While feeling that there was much more to see in Nepal (to say the least), I was keen to get to Bhutan which, for me was even more mysterious. On this ocassion we were required to take a local charter flight to Paro, Bhutan, because our jet was too big for the airport (more on that later). As chance would have it, the flight was delayed a couple of hours so they organized another tour of Kathmandu to keep us occupied.
More temples.
And, plenty of street chaos.
Finally, we were summoned back to the airport for our flight.
Two things about flying from Kathmandu to Bhutan are interesting. One is that you fly within 20 miles of Everest and the other is that Paro airport, situated in a 7000ft valley surrounded by 10,000+ft mountains, is generally regarded as one of the most challenging airports to fly into. In fact, there are only 8 pilots in the World who are qualified to fly there. They all work for the Butan National airline, DrukAir.
On the first point, obviously the weather needs to be clear and it helps to sit on the left hand side of the airplane. Today we got lucky.
On the landing. It was quite exciting. The plane descends below the mountains then does a series of steep left and right turns while descending and avoiding the terrian. About 100ft off the ground, just when you think you're home free, the plane does another steep left turn then plonk, right on the runway. It's a pretty slick maneuver.
Just like in Kathmandu, we were whisked off on a tour while our luggage (limited to one roll-on per person on this part of the trip) went to the hotel.
Paro is a serene and beautiful place. It's a town that could be in the 16th century, steeped in Buddhist tradition and content with a rural, agricultural life. I'll talk about it in my next blog entry.