Passes, Archery, Brewery

October 13^th, 2026

Bumthang, Bhutan

Woke before 7:00AM with the alarm, but was just dead.  I did not sleep good at all last night.

Sat in the chair for at least 20 minutes, then took a long hot shower.

Dressed and went down to breakfast a bit late, but still had time.

Ate, then went up to the room to pack as much as I could.

We will be touring some local sites in the van before we depart on the bike today, so will be checking out of the room around 11:00AM

Walked down to the level where the van was parked and stood around for a bit.

Once we were all there, we boarded and left the hotel.

It was a short drive over to the first stop which was the Tower of Trongsa Museum.

This former fortress and tower has now been turned into a cultural museum highlighting the local customs and history of this region of Bhutan.

We parked and as the place had just opened, they did not have all staff in place, so they had us enter from the door you would normally exit from.

We wandered a few hallways to reach the theater (basically built into a large hallway) to watch the short documentary on the tower and the history of the country.

We did not get to visit the lower levels of the building, and instead went back up into the museum exhibits.

There were 3 floors of displays of various clothing and artifacts from the various parts of the country.

Clay and Pigment statue of Vajrakila (Dorje Phurpa)

You then go up another level where you can enter a temple if you choose (shoes off for this, so I opted out), then you enter the tower about ¼ of the way up.

Each floor contains a few artifacts, mostly statues.

You move up till you reach the upper floor which is the top observation area of the tower.

Some great views from this area.

View from tower of Trongsa Dzong (our next stop)

I wandered around and took some photos, and then started to make my way down, checking out some of the displays I had skipped while trying to find the rest of the group. (I had fallen behind while getting an in-depth history of the Wheel of Life painting.

We finally reached the bottom floor, which was the gift shop where we had originally entered the building.

We then went out side and spent some time talking before loading up in the van and heading to the next stop.

This short drive brought us to the Trongsa Dzong.

Like the one the other day, this former fortress and monastery is a huge building that was built around a small temple founded in the mid 1600s.

Interestingly, this structure is a piece of living history as it has never been damaged by floods, nor burned.  Many of the other Dzong in the country have been damaged or destroyed and had to be rebuilt in later times.

This building though is the original 400+ year old structure.  You could see this in the walls and wooden sections.  Things looked a bit less bright, and not as perfectly aligned anymore.  While it has been maintained and repaired over the years for minor stuff, it still remains in mostly original form.

We went inside after spending some time along the outer walls, and here we were given more history of the place while standing in the various courtyards.

We then went up into one of the main buildings and entered one of the main temple spaces.

After getting more history, we went back out the way we came.  The rest of the huge complex is closed to tourist, only the monks and locals can visit those sections.

We left the complex and got into the van.

Now we will drive into town to take care of some business.

Many of the group, myself included, want to use the ATM to get some local currency to pay for things.  While Indian Rupee are accepted almost everywhere (and the local currency is pegged to it value wise), it would be preferred to have the local notes.  I also need to get a least one specimen of each denomination for my collection.

We found the ATM, many of use used it, and then we all ended up in the store across the road buying drinks or snacks.

I also needed to find a pharmacy to see what I could get for my cough/sinus issues.

One of our group members, Jude, is a medical doctor, so he came along to help figure out which drug to buy since he is familiar with the drugs used in this region.

We were not sure where the pharmacy was, and were in the van waiting to find out.

Turns out it was just around behind the store we had all used, so the driver, Jude, and I walked over to find it.

Once we did, Jude first asked for some stuff he needed, then assisted me in trying find something I could use.  Antibiotics required a doctor prescription, so we need to find something that did not require that.

Sadly, most of the stuff we asked about they did not have.

They did have some kind of nasal spray, but that was more for opening up the passages, not for clearing congestion that is draining into my throat and causing the cough.

We finally came upon some kind of medicine you pour into hot water and inhale the vapors.

Never tried anything like this, but was fairly cheap, so went for it.

We returned to the van and headed up the road a bit till we found John, Sam and the photographer who had wandered off earlier to explore the town.

Once all aboard, we returned to the hotel.

We all went to our rooms to change into riding gear and finish packing.

Once I had checked over the room, I went out side and one of the girls was nearby and insisted on taking my heavy bag down.

I closed up the room, gave her the key, and then followed her to the van.

One my bag was dropped off; I walked around to reach the lower lot where the bikes were.

I put the stuff on the bike and then waited for a few minutes while the rest of the group slowly came down.

Once again, we got on the bikes and left the hotel lot to hit the highway.

Today is a short ride, but we will have a few short stops on the way.

The road started to climb right away, and will go over a higher pass today.

It was a very curvy and steep road in many spots, which made for some fun riding, at least for part of the way.

At some point after we started up hill, the bike started to get a bit loose in the rear when cornering hard.

I felt the well slipping just a bit several times, and in one really hard lean, the entire bike shifted sideways a few inches.

I managed to catch and correct the wiggle, but was really odd that it was acting up like this.

I wondered if perhaps I had a low tire in the rear.

