The first day in Paro we went to a Buddhist temple and as always, it was different from the other temples we've been to in countries like China and Japan. One thing that was different was the people's offerings. Cool-looking cakes were left at the altar for the deities. There were also prayer beads that retired people carry around to bless themselves for their next life. Here's a video of us hanging up prayer flags, while holding on to our prayer beads.

Buddhists believe in reincarnation, which is when you come back as another person or animal after you die. All of this was wonderfully explained by the tour's expert Richard, who lives in Scotland but has been coming to Bhutan and studying it for years. He was really very nice to Stefan and me and taught us a lot.

When we got to our hotel, the first word we learned how to say in Dzongkha (the local language of Bhutan), was "chilip," which means "traveler in our country," or "foreigner." So that's what we were called from there on out.

The next day, we went to go see a traditional Bhutanese festival at the Gangtang monastery and we met one of the most respected Lamas in Bhutan. At the festival there were all types of cool dance performances, like a mask dance where people come out in masks and jump and dance around. Other performances included really colorful costumes and hats.



Those where the highlights of my first week in Bhutan. I'll tell you more about the trip next time.