One of my fondest travel memories to date is going to visit the mountain gorillas. I was fortunate enough to see them in both Uganda and Rwanda. While I understand the controversies surrounding animal tourism, and the risks of habituating these animals (for example, disease), I strongly believe that there are important benefits. In particular, the ability to monitor their health, their populations, their family dynamics, and other characteristics makes habituation incredibly important. 

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?

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.

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.

I've been sort of mum about Chiang Mai as there is sooo much information from travel bloggers about the city and surrounding area. And I'm sure I'll get some hate mail for what I'm about to say.

I'll fully admit that when everyone loves something (as much as so many people purport to lovvveeee Chiang Mai), I'm immediately suspicious. In fact, I tend to dislike things that everyone likes. So, Chiang Mai had a lot to live up to.

There are so many places to go, and sometimes it's hard to decide whether to return to somewhere you love or try somewhere new.  One of the places I've been to a number of times is Prince Edward Island.

If you've never been to PEI, you should go. It's fun to stop in Halifax on the way, if you are driving, it's a beautiful, charming, seaside town with a lot of history. You can arrive at PEI by driving over the bridge, or taking the ferry from Caribou, Nova Scotia.  You can also fly, though I never have.

For Columbus Day weekend, I took a quick trip to New Hampshire to visit a great friend--and visit my horse (!), who lives with her in New Hampshire.  I flew into Boston and out of Manchester, New Hampshire, where the metal detectors decided to eat me alive. Seriously, what is with tiny airports having the most sensitive metal detectors and the big airports have the ones that I can waltz through with keys in my pocket? I don't get it.

While there is more and more information out there about Bhutan, when I was planning I found much of it was out of date as things change quickly. I also had some questions that weren't really answered until we arrived in Bhutan!  So here are some things that would have been helpful to know before our trip.

On our first day in Bhutan, after a lunch at Uma Paro, we took a 1 to 1.5 hour hike from our hotel to the National Museum in Paro. The hike was pretty--the first of a few hikes we would take, with gorgeous viewpoints down into the valley.

It was HOT. Don't let anyone tell you the weather in Bhutan is not hot in September. It's hot. Even at 7,000-8,000 feet, the days are very warm. What kind of warm, you ask? You will be drenched in sweat. It's like a day in Washington D.C. in the summer. It's a bit unpleasant in the shade, but o.k. if there is a slight breeze and you aren't moving. DH was shade hopping from shade spot to shade spot just like our dog to stay out of the sun, because in the sun--remember you are at 7,000 feet--you felt like a vampire that stepped out into the light. 

I'm sort of dragging my feet on these Bhutan posts, I realize.  There was so much to see, but also a lot of things we experienced that I can't quite decide how to characterize online, on a blog. So let's start with first impressions. So often, first impressions can make such an impression, literally (for better or for worse).  

We landed a bit early, and since we were in business, we deplaned first.  And then we had no checked luggage, so we were through customs in probably 3 minutes.  Which put us outside, in a swarm of people.  There were two people coming back with trophies from a weightlifting competition, which rated quite the welcoming party upon their return! So there were friends and family, complete with a "congratulations" banner, etc.