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As you can see from the title of this post, today was a travel day.

The airport at Paro was a little crazy, we had to go through security twice.  The first time we were fine, but the second time they tried to confiscate my scissors for my needle point which have a blade of about 1.5 inches.  I got to keep them but it took some convincing and maybe a smile or two.  We flew in the vicinity of Mt. Everest but did not see it 😟.

When we arrived in Siem Reap – an airport security person just walked us from our charter on Bhutan Air directly to our private jet- no immigration, no customs, no security – just a plane to plane transfer.  

Upon our arrival in India they just stamped our passports and off we went.  It will be hard traveling without all of these great perks at our arrivals that we have gotten.  We arrived around 7:30 and the streets were crazy with motorbikes, cars and motorized rickshaw type vehicles.  

No photos, because all we did was fly today.

Tomorrow the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.  Oh, and perhaps a little retail therapy.

Fitbit – 2203 steps, 1.04 miles and 4 floors

Our last day in Bhutan was jam packed with different experiences.  Bob took the morning off but I did not.

The first stop was to Buddha Point – think Christ the Redeemer in Rio but on a smaller scale.  The Buddha is the a statue of Maitre or the future Buddha.  It is still being built.  The Buddha and the pedestal he sits on are complete but the terrace still has to be paved and the landscaping was not done at all.  This site is on a hilltop which affords you a view of the capital town of Thimphu and the valley where Thimphu is located.  The interior of the pedestal was covered in gold with beautiful mandalas painted on the ceilings. One of the paintings on the wall was the god you would pray to in order to be more accomplished musically.  I said under my breath that it was too late for me, but my guide – an ever mindful believer – said it was never too late.  I have not tried to sing since but will let you know if it worked.  The enormous room in the pedestal will eventually hold 125,000 (no typo) Buddhas – 100,000 will be 8 inches tall and the remaining 25,000 will be 12 inches tall.  We were offered a chance to purchase our own Buddha but declined.  Currently there are 10,000 in place.

Our next stop was at Memorial Chorten, a stupa (religious memorial) built in memory of the 3rd king of Bhutan.  We all spun the big prayer wheels and circumnavigated the stupa 3 times.  The was to be a blessing on us.  While we were doing this there were hundreds of Buddhists, spinning the wheels and then circling the building.  Most had a string of beads, sort of like a rosary, that they were saying prayers with.

We next went to Dechen Phrodrang Monastery, Palace of Great Bliss.  This one was actually a school and the students were young boys.  One of the women did a video of them on her iPhone and they had a great thrill seeing themselves.  We also visited a nunnery, but it was lunch time and we did not see much.  

We made a photo stop to view Trashichho Dzong – a beautiful medieval fortress/monastery that now serves as the seat of government.

We were to have a picnic lunch by the river with dancers and an archery exhibition but the rains washed that out.  

After lunch at the hotel, I visited the Textile Museum, which had beautiful fabrics and artifacts from all over Bhutan.  It was co- founded by Melissa Gates.  A little shopping and then back to the hotel to get ready for our evening activities.

Bob was invited to attend a local basketball tournament.  He had a good time doing that.  Saw a game – but said b’ball is better in the US.  Also the officiating was better there.

Bette went to Raven House – a royal building – where we had a reception and audience with Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck.  She is a beautiful woman who greeted our group, talked personally with a few of our tour members and then we all posed together for a photo.  I am supposed to get a copy by email and will post when I do.

What a day !!!

