Pat and Norm's World Cruises and other adventures

April 25, 2019

Singapore, the city that is also a country. It is home to 5.6 million people, 39% are foreign nationals.  There is such a mixture of cultures here and it is one of the safest cities in the world.  It consists of one main island and 62 small islands.

^{The city ranks highly in numerous international rankings and has been recognized as the world’s smartest city, world’s safest country, second most competitive country, third least corrupt country, third largest foreign exchange market, third largest financial center, third largest oil refining and trading center, fifth most innovative country and the second busiest container port.  The Economist has ranked Singapore as the most expensive city to live in since 2013.}

^{Our immigration card states in red… the fate of drug traffickers here:}

^{Although we heard it is changed to life imprisonment now.}

^{It is a city of contrasts from an old Chinese quarter to Hindu temples to huge skyscrapers.}

^{We have been here several times before and I also spent time here with ICF, so today we decided to revisit the Gardens by the Bay, a huge, colorful futuristic park in the bay area of Singapore.  We were there when it was being built, visited when it was partially completed and now were eager to see what has taken place since our last visit.}

^{We took their amazingly efficient and clean MRT system to the Gardens.  We found out quickly that on April 14 a brand new feature was added – Floral Fantasy. This consists of 4 different garden landscapes, each showcasing a different concept.  In addition, there is a 4 D ride called Flight of the Dragonfly.}

^{It is simply stunning.} 

^{We moved on to the 2 cooled conservatories – and it felt wonderful since it was very hot out.  The main exhibit right now is Tulipmania in an area designed to look like the Netherlands.}

I will share just some of the hundreds of pictures we took in this amazing place. They even had some plants made out of Legos!

This one reminded us of Bhutan!

These gardens are just outside the Marina Bay Sands, here is a shot of that and also the huge wheel.

They also had a display of these poisonous dart frogs.  Very interesting, hard to find them! The natives used to rub their darts on the frogs to get the poison to kill animals.  The display said the poison in what would amount to one grain of salt can kill a human being.  Glad they were behind glass!

April 20, 2019

Well we couldn’t have planned a better last day in Bhutan. We started our day at 7:30 and drove to the base for our hike to Taksang Monastery, commonly known as the Tiger’s Nest. This is one of Bhutan’s best known sites and it the most important temple in the country. It is built on vertical cliffs just outside Paro.  It was first built in 1692. The altitude is 10,240 feet, about 300o feet above the level of Paro.

Both Tashi and Kinley accompanied us on this strenuous hike.  Our fitness trackers said it was 6.7 miles and 153 stories.  The uphill climb is estimated to take 3 hours.  It took us 2 1/2.  Our guides didn’t know until today how old we are, and they said it was quite an accomplishment for people of “our age”.  They thought we were younger. Of course, they are both 32!

The only way to get there is to hike, there is no road and the trail is very rough most of the way.  You can take a horse half way to where there is a cafeteria, there is a separate trail for the horses.  But no horse for us!  The rest of the trail is not accessible for horses. You can’t take the horses down from that area though. Here are Norm and Tashi starting out.

And here is our goal!

These prayer wheels are made of recycled water bottles.

Tashi is very good about taking pictures along the way.

Our guide and driver.  They both made the hike with us!

The paths through the forest are beautiful and actually serene in spite of other hikers.  There are the beautiful red rhododendrons and this waterfall along the way.  The trees with the “old man’s beards” signify that the air is pure enough for them to grow. There are prayer flags everywhere and the views of the valley and the mountains beyond are simply spectacular.  As we hiked to higher altitudes, the difference in the trees that grow there was also interesting.

When we got to the top, we were tired but happy.  Again, no pictures in the actual temples but Tashi took us through all of them, explained the beautiful statues and paintings and all of the history of this amazing place.  For us, it was hard to imagine how it was even built back in the 17th century. It is built into the vertical mountain face. It has suffered two fires, one in 1998 when a monk dies trying to save the priceless artifacts here. 20 monks live here now. The monastery buildings consist of four main temples and residential shelters ideally designed by adapting to the rock (granite) ledges, the caves and the rocky terrain.

