Out of Norm Travels

[transferred from my other blog, http://mty-sensa.blogspot.sg/2010/07/farewell-to-bhutan.html ] When I wrote this, I was sitting in Paro airport waiting to board the only flight out of Bhutan to Bangkok ETD 1150am.   My room-mate asked me this morning if I am happy to leave Bhutan . I replied that I am neither happy or sad to leave as although I have enjoyed my 8 full days of travelling in Bhutan , I am grateful for the experience yet thankful to be back home soon in Singapore .   My most memorable experience in Bhutan is the sight of Tiger's Nest or Taktshang Monastery in Paro . I opted for a horse ride up to the holy place which is some 45mins-1hr by walking. It was an enjoyable albeit sometimes nerve wreaking experience as the horse tended to trot along the cliff edge as it goes up the mountain side.   What was special for me to lay eyes on the monastery is that it has come to represent Bhutan to me. In almost every literature about Bhutan , a...

Transferred from my other blog, http://mty-sensa.blogspot.sg/   The guidebook said that trekking in Bhutan offers the best opportunity to experience the “real Bhutan ”. I cannot agree more although it was definitely the most challenging part for me personally for the whole trip. I think the altitude didn’t help with the “mini expedition”. I could hear the thumping of my heart throughout the entire 7 hours or so trek on the 1st day and will totally agree with my pre-trip assessment that this part of the trip is and will be a “once in lifetime experience” for me.   The trek started at Haa valley . This place is, according to the guidebook, only opened to tourists on 2001. We arrived in Haa valley after a drive through the Chele-la Pass from Paro which is also the highest drivable road in Bhutan at 3810m.   The town of Haa is essentially a training camp for Bhutan army by the Indian army. Wheat is grown here instead of rice as its elevation is higher than P...

[transferred from my other blog, http://mty-sensa.blogspot.sg/] Frankly, my 3rd day in Bhutan passed by in a blur. I recall visiting the Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten (Stupa ) on the morning after a 1 hour or so hike. After that, we stopped over at the Punakha Dzong , reputedly one of the most famous dzongs in Bhutan before heading down to a temple dedicated to Drukpa Kunley , popularly known as the Divine Mad Man that spread Buddhism through unorthodox methods. People in that area usually have phalluses adorn their walls as a means of reminding themselves of him. My fav shots for each of the sights for Day 3: 14Jun10_Punakha_KhamsumYulleyNamgyalChorten 14Jun10_Punakha_KhamsumYulleyNamgyalChorten_WayUp_Padi 14Jun10_Punakha_Dzong 14Jun10_Punakha_Dzong_Monks 14Jun10_Punakha_ChimeLhakhang 14Jun10_Punakha_ChimeLhakhang_OntheWayUp_Lady 14Jun10_Punakha_DivineMadman_Shop_Way Up Day 4 was not any better for me as I think I am still adjusting to ...

I woke up in Thimphu on day 2 in Bhutan . I took a walk along Thimphu town before morning breakfast and sighted many colorful Buddhist motifs (usually the 8 lucky symbols) painted on the pillars and buildings. I do think Bhutan has the prettiest petrol stations and bridges as even those are painted all over!! My fav shots with a monk walking along the painted bridge and the most beautiful petrol station... Part of the Sunday morning was spent at the weekend market . I managed to get a nice scarf cum belt for US10. A bridge links between the handicraft and the wet market sections. All of Thimphu 's residents purchase their fresh produce for the week at the wet market section. The fresh produce market gives a nice authentic feeling to the whole place to save it from being too touristy. Here are my fav shot (1) Lady I got my scarf cum belt from (2) Bridge the links the 2 sections We had a quick stop at the Takin Preserve to take a look at the adult and baby Takin, the Nati...

Reminiscing of my 1st Photo trip with my DSLR - Bhutan, the Land of the Dragons aka Happiest Place in the World.  I woke up at 3a.m. in Bangkok for a 3.50a.m. checkin for the 5.50a.m. flight using Bhutan ’s national carrier, “ Druk Air ”, the only flight that travels from Bangkok to the only airport in Bhutan that is in the area of Paro. We touched down in Paro at 750a.m. Bhutan is 1 hour behind Bangkok i.e. 2 hours behind Singapore .   The touchdown was fairly exciting as the plane had to navigate through a maze of the mountains and valleys and flight path was almost in a zigzag manner. I managed to get exciting birds-eye view of the flight path. For the first few moments after touchdown, passengers like me was busy taking photos of the exquisite airport with the intricate carvings and paintings. Immigration for 11 pax took some time as there was only 1 copy of the group visa for us to gain entry into the country. Here’s my fav shot of the airport. Accordin...

Made a trip down BKK again in Dec - this time down to Kanchanaburi (about 2 hrs from central BKK). Had some pretty interesting experiences during this trip so here goes.... Went down to Bridge Over River Kwai - walked along the rail & tried to imagine how things could have been done during WWII. Amazing humbling experience. Experienced staying along the river banks at this quaint (aka quiet) Thai style resort called " Ban Mai Chaiklung Resort ". Kids had a wonderful time just lazing around, taking a dip in the "working" river. Here's a clip of an unexpected dip in by my boy..... At night, we visited this lovely floating market called " Amphawa " where we had our fill of seafood & shopping (for me, the stalls had more authenticity to it as you don't actually see many tourists & of course, lovely Thai handiwork)... Made a trip down to the market on the railway tracks in Samut Songkram province, commonl...