Bhutan

We arrived in Bhutan yesterday morning. We got settled in our hotel - the rooms are the size of football fields - had lunch and went out to tour the Paro dzong. The architecture is very similar to that of Tibet and everything has a familiar feel to it for me. Paro is a relatively small town (not much bigger than Wakefield) but has the only international airport in the country. Their national airline has a fleet of 3 airbusses. I am rooming with Amy, a patent lawyer from Boston, who, if you closed your eyes, you would swear was Ashley Pyka. Same voice, same mannerisms, same wit. ("Nice" seems to be her favourite word.) Needless to say, I'm enjoying her company immensely.

Today we hiked up to the Tigers' Nest monastery above the Paro valley. It was absolutely spectacular and we had wonderful weather. The views were breathtaking, and given that I've been dreaming of seeing it for years, it was a very special experience. We're now in Paro town, doing our last minute errands before we leave on the trek tomorrow morning.

So far the food has been great. I don't suppose we can expect the same quality on the trail, but am optimistic that it will be much more tasty than our trail food in Nepal. They have no fear of curry here.

So far, Bhutan is everything I've expected. I am so looking forward to getting out into the mountains and immersing myself in the magnificance of the Himalayas. Will write again in about 29 days.

Bangkok 2

I left Koh Chang in another torrential downpour. The ride across in the ferry was very wet and I was unable to take any of the photos of the island that I was hoping for. As usual, the half-day journey took 10 hours and it was absolutely pouring again when we arrived in Bangkok. Fortunately, I got dropped off a couple of blocks from my hotel and I knew the way, so I was able to get out of the rain fairly quickly.

I met up with Carol that evening for a glass (okay, a bottle) of wine and a get-acquainted chat. She is originally from the Toronto area but now lives in Calgary. She has a interesting job in geology and travels around the world with oil companies. We chatted like old friends, and had a lovely evening.

Yesterday, we went exploring the higher-end shopping district of Bangkok on foot. We covered miles and miles and saw parts of the city that I've never seen before. It was a tiring day, but lots of fun. I'm absolutely amazed at what you can buy here, and at what prices. Am tempted to abandon my dream of traveling and just spend the rest of my life savings in the malls and markets here.

We met up later in the evening for dinner with Toni, another trekker from Canada (Dundas, Ontario). She had just arrived after a 30-hour journey and we had to keep her from falling asleep in her curry. After we sent her to bed, Carol and I went into the more racy section of town to watch the hookers and the "girly-boys". Quite a show. You end up getting into bets as to whether the person in question is a girl or boy - a bet that nobody can really win without purchasing the services of the person in question in order to obtain proof. The place was riddled with the aforementioned couples consisting of western men and Thai girls, as well as western men looking to make a match. All in all, a very educational evening.

Today I moved into the hotel with the other trekkers and we'll be picked up a 3:00 tomorrow morning to go to the airport for our flight to Bhutan. I'm planning to visit the weekend market for a while this afternoon and then call it a day and get some rest by the pool. My cold is pretty much gone, but I have some residual coughing. I should be fine for the trek.

This will likely be my last post until I'm back in Bangkok on November 6.

Cold

I spent a most excellent evening a couple of nights ago with a couple that I had run into at the elephant camp. It was nice to enjoy an adult conversation about business, politics and world issues for a change. Most of the other travelers I meet are very young and we don't have much in common. Conversation usually doesn't go beyond small talk.

Unfortunately, over the course of the evening I began to get a tickle in my throat which has progressed to a full-blown cold. I have been sleeping a lot and drinking orange juice over the last couple of days in an effort to get rid of it. Fortunately I had drugs with me, but the pharmacies are good here and I've been able to replenish my stock. The good news is that my departure for Bhutan is still 4 days away, and I don't start trekking for another day or two after that, so hopefully this will have cleared up by then.

I will be leaving Koh Chang for Bangkok tomorrow and hope to meet up with a couple of the other Bhutan trekkers to get acquainted before we fly.

Elephants

Yesterday was fairly sunny so I went to the elephant camp at the north end of the island. Elephants are used throughout Asia as beasts of burden, especially in the logging industry. Now that logging is no longer legal in Thailand, there are lots of elephants who are out of work. Their owners/trainers (mahouts) can't afford to keep them if they aren't working, so many of the poor beasts lead miserable lives. Efforts are made through an Asian-wide agency to make their lives better, and tourist dollars help in that effort. The camp I went to had about half a dozen elephants of varying age (20s to 60s).

We started off with a trek through the jungle perched on seats on the elephants' backs. It's much higher than you'd expect but my ride was very gentle and slow so I got a bit more comfortable as we went. The rain had done some serious damage to the trail and the streams were much deeper than normal, but she handled it well. My mahout got down at one point to take some photos for me, so I got to climb down and straddle her neck for awhile. Not the most comfortable of places, although he had me positioned so that I couldn't inadvertantly give her any direction. (Kind of like keeping me away from the steering wheel and gas pedal.) The normal posture of the mahout looks quite a bit more comfortable, with the feet resting on the ears and the knees on the head.

When we got back to camp, I got to feed her a bunch of bananas in payment for my ride. I would put each banana into her trunk and she would feed herself. She was very gentle and non-threatening. They eat 10% of their body weight every day - about 350 lbs I think - so you can understand why it is so expensive to keep them if they're not working.

The best part came next when we went to down to the river. We stripped down to our bathing suits and jumped in with the elephants to give them a bath. We scrubbed them all over with with stiff brushes which they appeared to love. We used them as diving platforms and rolled around in the water with them. It was a blast. Again, they were so gentle, there was nothing to fear. Every once in a while they'd surprise you by sticking their trunks out of the water right beside you - made me feel like I was in a horror movie and the creature from the black lagoon was coming to get me.

Today is another gray day, but I've decided to go for a long walk this afternoon come hell or high water. Based on my experience, it will likely be the latter.

I may also have to indulge in another massage. You can get them pretty much everywhere here, but I like to do it on the beach. It costs about $8 for an hour so it's really more like a necessity than a luxury. It's lovely to do it on the beach and listen to the crashing waves - very relaxing.

My internet cafe is starting to be rebuilt so I may be able to send e-mail within the next couple of days. I have also contacted both Yahoo and some computer-savvy people at home to see if anyone can shed some light on why I'm having these problems. Worst case I should be able to write from Bangkok on the 5th.