End of a Journey
Views from PunakhaPrayer flags and rice fields decorate the landscape in Punakha, Bhutan
Views from PunakhaPrayer flags and rice fields decorate the landscape in Punakha, Bhutan
Naturally I couldn’t sleep because of the excitement from the day before. I was the first one at breakfast, but felt relaxed as we were nearing the end of our journey and didn’t have any more long drives ahead of us. Grabbed a few more shots around the hotel before heading towards Dochula Pass and the western side of Bhutan.
Dochula PassClear skies above Duchula Pass on the road between Thimpu and Punakha, Bhutan
Dochula PassClear skies above Duchula Pass on the road between Thimpu and Punakha, Bhutan
Upon getting to the pass, we took advantage of the clear skies, and even got to see the Himalayas in the distance.
Tachog BridgeA view of a small river crossing in Thimpu, Bhutan
Tachog Bridge: Drupthob Thangtong Gyalpo was the man who built the iron chain bridges in Bhutan in the late 1300s, and is said to have built 108 of these bridges around Tibet and Bhutan. Many of them are still in use today, showing how strong and durable the bridges are.
Tachog BridgeA view of a small river crossing in Thimpu, Bhutan
Attempted a few long exposures of the water underneath a bridge in Thimphu. Our guides informed us that they had closed the bridge for safety. Would have been a better angle standing on the bridge, but that’s if I could have braved crossing a rickety wire bridge.
Made it back to Paro that evening to conclude our trip. After stopping by Yonten’s souvenir shop to pick up a few last minute trinkets (Got a set of Ara cups for my Ara jar), we all headed over to the pizza place to have pizza and beers with the owner of the tour company which had dealt with us these past two weeks. I’ll be honest, at this point in the trip I was looking forward to anything but the standard tourist meals we had been served. Yonten knew we liked our beer cold, so he had planned ahead. The purveyors of Authentic Pizza took care of us.
The next day, the trip was over. Couldn’t believe it. We all packed up, headed to the airport, and once we landed, said our goodbyes in Bangkok. A few of us vowed that we were in on the next trip that was put together. Grabbed food at Din Tai Fung before getting up early the next morning and flying home. After a canceled flight and a layover in LA from Tokyo, I was back in the real world.
Elia and Naomi Locardi and Dream Photo Tours couldn’t have put together a better trip for me. This was my first photo tour, and the most exciting trip I’ve ever been on. Met a lot of great people that I will definitely keep in touch with (eh I’m still scared of dentists), and I know I will do more trips like this in the future. I even appreciated the hand written thank you note I received at the end of the trip. It was so much more than a photography tour. An experience that’s impossible to repeat. The description on their website doesn’t do the trip justice, but it’s well worth it in my opinion.
Went through a lot of pictures, and tried to develop them as best as I could. Elia’s post processing techniques are amazing, and I’m hoping practice will help me. It’s still a learning process, but as I went through them and wrote up my trip notes here, I got to relive the experiences, and am thankful I finally forced myself to do something like this, outside my comfort zone.
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