Himalaya Adventure: DAY 4 MON. OCT. 6 THIMPHU - PUNAKHA

Today was a trial in the truest sense of the word. Lou has begun to exhibit cold symptoms that grew progressively worse through the day. The roads from Thimphu to the Dochula Pass were good, and the Pass itself was magnificent, but from there to Punakha and back, the roads were hell. I used to think the roads in Bolivia were the worst, but Bhutan takes the prize. Not only are they narrow and winding through the gorgeous pine mountains, but they are under constant construction. The construction proceeds at a snail's pace, and the road must be closed according to a schedule, so major work can be done without traffic. The problem is that the schedule is never accurate. The result for us was 2 to 3 hour delays, turning a 6 hour drive into a 10 to 12 hour endurance contest. Lou suffered badly as we headed into night, but our reward was a stay in a charming isolated mountain lodge and a decent dinner that, unfortunately, Lou had to miss because of her mounting illness.

The dzong at Punakha was massive and impressive, sitting at the forks of a beautiful mountain river. The interior was fortress-like, but featured the fine ornate carvings and colossal statuary typical of Buddhist shrines in Bhutan. It was truly a lovely site, but the ride back was tough and never-ending narrow trails that stretched an already long journey into a marathon. But this is travel, isn't it? You take the good with the bad, the inspiring with the inconvenient.

As mentioned above, our hotel is a lovely mountain lodge, perched on a high hill, miles from nowhere ... literally. It is warm, inviting, comfortable and serves good food. As Lou rested, I enjoyed a good evening with the travel group: a hearty meal, cold beer and the promise of a 5 am wake up to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas: weather permitting.