I am sorry for being so wordy, but our unexpected Bhutan experience turned out to be quite interesting.  Here is some info about Bhutan.  There are approximately 700,000 people in the country.  They are predominately Buddhist – 90% or more.  The unemployment rate is 40% (again not a typo).  They bring in workers from India because they will work for less and the Bhutanese won’t do road building or other construction type work.  They have a king, but also have democratic ways with an elected prime minister and 2 houses of elected officials.  The former king, who abdicated so his son could lead the country had 4 wives – all sisters – and all drop dead gorgeous.  Wife 4 was the one we had the audience with, but is not the mother of the King.  They current King has a wife who he married 2 years ago. Education is free and mandatory up through grade 8.  They go to school 5.5 days a week.  The bright students will be encouraged to continue.  The government will pay for college in foreign countries, but you have to return to Bhutan for 5 years or you have to repay the cost of the education you received.  The main language is English with everyone also speaking the national language (not sure what the proper name for it is).  The national dress is worn by the people during business hours.  Men wear the goh – not sure of the name for the women’s dress.  You can not enter any religious site if your arms or knees are exposed.  The government makes sure that everyone has housing.  Cows and dogs run wild everywhere.  Bob said that a dog ran into the basketball game!  

Fitbit – 7229 steps, 3.42 miles, 45 floors

   
    
    
    
    
    
   

Bob started the day very early, so he and 54 others (about 75% of the guests on the trip and most of the staff) could get to the trail head for the climb to Tigers Nest.  This is the monestary that is at 10,000 + feet and is one of the 5 best hikes in the world.  Bob was able to make the climb (only 20 made it).  He said it was very difficult but enjoyed the challenge.  Here are some of his photos.

Bette did touring around Paro.  First we went to a farm where we learned about their family life.  The largest room in the house was the “shrine room” – not sure of the technical name.  Interestingly, the land and houses are passed from mother to daughter.  The house we visited was over 400 years old.  We asked our male guide how he was able to inherit and he said he could not.  When he married he would go and live in the house of his wife’s mother and either work at a regular job or help them farm.  They were harvesting their rice fields and we assume they were a wealthy family since they had a gas powered machine to mow down the rice.  We had passed many rice farms and the rice was being cut by hand.

Then we went to the big fort on the hilltop overlooking the town.  It is currently a government administrative building and Buddhist temple.  Again we could not photograph the interior.  We learned a lot about the wheel of life according to the Buddhist religion.

Our next stop was at a lovely hotel high in the hills for an alfresco lunch.  We had singers and dancers entertain us and ended our time with an archery demonstration.  Archery is the national sport of Bhutan.  We even got to shoot the bows and arrows.

After some shopping in town we returned to our hotel.  Had a lecture by two prominent Bhutan experts and then dinner.  Early turn in because the hiker is exhausted 😀 – so is the non-hiker.

Fitbit – 7793 steps, 3.69 miles, 75 floors

Double rainbow

We have been officially rejected by the Chinese!  Last night at our dinner and performance we were told that we had been denied landing rights in Chongqing, China (already changed from Chengdu about 10 days before we left).  The National Geographic travel staff had been working since this problem arose. We were told that we would now be going to Bhutan.

So flew from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Paro, Bhutan in the Himalayas.  It was too cloudy to see Everest, but we are hoping to see it when we leave.

We drove from Paro to Thimphu stopping at a Buddhist Dzong. We were there for some of their afternoon prayers.  No photos were allowed inside.

Fitbit – 5161 steps, 2.44 miles, 54 floors

  
 

Unusual, awesome, interesting, worth the heat and bumpy roads to get to them to see and hear about the history of Cambodia and learn about the culture.  Our guide, Rom, was very open about the time of war that he lived through as a young child, losing his father to the Khmer Rouge because he was an intellectual.  Sad story to hear, but the reality of the country.

We went to Ta Phrom (the jungle temple, think Indiana Jones), Bayon and finally Angkor Wat.  Bette went to Banshey Srei in the afternoon.  I will let the photos do all the talking for this leg of the trip.

In the evening we had dinner on the terrace and were treated to Cambodian entertainment.

Fitbit – 19865 steps, 9.41 miles, 13 floors   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

We left Australia in the rain, seems we are bringing unusual weather wherever we go.

Our flight was only (ha ha) 5 hours from Australia to Cambodia.  When we arrived we just walked off the plan, dropped our immigration card in a slot and got on a bus.  Love the arrangements that National Geographic has been able to make for us.