We reached our first stop near the top of the pass not long after.

I got off and inspected the rear tire, and it seemed fine pressure wise.

I did notice the outer edge of the tire (the part used when doing a hard leaning curve) was a bit more chewed up than I recall it from other days.

Perhaps something with the surface of the road being harder on the rubber?

I mentioned it off hand, and turns out Ben was having same issue with his bike.  Same bikes and we have same rear tire mounted.

Figured it can be dealt with later; we went over to join the rest that were sitting in the shade at the currently closed restaurant here.

I wandered over to find a bush to piss in since the restrooms were also locked up.

Then after some photos and sitting around, it was time to carry on.

We headed down the other side of the pass, and about half way down the bike seemed to be acting normal again, though I was not pushing it quite as hard as the corners were much tighter on this section of road, and it was a bit bumpy in spots.

We reached the lower part of the valley and suddenly found a road that went straight for at least a half mile!  This was the first time we saw such a straight section of pavement.

Not far past the village this occurred in, we went past some kind of event going on next to the highway.  There were lots of cars parked and people walking around.

To me it looked like an archery range.

I noticed in my mirror that Ben had dropped off, probably stopped to take photos of the range.

A mile down the road, Kinley, the rear riding guide, came past and indicated for us to turn around.

He made it all the way to the front where he caught the other guide.

We turned around in a small area and went back to that area.

It was indeed an archery range, and they were having a tournament in honor of the 15th anniversary of the current King’s marriage, which was today.

We walked down into the range and along the edge to where the guys were shooting from.

The range is 145m (475 feet), which is quite amazing to see.

The archers are using really nice compound bows, and are getting the arrows into the target area, and one even hit the target while we were there (we could not actually see the arrows at the other end, but the actions of the crowd and such indicated a hit).

After 10 minutes or so, we got back on the bikes and headed back down the highway.

We stopped after a few minutes to refuel the bikes, and then rode onward toward our lunch stop.

This was reached in around 15 minutes and we parked the bike and went inside the small restaurant next to a hotel for our food.

It was a really good lunch, and the place was a fairly new construction as well.

Once done, we were back on the bikes for the final 30 minute ride into our destination town.

The road became really narrow as we left the restaurant, and the curves very tight.

It created some challenges in passing oncoming traffic, especially the large trucks.

We soon reached town and turned off onto a side road and then headed up a very steep drive way to reach the hotel.

Once parked, we all got our room keys and went up to drop off riding gear.  Our bags were brought up about that time as well.

I was on the 2nd floor, which had a nice veranda with great views along the walkway to the rooms.

We changed into street clothes and then met back down in the parking lot about 30 minutes later.

After getting in the van, we drove across the valley to visit a local micro-brewery here in town.

Red Panda Beer is made here and is a local wheat beer that is not exported and only sold in small batches to locals and local business.

The brewery is located behind a café which serves the beer, along with various other drinks and snacks.

The entire place is built on a Swiss model as the owner is originally from Switzerland, but now lives in Bhutan.

We went first to the café, some of the group had a beer, some other drinks, and I told the guide to get me a chocolate milkshake (nothing else of interest on menu).

We sat down, but my milkshake never arrived, seems they forgot, and I decided I really did not need it anyway.  We did get a few bags of locally produced potato chips and snacked on them.

A few of the guys had also been busy playing with a small puppy in the place.

Not long after sitting down, I heard a cat meow, and after calling it over, it sat at my feet meowing constantly, and letting me pet it, but also kept laying down or moving out of reach.

I finally sat on the floor for a bit and pet it till it was time for us to go tour the brewery.

We walked over to the small building behind and were shown the vats and had the entire process explained.

They only brew 2-3 times a week, and only make around 600 liters each time.

The final product is either bottled, or put in kegs for delivery to businesses.

Once done, we went back to the café and sat and talked more.  The kitty came back to me and this time I picked it up and put it on my lap.

He eventually settled in and enjoyed the pets.

We got into conversation with an American couple at table next to ours as well.

I eventually had to move my leg, so had to put the cat down, and that was when it was noticed it had small worms around its butt.

I killed the one that was on my pants, but feel bad that the cat is like this, hopefully they will get it some care.

Cat laid near my feet for a while, then it finally got up and went somewhere else.

Not long after we left as well to return to the hotel.

Back at the hotel we all went to our rooms as it was still 2 hours till dinner.

I washed my hands really good and then put some stuff on chargers and gathered my laundry which I will drop off at dinner time.

Played on the phone mostly during this time.

Around 7:00PM I walked over to the dinning hall to see if anyone else had shown up early to have a drink first.

I found only Ben there.

I also then realized I had not brought my laundry.

I returned to the room to grab it, and also as we had talked about it in the dinning area, I turned on the heater in the room as it was starting to get cold.

I could have asked to have the wood burning heater lit, but did not want to deal with that in the room.

We eventually all arrived in the dinning area and many had drinks.

Then we started are dinner with a bowl of soup, and then the buffet.

