Guru Rimpoche Flew on a Tigress - We Had to Walk

20 to 22 Sep, 2024 - Paro, Taktshang Goemba, Chele La - (Bhutan)



Kuzuzangpo La. A common greeting, in Dzongka. "Kuzuzangpo" means good health or well-being. Adding "la" at the end shows respect and politeness. We have taken days to master this. Equally useful, and just as much of a mouthful, "Kadrinchey la". Thank you. By day five, we were starting to use the two phrases comfortably, but not always quickly. There was a risk that we would be standing on a doorstep, racking our brains for a minute, only to blurt out "thank you" as we stepped in to a restaurant, smiling at the staff and diners.

As our time in Bhutan nears its end, we head back to Paro, a little west of Thimphu. This is where the airport is located, but it is the most convenient place to stay when visiting Taktshang Goemba, the Tigers Nest. Undoubtedly, the site is what I have been waiting for the most on this trip, and the first photos I saw of this many years ago awoke in me a desire to come to Bhutan. Guru Rimpoche is credited with bringing Bhuddism to Bhutan, and he is said to have flown on a tiger to this site where he battled and defeated a demon. He then stayed in a cave for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days, and 3 hours. It is now one of Bhutan's most holy places.

Although much of the monastery was destroyed by a devastating fire in 1998, the restoration and rebuild was true and faithful to the original. The king had ordered that it should reproduce as accurately as possible, not just style and building materials, but even using original building methods as possible.

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Taktshang Goemba - the Tiger's Nest
Perched high above Paro, the climb to this monastery was obviously rewarding.

From this viewpoint, it felt tangibly close. We had ascended for nearly 2 hours, climbing somewhere between 500 and 600 metres.

But, it was not over. To get "from here to there", we had to descend and re-ascend again, adding perhaps another 100 metres of work.

Entry to the monastery is by ticket. The ticket office is at the start of the walk. You don't really want to forget that!


Selfie, Opposite the Tiger's Nest



Farm Stay Accommodation
Near Paro, we stayed at the "Tsherring Farmhouse".

Our main reason for choosing it was the on-site hot stone baths. But we did want the local experience.

The main building, besides being a temple, had a variety of rooms round the outside. Nothing fancy, but this was our little nook.


Unwinding in Hot Stone Baths
There are rooms of varying size, with one, two, or more baths. We were in room 5. The baths were ready for us, with herbal sprigs floating in them, and steaming indications of hot water.

We lowered ourselves in, and let the hot water perform its rejuvinating magic. As the water cooled, we would knock on the wooden panels. Moments later, a voice would call from the other side - "Stone?" "Yes please", we'd respond. And within a minute we would feel the thunk of large hot stones being dropped in the water of our baths.

So the ends of our baths stick out through the wall, and are well divided from where we sit, and where the stones are dropped, so as to not risk our feet touching the stones directly.

The stones are piled over a fire, and large metal tongs are used to move them about. Two or three men were servicing the baths, cleaning and preparing, or adding stones.

It was an amazing experience.


Farmhouse Dinner
Every ingredient, bar the meat, was from the farm.

The little kitten would not take no for an answer. A lap was her one intention, and discouragement was pointless.


Wind Powered Prayer Wheel
Roadside. It was not even a very windy day, and it had quite a pace.


Bridge at Tamchog Lakhang
Thangtong Gyalpo, hailing from Tibet, built iron chain bridges through Tibet, Bhutan, and elsewhere in the Himalayas, in the 15th century. He is now known as Lama Chakzampa, or Iron Bridge Lama. The last surviving of the 600 year old bridges in Bhutan was washed away by floods in 2004.

This is a recreation, using a lot of pieces from the original bridge.


Mo' momos?
In Paro, we found this little place with 3 or 4 tables, although seemingly doing quite a take away trade as well. Just momos. All sorts of momos.

Here, we have, top to bottom:
- chilli momos;
- tandoori momos;
- crumbed and fried momos (by a name I don't remember); and
- cheese momos.

The kitchen was about 3 square metres. There was one lady seated, just rolling out momo skins to be filled. A chef out back who we could only make out by shape as the shadow darted back and forth. And another two running around to take and fill orders.

