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Bhutan trip

Read about Bhutan quite a few years back. What's fascinating about this country is that it  measures success and progress not by GDP, but Gross National Happiness (GNH) index! GNH is a term coined by His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the 1970s. The remote kingdom opened its border to welcome tourists in mid 1970s. Seeing those beautiful photos of Bhutan posted on the website(s)  and reading the  news of Hong Kong actor (celebrities) Tony Leung and Carina Lau's wedding  in Bhutan have bring ( brought/created/generated ) much awareness of this country. 

I make up my mind that I must visit the mystical Bhutan to discover and experience for myself if the people are really a happy lot. I was also curious to know more about their culture, people and most importantly, the Food they consume! More details on Bhutan can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutan

I did my research about the country, and found out that it was gonna to be cold. What worries me most was the fear of suffering from high altitude sickness.  Paro airport is at an elevation of 7,300 ft (2,200 m) and tiger’s nest at 10,240 ft (3,120 m). I have not been to any place with such altitude and looking at some posts on altitude sickness, some people do experience headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness and sleep disturbance.

After hearing a few horror stories from my friends who had been to countries such as Tibet and Nepal, I reckoned that it would not be wise to ruin my trip if I do not take preventive actions early. I was advised to take this Chinese herbs (红景天) which helps to ease the altitude discomfort. One has to start with the medication 1-2 weeks before the trip, and to continue with the medication during the trip.

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Temperature in Bhutan hovers around 15°C to -5°C during winter.  To keep myself warm, I decided to work on layering my clothing. The base layer manages moisture, and this layer has to be close to your skin. The insulating layer protects you from the cold and the shell layer (outer layer) shields you from wind and rain. Depending on individual, you might want to add on more reduce the number of layers. Click on this web-link http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/dress-layers.html for more information.

As much hiking activities are required, its time to also gear up my body. Jogging and climbing of stairs are my weekly activity. Jog once a week and stairs climbing (up and down 15 stories, 3 repetition), 3 times a weeks.

Much preparation for the trip and this day has finally come.

I;m off for my trip, stay tune for more updates.... :)
cya

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