Day 6 (Continued)

The roadsides were covered with bamboo and eventually we stopped to take a short walk through beautiful fields to a small village. It was wonderful to watch Ellery running on the path through the fields of mustard. Although we were hoping to see some yaks, they were much further up the mountains. In the village, we were treated to a tour of a real farmhouse -- much better than the folk museum.

Continuing by car, past women making and selling bamboo mats pressed by the passing cars and passing many waterfalls, we soon arrived at our lunch stop - a relatively new restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

More driving, until we eventually spotted Trongsa (Tongsa) Dzong hanging on top of a mountain. (At the viewpoint, Ellery lost her camera -- it was bound to happen). Although it seemed that we were close to Trongsa, it was another half an hour or so until we reached the dzong.

Unlike the other dzongs we visited, this one was almost completely empty, giving it a very different feel. We didn't stay there long before heading to our hotel, by far the nicest one to date. We weren't here alone -- a woman from the Netherlands working for the Department of Tourism was waiting for a group of 15 guides that she was going to take on a new trek. We had a very pleasant early evening sitting on the terrace, drinking coffee and talking. Dinner with Palden included a nice wine, and Ellery and Dorji are becoming fast friends.

written by  shoshtrvls on August 26, 2006 from Tongsa, Bhutan
from the travel blog: Bhutan and India (2006)
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