Up, up and up some more

Today we did a serious hike, up to Bhutan’s iconic Tiger’s Nest (Taktshang), one of the most important Buddhist monuments in the Himalayan world. At 3,000m high, the monastery clings to the sheer rockface, towering 800 meters above the valley.
 
And you can only reach it on foot. In terms of distance, it’s “only” a five-mile hike but given that you’re clearing 800m in altitude within those five miles, it is steep. Very steep. (see first extra taken at the beginning of the walk: the white spot on the mountain ahead is the monastery...). It’s supposed to take about 2 hours to reach the monastery, but it was more like four or five. Just to make sure you’ve earned your time at the monastery, as you reach eye-level with it, you notice that a deep gorge separates you from it: 500 stone carved steps straight down, a little wooden bridge over the gorge at the bottom, and 500 more steps straight up. Then you think to yourself: “shoot, I’ve got to do this in reverse on the way back!” ;) But everyone who made it said it was well worth it.
 
I’m one of those who decided that mid-point was good enough, so I cooled my heels at the local eatery and mingled with the locals and guides (see extra) until the rest of the group returned. Heard some cool stories that provided some local flavor (including how the Fertility Temple works…) and got invited inside the old fashioned kitchen where they cook with big pots over an open fire, smoke escaping through an opened rooftop. And there, in a corner, sat the beautiful woman featured in the extra.
 
I continue to be impressed by Bhutan, a democratic monarchy. They’ve got their formula right: modernize (their roads and facilities are great, education and health care are free) but make sure your heritage and natural resources are preserved; that’s actually written into their constitution.  Their tourism model couldn’t be more different than Nepal’s: Bhutan favors high quality over volume; while it used to restrict the number of tourists allowed a year, it now has a self-selecting barrier: you need to show (either by pre-paying or bringing cash) that you have enough money to spend at least $250/day. That entry barrier results in a lower environmental footprint for tourism and it shows in spades from pristine settings to the service attitude.
 

Perhaps this word from their king at the entrance to the hike sums it up: “Where we live must be clean, safe, organized and beautiful, for national integrity, national pride and for our bright future. This too is nation building.”

Tomorrow our group splits up: the trekkers (not me) will go off into the mountains and the rest of us resume our 'cultural tour.'