It was delightful, and we had food from here twice. The first time, I took takeaway back to the hotel room, and it was so good, we knew our final Bhutan dinner had to be a momo feast.

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A Land of Castles and Forts, Mountains and Wadis, Deserts and Beaches

16 to 23 Jan, 2024 - Nakhal, Nizwa, Bahla, Jebel Shams, Al Ayn, Jabrin, Wadi Bani Khalid, Al Ayjah, Sur, Wadi Shab, Muscat - (Oman)




All too quickly, another trip is coming to a close, and another "final" blog entry is written. This one covers the time in the main part of Oman.

We opted to spend a bit more for the hire car for this part of the trip, getting a vehicle with 4WD capability. Not 100% sure of needing it, I was hesitant to spend the extra. We had no intention of visiting the deep desert sands, so we knew a true 4x4 would not be necessary, but since we were doing some areas with notorious unmade roads, including steep climbs, we felt obliged to dig deeper and cover ourselves. Now, after returning the car and assessing, the short number of kilometres we drove where it was useful would have been successfully driven in a regular car. Not easily nor comfortably, but possible. You know what they say about hindsight.

We have been observing a local custom. I would be surprised if it was just Omani, but we really don't know if this happens in neighbouring countries. When dining out, we watched the "take away ritual". This involved a customer driving up outside the restaurant and tooting their horn. Someone from the restaurant would then attend to that car. If not quickly, then the little friendly toot is repeated, perhaps as a more pertinent honk. So, the waiter, owner, or maybe one of their children, goes to the most recently arrived vehicle. Sometimes they would be required to run back in to the establishment and return with a menu. Order is taken from the vehicle occupants, which may be just the driver, or may be the whole family. Eventually, a bag or more of food is taken out, and the car leaves. Occasionally it seems the order has been pre-placed, or the driver has left and come back, but this does not appear to be the normal way. While waiting, bored children climb out of car windows or through open sunroofs to entertain themselves. There is often a need for the waiting cars to shuffle around, as they may be double or triple parked.

Jo and I had the idea of suggesting roller skates to these waitstaff, but the stairs and dirt and rocks would probably make implementation of that idea quite treacherous.

South-west we left from Muscat airport. Across the plains for the first half day, before abruptly encountering the mountains, climbing and winding over the next days, eventually nearing Oman's highest point of around 3,000 metres. It was cool at night, there, dropping to around 7 degress.

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Nakhal Fort
19th century fort, overlooking the local date plantations.


Inside Nizwa Fort
Inside the inner fortifications of Nizwa Fort. This is a 17th century fort, the inner stronghold of a much larger castle. Entrance to the fort was protected with multiple secret trap doors and pitfalls, reinforced doors where boiling date oil could be poured on enemy attackers, and many other impressive defensive components.


Nizwa Fort's Destinctive Tower
At 40m high, it would make quite the formidable task for any army of that day to consider.


Bahla Fort
One of the largest forts in Oman. Rooms here were generally left empty and unlabelled, allowing the visitor to be creative and hypothesise as one scrambled in and out and around the multitude rooms and the Escher like stairways.


Bahla Fort Interior
Built and modified over the 12th to 15th centuries. The mud-brick walls, as well as the architecture and layout, looked and felt quite different to the other forts we have visited so far in Oman. Not less refined, but they certainly did not feel as evolved.


Wadi Ghul Viewpoint
Looking down in to Wadi Ghul from the top of Jebel Shams. This canyon is often called the "Grand Canyon of Oman", and a deserved title it is indeed.


A Stop on the Balcony Walk
The balcony walk is a 5-6 km trail that runs in to Wadi Ghul. It is reasonably level, and although narrow in parts, never precipitous. Doing it in the morning meant we basically were in the sun for the majority. This lookout point seems to occasionally operate as a cafe, with two tables, although there was nobody when we came through. It is reasonably near the end (or start, depending whether you need a break early).


Another View From the Balcony Walk
Deep in Wadi Ghul, Oman's Grand Canyon.

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Then east, rapidly loosing altitude, till it was a pleasant 27 degrees by the coast. Circling back to the north, we finished with a coupld of days in Muscat.

