I woke up spry today considering here in Bhutan is a 13 hour time difference from Wisconsin.  The key to killing jetlag is to pretend you’re not tired and go for it.  Jim Klug, Chris Patterson and I ignored being tired in Bangkok a couple days ago and yesterday upon our arrival here I Paro we did the same.  But boy we were hurting by dinner time.

 

 

There’s another character to this trip I need to introduce, Bobby Satpal from India.  The three of us met Bobby when we filmed the golden mahseer segment for the movie Waypoints way back in 2013.  Bobby was an apprentice fishing guide for mahseer fly fishing wizard Misty Dhillon.  Bobby was pretty new back then but has developed into one of the foremost authorities on fly fishing for golden mahseer.  And he’s looking badass these days with his fancy mustache!

 

Our host Bryant Dunn, owner of  Himalayan Flyfishing Adventures led us on an amazing treat today.  Bryant and his Bhutanese guide, Karma, hiked us up to one of Bhutan’s greatest treasures, the Tigers Nest, locally known as, Taktshang Monastery.  The Tigers Nest is a spectacular Buddhist temple built in the 1600’s literally in the side of a mountain sitting at an elevation of over 10,000 feet.

 

 

 

 

We started the steep hike at 7 am.  Jim, Chris and Bryant all live at high elevation Montana and Idaho like I once did.  Wisconsin doesn’t compare and I was expecting to do some gasping.  But lucky for me, I guess my body held on to the life of being in the Jackson Hole area for 34 years living at 6,250 feet.  I made it up to the Tigers Nest without issue – other than some serious work on the calves going up and knees coming down!

 

The Tigers Nest is a tourist location and we shared the beauty of the monastery with other hardcore travelers.  Nonetheless it was a spectacle.  The fact that it was built in such and extreme place is only half of it.  The beauty and art inside is beyond explaining.  And I’m sorry to say, also a place where photos are not allowed.  You’ll need to use your imagination.  The colors of the prayer flags along our route should help with that.

 

The round trip up and down is about 4 miles.  The short journey with lots of stops for views took about six hours.  After the super cool hike we had lunch on the side of the road.  We expected sandwiches or something easy but Bryant arranged a custom cookout with the local beer, Druk.  The experience was phenomenal!

 

 

After lunch was about an hour drive to the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu.  We are staying at the stunning Namgay Heritage Hotel tonight.  I stayed in this exact hotel on my final evening in Bhutan last trip.  We were all dragging by the time we got settled around 5 PM, but we forced ourselves out for a big evening.

 

 

First we swung by Bryant’s new fly shop.  This is the first and one and only fly shop in Bhutan.  For those considering a mahseer trip to Bhutan it’s nice to know you can be fully outfitted upon arrival.  Bryant gave us beautifully logoed hats and shirts.  They should be good luck for this trip.

 

 

After the fly shop stop we went to a bar and met up with another old Bhutanese friend of mine, Jigme Tsuendrup.  Jigme was our host back when Mike Dawes and I came to Bhutan searching for mahseer for the World Wildlife Fund way back in 2014.  I am stoked that Jigme will be fishing with us on this trip.  Mike and I taught Jigme how to fly fish and from what I understand, he’s learned a ton about mahseer on the fly since then.

 

We ended our full day with yak burgers at a restaurant near our hotel.  Exhausted hardly describes our condition after that last bite.  This trip aint for sissies!

 

 

 

 

This adventure is developing into a beauty.  We still won’t fish tomorrow but we’re getting close.  Its about another five hour drive to our float trip put in.  Along the way are a few more major sights to take in including the Punakha Dzong.  Stay tuned for another fun day in Bhutan tomorrow.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing