the day i climbed the himalayas on flip-flops

other bhutanese devotees also climb up to the tiger's nest on flip-flops.  the monastery was named after the ride guru rinpoche took to reach paro, bhutan, to fight the devils that occupied the area, so goes one legend.  he succeeded in taming the tiger and made her a nest there.  (historical records show that guru rinpoche introduced buddhism to bhutan and is revered as a deity).

the climb to the monastery is not that hard. there are some steep areas but trails are mostly on gentle slopes. it's 10,000 feet above sea level, double the elevation of a favorite local mountain vacation spot -- baguio city.  the strain comes more from the thin air and how well one has acclimatized.

i had to resort to flip-flops because of blisters. i failed to use double socks when we climbed phajoding (11,500 ft) in thimphu the day before.

on a side note, fire gutted the temple complex in 1998.  it has been restored to its original splendor in 2005 and is a testimony to bhutanese devotion to buddhism.