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Beehive Tombs, Al Ayn
Some of the beehive tombs of Al Ayn, lined along a ridge. Dotted at various sites in the area, they are believed to be between 4000 and 5000 years old.


Inside Jabrin Castle
We both felt that Jabrin Castle was our favourite in Oman. The size and layout made for an excellent visit, and a good quantity of information. The furnished rooms, just lovely, and the painted ceilings are especially noteworthy.


Culturally Appropriate Signage


By the Lake, Wadi Bani Khalid
I had read about this location, but when it featured on the plane in Oman Air's in-flight safety video, I was inspired to upgrade it from "maybe" to "must do".


Chai by the Water
Although not visible in the shot, in this lake, and further upstream, families swam and played. It was joyful, listening to the chatter and laughter, children squealing with delight, adults calling and joking.

We didn't swim. Just drank chai and absorbed the atmosphere.


Deeper in Wadi Bani Khalid
Further up the wadi, the rock pools of various sizes were also inhabited by paddlers and swimmers.


Hmm, Adulterous Soap
A shop sign in the ladies souk in Sur.


Wadi Shab
Getting close to Muscat, we visited Wadi Shab. It seemed to be the most touristy place we have been in Oman, with many nationalities seemingly represented amongst those heading up. First, there was a boat trip across a smal "lake" from the car park, then on foot, past ancient water channels that are still maintained, modified, and important.


On our Walk, Wadi Shab


We Ordered Too Much
So, we knew we were ordering more than we needed. We forgot they would automatically give the rice, salad, pita, dahl, and hummus.

The prawn masala was excellent, but the chicken nashif was out of this world.


Old Muscat Gate
Unusually, Old Muscat is not at the heart of Muscat city. What tends to happen, is the historic heart remains the heart of the city, to some degree or another. A new centre may spring up, but the new city surrounds and engulfs the old city.

Muscat, though, has its new city along the coast. Kind of bumped against the old city, but then sprawled out away from it for the next 20 or more kilometres.

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Yurting in Kazakhstan Nature

3 Sep to 10 Sep, 2022 - Almaty, Kolsay Lakes, Kaindy Lake, Saty, Tamgaly - (Kazakhstan)



Kazakhstan. It's been on our wishlist for quite some time. Should have happened earlier, but along came the unmentionable virus which saw the world go mental. It feels like it is on the way home from Italy, and geographically, it is. Logistically, though, it may as well be just about any where in the world, as the low number of connecting flights out of this part of the world mean we will have some long hauls to get us back to Australia.

Things began a bit on the back foot. A cancelled flight out of Rome to Istanbul put us back 24 hours, although we did have some "fat" built in to the start of the adventure.

Almaty felt instantly comfortable. Broad tree-lined streets, cosmopolitan dining, and helpful locals. Weather was perfect, but we know it does get a lot colder than we are accustomed to - I saw some very pretty pictures with deep snow. We walked town, we ate and we drank, we saw some sights.

Shubat. We knew shubat was made from camel's milk. We erroneously thought it was just camel's milk. However, it is slightly fermented and fizzy. Although we didn't mind drinking it (a little like a fizzy drinking yoghurt), we did discover it is NOT good in your coffee!

Daniel, who worked at the cafe next to the hotel, soon became our "Kazakh friend". Each time we came in the cafe, he greeted us with "good morning my Australian friends". His English was very good, and we chatted about a variety of topics. Including one which seems to have many Kazakh nationals worried about coming to Australia. Spiders. A number of locals have said they would be concerned if they came to Australia because we have so many spiders. This would not be a problem for Daniel, though, who shared a video of his pet bird eating spider. It did not have a name.

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Market, Almaty
Day one in Almaty, after an all night flight and a morning dozey nap, we headed out on a perfect cultural immersion, the local produce market. While we had more colour splashed across the screen in some of our other photos, particularly the spices, this one stood out because of the beautiful faces.


Check Those Ribs
When the ribs are that long and slim, you know you are in the horse meat section of the market.


Zenkov Cathedral, Almaty
One of the few buildings in Almaty from the "Tsarist" period. Built in the early twentieth century, entirely of wood, even using wooden fastenings instead of nails.


