Traditional Kira's for Teschu Festival & Panakha Valley

Stephanie and I were told that the Bhutanese people truly appreciate westerners who make the effort to honor their traditions by dressing in their national dress for the Teschu Festival. So, we began shopping the first day in Paro. Above I purchased a tradition Kira and stand at the entrance of our first hotel - the Haven Hotel in Paro.

Sonam, the Bhutanese woman who wove this silk and cotton cloth thirty-five years ago, helped me wrap the full-length Kira in the proper way. I couldn't leave it behind. Stephanie and I were in that shop for about two hours and Sonam served us tea when we were finished.

From there we traveled nine hours on Bhutan's National Highway that is under construction from Bumthang to Thimpu. Below is a typical scene on Bhutan's National Highway. 😱. This is Bhutan's Achilles heel. Treacherous travel! There were boulders falling on mountainous sections, as well as cows, horses, and stray dogs happily using the road-- often at hairpin curves. And there's only this one road to and from Bumthang. This highway brought our "happiness index" way down. Even our driver had white knuckles.

We traveled to the area where the rare Black Necked Cranes migrate, the Gangtey Valley, even though the cranes had not yet arrived. They come in Mid-October and stay until March to mid-April. That would be a nice time to return to Bhutan as the famous Rhodedendrons are in bloom throughout the forests of Bhutan.

A rescued Crane with a broken wing that lives there year round. They are sacred to the Bhutanese and are found in their art going back centuries.

Fruit and vegetable stand on the side of a mountain en route to Panakha Valley.

Typical scene on the roads of Bhutan.

I really loved the Panakha Valley in Central Bhutan. This is a cell phone photo from the terrace of the RKPO Green Resort hotel. Four stars and quite nice.