Institute of Arts and Crafts, where we could watch the creation of the treasures, and then on to the Dupthop Nunnery, which had a spectacular view of the city below.  Finally, on to our hotel, Migmar.