After getting settled in Delhi, we flew to Paro, Bhutan. Bhutan is an odd little country that seems to be getting more popular with tourists. However, it is an expensive place to go. It is a Buddhist country with strict rules for tourists. You can't just show up at the airport. You must arrange a tour with a government approved travel agency which will provide lodging, a private guide, and a driver. And you must pre-pay the trip by wire transfer of funds to the Bank of Bhutan. We went as a group of two and opted for some very nice accommodations. Bhutan has some spectacular hotels on the high end. Our guide and driver were excellent and very thoughtful. Bhutan has one highway that stretches from the more populated west to the east. It is two lanes at the maximum and officially considered "paved" meaning that most of it is no longer dirt. 

Bhutan is almost the opposite of India. India has 1.3 billion people compared to 650,000 in Bhutan. India if horribly polluted and Bhutan is clean. India is an industrialized country with great economic potential whereas Bhutan is an agrarian economy probably not much changed for centuries. India is a religious melting (boiling?) pot and Bhutan is a Buddhist monolith. India has some of the best food on earth and Bhutan some of the worst.

Rajasthan, the part of India where we traveled, was for the most part a bleak dusty, trashy landscape. Bhutan is a verdant paradise. There are very few 2 hour plane rides that could transport someone between more contrasting places. We really enjoyed Bhutan. The people are very open and kind, always helpful. The mountain landscape is beautiful. The air is clean and the rivers are beautiful and untouched. 

Our Bhutan itinerary was the "cultural tour" meaning that we visited temples and forts, temples and forts, and temples and forts. All interesting and photogenic although photography inside the temples is forbidden. What we enjoyed more were side trips to schools, factories, and artisans seeing how people really lived. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan and we happened upon the national finals tournament which was impressive.

After Bhutan we returned to Delhi and took the two hour train ride to Agra. Indian trains are another world. Everyone should experience an Indian train. Once is sufficient! Agra is home of the Taj Majal. The Taj Majal is spectacular. Much larger in person than in photos and also hard to photograph. It is especially hard to photograph the Taj Mahal without people in the photos. The Taj Mahal has ~ 7 million visitors per year. That is about 20,000 per day and it is only open for about 12 hours. You can imagine the lines that file into the few entry gates. We were there before sunrise and it was still crowded. Ideally, the sun shines because the morning glow on the marble buildings is impressive. Although the Taj Mahal is enormous, it is intricately carved and the detail work and craftsmanship is stunning.

Here is a link to Bhutan photos: https://jamieharter.zenfolio.com/p1006553315

Here is a link to Agra photos: https://jamieharter.zenfolio.com/p918871042