Meal was really good tonight, probably ate a bit too much as well.

Once done, we spent some time talking till close to 9:00PM.

That was the time we all chose to return to our rooms to do whatever.

I did a few quick changes of batteries, and then uploaded all the footage from today.

Then this blog was typed up.

Thinking I will head to be shortly, perhaps try to read a little.

Tomorrow, we have breakfast, then we gather at 9:00AM at the bikes to ride up the nearby Tang Valley to explore some sites there.

We return to this same hotel and spend another night here.  We should be back early enough to have much of the afternoon free, so will have time to either go into town, or sit around and enjoy the fresh air here.

I might try getting some work done, but will see how I feel tomorrow.

Catch ya down the road.

 

 

Curves and Hills - Bhutan Roads are a joy!

October 12^th, 2026

Trongsa, Bhutan

Woke this morning at 7:00AM.  Then sat in a chair for longer than I should as I did not want to wake up.

Finally got up to take a quick shower, then dressed and packed most of the stuff.

Went down for breakfast, then returned to the room to finish packing.

Sat for a bit to relax, then grabbed the bags, gear, and left the room.  Went out on the deck to take a few photos since it was dark before I did any last night.

Dropped my bag at the van, dropped gear on the bike, then went inside to drop off the key.

Back to the bike to attach the gear and then we stood around talking while others finished tasks and we prepared to leave.

We hit the road and made our way out of town and onto the highway again.

The road was very hilly, and as always, more curves.  Had some great fun flying along and carving corners for a good part of the day.

We stopped for a coffee break, but the place was not open, so went onward to reach another location where we had our morning coffee and took a break from the bike.

We then proceeded onward till we reached the turn off that would take us over a pass and to our main stop for the day.

However, this stretch of road was under construction, and was currently a rough dirt road, which due to recent rains, was a bit muddy now.

We slowly made our way to the top of the pass, and then down the other side, which is where we found most of the mud.

Made it down without any serious issues, and then we rode through the local villages to reach the Black-necked Crane Visitor center.

This large bird inhabits the mountain regions of Tibet, Bhutan and India, as well as a few other areas.

The birds’ numbers are small, only around 10,000, and it has been protected in Tibet and Bhutan due to its reverence by the local Buddhist cultures.

The visitor center was setup by the Royal Bhutan agency assigned to protect natural resources, which includes animal species.

The valley where the center is located is where a large number of birds migrate to from Tibet with their young each year.  They then return to Tibet to have more offspring.  Then the cycle repeats.

The have two birds who live permanently at the site as well.  The migration in the valley is studied and the birds are tracked to learn more about them.  Just researchers and a few farmers are allowed to enter the area.

We arrived, parked, and once tickets were bought, we went into the area to view the birds living there.

One was sleeping, and the other got up and went to hide in some bushes when we arrived.

We went inside and watched the short film they have on the place and its mission, then walked around the center a bit and checked out the displays on animal and plant life in the Bhutan region.

A few of us visited the gift shop as well, and I picked up a magnet and patch to have something from Bhutan.

We met back at the bikes, and rode down the road, and then up another small dirt road to reach a resort where we would have lunch.  This place was built onto a large hillside, and was spread over many levels.  The parking lot had a large line of steps up to the main building, and then more steps up to the top of the building where the restaurant was.

There were cool tents along the hillside where you could stay, would have made a cool overnight stop.

Lunch was very good, and we all ate a good portion of food.

We then returned to the bikes, then retraced our route back to the dirt highway so we could go back over the pass and reach the main road again.

About half way up we had to stop as a huge tree was laying across the road.

I appears that it was cut down intentionally, perhaps as it was very close to the edge of the cliff above the road, so was being removed before it fell on its own.

However, the tree was laying at an angle and other parts of it were laying across the road.

A crew was already onsite trying to cut the stuff up on the road and move it off to the side.

Our guides and some of the riders went over and started to help, and worked out with the crew to clear the road so at least the bikes could go onward as we could ride under the tree that was over the road.  The trucks and cars however would need to wait till that could be cut and removed.

It took about 15 minutes, but we were finally able to ride under the tree and continue on our way.

Until we were stopped again, this time for a landslide that was being cleared.

It was a small slide, think we might have ridden past it earlier, but now they were clearing the lanes and smoothing out the excess dirt on the road.

This took about 10 minutes, then a huge line of cars going up the pass went first (the heavy equipment used was still in one lane).

A short distance past there and we reached the pavement again.

The road was a bit beat up for the next 30 minutes or so, but we slowly made our way downward to the lower reaches of the mountains.

We stopped for break at the Chendebji Jarunkhasor Chorten, a Buddhist worship location.  These small stupa like buildings are all over the region, some small, some quite large.

Many of us walked down to use the toilets and then wander around the structure for a bit.

We pulled over after a bit for a viewpoint for the local Dzong (Fortress) here in Trongsa.

Then we rode down to a small café sitting in front of a tall waterfall.  This was the Willing Falls café.

I walked a bit to get some photos of the falls, then joined the rest for a coffee.