Our first stop was at the ticket office for Angkor Wat and other temples.  There were about 12 on our bus and in less than 15 minutes we had been photographed and received our tickets with photo on them.

We are at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor right in the center of town.  We had dinner in one of the restaurants and then we were off to an early bedtime.  Our touring was to start at 7 AM the next morning to beat the heat and the crowds. We did not opt for the sunrise photo excursion to Angkor Wat which left the hotel at 5:15 AM.

   
    
   

Our first evening in Australia, we had a wine tasting and “light” dinner. The were Australian lobsters, oysters and gigantic prawns. There were also salads and sliders. But the main attraction was the ice cream bar!   

  
    
    
    
 The next morning was our touring day. Most of the group went to the Great Barrier Reef, but Bob and I chose to go to Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest. We had an aborigine guide, Cameron, who told us about the culture of his tribe and then led us on a walk through the rainforest. At different places he was able to show us how they marked trails, used items as tools, which plants were dangerous or poisonous, and how they used natural substances to paint their bodies and a special leaf that when rubbed with water made soap. It was interesting.

After that we continued on to the Botanical Ark. This is a private preserve established by a couple who are passionate about saving the rainforest all around the world. They have gathered thousands of species of plants and have investigated how the natives in different countries around the world use them. It was quite fascinating and our lunch came from their gardens. We ate all kinds of unusual fruits and flowers and it was excellent.

In the evening the professional photographer, Chris Rainier, gave a talk and showed us some of Ansel Adams’ photos. He worked with Adams for the last 7 or so years of his life and had wonderful stories to relate to us. Chris has also served as the archivist for all of Adams’ negatives. We then were treated to a display of Chris’s photographs.

Then on to dinner. We were given vouchers that allowed us to dine in Port Douglas. Our dinner was wonderful, but the portions were so large that we were not able to finish them. 

Fitbit – 7914 steps, 3.75 miles, 13 floors

The crazy internet decided to put my photos in the middle of the narrative, help!

We only spent a short time in Samoa but it was very much fun. We were greeted at the hotel entrance drive by men in native dress carrying torches. We had our 4th meal of the day – breakfast on Easter Island, the bar-be-cue lunch, 2nd lunch or first dinner on the plane and then a light dinner at the hotel in Samoa when we arrived. Because that was the day we crossed the international date line our bodies were confused and we were just tired.

The next morning Bob worked out at the hotel gym and Bette went on tour to Vailima the tropical home of Robert Louis Stevenson. We had a kava ceremony on arrival. The kava ceremony is used to greet guests on Samoa. We then toured the museum with the head of the museum, Martha. She was a very passionate tour guide and ended our tour by singing in English and Samoan Stevenson’s poem Requiem.

We then returned to the hotel and in the fale (meeting house) and had a fia fia (lunch and native performance.).

After that we were off to the airport and Cairns, Australia. Our pilots were able to give us a look at the Great Barrier Reef before landing in Cairns.

Fitbit – 1260 steps, .6 miles, 1 floor

Sorry the photos got mixed up 😔

Our second day on Easter Island was some what better weather wise. I got up very early to go with our professional photographer to take photos at sunrise at the big Moai site. We left the hotel at 6:45 AM, thankfully the sunrise was not early. We got to Tongariki and Chris helped us set up. I was one of the few with just a point and shoot camera. There was a slip of a moon over the Moai and then the sun started to rise. It was not a very colorful sunrise but I was able to get a few nice photos. The wind was still blowing hard.
Then it decided to start raining. As we were heading back to our mini bus, a beautiful rainbow appeared, so I got to try and get a picture of that too. We then went to Rano Raraku, the quarry where the Moai were carved. I met up with Bob there since he had to tour with a group that did not do the early morning photography option. That allowed us to get a picture together at last. My last stop was at Ahu Tahai, a religious site right at waters edge. Bob visited all the same sights, just in a different order.

We then all met at Anakena Beach for a bar-be-que. Then it was off to the airport to start the “longest” day. 

Fitbit – 7101 steps, 3.36 miles and 35 floors.

