Elite Traveler November-December 2015

INSPIRE BALLOONING

elite traveler NOV/DEC 2015 ISSUE 6 117

fragrant pine forests where rhododendrons were bursting into flower. We encountered a village woman shearing a struggling black sheep with hand clippers, a young shepherdess protecting her flock from leopards and foxes and a semi-nomadic yak herder driving his animals up to the high mountain pastures for the summer. We suffered just one disappointment. We were permitted to wander at will through the many fabulously decorated courtyards and temples of the ancient monastery, but we were forbidden from entering one locked room. The Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner had more luck in 1991. “Nailed to the wall by the back of its scalp was the hide of a 'red yeti',” he wrote later. “I was trembling with excitement. Bones were still attached to the relic's hands and legs, and from its head, which was largely bald, hung a long, black hank of hair.” A touch macabre, perhaps. But it is all part of the otherworldly charm of this beautifully-preserved, timeless paradise. Martin traveled with The Ultimate Travel Company. From $9,280 per person for a tailor-made trip, including accommodation, meals and balloon flight (+44 203 733 4588, theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk)

Below left: Buddhist monks in their monastery Below: A villager takes part in an archery competition. This is Bhutan's national sport