Back on the road, we only had about 20 minutes to reach our hotel for the night.

We rode through town (and past the Dzong and local museum we will visit in the morning) and then headed up into the hills.

After what seemed like a very long time, we arrived a resort hotel in the middle of nowhere.

We parked the bikes and went into the lobby.

Here we had our welcome drinks (Lemon tea) and then grabbed room keys and walked up several flights of stairs to reach the landing where the bags had been unloaded.

I grabbed my bag and told the girl who wanted to carry it that I would do so as it is heavy, and she could grab the other guy’s lighter bag.

More stairs brought me to my room, which is good sized and has some nice views from the fully enclosed patio that opens off from the main part of the room.

I organized, unpacked, and sorted stuff as always.

I then took a nice shower and dressed.

Checked out the view from the enclosed balcony off the room, then spent the next hour playing on the phone.

Around 7:00PM I walked down to the main building and found the bar where I figured I would find most of the people.  We were having dinner at 7:30, so it seems common to gather in the bar 30-40 minutes before to have a drink and talk about the ride.

After spending some time there, we all went down a floor to the dinning area and took a large table.

Our group is the only one staying here tonight, so pretty empty place, probably as many staff working as there are in our group. (6 Riders, 1 Owner, 1 ride leader, 1 ride guide, 1 driver, 1 cultural guide, and our photographer/videographer.)

Dinner was partially served by the staff, then we had a buffet for the rest of the meal.

The usual conversations about rides and bikes took place as we ate.

Once done, we talked for a bit, but then most of us were tired and ready to call it a night.

We all returned to our rooms.

I puled a few things off the charger I had setup for going down, and then uploaded the days footage to the laptop.

Then the task of writing this blog entry.

I might try to upload a few more as I am still needing to finish the Nepal trips entries as well.

Then it will be time for bed.

Tomorrow, we start at 8:45 and will ride in the van into town to visit the Dzong and the local history museum.  It is also planned to stop at the ATM as most of us need to get local currency as credit cards are rarely taken at places here.

I also want to stop at a pharmacy to see if I can find something to help with this damn cough I have had since being stuck in Upper Mustang.

Catch ya down the road.

 

Deeper dive into Bhutan

October 11, 2026

Punakha, Bhutan

Woke with the alarm at 7:00.  Sat around in a big comfy chair for almost an hour (probably drifting in and out of sleep).

Finally forced myself into the shower and then got dressed.  Just street clothes for now, as we will not be riding till around noon today.

Went down for breakfast and talked a bit while there.

Back in the room I packed up as much as possible so things would be faster later today.

When it was close to our departure time of 9:30, I went down to the lobby and then we all got into the van for a few stops around the city.

We drove down and around the block to reach our first stop.

The National Memorial Chorten is a large structure that was built in remembrance of the 3^rd king of Bhutan how passed away in 1972.  It was constructed over 2 years by his mother.

The complex is a large grassy space with the main Chorten in the center and a few smaller buildings used by the staff on the edges.

We arrived and once admission was paid, we went inside to get a lesson in the history of the place from our guide.

We then walked over to the small building holding 8 large prayer wheels and did a circle of most of them, setting them spinning.

Then we proceeded over to the chorten itself and had some more discussion.

Afterwards, we went up the steps and removed our shoes so we could visit the interior.

Inside there is a small hallway that runs along each side of the building, the center is taken up by a massive statue, which is really just lots of smaller statues all stacked together.

The figures represent various gods and individuals within the Buddhist system in this region.

The guide explained various figures, and some of the photos of the 3^rd king and his family (the current king).

We then went up stairs to view more statues and offerings in that area.

We then proceeded to the 3^rd level which was again filled with various figures.

At each point, the guide explained a high level history or gave some of the symbolism intended by the figures.

At this time, we exited the building, put our shoes back on, and then walked around to the front for a group photo.

Then it was time to move onward to the next stop.

We exited the complex, found our van parked on nearby street and headed to the edge of town.

It took around 20-25 minutes to reach the next stop which is a wildlife preserve.

The Royal Takin Preserve is a fair sized area of forested park land set aside for some of the native species living in Bhutan.

The primary residents are the Takin.  This animal, which is part of the Bovidae family, is similar to a cow, but with some different features.  The legend claims it was created by the local god after combining the bones of a cow and a goat.

They also have several other species in the place, typically animals harmed in some way that need some time before being released back into the wild, though some animals may never get released.

After our admission, we walked up the hill the main park area where the animal enclosures are.

An elevated walkway runs around various sections, staying about 10 feet off the ground, though there are lots of steps as the terrain is very hilly here.

We viewed the various animals and got some additional stories about them.  We walked all the way to the upper areas to the café there, though we did not order anything, it was just a rest point after climbing so many stairs.

Himalayan Goral

I found a black kitty laying on one of the tables, half in the sun, sleeping.

I tried to get him to respond, but he refused to open his eyes when I stroked his paws and pet his head and ears.  Even a full body rub did not wake him.  He would move a bit, and I saw him kneading a little as I pet his head.

