Bee stings and Leeches

Driving in this country is beyond any road i have ever been on,including the road to Monteverde and Harris Road on Saturna at its worst.  And it isnt just a small patch, it is the entire country from west to east.  We were told that the current Prime Minister has made a commitment to the country to have a national highway finished in 3 years.  I cant image how becuse the mountains are so steep and there are constant landslides so the roads are in constant need of repair once they are paved, if they are paved.  Potholes....that is a "good road". 

So we stop reasonably frequently either to look at Dzongs (a split personality, half religious and half administrative) other interesting historical artifacts, botany or birds.  So far I think we a close to seeing 60 new species!  It is pretty amazing.  Of course Cheryl is a serious birder so that helps and our guide Chungdu is equally keen and knows his birds so that has helped immensely.  Lorne,Sheila and I arent so bad either so we four are usually keen to stop, get out and gawk. 

One of the rare and endangered birds we were told we might see is the Yellow Honey Guide.

  There are only  a few places in the country where they are found.  But guess what, because they only eat the wax of the hives, not just the honey, they are only found where there are bee hives.  Now these are not North American honey bees.  These are more like wasps or crazed bees on steriods who have massive hives on the sides of cliff and in one case on the front of the Dzong in Punaka.   As we were instructed, "dont step on the bees". I thought it was a Buddhist thing but actually if one accidently steps on a bee they send out pheromes to their friends who swarm and sting you.    Well, on our way to Central Bhutan we stopped in the Dangchu Valley to get a look at the rare Honey Guide.  We did in fact see it and sure enough  Cheryl and I got stung on our faces.  She got three stings near her eye and I got it on my jaw and also on both wrists. Yikes!  And they hurt and holly cow do they swell.  Not your average bee sting.  

Meanwhile ladies do have to find a discrete place to pee so Sheila went into the bushes only to emerge  as Cheryl and I were racing back to the van.  Several hours later, many miles and two more new birds, we stopped for lunch. Sheila emerged from the van just as Chungdu and Leki (our driver) saw a leech on the step in the van.great excitement!   Shortly after Shelia announced that there was masses of blood running down her leg.  Leech bites definitely draw the blood and they must inject an anti coagulant because the poor dear oozed blood for at least an hour.  

Just another day in Bhutan.