We spent our last afternoon and the next morning in Paro enjoying the amenities of our National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World. Zhiwaling is a world class resort; it’s grounds are beautifully landscaped with willows and budding peach trees framing the Bhutanese architecture.
A bubbling stream flows through the property feeding a small lake. The rhododendrons along the bank were beginning to bloom.
The atrium of the main lodge was regal and reminded us of the dzongs we’d visited – its pillars and facades were carved of wood and intricately painted. A small display depicting the history of the lodge and a meditation area were on the second and third floors overlooking the atrium. There was also a pub with fireplace and world class restaurant on the main floor.
We walked to the tea house on property to enjoy late afternoon tea and watch the sun drop behind the mountains. The Bhutanese tea ritual compares to that of the British – water is boiled for a specific amount of time, tea is seeped in individual pots and then served with a beautiful platter of biscuits. The only downside of the experience was the other guest who joined us and talked non stop about positivity – at first, she was interesting but by the time we finished our tea, we were exhausted with her lecture.
The next morning we tried our hand at archery. The hotel supplied us with traditional wooden bows, arrows and targets to practice. The sport is much harder than it looks although we did manage to hit the target a few times. Mostly our arrows went all over the field – good thing the hotel staffers walking by the range gave us wide berth!
A resident hotel dog had birthed her pups near the archery field a few weeks earlier and they were just beginning to venture from the safety of the den. We had to be extra careful when shooting not to skewer a pup. When the pups weren’t hanging off mom’s teats, they were tumbling, rolling and playing with each other. We frequently saw hotel staff bring food to the dogs on property – although not ‘owned’ by anyone in particular, these dogs were well cared for by the community.
We left for the Paro airport late morning. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of the aircraft to see the majestic Himalaya as we left Bhutan. Our flight to Bangkok was uneventful. We landed shortly after 5 pm, then went back to the Novatel airport hotel to freshen up and eat dinner before catching an 11:55 pm flight to Seoul and onward to our final destinations in the U.S.