    
    
    
    
 We had to fly from Easter Island to Tahiti to refuel. Then we flew on to Samoa. The first flight was 6.5 hours and the second 3.5 hours. We left in the afternoon of October 8 and arrived in the evening of October 9. We are now in “tomorrow” while those of you who are reading this are in “yesterday”. Yes, crossing the international date line makes for confusing writing.

Just wanted to answer some of the questions that I am sure you all are asking, about this fabulous trip we are on.  These were some of the things I wondered about.

Yes we go through security.  When we left Washington, DC we left from a private terminal and we had to have our bags inspected and go through the rectangle scanner.  Poor Bob, he gets patted down every where because of his titanium knee.  Today leaving Easter Island, after being scanned we just walked onto the tarmac and out to the plane.  The other stops have been a mixture of jetways and just walking on the tarmac to the plane.  We are currently in row 12, but will move to row 5 after Cambodia.

The first day when we got on board we were greeted with champagne and a caviar service.  Sadly that was only the first day.  Since then we have been greeted by baskets of snacks like – bags of chips, granola bars, bags of pretzels, M & M’s, dark chocolate Dove bars and other items of that sort.  When we get to our seats we get hot towels and can make a drink request.

There are 3 pilots, 8 cabin crew, a chef, a chef’s assistant, 2 technology people, a dedicated luggage person and 2 engineers.  The entire crew is from the United Kingdom since the charter company for the jet is located there.

We are fed sumptuous meals – for example today’s menu is:

• Starter – Roasted baby beets, horseradish lentils, Greek yoghurt and dill dressing
• Entrees – your choice from:  Mushroom flour dusted beef tenderloin, port wine jus, potato purée ( mashed potatoes), garlic green beans…OR Seared Pacific salmon, tomato lemon butter, roasted parsley new potatoes, green asparagus…OR Smoked Western black bean chili, braised white and wild rice, cilantro creme fraiche 
• Desserts – Peach lattice or Chocolate brownie or Cheesecake shot or Assorted cheeses, dried fruits, crackers or Seasonal fresh fruit

There is wine offered with our meals too.

We have lectures on each flight leg about where we are going.  These are some amazing people and they do the activities with us and eat at meals with us.  Donald Johanson is a paleoanthropoligist who has explored the development of human culture and the origins of humankind all around the world.  He discovered in 1974 the 3.2 million year old skeleton known as “Lucy”.  Jack Daulton is a popular lecturer on the cultural history of non-Western civilizations and is also an attorney.  Chris Rainier is a National Geographic Explorer and acclaimed documentary photographer specializing in documenting indigenous cultures around the world.  The National Geographic host will be Terry Garcia who will join the trip in Cambodia.  He is the chief science and exploration officer for the National Geographic Society.

There is a closed circuit wifi system on the jet that hooks into the iPads we received with all of the power point lectures on it.  The lecturer is “live” and we follow on the iPads with the slides they have prepared.  On long legs we have 2 lectures.

There is also an expedition staff that gets us to our activities.  There are 4 of them and they handle all the logistics and keep us moving.  We also have a physician traveling with us.  He has his little black bag filled with medical goodies and is unfortunately kept hopping.  Montezumas revenge and bug bites that have become infected are the ones I know about.  After we board the plane he comes around to make sure we are all okay.

Someone told me that the average age on the trip is 74.  I would guess that at least 70% are in their 60’s with 25% in their 70’s and 80’s.  There is 1 “young” couple – very interesting and charming – she works for Google and headed the development of the Chrome browser and he does software design selling his last company to Dell a few years ago.  I think they are in their early 40’s.  Lots of interesting well traveled people.  

The jet is a 757 with 90 business class seats.  They are arranged 2 X 2 with 5 rows forward, 12 rows in the middle section and the remaining in the aft section.

One of the very nice things being done for us is that at each hotel waiting for us is a pre stamped postcard and an envelope with $10 in local currency, so we have cash for incidentals.  If we don’t spend the money we can return it to our tour leader and it will be donated to a charity.