Jakar to Whang Du

9 October

Jakar to Whang Du

We got up early because this was going to be a long drive. We wanted to stop on the way out of town to take photos of some chili peppers drying on mat and wooden roofs. All our other photos were on metal roofs. Side note - most modern roofs are metal. New ones are very shiny. There is a law that you have to paint your roof after a few years, but  the only approved colors are red and green. Most people seem to choose green. We got some good shots and headed out of town. Most of the shingle roof are like this - held down with rocks.

This is the 4th time we have been over this road, since we went back to the weaving center on Wednesday to take some rural shots and so I could pay my bill. They actually let me take the items I bought with the understanding that I would pay when we came back through. Tells you something about the difference in the trust factor between the US and Bhutan.

We made a few stops to stretch our legs and take some photos. Gail has a thing about stupas so we had to stop at a couple of those. There were also a couple of rest stops. The Thais refer to the restroom as the "happy room". We have adopted Edith's term for an unofficial toilet - the "happy bush". We had lunch at a new restaurant - less than 2 years old. They had western style toilets - complete with paper and flush. Whoo hoo.

This is one of the trucks from India. These drivers love to decorate their trucks. They transport all kinds of goods back and forth.

What with all the stops, we got into Whang Du at about 5:45. There were some interesting rice paddies along the way, but the light was fading and we wanted to get in by 6:00. Tandin, our driver did some amazing driving through the washout area. There was a backup and one-way traffic. Huge potholes. He is an outstanding driver. And only in his 20s. 

We are staying at the Kichu Resort. It appears to be run by an Indian family as  the restaurant is vegetarian. Alongside a river that we are hoping to see in the morning. Departure tomorrow is 7:30. We get to sleep a whole half hour later. The restaurant was out of several drinks, so we had beer. The bar was well-stocked however. Interesting. We have a riverside room. Nice white noise. A contrast with the barking dogs at the Jakar Village Hotel. 

Next stop Paro where we will climb up to the Tiger's Nest on Tuesday. It's a steep climb and takes a couple of hours. I'm thinking about taking the horse option. Not much shorter, but at 8500 ft, I'm not sure I want to risk problems with the altitude.