Happy Thanksgiving! In the spirit of delicious food....

If someone was asked to describe me, I can most definitely bet they would not say I was "cheery" and "optimistic". Nope, I'm pleasant, but definitely more realistic and a bit grumpy.  Why should you care? Well, I feel like being a storm cloud of rain today, so here is my week in travel blahs.

After traveling quite a bit the past month, and getting sick quite a bit in the past month, I'm ready for Christmas carols and cookies and lights. Those things make me happy. 

If we thought Paro was a bit warm, Punakha was crazy hot and humid, but the valley was gorgeous. We arrived in Punakha after a fun drive from Thimpu, in which I was thanking my motion-sickness patch every hairpin turn along the way.

The COMO Punakha property is stunning, it's new, quaint, and with an absolutely beautiful view. They have a deck that is just incredible, overlooking the valley and perfect for an early breakfast or sundowner.

We spent 2 nights in Punakha. Our first stop was at Chimi Lhakhang, otherwise known as the Temple of the Divine Madman. Catchy, right?

Wow. WOW. So this a totally new concept to me, and I'd be interested to hear from other travelers if they were aware this existed.

Perhaps I'm sort of shell-shocked because this concept most definitely wouldn't be so palatable in the United States. Cough (major understatement). I really haven't made up my mind about how I feel about social tourism. It's honestly sort of a bizarre concept. If nothing else, this really highlights some of the fundamental differences that exist between the United States and Europe in terms of social welfare.

One of the most enjoyable things we did in Bhutan was play archery and darts with our guide (and we got our driver to join in on day 2!). We had such a fantastic time enjoying these 'quintessential' Bhutanese sports.

Highlights:
-Me hitting my arm with the string on the bow and the resulting 6 inch bruise. 
-Actually being better than DH at archery. 
-Husband actually being awesome at darts.
-Husband laughing at my 6 inch bruise and immediately doing the same thing the next day.

One of the things I've grown a bit accustomed to over the years is airport lounge access. This all started with my mom, who as a Star Alliance Gold member has access to a lounge in most international airports.  When you get off a 14 hour flight, I really find it relaxing to go sit in a lounge, with wifi and a free beer (though for good ol' motion sick me, it's often ginger ale instead). So when DH and I were heading to Bhutan and Thailand, I made sure we would have lounge access along the way.   I'm really not a lounge snob (I know you are out there) and appreciate whatever is available, particularly internationally. More than anything, I like that lounge bathrooms are typically cleaner than those in the general areas. And the chairs are comfier. And I don't have to pay $8 for some water (I'm looking at you Charles de Gaulle).

I'm not one to just rave about hotel experiences. It's very rare for me to really, really like a hotel.  But our experience with the COMO properties in both Bangkok and Bhutan were excellent, and I would not hesitate to stay at another COMO property in the future. (COMO did not pay for our stay or provide us any compensation for this endorsement, just so we're up front here.)

When we were first planning for our trip, the idea was to stay at the Metropolitan by COMO in Bangkok for one night--as we received a complimentary night for booking our Bhutan package with COMO.  Then, I had planned to use points to stay in a Marriott for the other two nights.  That plan was sort of scrapped when I drained most of my Marriott points in Naples, when we went to visit Pompeii. But one of the Marriott hotels was still less expensive, so we were considering a move.

I came to my senses and we realized how silly that was, with how little time we were spending in Bangkok. Did we really want to change hotels? No. Plus, we got a promotional rate at the Metropolitan, through COMO, since we had booked them as our tour operator in Bhutan.  So the Metropolitan it was.

I don't think anyone goes to Bhutan, at least the first time, and doesn't hike to the Tiger's Nest, which is more correctly called Paro Taktsang Monastery.

For many visitors, hiking to the Tiger's Nest is the most strenuous thing they will do during their visit and as such, a source of some apprehension.  So here are some FAQs from our experience climbing to the Tiger's Nest.

Do you need hiking boots?
Absolutely not. Even if it was really muddy I think hiking boots would be overkill. There are not boulders or rocks, and the hardest part of the whole hike is the set of stairs at the end, close to the monastery. DH and I both hiked in lightweight trail running shoes, and though we are both fit and active, we still feel like hiking boots are really unnecessary. If you are particularly concerned, you can get hiking shoes.

Are there tigers?
Uh, no. But if you see one, you might want to sit down and make sure you aren't about to faint.