But it was time to leave, so had to say goodbye.

We walked back the way we came, then took another route over to see the takin a bit closer, though by now most were already laying down to sleep, I guess they are quite lazy animals, which makes them easy prey for predators.

At this point we left the complex and met up with Brad.  He and one of our guides had gone golfing this morning.  They had finished the game and he was dropped off to meet up with us while the guide went to attend to other business.

Back on the van we drove back into the city and reached the farmers market space.

This area, rebuilt during the covid lockdowns, was a huge open pavilion on 2 levels with stalls for vendors to sell their goods.

Most were selling various vegetables, and some also carried local honey or spices.

I guess there was a fish and meat area as well, but I must have missed seeing those.

We wandered around the stalls for a bit, mostly just looking, but not really something I would buy while travelling like I am.

However, Jude did by a bag of Guava fruit to take along the rest of the trip.

We stopped for a bit to try using the ATM, first Brad, then Dennis, but the machine failed to work, so again I am unable to get any local currency.  Really should have found a place around the border that first day. (Well, we did try for an ATM, but it also was not working).

We eventually got the group together again, as a few had wandered off to do their own thing, and we walked over to a nearby coffee/mushroom lounge.

The main guide who owns the local company we are working with in Bhutan also has this business.

While I do not quite understand the full concept, they deal on various products made from some kind of mushrooms, typically sold as a health supplement of some kind.

They are also a small coffee shop, and the stored has several chairs, tables, and the coffee bar.

Our guide (not the one that owns the place) made our coffees, and it appears they sprinkle flakes of the mushroom on it as well.

The mushroom used is called Cordyceps, but still do not know what the draw is.

When we were ready to leave, we were all gifted a small jar of honey from the shop, which is cool, though not really sure how well it will travel during my continuing adventures.

We went back outside, and since the van was off picking up the photographer that will join our group now, we had to walk about 15 minutes to get back to the hotel (probably ½ mile).

After reaching the hotel, we all returned to our rooms to gear up and then bring down our luggage and check out of the room.

Once done with that, we then set about getting stuff on the bikes.

I was talking to Ben about not liking the location where I had the GoPro, so he called over the lead rider, and after some back and forth, they found some spare hardware they had that would allow me to mount the camera in a better spot.

After some trial and error, we had the RAM style mount installed and the extension pole connected.

The GoPro thankfully had the screw in socket for the mounting.

Once installed, we zip tied the lower part of the mount to hold it on as it was still a bit loose if you moved it just right.

As we are mostly on pavement, the movement issue should be minor.

Shortly after we, all put on the last gear, and hit the road.

It took a bit of time to get out of town, but we eventually reached the highway that would start taking us eastward into Bhutan.

The road started going upward right away, and as most roads here, was narrow, steep, and full of curves.

It was a great ride, and the weather finally turned out great for us.

We reached the top of the pass (Dochu La) where we stopped at the large complex at the top.

This is the Druk Wangyel Chorten.  These 108 stupas were built to honor the soldiers who died in the battles against the Assam radical groups that invaded the Bhutan border region in the early 2000s.

After spending some time checking out the place, we were back on the bikes and heading down hill now.

This road was amazingly nice, with lots of curves and some great sections.

Traffic was sadly a bit heavy, as this is a main east-west route.

Roughly 1.5 hours later we pulled off the highway and headed up this dirt path into the forest.  It had some really muddy parts along it, and the bikes are running street tires, so they were a bit slippery.

We reached the top where a large building was, and I then asked the lead rider if Ben was aware of this stop, as he had not been with the group when we pulled off.

The guide was a bit alarmed, and got on his bike and headed back down to go find him, and he would have likely passed by if not aware of the stop, and we were way back in the trees, so would not see the place from the road.

We were led into the building and across the large open courtyard to the back courtyard.  Here a small building sat in the corner and we would be having lunch here.

We took seats, used the toilet and waited.

Not long after the guide and Ben arrived.  He had missed the turn, but he also realized we must have left the highway and had stopped when the guide found him and led him back.

The food arrived about then, and it was a great lunch.  We were all really hungry by this point, and all enjoyed the food.

Once done, we then prepared to leave.

We headed down the same steep, muddy, dirt track.

I was the last rider except Ben, and Mike was in front of me.

At one muddy section, his bike got a bit wobbly and he slid over toward the edge of the muddy rut, and just as I thought he would get it out, his foot slipped perhaps, or the wheel, but the bike slid sideways and tipped into the embankment along the road.

I quickly stopped a few feet back, and Ben passed me by and stopped.  He got off and the driver of the van also got out.  I also saw Sam coming back up the road, so he must have been down lower taking photos?

They got the bike lifted and Mike was okay, not a hard fall or anything.

They started pulling some of the weeds and mud off the bike, and then seemed like maybe there was a problem as they were not moving yet.

Ben had already ridden down to the very large mud section to be ready to assist.

I pulled around the guys and headed down myself at this point.

