TID 8538 Bhutan Dragon Festival (4 Oct – 15 Oct,2014)

Overall, the trip was quite nice. We didn’t like the change in accommodations for the first 2 nights. I suppose it was a little like a bed and breakfast, but it was a bit uncomfortable to have to share the apartment with somebody that we didn’t know. We did get the master bedroom, so that was at least better than it was for the single person, but still we had to be pretty much fully dressed to come out of our bedroom. We had a tub in the bathroom, but it was so dirty that we would have needed some heavy duty cleaners to even use it.

You were definitely right about restroom facilities and food quality on the trip. In the Mountain resort, the bathroom floor was wet all the time around the toilet and even sitting on the toilet, my ankles were getting sprayed constantly. The food was very repetitive at every meal.

On the bright side, everything we saw was wonderful. Sonam, our guide was fantastic. He was quite knowledgeable about the history and culture and very observant to help any of us who needed anything. I am diabetic and was having some really high blood sugars from the types of food that we had because it was so high in carbohydrates. When he saw, how I had started limiting my food, he asked me what would help and arranged to have hard boiled eggs at our meals to help me eat more protein. Others, also started to look forward to the eggs and enjoyed them. I, also, was breathing quite heavily at the altitude, when we went up hills. On the first day we went on a hike, he told me that he would suggest that I use the horse option at Tiger’s Nest. I told him that I had intended to but had read on the Internet that they weren’t always safe because the horses walked on the edge of the cliff and that one man had even fallen 40 feet. He told me that he would lead my horse so that I would be safe. He really went the extra mile to make sure that everyone who had any needs was taken care of.

The other young guide that was with us, Kenchup (not sure how to spell his name) was also very nice and tried to help anybody who needed anything. The driver’s were great. They were safe and personable. They would stop for any pictures that we wanted along the way.

I’m happy that we were able to visit a country than is so unique. The people of Bhutan were welcoming and friendly. We met some lovely Bhutanese.

Liked the Takin excursion, as well as other animal stops to take pics of monkeys and yak. Enjoyed the festivals, hikes, and temples. The giant Buddha is beautiful. Also, the markets were good.