All the buildings are interconnected through steps and stairways made in rocks. There are a few rickety wooden bridges along the paths and stairways also to cross over. The temple at the highest level has a statue of Buddha and there are other symbolic statues and paintings too. I won’t describe them all here but you probably can get some history on line.  Each building has a balcony, which provides lovely views of the scenic Paro valley down below.

All along the way, we got amazing pictures.

But, like in all the temples, no cameras were allowed.  Kinley stayed with our things while we toured all of the temples with Tashi, who, as always, provided so much information!

On the way down, we were glad to have our trekking poles! It took about 2 hours to go down.  Norm was feeling it in his thighs, but mine were OK, guess they got strengthened by all of the “squatty potties”, some here, some in China and some in Nepal.

Here we are at the bottom, no worse for wear!

We went back to Paro for lunch and it was delicious as they have all been. The cabbage dumplings they call momo are outstanding and all of the vegetables great.  Asparagus is in season here and it is served at almost every meal.  They slice it and usually roast or saute it.  Yum.

Then we went to a farmhouse that provides hot stone baths which Tashi highly recommended after the hike.  Here is the owner explaining the process. Tashi had to book the time because it takes about 5 hours to heat the stones on the wooden fire. The hot stone baths can be found in farmhouses and hotels and are much less expensive in the farmhouses. At this particular hot stone bath, there were several rooms in a wooden shed out in the courtyard. Our room had two wooden tubs, and looked a little bit like open coffins!  Essentially they boil herbs for 12 hours and put them in cold water. They then drop the heated stones into the water and it sizzles as it heats up.  If you want more heat, all you have to do is call out for hot stones and they will drop more into the water which is at the end outside the baths.

We had a 45 minute soak which was absolutely marvelous. The owner was going to serve us butter tea, but we declined, and headed back to the main street of Paro to do some last minute shopping before heading back to our hotel for dinner and packing.

Here’s our total fitness tracking for the day!

Our flight to Bangkok where we will rejoin our Around the World cruise, leaves Paro at 10 and we need to be at the airport at 7.  Tashi and Finley will pick us up.  The hotel is just outside the airport.

Norm got this shot of the airport runway.  It should be an exciting take off if it is anything like the landing!

This whole trip was wonderful in every way!  Hope the posts reflect our joy in being able to experience it.

April 19, 2019

Last night’s full moon was beautiful as was today’s sunrise in Punakha.  We stayed at the Drubchu Resort, which I wouldn’t particularly recommend.  The gardens were beautiful but the hotel wasn’t the best.

They did have a safe, but Norm could have carried it out without any problem at all!

Here are some pictures from our breakfast table window and from around the grounds.  The banana and lime trees were cool.

When we checked in yesterday, I got a call from the spa to see if I wanted to book anything.  I didn’t because it was already late in the day.  But look at these prices..

The most expensive is a 90 minute massage for 2350, which is about $34 US.  Wow, on the ship that would be 10 times as much.

We set out on our way to Paro. It is the same road that we took already and it will be about a 4 hour trip.  But first we are stopping at the Royal Botanical Gardens for the Rhododendron Festival.

This is a monastery for nuns high up on the hills.  It is under renovation now, and we didn’t visit, but it looked like it would be interesting.

More cows in the road.

We got to the Botanical Garden before the festivities started, Tashi said the sense of time in Bhutan is a bit off! So first we explored the small museum they have here and saw the many school children who were part of the festival as well as some of the families who came to enjoy it.

Oh, and the resident deer made an appearance.

This was an interesting exhibit.  When you went in, there was a black curtain and when you pulled it back, you saw yourself in a mirror!  True, that. 

