Bhutan part 1

Traveling to Bhutan was like a trip back in time to a magical place. Things are starting to change there, but they still wear traditional dress, turn prayer wheels at every opportunity and don't have a Starbucks on every corner. It is a magical place with temples built on the edges of cliffs and tops of mountains. People still herd yaks and thresh rice by hand, although we did see the introduction of some small threshing equipment, harvesting is still done with a sickle.

Paro Dhzong, county seat of both government and religion

 Bhutanese architecture has beautiful carvings and intricate paintings

 Prayer wheel turned by water

 Hiking to Tiger's Nest, the temple in the background at 10,000 feet (getting the building material up there is quite a project)

 Rock cairns built in the stream

 Girls on the way home from school in their traditional dress

 Bundling rice

 Monks getting ready for prayers, the one boy is sneaking some food from the offering table into his mouth

 Jesters at a small village festival

 Children at the festival

 They loved having their picture taken and then being able to see it on the iPhone

 Mask dancers at the festival, a day of songs and dancing and celebrating for the whole village

 Village near the festival, up a dirt road into the mountains

 Walking on a chain link fence over the river