Ben motioned for me to use the other side of the track, and just like coming in, I was able to power through without needing to stop or put my feet down, though I did have them off the pegs in the air for quick deployment if the bike would suddenly slip and lean.

I reached the bottom where the lead rider was trying to stop traffic so we could turn out on the highway.

I got out, and Mike and the van soon followed.

We then headed onward and turned off onto a smaller highway to head north into a small valley.

We were going to visit the Punakha Dzong (Fortress) first.  It was supposed to be for tomorrow, but as we had arrived early enough, it was decided to stop today, and use the extra time tomorrow for a scenic detour.

We reached the complex and went inside.

The first part is crossing the river on a really cool bridge.

We then took some photos on the steps, and proceeded to climb up and go inside.

We reached the first massive courtyard right away, and this is where we got the history lesson for the place.

We walked around a bit to get additional details, and then we entered a small hallway that took us around the central tower to the second courtyard.

The entrance to the tower was on this side, but access to it is restricted to the monks who are using it most of the time in prayer.

A small building next to it hold the mummy of someone of importance, but I did not quite hear who the person was.

No one can go into that place except the monk that takes care of the building and mummy (including feeding 3 times a day), the King and 1 other top government official, and they require permission to enter from the caretaker.

The other building in this space was the main temple.

But as with all the other temples, you must remove shoes to enter, and no photos are allowed.

As my riding boots are a bit of a pain to get on and off, I decided to skip the interior and wait.  Brad and Mike waited with me as well.

After some time, the rest of the group exited the temple and we prepared to leave.

We did spend a few minutes talking with some riders in a group that were from Slovakia (or at least those we were talking too were).

As we were walking out, a smaller group of Australians took some of Dennis and Mikes time as they said hello.

We retraced our path then and exited the complex, and proceeded back to the bikes.

Once everyone was ready, we rode out and back up the road to reach an intersection that would take us over to the town of Punakha.

We passed through the town and out to the outskirts where we turned off to the hotel.

This road was another very steep dirt road, but at least it was dry.

At the top we reached our stay at the Bhutanic Resort.

After parking the bikes, we all went into the lobby, had our welcome tea, and then were given our room keys.

After some talking, we all went out to claim our bags, and the staff insisted on carrying the bags to the room.  I feel bad as most of the staff are women, and they are a bit small in size, and my bag is quite heavy.  But they handle it quite well.

My room was in building 3, and on the top floor, so had to walk over to the building, then up 3 flights of stairs.

I had some issues getting door open, the key is a physical key, and the key fob on it is huge, which makes turning the key in the keyhole difficult as it is tucked right under the door handle and very close to the door frame.

Once inside the room is just a small chamber with the bathroom door on one wall, the doors to the deck on the other, and stairs up to another door.

This door leads into the bedroom and dressing/work space.

The staff dropped back inside this door and left.

I then wandered the room trying to figure out what switches turned on which lights.

Then I organized and unpacked a few things.

Afterwards I took a shower and dressed in street clothes for dinner.

I played a bit online, uploading some photos and such, then went down to find Ben who said he would be in the bar at 6:45.  Dinner was to be at 7:30.

I reached the lobby and it was packed with people.  Looks like two small busses had just spat out a large group, so will be a busy hotel tonight and in the morning.

I went up to the bar after finding Dennis, who said the bar was full of people as well.

We found it, then went out on to the patio outside, and found Ben there.

We walked up to the next floor where a dinning room was.  Seems there was some confusion and Ben and most of the others thought we were eating at the hotel, but I seem to recall the discussion when we arrived that it would be a van drive into town.

Sam showed up and confirmed that, so we went down right at 7:00 and found the van waiting.

We all showed up eventually and we left the hotel to go find our restaurant

It was a bit of a long drive, and we crossed over to the far side of the river, which at night did not display many lights or structures we could see.

The road was narrow and pretty beat up, but we eventually found the place and went inside.

This is the Merengma Bistro.  It is owned by a friend of our guide, and it was his idea to have dinner here.

It was a nice place inside, so we took seats at a large table and ordered our drinks.

We then sat and talked for quite some time, and just as I was thinking we should be ordering food soon, the food arrived.

Turns out this place works on the fixed menu model.

The menu is planned and you get what they are serving at that time.

The food was good, though not much that really impressed me, but filled the stomach.

As I was not that hungry, I did not have too much to eat.

We continued talking throughout dinner and afterwards for some time.

Eventually we left to take the van back to the hotel.

We had a good idea what tomorrow would bring, and would be hitting road at 8:30AM.

Back at the hotel we all went to our rooms.  The resort is nicely lit up at night.

I pulled out the laptop and other things that needed to get charged up and got those going.

I then went to work on this blog entry.

Now that we are finished, I will probably go to bed as I am getting really tired and need to be up by 7:00AM at the latest.

Should be a good riding day tomorrow if the weather stays nice, which so far, it appears it might.

Catch ya down the road!

 

High Passes and Twisty Roads

October 10, 2026

Thimphu, Bhutan

Woke around 7:00AM and got ready.