While in the museum, the Director General of the Tourism Council of Bhutan, Dorji Dhradhul, approached us to get feedback about our experience and our guide. We had glowing remarks and got his business card so we can send him an email when we finish the trip. He told us that they are continuously trying to improve although most of their feedback is positive.

On his card, the motto says “Taking Tourism to the Top” and on the back were these 5 items under the topic
“Welcome to Bhutan” 

• Birthplace of the Gross National Happiness
• Only carbon-negative economy in the world
• Young democracy gifted to the people by peerless Kings
• Mysterious (talking and flying statue, the snowman – yeti)
• Use of tobacco and plastic in public banned

Tashi said that plastic will be banned entirely very soon.

The Agriculture Minister of Bhutan was the distinguished visitor and he gave his speech in their language and also in English.  Everyone here is very proficient in English. There were ritual dances and performances and we were fascinated by the whole thing. By happy co-coincidence, I sat next to two women from the local village.  The one sitting next to me was educated in France and speaks many languages.  She worked at the World Bank for 3 years.  The other woman was her sister. They were so informative about the customs, the country and we had so much in common in our beliefs.  It was a wonderful part of the day. And it turned out that the woman sitting next to me was the aunt of the leader of the village and a classmate of the Director of Tourism! She had a great sense of humor.  She said that with the men’s national dress, it is a good thing that they need to wear the shawls for rituals because it covers them up.  She said “if they had something to show, it would be all right!” The second photo shows what she means. The white shawls are worn by the men in all fortresses, and for all festivals and rituals.

They are very proud of this 12th grader who is developing sustainable farming techniques.

Here are some of the festivities.

We were ushered into one of the tents when we arrived and so had a very good view of everything. We were served their butter tea (ugh) and some rice.

We walked to the pond and saw some weaving and other crafts and games on the way – even archery. Sadly, this is the only rhododendron we saw, it is too early for the rest. The women I was talking to want to try to get the festival date moved until all are in bloom. There are 29 different varieties here, and we did see lots of red ones along the road.

Then we continued on our way to Paro.  This time I did get some shots of the horses.

We stopped at the pass and got a few more of the Himalayas, I never get tired of looking at those spectacular mountains.

As we came into Paro, I got some pictures of those roadside signs I posted about before.

When we passed between Thimphu and Paro going both directions, Tashi had to show our papers to immigration.

The mountain views in Paro are also beautiful.

After our lunch in Paro, we went to the museum.  We had to wait a while because they had a power outage.  The actual museum was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and is being renovated, so the contents were moved to a nearby building.  They actually make you put your cameras and phones in a locker here, no photos inside.  It was really interesting, with walls of all the masks used in the dances and lots of information about the birds and animals in Bhutan.

This is the museum that is being renovated – it was the old watchtower.

We continued on to the fortress.  It is smaller than the other two we saw in Thimphu and Punakha but equally impressive. Here’s the admission prices – all of ours are included in the daily charge we paid.

One of the young monks invited us to light one of the lamps and make our wishes.

We walked back across the bridge in the picture.

The flag of Bhutan.

Our room at the Tashi Namgay.  Very beautiful place.

Resting up after a great dinner.  Tomorrow we climb to the Tiger’s Nest (Taksang Monastery).

April 18, 2019

The morning started wonderfully since it is our older son, Adam’s birthday!  Well, it is April 18 in Bhutan, but this was a good time to Facetime with him – he was in California –  to wish him the happiest of birthdays.  He is also my web guru and was the one who initially set up my blog, and now my website.  Happy 36th, Adam!

Here is a picture of the sitting Buddha site we visited yesterday.  It shows how it was cut into the mountain and the area still under construction.

After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel (and look at our view from the hotel this morning)

and began the 3 hour, 71 kilometer drive to Punakha.  This was the first capital of Bhutan before it was moved to Thimphu.  The road we were taking is the only road to Punakha and was the first road in the country and only built in 1961.  It is a very winding road over the mountain. We saw cows in the road, yaks on the side of the road, and I wish I had been quicker with the camera because about 5 small horses ran right next to my car window.  Maybe I will catch them on the way back tomorrow.

