30 & 31 Mar

30 Mar - Tashigang to Samdrup Jongkhar
The last day's ride in Bhutan was a hard 180 kms, about 50% was roadworks, the rest was only average except for the last 15 km where they have finished the new road.

We go over our last pass where we stop for a picnic lunch as there are few restaurants in this area, East Bhutan, where although there is more population, it is mostly comprised of small villages and groups of homes dotted across the mountainsides. We visited the weaving centre at Khaling and then weave our way down to the boarder town of Samdrup Jongkhar which lies at an altitude of 200 mtrs where we stay tonight at the Mountain Hotel.

 

 

31 Apr - Samdrup Jongkhar to GuwahatiIndia
We left Bhutan and drove for about 3 hours before meeting a mini bus to take us the rest of the way to Guwahati, we stpooed for a break and drew a huge crowd,  the roads were even worse in India than Bhutan and the trafic is nuts, so we were relieved to get off the bikes and once again drew a big crowd, maybe they dont see that many groups of tourists riding Royal Enfields. So endeth the biking part of this trip, just 2 nights left in Guwahati.

29 Mar - Monger to Tashigang

We leave Mongar and head uphill again over the Korila pass 3000 mtrs, then wind down into a warmer valley which has lots of soft turns called Yadi Loops through beautiful pine trees. Only a short ride today of 80 kms before we reach our destination, the Druk-Deojung Hotel, Tashigang.After lunch we visit the local monastery and village, on the way we pass a local archery competition, which I watched for some time.

The local staple food is rice (with the local variety being red rice), potatoes, and chillies which are served as a vegetable with every meal and are hot. Most of the meals are quite tasty, but do not have the spices which are used in Indian food, flavour is added by using the chillies. Although the locals serve an eat meat, because of the Buddhist beliefs, they are mostly vegetarian dishes.

28 Mar - Bumthang to Mongar

Today we rise from the clouds into a bright sunny day, the first pass we cross is 3600 mtrs with some snow on the ground. yesterday we were riding past magnolia groves, today we are riding through an ancient spruce forest covered in Spanish moss,  fantastic. We drop down about 600 mtrs then rise up again through another layer of clouds to cross Thrumsing La pass at 4100 mtrs high. after lunch we only go a short way before being stopped at a large rockfall being blasted and then cleared so we can pass. For most of the afternoon is seems we are going downhill, weaving in and out of the clouds, we drop over 3400 mtrs before climbing back up again to our destination, Mongar which is at 1800 mtrs high. We covered about 220 hard km before getting to the Druk Zom Hotel where we stay for the night.

Every day on this trip is both physically and mentally challenging, although the roads are mostly paved, (except for where they are doing road works which is often), they are rutted, or pot holed from use, or covered with gravel, or mud, or rockfall, and never straight, so you are always concentrating and trying to work the best path through, and your body is constantly pounded by the rough road.

27 Mar - Jakar Valley

We spent this morning touring the valleys, monasteries and village in the Jakar Valley, I was very impresses with one monastery we visited, it was built in the 15 th C and seemed very simplistic in its religious icons and lifestyle, very different to the Buddhist monasteries that Ives seen elsewhere. When we arrived to courtyard had about a dozen children of various ages learning their faith. I'm not sure if its the same everywhere, but once the monks have decided to become a monk, they are committed for life. The accommodation and surrounding building look very basic, so it would be a hard life I think.

 

Walking though the village was good, the reaction of some of the children showed how rare it was for them to see foreigners, some ran an hid. After lunch I walked down to a nearby river where I spent a couple of hours looking for Suiseki stones.

 

We have not had power in the hotel since this morning, someone went to the village and said they also have no power, so I guess the whole are is not working, it seems funny when the biggest export from Bhutan is electrisity.

26 Mar - Trongsa - Bumthang / Jakar Valley

We spent this morning visiting the 17th C. Dzong at Trongsar and the museum which was a guard tower for the Dzong. These monastic buildings were designed as forts as they were built during a time when Bhutan was at war with Tibet. They are great looking wood & stone buildings, very detailed and beautifully decorated. The size is immense, and surprisingly for a Buddhist monastery, has no resemblance to those I've seen elsewhere, very little in the way of religious idols.  

 

After lunch we ride 84 km to our next stop, the Swiss Guest House at Jakar/Bumthang. It was a cold bleak ride back up through another 3600 mtr pass, with some rain, after this we stopped at Chumey Yathra to see some of the local weavers products. the building architecture has changed now that we are in east Bhutan, with there being more buildings constructed totally of wood and decorated differently.

 

The Swiss Guest House where we will be staying for the next 2 nights is very comfortable, with a wood heater in every room, as it is very cold here I have already fired it up and the room is nice and cosy.

25 Mar - Thimphu to Trongsar via Punakha

It doesn't take us long to rise up into the clouds once again, I'm now wondering if there are any straight roads in Bhutan, because of the mountainous countryside all of the roads twist & turn constantly. Although the roads are better than in India, they still vary from good to dirt where they are under repair, which seems to be a fair bit, they are very courteous about it with signs saying "Sorry for the inconvenience". The drivers are also very courteous most drivers stop and give way to overtaking traffic, as the roads are often only a single lane the traffic going the other way will also often stop and give way.  A group of Royal Enfields roaring up the street is such a rarity here that children dash out to wave, all wearing traditional clothing. 

 

So today we rode over 2 hight passes, Dochula pass, 3100 meters, which if it wasn't for the fog & cloud would have had a spectacular view over the snow capped Himalayas, at the pass there are also 108 Chortens built by the royal family of Bhutan. We also ride over Pele La pass 3500 meters. It was a long day 10 hrs including stops to cover 230km during which we visited the Dzong in Punakha built in the 17th century, it is a fort/monastery and was the old capital of the kingdom, this is where the Kings are still crowned, and the royal weddings are held.

 

We stay overnight at Tashininjey Guest House Trongsar, where I'm sitting on the balcony writing this, The balcony overlooks another 17th C. Dzong (fort/monastery), the Dzong and hotel are perched high up with a deep valley falling away from us, the fort is surrounded on all sides by deep ravines which would make it very difficult to attack.