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| We checked out of the hotel by 6:15 to drive to Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport for our 9:10 flight to Paro, Bhutan on Druk Air, the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan (KSS) |
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| After a one-hour flight, we arrived in Paro, whose airport is one of the most dangerous in the world; pilots must be specially certified to fly there, as they must land manually without radar and contend with thin air and winds; a portrait of the royal family welcomed us to Bhutan (KSS) |
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| Tamiko at the welcome mural (KSS) |
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| This must be one of the most beautiful airports in the world, with large models of iconic buildings at the baggage carousels; this is the Punakha Dzong/Fortress |
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| Model of the Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu, Bhutan |
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| Airport garden; you cannot tell that the hill in the background blocks the runway ... |
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| The drivers load our luggage on top of the two Toyota Coaster buses we used; most people in Bhutan wear traditional clothing |
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| The luggage is tarped, netted, and ready to go on the 1.5 hour drive from Paro to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan |
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| Traditional building methods are still used in Bhutan, such as bamboo supports (and scaffolding) |
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| Some of the rice fields were being harvested |
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| The rushing, tumbling Paro Chu/River (KSS) |
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| Stupas (sacred monuments that represent the enlightened mind and the path to enlightenment) at the confluence of the Paro and Thimphu Rivers (KSS) |
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| Rugged mountains of the Lower Himalaya mountain range (KSS) |
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| Rice terraces in a wider valley (KSS) |
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| We had lunch across the street from the Thimphu post office |
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| Recycling center; as part of the Buddhist philosophy of interdependence (that all in the universe is connected and, therefore, our acts and behaviors impact everything around us), Bhutan is especially protective about the environment and it is thought to be the only carbon-negative country in the world, meaning it absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits |
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| The Four Harmonious Friends at the National Institute of Zorig Chusum/ Traditional Arts and Crafts |
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| There appear to be more than 13 traditional arts and crafts in Bhutan, but the "official" thirteen are: carpentry, masonry, carving (stone, wood, slate), painting, sculpting (clay, plaster), bronze casting, blacksmithing, ornament making (gold, silver, copper and gems), cane and bamboo weaving, textile weaving, tailoring (including embroidery and appliqué, wood-turning (bowls and cups), and paper making (KSS) |
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| Mask carver and his tools, with a sample Garuda/bird mask |
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| Antlered deer masks |
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| Prayer wheel |
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| Prayer wheel detail |
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| Tailoring |
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| Dormitory for students |
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| Slate carving |
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| Finished relief carving of Vajrapani, a protector of Buddha, who holds a thunderbolt (KSS) |
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| Hand carved wooden windows and decorations; there were many questions about whether these windows were first painted and then put into place on buildings, but it was said they were painted in situ, and they were |
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| Detail of the hand railings |
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| Thangka (painting on fabric) artists practice drawing, the first step in creating thangkas |
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| Perhaps a beginning class in sculpting clay |
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| A group embroidery project?! |
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| Embroidery detail |
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| Osteospermum akila/White African Daisy; many plants seemed to be imported |
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