Matthieu Ricard’s photo of the Tigers Nest Monastery in Bhutan. Check out more of his stunning images of Bhutan here.
Its 20 days till our first Bike Aways Bhutan ride on June 5-13 — with space for two more spontaneous souls.
Guru Rinpoche founder of the first Monastery in Tibet flew to Bhutan on the back of the Wisdom Lake Queen, Yeshe Tsogyual, Queen Mother of Tibet, who transformed herself into a tiger to do the job.
Personally I think a little too much cordyceps arak might have been consumed by Bhutan’s folklorists, and cant wait to try some myself.
If you’ve never heard of cordyceps arak, check it out in Anthony Bourdein’s last full Parts Unknown travelogue in Bhutan where he alone out of all the people Ive met who’ve been to Bhutan, had an appreciation of its rare and obscure culinary delights (think Chili and cheese momos).
I’m in the process of designing the trip T-shirt which will be something along the lines of a team Downhill flying tigers with lots of whooshes and backdrops of mountains. I love the artwork from the show notes.
Downhill is the operative word here. We are not ashamed to say that the aggregating powers of Bike Aways are focussed on people that enjoy the ride, go through the puddle, and proudly get into the support van to knock out a hill ( and enjoy a performance enhancing shot of cordyceps arak), just because they can). That’s the whole point of being on an organised bike tour. To not struggle if you don’t feel like it.
We want you to get in the car for the big uphills and be free to cycle longer on the fun downhill bits.
Purists and hardcore types are welcome too. And you may be deluged with quartered oranges and cheers from a cheer squad passing you in the van on the way to the tops of the taller passes, but the predominant culture of this trip is a meditative ride at a pace designed to breathe in and enjoy the raw and pristine nature of this environmentally protective nation.
Travel in Bhutan is a bit of an in-out experience so you will do it all because the uphills on the way in to say Punakha and Gangtey become the downhills on the way back to Paro.
Check out the full itinerary here
We are currently 7 riders heading to Bhutan on the 5th June. We are all gathering for a Thai feast in Bangkok on the 4th before an early flight across the Eastern Himalaya on the 5th.
You could also access Bhutan from Kathmandu, Delhi, Dhaka and Calcutta.
We will list one more date this year in October or November
Alongside its stunning architecture and traditions and progressive culture on matters of happiness versus money, this is a country that is a celebration of nature, raw and reverenced, and a rolling through on a bike is a wonderful way to experience that.
We have room for two more on this June ride. And will list dates for an October trip soon.
Links:
Bike Aways Bhutan Itinerary
Anthony Bourdein’s Bhutan Field Notes:
You’ll need to seek out the actual video on Netflicks or similar.
https://www.matthieuricard.org/en/photographies/bhutan
If you cant make the trip – follow us on facebook where posts will be attempting to emulate Matthieu Ricard, or Instagram where upcoming trips are previewed with three evocative and hopefully inspiring photos and a series of convenient posters advertising the dates.
Click the image to follow.
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