What better way to fight off the blues of the world financial crisis and chill of the holiday season than a good drink with friends?  And what better way to kick off a good conversation about adventure and travel than a little known cocktail from an exotic land? [Read more →]

Bhutanese boy carrying leaves for compost near Bomdeling, Eastern Bhutan

A shadowy figure glided across the thin highway just as twilight fell, our headlights throwing two keen unblinking eyes into sharp light.  I craned forward, eager to see the animal behind the eyes.  In Bhutan, a land of unparalleled Himalayan biodiversity, it could be anything – tiger, snow leopard, wild boar or even the most mysterious of all, the illusive Yeti.

A full-grown spotted leopard stared back at us, long tail twitching and ears alert.  She lithely leapt from the road, then turned back to look with only her head rising above the thick brush.  We watched her watch us, both curious and fascinated.  After a few seconds, she silently disappeared into the night like a ghost, leaving us feeling happy with our luck.

An hour later we reached Mongar, the town that unofficially marks the start of far Eastern Bhutan, an area rarely visited by tourists.  We were on a trip to explore the east in winter, the low season for visitors, in order to have the villages, parks and temples to ourselves.  It worked perfectly and in two weeks of traveling, we didn’t see a single other foreign visitor.  It was like having an exclusive ticket to the secret lands of the last Himalayan Kingdom. [Read more →]

If you ever have a chance to trave to Bhutan and witness a traditional masked dance festival, you will never forget the experience.  There is something otherworldly about sitting in the courtyard of an ancient monastery while the dancers twist and swirl around you dressed like gods or demons.

Bhutan recently crowned a new king, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in one of the most incredible ceremonies the Kingdom of Bhutan has ever seen.  You can see short videos of the actual coronation ceremony at this website.  It is really cool.

http://www.kuzoo.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=942&Itemid=76

All of the sudden, all the cars on the road swerved to the side with brakes locked.  The first time it happened, I had no idea what was going on and kept driving our tiny Maruti car up the road.  A truck roared up packed with military, frantically waving us off the road.  I parked just in time for a purple Toyota Landcruiser to roar by with more guards behind.  It was a member of the Bhutanese Royal Family.  In this mountain kingdom, Landcruisers are the royal car of choice and the royals have special license plates that read “Bhutan 1″ for the king and then the numbers grow higher as the rank in the royal family recedes.

In fact, the only time we ever saw the former king, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, was on the windy mountain pass between Thimphu and Punakha.  We were on a blind corner when suddenly [Read more →]

Although both Andrea and I had traveled and worked extensively overseas on short term contracts, it feels entirely different when we first learned we were moving to Bhutan.  I’d like to say we prepared thoroughly, but the truth is that we moved to Asia with 3 weeks notice, didn’t prepare at all in terms of local knowledge, but we did buy a guidebook on the way to the airport. [Read more →]