Went down for a quick breakfast and then back to the room to finish packing.

Once done, I sat around for a few minutes to relax, then gathered up the bags and went down to the lobby.

Dropped bag at the van to be loaded and then went to the bike to install the things on it.

Skies were looking a bit overcast and clouds hanging low on the mountains.  Thinking we will be getting some rain again.

We got on the bikes and rolled out of the hotel, then we headed south the way we had come originally to reach the road that would take us up to the highest road in Bhutan.

We pulled off and started going up, and the rain also started.

After a few minutes, it was raining enough that my jacket was starting to get wet, so I decided to pull over and put on the rain jacket.

Once that was complete, then myself and the tail rider had the fun of trying to catch up with the group, in the rain, on wet mountain roads.

But we did catch them after about 15 minutes.

The ride continued to wind upward, and the rain continued to fall in a light steady pace.

About half way up, the rain stopped, but roads were still quite wet, so it was a real challenge at times to corner on some of the tighter sections, and occasionally the road was covered in dirt as well.

As we neared the top, the clouds closed in on the road and visibility was cut down quite a bit.

We reached Chele La (pass) and parked up on the side of the road near the sign.

This pass is at 3998m, and is the highest drivable road in Bhutan.

Most of the group walked over to the “café” on the side of the road for something hot to drink.

I walked around a bit to take a few photos, then hiked down the hill a bit to the toilets.

When I returned up top, I went in the café, which was nothing more than a partial shelter with a truck parked in it, and the owner was serving drinks out of the back of the truck.

I had a coffee, and then went over to the bike to grab my now soaked riding gloves so I could put them in the van and get my waterproof gloves out.

Not long after we were ready to head down, but now the clouds had thickened to the point where you could only see about 100 feet ahead of you.

We headed down the hill slowly with flashers going, and after about 10 minutes we dropped out of the clouds and could continue down at a better pace.

The road was starting to dry up, though still many wet sections that you had to watch out for.

After a series of very long switchbacks, we reached the valley below and entered the town of Haa.

Our plan here was to park at the restaurant, then take the van over to the Haa Mela festival.

This event celebrates the cooperation of the Bhutan people and the Indian Military.  India provides a fair share of the military personnel, as well as some of the more advanced equipment.  This arrangement has been in place since the mid 1960s.

Each year, the Indian military staff in town hold a festival showing off various skills and challenges.  Things like motorbike riding, archery, martial arts, horse riding are all included.

We entered town and found the hotel/restaurant where we will come back to later to have lunch.

After parking the bikes, then removed some of the bags from the van to make room for us, then we left (minus our road guide who will stay with the bikes to watch over them) for the festival.

The van dropped us off near the entrance and we stood around trying to get a good view.

After trying a few spots, we found the narrow path that would let us inside the fence.

Here we mostly split up.

I found an open spot on a fairly steep hillside, and was just able to stand on it and see over the people in front of me.  Holding my cameras up above my head gave a decent view of the field.

When we arrived, a local martial arts school was performing various fights in the field, and then they left and a large team of staff started to setup the next event.

This was the Indian military horse riding groups.

The first group of soldiers rode the horses down the field and jumped a series of fences (steeples), each higher than the last.

Then they ran a course that had them jump over a park bench, a table (with two people sitting at it), two motorcycles, something else I was unable to see, and finally they jumped the hoods of two jeeps parked nose to nose.

Once they were done, a different group took the field and rode along the front side of the area with spears and would spear targets placed on the ground.

Once done with the horse segment, that ended the events, except the presentation of awards and then they would draw the raffle winners as well.

We did not stay for the awards, and only heard the winners over the speakers.  (lots of prizes including cars and motorbikes).

We next walked down along the outer edge of the field where many vendors were setup selling food and other items.

Then we walked out behind this area and found dozens of tents with more vendors, bounce houses for the kids and a few games and other activities.

We stopped for a bit at one tent which was having a betting game.

You put your money on one of the numbers on the table, then a ball was drawn from a bag, and the winning number was paid out.

It cost 100 Ngultrum to place a bet, and if you won, you got 1000 back.

Ben and one of our guides each put some money down, but did not win.

I did not have a 100 bill, so the guide loaned me one.

I put it down, and then they asked me to pick the ball through the bag, once I had it selected, the lady reached into the bag and took the ball from my hand.

I did not win.

We then wandered a bit more and watched a few other things before regrouping with the others and finding our way back to the main road. But before that, we ended up having photos with a group of local men in some kind of traditional outfits.

The van picked us all up and we headed back to the hotel/restaurant.

Once there, we had lunch, which was pretty good today, then we got back on the bikes and ready to head to our destination.

We rode to the other end of town and stopped at a local monastery and temple complex.

Here the guides changed into local traditional clothing, then gave us a quick tour of the place, and Kinley also dropped off a donation of food and other items.

I did not go inside the temple as again, you had to take boots off and I was not going to mess around with that.

Near the end of our visit, the leader of this group was banging on a gong to call the monks for services.