We reached the Dochula Pass in about 45 minutes.  This is the highest point of the road and definitely closes in the winter.  There was a wonderful view of the Himalayas from this viewpoint.  We were invited in to the small restaurant for tea and a snack.  There are 108 stupas built here in memory of the soldiers who were killed defending Bhutan from invaders in 2003. This was by order of the 4th King w who personally helped to build them.

After this visit, we continued to Punakha. Tashi told us that the hotel we are staying at has limited beds for guides and asked if we would mind if we stopped there for him to put his bag on a bed so that he would have one for the night.  Interesting.. and OF COURSE we didn’t mind.  In fact, we probably would have paid for a bed!

The hotel is the Drubchuku Resort.  We were not checking in until later but we did get to see the beautiful gardens. This pictures are especially for you, Chris and Sandy!

As we reached the town, Tashi led us on a hike through the rice and wheat fields.  This is the area of the Chime Lhakhang or the “Temple of Fertility” which we visited after our hike.  On the way, we started to see the many phalluses that are painted on many buildings, and replicas are in most shops.

This symbol is called the “Magical Thunderbolt” based on Lama Drukpa Kuenley.  He is called the Divine Madman because when he first came to spread Buddhism, he went around the town naked and did a lot of things that made people wonder if he was really a holy man.  The legend says that he subdued a demon with his phallus – the Magical Thunderbolt – chained the demon and turned him into a black dog.  So there is the only black stupa on the grounds of this temple. We are sitting under the Bodhi tree.

Women who have difficulty getting pregnant come to this temple to pray and there is even a book with pictures of babies who were born after the mother’s visit to the temple.

We had lunch at the Babee Restaurant.  Here is the can of Diet Coke I had!

From the restaurant, we visited the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan. It is 180 meters long and spans the Po Chhu river. Tashi said Norm directed him to make this heart below the bridge, but of course he was joking!

From here we walked to the Punakha Dzong or Fortress.  Like the one in Thimphu, this is the center of the government here. It is one of the most beautiful and ornate, but we again are only able to take pictures from the outside.

There are 3 courtyards and the building dates back to the 1600’s.  There were no nails at all used in the construction.

When we got to the third courtyard and were ready to enter the temple, we found that there was a ceremony going on inside, so we waited in the courtyard. When it was over, the monks all filed out and we entered. Boys can choose school or becoming monks as early as age 6!

When we left the temple, we crossed this bridge to the other side of the river.

There are lots of dogs everywhere, Tashi says they are all vaccinated for rabies.  They seem to sleep all day and bark all night.  Loved this little puppy!

Also, there is a strict building code so that all buildings look very similar.

This guy let me take a picture of his t-shirt.

The King and his family are well loved here.  Tashi said that the top three students (by the tests done in school) get to visit the King and get a full scholarship to study abroad. People can also visit the King at specific times to discuss issues.

Tomorrow we will travel to Paro.  We need to take the same road over the mountains and through Thimphu.  Lucky for us, this is the time of the 3 day rhododendron festival, so we will stop at the botanical garden on the way to attend the festival before going on to Paro and seeing the sights there.

April 17, 2019

Yesterday I mentioned the old iron bridge and the new bridge – here is a picture Norm took of me on the new bridge!

And here are some pictures of our hotel room. 

We dinner at the hotel and there was no alcohol – Tuesday is a dry day here! This is an all inclusive trip so everything including all of our meals are covered, but not drinks.

In the lobby, there are some small booklets and they describe a lot of classes that are offered in the area, everything from painting, basketry, weaving, etc..

I found this one – Not one I would be interested in, but hey, I guess they get enrollees!

As I mentioned in my previous post, this is a very clean town and most of the buildings are pretty modern. But this one is right behind the hotel.