Pedestrian Underpass, Almaty
This beautiful mural decorated a pedestrian underpass beneath a busy intersection. Highly notable was the complete lack of graffiti.


Jo and a Famous Apple
We have been led to believe that Almaty is noted for its very large apples. Eating an apple is a two person job, here.

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After a few days settling in to the time zone, the culture, the language, and the climate, we headed out of Almaty. We hired a 4WD, and made tracks for Kolsay lakes.

Close to the lakes, there are a number of places that offer accommodation. There are a couple of fancy hotels, some large camping / cabin complexes, and at the simple end, some locals have yurts on their land. Driving past and looking back down, we saw a farm house with three or four yurts on the land, which looked like a nice and immersive set up. Pulling up at the house, we were greeted by an old lady and a kitten. Babushka and koshka. She led Jo to the main house, chatting away to her as if she could make sense of what she was relaying. In reality, all Jo really understood was babushka. But somehow, the interaction was quite bonding. Although it was daughter of babushka who ultimately showed us to a yurt and told us the cost, it was babushka herself who had made us instantly feel like this was the right place to stay.

We gestured we wanted a meal, a dinner, and this is simple enough. Cup one hand as a bowl, and pretend to shovel food from imaginary bowl to mouth. She smiled, and nodded. Then we think she asked what we wanted. She listed lots of "things" that we might like to eat, or so we assumed. Not at all knowing, and definitely not caring, but just wanting to dine on what they do, we nodded along and gave an affirmative "Da" to everything she said. The meals we had (two dinners, two breakfasts) were all fantastic. She really treated us, and it felt authentic through and through.

The yurt (or yurta) was beautiful. We learnt a few things about yurt etiquette - enter right foot first, bow your head a bit, and always greet when you come in, even if nobody is within. The traditional "hearth" in the middle of the yurt was, in our case, replaced with a low dining table. Mats and cushions of different thickness were available, and we dined and slept there for two nights. In the morning, we just swivelled 90 degrees on our matresses to face the table, and effectively had breakfast in bed.

The day between those two nights was our hiking day. From Kolsai lake number one, to number two. It was further than we had anticipated, and this was not helped by a poor start when we struck off down the wrong side of the lake. A local boatman and his very young son took us across to the other side for a few dollars, saving us a lot of backtracking to start again.

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Along the Way, Eastern Kazakhstan
Possibly the Kolsay River? Anyway, we were driving to the Kolsay Lakes, and there was a bit of a spot on a bend where cars had parked, and it seemed like it might be interesting. And wow, there along the road was this rift through the land. So dramatically in contrast with the barren flatness that surrounded it.


Yurt is the Word
Inside our yurt. It was basic, but comfortable. Uncomplicated, but warm. A table for meals in the centre, with cushions. Mats for sleeping. That’s it. Drop toilet outside (and a little bit of a walk, thankfully).


Dinner - Lamb (or Muitton?) Stew
So, we gestured to the lady who owned the yurt, could we eat. She understood our gesture, and responded with a long list of things that we had no idea about. We guess she was asking us what we wanted or what we ate. We just shrugged, and nodded, somehow knowing it would work out well. And we were blown away by this amazingly tasty stew of tender meat.


Middle Kolsay Lake
I think we walked about 10 or 11 km from the lower Kolsay Lake (and then repeated it to get back). Mainly sunny, other than a half hour of rain and hail - well, that's mountain weather, I guess. Found a Kazakh couple who were going at a similar pace to us, so we passed them, and they then us, multiple times, and it was really nice to get to know them a bit (her English was pretty good). Anyway, the worst weather was when we we got close to the lake, so we sheltered and ate lunch for a bit, and in a short break got to enjoy the spectacular views.


Lower Kolsay Lake
After completing the 20-something kilometre walk, we treated ourselves to some drinks at this viewpoint over the lower lake.


Dinner, the Next Night
Home made "manty", a Kazakh equivalent to momos. I am not sure why I am looking so shifty...


Our Hosts
The lady in the middle, self proclaimed babushka, was sitting on the step of the house when we pulled up. Jo went and began asking her about a yurt, but she just apologised multiple times and got her daughter to come out, who was not much better at English, but a lot better at gestures and guessing. We got there.


