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Day 6

Drive back to Paro.

We stopped at Dochula pass and went for Lungchutse hike

Saw some Rhododendron along the way. Picked up juniper cone for xh.

We also saw many yaks at a flat area. They were wary of humans and moved away whenever we try to move closer to take photo. 

We spotted a beautiful bird on the wayup as well.  And a woodpecker 

Reached the top, had milk tea, taste like teh tarik. Slurrps! The Biskut was tasty too. Met malaysian here with her Belgian husband. Very interesting in the sense they got to spend time with the agency's owner home and bar and party till midnight.. 😅 So different from our experience. They also went for meditation course.

We went to the top and enjoyed the 360 view of the mountains around the temple. Unfortunately it wasnt a clear day. Couldn't see most of the high mountains.

After that we made our prayers, we hoisted our prayer flags which were a present from the travel agency. After that we continue our hike down.

We drove to Thimphu for a late lunch (ard 3pm) had pan mee and roasted veggies. Not particularly wow. But no complains. I was looking forward to dinner. 

Then head back to Paro town. Did some shopping there. Bought postcards and druk11000. Sis got her peach wine. I also bought yak cheese (but ended up feeding ants in TTDI because it was not tightly sealed) 

In the end, we end up having dinner at our lodge. 😩 I was hoping to visit a different restaurant to try diff stuff.

Sis end up chatting with an American/Canadian girl and an Argentinian couple (whom are planning to travel for few months before heading back home. They are both teachers if I am not mistaken). The husband is very good with words as he chatted with my sister..

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We woke up around 5/530am. I went for a morning run turn walk. Spent about 40 to 50mins before returning. 

Took shower, had breakfast and we depart to Gangtey Monastery. 

This monastery is so beautiful,  with the intricate details and carving. Built since 15th century. Tandin also told us that there are four mythical creatures in Buddhist. Garuda, Snow Lion, Dragon and the Tiger. There are also 21 Taras, the most. Popular ones being the green  and white Taras. Inside e the monastery also kept the ashes of one of the old master inside a stupa. Tandin also shared some information on this 3 eyed God whom he was named after. 

There are four floors in this temple and it under the care of one special spiritual leader. 

We saw the future master of this temple and got blessed by him. We found out later that this future young master is actually a son of a monk and will become the master of the temple because of his lineage. 

We stopped by and tried some yak cheese after sis bought a shawl

Then we saw this view and took some photos. 

After that we headed to Punakha. 

Had lunch at Leki Farmhouse. It took a while to get there because it was located in the high up, had to drive all the way up. The food is amazing as usual! The Farmhouse also have variety of plants and flowers. Before we left, we saw they have lemon tree. The lemon tree flowers smell superb!

We then visited Punakha dzong. This is the only dzong that we visited during this trip. First of all, the size of the dzong/fortress is HUGE. 

It was built by Ngawang Namgyel, the unifier of Bhutan back in 16th century 

This dzong is Important for five reasons: use to be the capital of Bhutan, used as the first national state or assembly, used as the royal wedding and the royal coronation (that's all I can rmb) . 

Nowadays this dzong is used as a monastery and govt office. 

Once we entered, there is mural on the buddhist horoscope and astrology. There are the zodiac animals, the triagram and the seven star path. 

There is also a painting on the four animal friends, the elephant, the monkey, the rabbit and the bird. They worked together to get the fruit from the tree. 

One of the building inside kept Ngawang Namgyel ashes in a locked room that only the king, spiritual leader and caretaker can go in. We went into the temple and Tandin explained abit on the morning and evening gods that most Bhutanese pray to daily. Dorji Namjom (morning) and Dorji Dragmur (evening). Spelling could be wrong.. 😅 

We then did a meditation at the temple before leaving. I also noticed the poles inside the temple were either built with metal or it is covered with gold... 

After Punakha Dzong, we head for hiking to a temple called Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Choeten. Tandin heard that the Queen mother might be here so he brought his scarf/cloth just incase. 

The hike wasn't difficult. There were two dogs that hiked up together with us. 😅 The view was of greens, fields and farms within the valley, surrounded by mountains. 

Once we arrived at the top, there was a ritual ongoing. We went in and receive blessing by one of the four masters in bhutan (the next tier below Bhutan spiritual leader). We did prostration at each floor except the ground floor. We then head for the rooftop to have the scenic view around the temple. You can see some snow capped mountains far far away. 

I also saw biscuit hup seng tin can. 😂  

Because we had some time, they brought us to visit their local popular suspension bridge. It was long. Walking on it, you can feel it shake when there are many people or when the wind blows. 

After the bridge we head for our hotel. We drove pass Punakha town. It was big but our hotel is like 20mins away from the town. We stopped by at a mini town nearer to the hotel to exchange money. 

Hotel was ok. Dinner was awesome. The caramelized cauliflower 😋