Bhutan Day 3: Punakha

Driving out of Thimphu, we were able to see Buddha Point from afar.  I actually like this point of vue much better.

We stopped off at Dochula Pass hoping for a clear view of the Himalayas but it was super cloudy.  It didn't matter because we knew that on the way back, we would have a second chance to see it.  The fog actually made for interesting photos.

Dochula Pass:

At the Pass, there was another temple to visit, it was only a short flight of stairs but at this altitude - I was huffing and puffing still...

We took a short break on the roadside for some roasted corn snack,

before arriving to the breath taking  Punakha Valley.

At Punakha we visited Bhutan's most beautiful Dzong - Punakha Dzong.  This actually served as Bhutan's capital until 1955, now it just serves as a winter residence for monks.

 Entering the Dzong via the attached walking bridge...

 Insided the Dzong...

After visiting the Dzong, we went into Punakha's downtown area. Yep, this is it.

It was actually around 4pm by that time and all the children were finishing school and running to local stores to buy their after school snacks.  I bumped into quite a few of them.

When the day was done, we finally checked into our hotel.  If you are curious, here are a couple of pictures of what a standard hotel room looks like.  When I saw the bucket by the toilet - I wanted to cry, I thought I was going to have to manually flush ;)

 In photos the place looked fine but in reality - I couldn't capture all the leaks, dampness and musty smell. The bathroom floor was always wet and there was nothing we could do about it. The shower, the sink and the toilet leaked non-stop onto the floor.  It was pretty "uncomfortable".  Good thing we were only here for 2 nights.