Bhutan Deadline April 20th For Fall 2009 Trips

We are planning two trips in Bhutan this fall; a Class II-III and a Class III-IV+. Because resources for tourists are limited, we need to confirm our lodging reservations for these trips well in advance. The minimum number of paddlers for each skill level is eight. If you are interested, we need your non-refundable $500 deposit by April 20th. If we don’t get the minimum number of participants , your deposit will be returned to you at that time. Click here for details.

This remote and benevolent country is surrounded on three sides by India, and to the north by Tibet. The Bhutanese refer to their country as Druk Yul, which translates to The Land of the Thunder Dragon. Few visitors ever make it into Bhutan and so these people are often more curious about outsiders than the tourists are about them. It is quickly apparent that the fun-loving Bhutanese live out their philosophy of “gross national happiness”, which they consider to be an indicator of their wealth!

In October and November of 2008, 20 paddlers joined us in Bhutan for our Kayak & Cultural Tours. On both trips we loaded buses and trucks with kayaks and people, and paddled and toured as we worked our way east. On the Class II/III trip we traveled as far east as Jakar in the Bumthang district, and on the Class III/IV+ trip we traveled east and south to paddle the Mangde Chu. Along the way we took time to hike, tour villages, temples and ancient monasteries, participate in ceremonial dances, and of course, to paddle Bhutan’s stunningly, pristine rivers.

The kids, the dances, the architecture, the monks, the attitude; the whole culture blew us away! The foreign and exotic became intimate due to English being the second language for many Bhutanese. We had crisp, sunny fall days and cold nights. The harvest of rice, buckwheat and apples was underway, and so, weekly, the landscape changed dramatically. Throughout our stay, we got to interact with the warm and friendly people of Bhutan. And we can’t wait to do it again. If we don’t get enough interest to return in 2009, we will definitely do so in 2010!

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.

Bhutan- In The Captial During The Coronation Of The Fifth King.

(Is it O.K. that I am sitting in a hotel in Quito, Ecuador while writing about part of our trip in Bhutan this last fall? The reality is, if I don’t do it now, it will never happen and our time there was just too special not to write about!)

Part of the multi- storied fabirc religious banner, or Thondrol, is seen hanging from the Trashi Chhoe Dzong in Thimphu.

Between the Class II/III cultural trip we had just finished and the Class III-IV+ that was about to start, we found ourselves with an unscheduled day and a half. We had planned to spend it in the town of Paro where the airport is located, and where we could do laundry and chill while waiting for the next group to arrive. Instead, we received a last minute surprise from Ugyen, our generous Bhutanese outfitter. It was a hotel room in Thimphu on the eve of the coronation of the fifth king of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. (Thimphu, the capital, is located east of Paro, just over an hour away.) We weren’t sure how much of the actual ceremony we were going to be able to see, but we couldn’t pass it up.

Since our arrival in country on October 4th we had watched people hard at work preparing the roadways, temples and dzong for the upcoming event. Roads were decorated with arches, banners and prayer flags.

The van we used during our week of scouting passes under a decorative arch on the road between Punakha and Thimphu prior to the coronation.

Bhutan Oct 24th- Nov 4 Class II-III: A Queen, Sonam, and Preparing for the Coronation.

Prayer flags and paddlers on the Chumkar Chu.

While our time in Bhutan began in early October, our first group of kayakers arrived on October 24th. All were familiar faces. Everyone had been on trips with us before. Although for a few, many years had passed. So we enjoyed quite a reunion, sharing pictures of new family members and stories of our last adventures together. Mary and I met folks at the airport along with our driver Hari, cultural guide Karma, Kali, an excellent kayaker and raft guide from Nepal (whom we met in Bhutan in 2006) and Tinley, a Bhutanese kayaker on the fast track to becoming a very strong paddler and guide.

The only airport in the country is located in Paro. Situated in the west, Paro is the second largest town in the country (with some 36,000 people including outlying areas). The flight in is both breathtaking and thrilling; breathtaking with views of the Himalaya and thrilling because the airport is nestled in a narrow valley that results in one of the most interesting approaches I have ever experienced in a commercial airliner.

Dzongs, like this one in Trongsa, were one time fortresses that now serve as monasteries and government buildings in one.

Bhutan- A quick post.

The class II-III group at the confluence of the Mo (mother) and Po (father) rivers with the Punkha Dzong behind.

We are just back from running trips in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and preparing to leave again for our winter season in Ecuador. Lots of folks have been asking to see images and other information about Bhutan and we will be posting reports as we can. In the mean time, here are links to some galleries that two of the participants on our class III-IV+ trip have posted. Enjoy and do check back.

Kuzuzangbo la,

Phil and Mary

Lance’s Photos.

Nancy’s Photos.

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.