He then walked down the steps cracking a small whip, and then walked along the courtyard next to the temple.

Many of the locals, and our guides would walk up and bow and he would smack them with the handle of the whip and say a few things, a blessing of some sort.  Dennis, who does practice the local Buddhist faith, also went over. 

Then a few of the others went over just for the experience I guess.

We then got back on the bikes and now were ready to head onward to the next town.

We would be taking a loop following the old highway back toward the area we started at today, then take the main highway up to the capital city of Thimphu.

We did not even get out of town before the rain came back, and this time it was coming down a bit harder.

We all pulled over to road side and put on our rain gear, jackets and pants, then headed up into the hills.

The rain only lasted about 15 minutes, but again road stayed wet for many miles.

As we went up and down the various hills, and navigated the huge number or curves, the road started to dry out and we could have a bit more fun on the road.

At one point, I pulled over to fix my GPS screen (it had gone off for some reason) and fix the GoPro (it too had stopped working with the remote).

Ben, who was brining up the rear, caught up to me while I was doing that, after he had stopped himself to do some photos a few miles back.

We both then took off to catch up to the group, and had some fun doing so.

We caught up with the rest of the group and continued on for a fair distance.

We then stopped along the way for a rest at the top of a steep incline to the river below.

We then headed down the hill and then back up the other side, which was a bit of a challenge as the road was quite beat up and covered in dirt and a fair amount of mud.

We had ridden this section 2 days prior, so followed along till we reached the junction that would go back over to Paro, or continue on to Thimphu.

This time we headed to Thimphu.

After a short time, the traffic increased, and slowly became a long line of cars in both lanes.

We stopped about 20 minutes out from the city to have coffee, and then rode back into the traffic mess.

Now we were getting slowed to the point where we had to stop occasionally.

Once we got into the city, things were very slow, and we navigated our way through the heavy traffic on various roads to reach our hotel.

Near the end, a very busy intersection caused the group to get split up, and by time the last 4 of us were able to turn onto the road, the rest of the group was no longer in sight.

We followed the road for a bit, but then things got confused.

We needed to go straight, but stared to turn.  Guide in the very back honked horn a bit and stopped us, but then we noticed the rest of the group coming back up the road as well, seems they might have missed turn as well.

After getting on the correct road, the hotel was only about 200 feet up the road.

We pulled in, parked and unloaded our bikes.

We got into the lobby and sat down where they brought us all a cup of tea.

Then they started to hand out the room keys, though this time we had to show our passports.

I was one of the last to get a room, and for some reason, John and I were both given suites.  John had joked with the desk staff that he wanted the presidential suite, and for some reason, the changed two of the rooms to the bigger suites.  As they were the last two rooms, John and I got them.

The staff helped us up to the room with the bags.  I entered the room, and then the girl with the bag came in just after, then she went around the room turning on the lights.

The room has an entry area, a sitting room with a desk (at which I am currently sitting), then you pass into the other room which is 3 times larger, it has the bed, another sitting area in the window, some tables and other chairs, and lots of open space.

Off this room is the dressing room with the closet and a bench, then the bathroom comes off that room with the toilet, a walk-in shower, a jacuzzi tub and the vanity and sink.

I checked out the room, then started to unpack the things I would need and figured out all the lights.

Took a moment to check out the view from both sets of windows facing in different directions.  It was overcast and near dusk, so not much to see, but still nice.

I then got out of the riding gear and took a nice hot shower.

After dressing, I organized a few things, and then it was nearing 7:00PM, so went down to the lobby to meet the others so we could drive over for dinner.

I stopped for a moment to check out the really cool atrium in the center of the hotel.

We loaded onto the van, in the rain, and drove around the block a bit to the restaurant.  Had it not been raining, we could have walked over.

We took our table at the restaurant, ordered drinks and then food.

The guides showed up to go over the evening and the next day’s plans.

The chief guide is going to take Brad golfing in the morning, something they talked about on our arrival in Bhutan.

The rest of us will meet around 9:00am (after breakfast) and head out to do some sightseeing.

We were supposed to visit the huge Buddha statue in town, but it’s currently closed for renovations.

We will instead go to an animal sanctuary/preserve, then stop at the Sunday market, and end at the coffee shop that our guide also owns.

We will return to the hotel around noon, gear up and hit the road.

We have a short ride tomorrow, but will be more mountain roads (all roads in Bhutan are mountain roads).

If we get into the next stop early enough, we will go see some sights there as well.

After dinner, half the group returned to the hotel, and half of us went out for some live music at a local club.

Ben, Brad, John and I went, along with Sam and our driver.  Kinley later joined us there.

The band was pretty good, singing all western music, but doing it quite well.

Brad left early to walk back to the hotel (only about 1/2 mile away).

A bit later, Sam's fiancé showed up with a friend of hers and joined us for a bi

We finally headed back to the hotel around 10:00PM.

That means it is now time for me to close this out, put stuff on charger and then head to bed.

Catch ya down the road.