We got up bright and early for a hearty breakfast at our hotel. The Tsechu festival was in full swing, with the town busier than usual, so we started our ride from the outskirts of town rather.  Michele finally arrived after being delayed in India!

The ride started along a bumpy potholed back road following the river, before ascending up a hill to another Dzong.  It was a very pleasant climb to get our legs used to the altitude.  We had to keep our concentration up, weaving around the bumps before we got back on the main road,.  From there, it was smooth pleasant climb with lots of friendly locals greeting us as we went past.  We had a couple of rest stops along the way, and the local Bhutanese national TV came and interviewed us- we’re going to be famous in Bhutan!

The dzong we arrived at is smaller than the one in the main city, and is currently being restored. We walked up to the main courtyard and caught the breathtaking views of the valley below.  From there we visited a local teahouse, where the owner served us snacks and a very hearty butter tea made from butter from her cattle. She showed us around her house, including the prayer room where a Buddhist monk was resident and chanting prayers- they do this all day at the invitation of families. 

We cycled back down the road we came, so it would be downhill all the way back to Paro. I almost got taken out by a particularly high five from one of the local children.  The ride back down was pleasant, in between weaving around cows and flying off speed bumps.  Unfortunately Rob, one of the UK riders came off his bike with quite a nasty crash, and had to be taken to hospital.  We took the ride a bit slower after that!  There was an archery range where they were shooting arrows with traditional bows. It was quite an impressive distance with the target barely in sight 100m away.

Lunch was another hearty affair- they eat a lot of fresh vegetables cooked with spices- this would be a very pleasant place for a vegetarian. 

After lunch we were back in town and headed up to the National Museum- an old watch tower with seven levels that sits above the Paro dzong.  There were a lot of Bhutanese artefacts showing their way of life and it is well worth a visit.

We walked back down toward the main dzong where Tsechu festivities were in full swing, but most of us were too tired to stay watch, so headed back to the hotel.

We were up at 2am in the morning getting ready to catch the early flight to Paro.  Needless to say, by the time we arrived at Bangkok airport, we were pretty bleary eyed. Ernst and his son’s Simon and Michael were already there, but Michele had missed her flight so would meet us in Paro the next day. 

It was a 3hr flight to Paro but as we approached, we could see the Himalayas rising above the clouds.  With 98 of the country made up of mountains, Paro airport turned out to be quite the landing experience. We  descended into a valley, apparently one of the few places in Bhutan flat enough for a runway, making it the second hardest airport landing in the world. In keeping with that theme, Paro airport has to be one of the most amazing airports I’ve ever seen. Everything from the control tower to the airport terminal was covered with intricately carved woodwork and artwork, in keeping with the local architecture.

We were met by Jason and the Pedal Pedal crew, run by a local operator Tsering, who is running our Bhutan trip.  Tsering is a mine of information about Bhutan, and life here.  We exchanged our currency for Bhutanese Ngultrum, which has only taken over from bartering as the main medium of exchange recently (within his lifetime).

After a delicious Bhutanese lunch with many vegetable dishes including the famous ‘chilli cheese’, we headed back to our hotel.  ‘We eat chillis like a vegetable’, according to Tsering.  I can believe that.

Our arrival in Bhutan coincided with the Tsechu festival, the biggest celebration in Bhutan.  We climbed up to the ‘dzong’ which is an old fortress overlooking the town, where the 5 day festivities would take place. We watched the locals enact various folk dances, dressed in traditional garments, and having a great time.  Paro is at 2200m, and those of us used to lower altitudes felt a little puffed as we hiked up to the dzong.

After that we had a great dinner, trying to learn each other’s names, and had early night to catch up on our sleep.  There are 16 riders in our group, four of us being unicyclists. 

I arrived in Bangkok a couple of days before my trip to Bhutan and met up with Bruce from our trip.  Thailand is just as busy, hot and humid as I remember, and the food is just as good.  We went to Khao San Road and walked around the local shops and cafes before meeting Nok from Just Nok Bike Tours. Nok worked for Jason Williams back when we first started doing unicycle tours, so came on his recommendation.  We were booked for the Bangkok city night tour on two wheels because our unicycles were still all packed ready for our flight the next day. 

We were not disappointed.  Nok took us through the backstreets of Bangkok, through the famous city sights, temples, the palace, and night market to sample the amazing street food.  She was very knowledgeable and gave us an appreciation of the city that few tourists get to see in such a short period of time.  If you have only a short stay in Bangkok, this is the thing to do!