You can Lead a Horse …

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Near the Kolsay Lakes, and still in the same national park, is Lake Kaindy. At this point, we were very glad we had a four wheel drive. Visiting this lake in a regular car would be a risky undertaking, especially with two river crossings involved.

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An Eagle at Lake Kaindy
The "handler" of this eagle seemed to show so much devotion and affection to his bird, it was touching. The bird responded to his voice, turning around and stepping out when requested. Yes, it was reasonably heavy - I could not hold that pose for too long.


Lake Kaindy, Kazakhstan


Submerged Spruces, Lake Kaindy
We did read the spruces became submerged after an earthquake, but that is not confirmed, nor when. Below the waterline, the trees appear to be preserved in situ.

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Final stop on our four day explore of this nook of eastern Kazakhstan, Charyn Canyon. Still a bit stiff from our longer than expected hike two days earlier, we set off on yet another longer than expected walk at the canyon. Thankfully there were not too many ascents or descents, but we tackled each steep stretch like a pair of Thunderbird puppets. It was generally quite exposed, and fairly hot in the baking sun. Despite the heat and our sore limbs, it was incredibly rewarding to complete both the upper and lower canyon walks.

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Charyn Canyon
Looking down to Charyn Canyon from the rim. After parking, we walked a few kilometres along the top to various viewpoints and lookouts, taking in the "valley of the castles"


Walking Through Valley of the Castles
Looking up at the beautiful formations of Charyn Canyon. We pointed at rocks giving our interpretations. A face, a cat, a teddy bear. Actually, quite a few cats!


Crashed Spaceship
My interpretation of this rock formation in Charyn Canyon.

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Then it was time to head a little west. A night on the outskirts of Almaty, and then an early start to get to Tamgaly for the Unesco Heritage petroglyphs.

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No Space Left
Petroglyphs at Tamgaly. Some rock faces had so many etched in to the rocks, that there really was no space for any more. Many animal motifs, mostly goats and horses and similar. One or two predators were depicted, and even at one place there was a turtle! Not a lot of human figures, although a few were depicted riding horses.


Some Beautiful Details in the Antlers
A magnificent petroglyph of a deer, with wonderfully carved antlers. Below, probably a mountain goat. Tamgaly, Kazakhstan.


Pregnant Cow
This very unusual petroglyph at Tamgaly shows a pregnant cow.


People Celebrate a Sun Headed God
The people at the bottom of the rock appear to be dancing, or worshipping, and other figures are involved, including animals. Towards the top is a got with the sun for a head.

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Five wonderful days, incident free. There was one close call, though, when we almost ran out of petrol. There must have been only fumes left in the tank. The needle dropped a long way below empty, and I coasted and nursed the economy however I could, praying for Elijah's oil. Finally, long after I thought we were going to be stranded, we rolled in to a petrol station. Praise the Lord.

Una Casa Abruzzese, and Two Aussies - Ending Winter

24 Jan to 31 Mar, 2022 - Bomba (and surrounds), Pennapiedemonte, Capriglia, Rivisondoli - (Italy)



Winter. As aluded to in the previous blog entry, the weather for winter was far from bad. Although short, the days for most of February and March were sunny, alowing us to fill them with various outdoor activities.

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Interesting Rock Carving Along the Way
Not far from Pennapiedimonte, on one of the main walking trails, this fantastically detailed rock carving pays tribute to the locals and their lifestyles.


Jo and Patrick
Lunch stop above the snow line.


Heading Back Down to Pennapiedimonte

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We spent nearly two weeks on the other side of the valley, house sitting for Sue and Sean. Well, not so much about the casa, but way more about the pets. Sam the dog, and four cats (Ella, Sienna, Sangro, and Florence). It was a delight to have them all over us, and on more than one occasion, we had pangs of wanting feline dependents in our lives again.

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Trying to Work without Upsetting the Cats
While pet-sitting for Sean and Sue, we loved the attention that the animals would give us - to the point where we wouldn't even move them when they were uncomfortable or in the way...


The Dogs Join us for Coffee In the Morning
Sam, Sue and Sean's dog at the foot of the bed, joined by Bella, Tim and Katie's dog, who came for an overnight visit.


