Our third stop in Bhutan was in the Phobjikha Valley in Central Bhutan at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet above sea level. So far, at least, it’s been my favorite stop in Bhutan.

The first thing we noticed on arriving here is just how remote we were, probably the most remote place we’ve been since we spent three days in a ger in Mongolia just over two years ago. It’s a solid two-hour drive from here to anything that would remotely be called a town with shopping and all that. And in all this isolation our lodge sits on a hill overlooking the huge valley with the sounds of wind, birds, and cows, just a very short walk to some of the villagers’ houses. We could only wonder what these farmers must think of a luxury lodge in their midst.

Remote? The primary cash crop is potatoes, and in most fields we walked past you could see the tent or shack where someone sleeps every night, with a dog nearby, to fight off the wild pigs that would otherwise destroy the crop. While hiking down a mountain after a great hike one day, our guide pointed out the shack on the slope where the yak herders sleep to protect the herds from the leopards that would otherwise eat them. Houses are constructed of pounded dirt walls, and all day you could see teams of women – always women, we were told – standing on top of walls at construction sites pounding, pounding, pounding.

The Phobjikha Valley is perhaps best known as a winter feeding ground for the black necked crane, a threatened, legally protected bird with a wingspan of nearly eight feet that summers up in the Tibetan plateau. Because the valley is such an important feature of the crane’s ecosystem, power lines throughout the valley have all been buried below ground, adding immeasurably to the beauty of the area. Unfortunately, the cranes don’t arrive until October and then leave in February, so we have to come back in a few years to see them.

The other major feature of the valley is the Gangte Monastery, a 17th century Buddhist monastery currently let by the 9th reincarnation of somebody-or-other. That whole “Xth reincarnation of …” is surprisingly common here. The chef at the lodge in Bumthang explained with all seriousness that his older brother is both the uncle of the current queen – entirely plausible – and the 11th reincarnation of some Buddhist master he just assumed we’d recognize. Less plausible, from my perspective at least. At any rate we hiked one day from our lodge up to the monastery, with fabulous views, and then around the valley for a total of nine miles. Probably shouldn’t have done that given Mark’s ongoing knee problems, but it was a beautiful hike.

So, remote valley, beautiful views, great hikes, exhausting bike rides (with Bhutan’s top mountain racer, I remind you), and all the solitude and quiet and peace you could ever want. And at the end of the day we’d have a nice cocktail and great Bhutanese food that we’re continually impressed by. Not bad.

I’ve long heard Bhutan described as magical. Five days into our two-week journey here, I’m starting to believe it.

From the capital Thimphu we flew 35 minutes east to Bumthang (pronounced boom-tong, or something like that) into what seems the world’s smallest airport. We learned, in fact, that we were lucky to get in; because the airport has no radar, flights are canceled in case of bad weather which is apparently pretty common. When the planes are grounded, you drive some 11 hours through the mountains on terrible roads to get here. Instead we had a quick hop over the Himalayas that included a peak at Mt. Everest.

Our primary activities here have been hiking, biking, and eating, as will likely be the case throughout our stay in Bhutan. The lodge we’re staying in has five properties in the central and western part of Bhutan, and we’re spending three days in each of the last four. They suggest lots of great hikes in varying degrees of difficulty, and each evening to work with a guide to plan the next day’s activities. Particularly appealing to me is that in many cases they suggest driving to the start of a trail – they drive you, of course – doing a great hike, and then biking back to the lodge. Can it get any better than that?

When we arrived in Bumthang we had lunch and then decided to go for a bike ride. Ever since we did a day ride in Cambodia with a guide who complained that I was riding too fast – and who then got into the truck to just follow behind us – I’ve been somewhat leery of bike guides who don’t really want to bike. Would our guide grudgingly agree to bike with us, but not really want to go? I needn’t have worried. It turns out our driver doubles as our bike guide … and is Bhutan’s top bicycle racer. Seriously. The biggest race in the country is a 160-mile ride over four Himalayan passes from Bumthang to Thimphu, and he’s won the race two of the last three years (he rode injured last year and still came in third). Instead of a guide who complained I was going too fast, we were riding with a world class athlete!

The food is worth noting, too. Given all the traveling we’ve done Mark & I are surprised to find a cuisine that is just utterly new to us, unlike anything we’ve found anywhere in the world. The mainstays of Bhutanese cuisine are hot chills and cheese. One dish we’ve had in two different places is pretty much just that: green chilies and local cheese, and it’s fantastic. They do a lot with buckwheat and make local wines out of all sorts of ingredients. The big surprise, though, is just how spicy hot the food can be. I think of spicy food as belonging in hot, tropical places like Thailand, India, or Mexico, where the heat of the food actually cools you down. Bhutan isn’t hot, but it sure has the spicy food.

Like I said, hiking, biking, and great food, surrounded by unmatched mountain beauty. Here are some of our favorite photos. Or more than a few, I guess.

Now we’re getting adventurous. Bhutan – the Kingdom of Bhutan, to be precise – is one of the most remote places on earth. Nestled between China and India in the eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is a country of fewer than 800,000 people where by government decree 60 percent of the country must remain forested and more than 40 percent is designated as national park and reserves. It’s the last remaining Buddhist kingdom and only transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in 2008 (a good year for politics overall). There are no traffic lights in the country, the sale of cigarettes is prohibited, the value of happiness is celebrated by measuring Gross National Happiness, low-end backpacker tourism is banned, and giant penises are painted on houses as symbols of fertility. What’s not to like about this place?

One of the key reasons Bhutan is so remote is that the Bhutanese government wants it that way. Their official tourism policy is “High Value, Low Impact”; in other words they prefer a small number of rich people to having a bunch of low-spending backpackers traipsing through the country. How do they implement that policy? To get a visa to enter the country, you must book a complete tour – not necessarily a group tour, but a tour where all accommodations, meals, and travel, along with a guide for the entire trip – is covered. And to keep out the riffraff, there is a minimum charge of $310 per night per person for a couple like me and Mark. (By “like me and Mark,” I mean two people traveling together, not gay travelers. For groups of three or more the per night, per person charge is a mere $250.) Note that those charges are the minimum; you can always pay more if you want.

So here we are, our 36th country in the two-plus years we’ve been on this adventure, and overall my 84th country (Mark’s 87th). We spent two nights in Thimphu, the tiny capital city. Amusingly, our lodge was immediately next door to a gated, walled, secure compound where the retired ex-king’s four wives live. So much to untangle in those last few words! Here’s what I know. Jigme Singye Wangchuck was the fourth king of Bhutan, ruling from 1972 until 2006. In that year he abdicated in favor of his son, the current king. So there is both a king and a former king. (I assumed the former king retired because he was so old, but I was wrong. Jigme was born four weeks after I was so he retired at the age of 50, which seems kind of young to walk away from the crown.) While the current king has merely one wife, the former king is married to four women … all of whom are sisters … whose brother was prime minister under the former king … and all of whom live in a compound several miles from the retired king.

Wouldn’t you love to see a reality show with that as the premise??

So that’s the start of our two-week Bhutan adventure. After two nights in Thimphu we’re making four three night stops in other parts of the country. Then, having run out of money, we’re leaving. We expect to hike, hike, and hike some more. Stay tuned.