Kathmandu airport is really budget. No metal scanners you get a pat down, you get taken out to the plane on a bus and up the back stairs. Well some old pommy git tried to pinch my seat. I was having none of that so I sent him packing back to his missus 2 seats in front. Everybody knows on the flight from Kathmandu to Paro Bhutan you sit left hand side and get window if poss. This has to be one of the most picturesque flights in the world. You fly right along the Himalaya mountains and past No 1,3,4 and5 highest. Everest, Lahoste, Kanchendzonga and Chomolhari. I think thats right... google it if you want it right. I got pics but having trouble uploading. Arrival at Paro airport, the only one in Bhutan is down through a valley. Kinda like into Queenstown in NZ you come over the mountains and nose dive down a valley, bank hard right, bank hard left nearly drag the wing on the ground straighten up and bang your on the ground. I was picked up by my personal driver and guide and we headed straight for Thimpu (Tim-poo). These guys will be with me for the whole 7 days. My Visa says Im with a French couple. I dont know if they are going to join us later or something dodgy going on but dont care cos it saving me $40US/day single surcharge. The drive was about 40km and took abot 1 1/2 hr with a couple of stops. We followed the river and I have never seen a river so clean. We were about 40 or 50 mtr above the river but I could see every stone on the bottom. The highway, was the first built in Bhutan in the 60's and is being upgraded to two lanes getting ready for the celebrations later this year. The 100 aniversary of the Monarchy and the change to a constitutional monarchy they are expecting big nobs from all around the world. Just my luck I arrived on the Kings birthday so big celebrations going on in the city and national holiday. The hotel, Dragons Root, is bloody luxury. Id put it at about 3 star but it is heated and they have hot showers. Had my first HOT shower in a week. Im feeling heaps better. So after freshen up we went for a drive to check out the sites. We went up in the hills where I got some snaps over the city and to a "zoo". Its more like a animal park for the national aninal of Bhutan the Takin. They claim it has the head of a goat and the body  of a cow. I dont see the cow but you be the judge when I finally get pics posted. On the way down we stopped at a nunnery where we went to have a look. The nuns were in the temple chanting and doing there thing so was quite loud but when I first walked in I thought "another shop". There was a huge pile of packets of chips, biscuits,lollies etc etc. It turns out they were offerings. Last port of call the Thimpu Dzong. All the districts have there own Dzong, it is there seat of power. Usually the government one side and monks the other, like our parliament house but with monks. I was not allowed to take pics on one side cos King was in but we were allowed in. While Tenzin, my guide, was explaining something about the dzong he seemed to be trying to hide behind me. I kept moving and so did he and it was making me a little edgey so I looked around to see what was happening. As it happened the Princess had come out for a walk. All very sus. She heard about the Aussie stud in the courtyard and thought she would try to catch my eye. Ye well Im havin none of that sweetheart. So we get chucked out and we are going down the stairs and "woa stop come back up" the King is driving past. Funny people the royal family, they dont like to be seen much. I had a nice bowl of soup for dinner, my first meal in 3 days and a quick look at the festival in the town Sq and went to bed early. Im carrying heaps of money at the minute, small amount but Iv got $us, $aus, $hk, Ind rp, Nep rp and just got my first Bhutan ngultrum. Lucky for the Indian Rp cos they accept it here and I cant change Aussie dollars til the bank opens in a few days. Bhutan has got a funny smell about it. Dont know what yet, just funny.