Farewell Bhutan.
Karma, Debbie, Tashi, Murray, L and R
After saying goodbye to L&R, we headed up towards the Chelela Pass and onto the Haa Valley. As we approached the pass, we realized we were above the tree line. This was the first time we were above the tree line during our tour of Bhutan. The elevation of the Chelela Pass is 3,988 m, so we walked up the hill 12 m so we could say we were at 4,000 m. It was extremely windy at the pass and Karma (our driver) says it is always windy up there and in the Haa Valley.
Prayer Flags at Chelela Pass
Up at elevation, the trees are changing colours and it is looking alot like fall in Alberta. As we go up in elevation, we pass through a pine forest and then a larch forest. The larch trees were turning a wonderful shade of golden yellow.
The Haa Valley is one valley over from the one in which Paro is situated. Even though it is close to the airport it is rarely visited by tourists. It was nice to go there because the visitor infrastructure is not prevalent and the area has not been swept up with tourist mania. What we saw, I believe, is more what the average Bhutanese person lives like.
We are off to Kolkata tomorrow and will be sadly saying goodbye to Bhutan. We have enjoyed our time with Tashi and Karma and our traveling companions, L&R. We do recommend coming to Bhutan to meet the friendly people, watch the colourful festivals and take in the majestic scenery.
As we sit here doing the blog, the sun is setting over Bhutan and so the sun is setting over our visit. R and L have left, jetted out on Druk Air at 4pm, we watched the plane take off. It is sad to see our mates depart. Across the valley the monks are blowing their horns and I swear they are playing Taps.