Greetings from Gangtey in The Royal Kingdon of Bhutan! We arrived here by flying from Bangkok to Paro, the only International airport in Bhutan and travelled 1.5 hours to Thimphu, the Nation's Capital. Our first night was at the Taj Tashi hotel located centrally in downtown Thimphu in close proximity to the National Textile Museum, National Library and Takin Wildlife Reserve. The Takin is Bhutan's National Animal and resembles a cow with a goats head... Our 9-night adventure here is with Amanresorts and their fabulous Amankora Lodges located throughout the Western and Central Regions of Bhutan. After leaving Thimphu we travelled east via the East-West highway over the narrowest, windiest mountain roads I have ever been on in my life. Don't even think about renting a car here... there are no guardrails and the occasional concrete barrier where the highway meets the sheer cliffside face. Passing is a combination of your driver honking and the vehicle in fron signalling that it's OK to pass on the outside before an oncoming car, truck or bus. The highway (actually a narrow single lane road) takes you over Himilayan foothill mountain passes rising to 3900 metres and back down to the valley floor. On the way you pass endless pine forest, Chortens, Goembas and Dzongs but more about these later... We'll be staying two nights each at Amankora Gangtey, Bumthang, Punakha and Paro. Tonight we're at Gangtey and dining in a Potato Shed which should truly be a memorable experience. Stay tuned for more from Bhutan, the real Shangri-La!