The Crowded Bed
Two people, four cats, and a dog. It was rather crowded most nights at Capriglia.


Feeding Time


Strike a Pose

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Yet more visitors from Aus. Flying visit by Giovanni and Chrysi. Really, we appreciated their effort and taking time to come down to Abruzzo. We hope the meal was sufficiently wonderful to justify the trip, if anything more than our company was required.

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Giovanni and Chrysi
Dinner at an Agroturismo, with course upon course of amazing food.


With Chrysi and Giovanni in Bomba
So nice to have visitors from Aus.

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And finally, two more reveals. I know they are long awaited, but when the renovations are not urgent or pressing, it becomes easy to push them back and delay, time and time again. The kitchen was done in a few smaller bursts, by ourselves. The bathroom was dictated by us, but the hard efforts were outsourced to the tireless Ilir, who smashed (quite literally at times) through the majority of tasks in about a week.

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Kitchen Before and After
Early on, we began the kitchen improvements with the new fridge and stove. Three walls of the kitchen have now been painted yellow - and Jo could not resist putting some glitter in the paint. That happened close to the end of last year, while I was in the USA. She decided to choose the time of least resistance. That said, when I came home and saw it, I was quite impressed with how it came up. The cupboards were next to get their face-lift with a lick of paint. And finally the tiles. All the painting was done by Jo - walls, cupboards, and tiles, but we did the tile stickers together. At least I can say I contributed.


Bathroom Transformation
Unlike the kitchen, the bathroom remodelling was only partly done by us. We did the planning, and chose everything, but our workhorse, Ilir, provided the manpower and expertise. Our chief objectives - larger shower that did not flood the whole bathroom, more space and a fresher look. The curved shower was a perfect fit with existing features that could not be moved. Putting the toilet on a slight angle with the high mounted cistern meant we didn't have to re plumb the sewage. Removing the bidet and putting in a compact corner basin bought us space, and mounting a new horizontal hot water service made it feel more open in there. We are rapt with the tiles we chose, although we had to do so under a bit of pressure. "Ilir, you'll need to have the tiles soon, won't you." "Yes, but no hurry. I won't need them before tomorrow." We rushed to a nearby bathroom clearance outlet with a limited, yet diverse range. Maybe because of this smaller number of options, we surprised ourselves by agreeing after only a single visit on which tiles would be best. Finally, we added tap-ware (including a snazzy little waterfall faucet), lighting, cabinetry and mirror, shelf, hooks, toilet roll holder, and so on.

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On a random walk close to home, we made a curious find, and inside that, we unearthed an even more intriguing treasure.

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Abandoned House in Bomba
Many villages in Abruzzo have abandoned and seemingly forgotten houses. Bomba is typical, with most streets having a smattering of buildings in various states of disrepair and ruin, interspersed with homes that are cared for and obviously loved. Of course, most ruined and abandoned buildings are entirely empty, or limited to 2 or 3 broken large pieces of furniture. One March day, we noticed a door ajar, and decided an explore, in our customary manner. This is what we found - a home with no sign of anyone being there since the late 1980s. Old television and fridge and scales, light fittings,, and cupboards full of crockery. But dating it was easy. The table was covered in letters and receipts, papers and magazines, most dated 1987 or so. The kitchen still had pots and pans, and the shelves upstairs still had shoes and clothes. The bed had a bedspread, but is now ruined due to the gaping hole in the roof and years of rain and weathering. We have our theory - when the owner passed, a relative has come and gone through all the papers, possibly searching for the will. Intending to return to take care of the property, they locked and left and for whatever reason, never came back.


And Amongst all the Papers...
So, in the abandoned house, on the top of the mess of papers from the 1980's, we found a "pocket map" of Melbourne with tourist attractions and useful numbers! How random!

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Finally, we got to have a few days in the proper snow. We had planned this for last year, but rolling lockdowns shelved those plans.

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Selfie on the Slopes
Skiing at Roccaraso. Home trail, last run.


Loving our Snow Trip
Jo, part way down Roccaraso. It's been a few years since we have been on the skis, but it seemed to come back quicker than even we thought it might. Like riding a bike…

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