Tashi and Kinley picked us up at 9:30 after we had our breakfast at the hotel. 

Our first visit was to the National Memorial Chorten, which is what they call the stupa in Bhutan. It honors the third king of Bhutan who is credited with unifying the country.  When he died, his wife had this temple built in his honor. When visiting these temples, women must have arms and legs covered, and for reasons we don’t understand, men must either have their arms and legs covered, or if wearing a short sleeved shirt, it must have a collar.

The second picture is of the giant prayer wheels.  There were a lot of elderly people sitting in this area.  Tashi told us that working people drop their elderly parents off at these temples where they spend the day in the company of others!

Next we visited the giant sitting Buddha.  This temple is still unfinished inside and even around the grounds.  It was completed in 2015 and Tashi said it is the highest sitting Buddha in the world.  It sits high up on a hill and is visible from most of the town. The platform is gold tiles. You can also see the views of the town and the many steps to climb up. Now people can drive around to the top, as we did, but when it is all complete, everyone will walk both ways. We walked down the stairs.

The third place we visited was Changangkha Lhakhang, which was built in the 12th century, but had two different fires and was rebuilt each time.  It honors the monk who spread Buddhism to Bhutan. Here there is a 360 degree view of town.  This is also the temple known for blessing babies and we saw several of them during our visit. You can see the mud and stone construction.  You can’t take pictures inside any of these temples.

Here they had a separate temple for the queen of snakes (legend has it that a snake found the spot!)and also a structure for the oil lamps so that if it burned down, it would not harm the temple itself.

Bhutan is a democracy since 2008 and is  a constitutional monarchy with a king.  There are two equal positions under the king, one is the Prime Minister and the other is the head monk. The king is highly respected but the government is run by the council of ministers headed by the Prime Minister. This is the King’s palace.  You are not allowed to take pictures close to the palace nor are you allowed to point at the palace or really at anything or anyone in and around the temples.

The national animal here is quite unusual and also rare. It is called the takin and is native to Bhutan.  It has the head of a goat and the body of a cow.  It is very muscular.

We visited the mini zoo to see the takin.  There are also some deer there, and it is really a large wooded area surrounded by fencing with plenty of places  for these animals to roam.

Next we visited the Folk Heritage Museum.  Tashi is showing us how they made the mud walls and the next picture shows how thick they are.  Many wonderful examples of saddles, baskets, clothing, etc., are inside the museum, but we could only take pictures on the outside.  The kitchens were always on the top floor of the homes so if there was a fire, hopefully it could be put out before the lower floors were involved.

Here is Norm sampling Ara, the local rice wine!

This was an outside bath which was kind of like the hot stone massages of today, the hot stones both heated the water and massaged the bather!

Lunch at a local restaurant was next.  Tashi and Kinley do not eat with us. And Kinley jumps out of the car to open the door for me every time, while Tashi insists on holding any bags when we make purchases.  They are just great.

After lunch we visited the school for the arts, where we saw students doing clay sculpting, woodworking, sewing and weaving. There is a celebration at the school tomorrow so many students were cleaning up the school and the grounds. They have the sewing machines with the foot pedals.

The next stop was the textile museum – and it was so impressive. These cloths take 7 months to weave.

We did some shopping at an area with small shops in wooden structures that lined the street.

The last stop of the day was at the Tashi Cho Dzong, or the fortress that holds the most important temple here in the capital and also all the government buildings.  Tashi had to wear a special shawl there and we couldn’t enter until 5:30 after all of the workers had gone for the day.  All of the important ceremonies are held here.  Again, no pictures inside, but it is huge and we could take these in the courtyard.

This is the Parliament building which is just across from the fortress.

A very full, fun and educational day. In some places, Tashi had to show the papers that we were visitors that had paid the daily fee, in others, he paid which also comes out of the daily fee.

Tomorrow we leave Thimphu and travel to Punakha.