Arriving in Bhutan

Arriving in Paro with a group of Thai monks

I don’t think we have ever felt like VIPs before arriving in Bhutan. Our guide, who owns his own company, met us at the airport. He had parked his black SUV very close to where we exited, he insisted on carrying our bags, and opened the doors for us.
He speaks fluent, educated English, and is very open and friendly. We could also after the first afternoon, tell how knowledgeable he is.
THANK YOU MUFFY for recommending Tsewang!

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North Island 3, and Good Bye NZ

An 800-year-old Kauri Tree

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There are a 3 more pictures at the end of the write up.

Our last week in New Zealand. We have spent more time here than in any other country - not by design, but partly because we came a week early to meet June when she came here, and back home, we had thought the weather would work out well this way. SE Asia is hot & humid now, and we scheduled Bhutan for when they recommend hikers come in the spring.
There are lots of options for hiking, which we (especially I) needed to do, to maximize our success in the Himalaya.
We are so glad we had all this time, because we have very much enjoyed seeing quite a bit of this gorgeous country.
Craig has posted a piece on tips for travel here.

New Zealand travel tips

A lot of folks have New Zealand on their bucket list so I thought I'd pass along some of the things we've learnt in the past couple of months travelling here.

North Island 2 - Rotorua

I like our hostel in Rotorua - we have our own room, including a bathroom. The hostel is pretty new, the bed is (sort of) comfortable, and the kitchen is large. Craig said he felt out of place because we initially were the oldest, except for one guy who definitely looked totally out of place here, amongst the 20-something international crowd.

Link to North Island 2

The North Island 1

 .                                              Wineries everywhere


Had a sunny, beautiful, and at times very windy ferry crossing from Picton (on the South Island) to Wellington (on the North Island). Fortunately for Craig, the wind only came on towards the end, and the ferry was big, so we only noticed it when standing on the deck. The wind was strong enough, though, that I could not keep myself, and the camera still, despite the deck being totally level.

Link to North Island 1