Schoolchildren in the entrance to Paro Dzong, the religious, administrative, and social center for the Paro Valley
Schoolgirls wearing traditional kiras on a wooden foot bridge that leads to Paro Dzong
Western Bhutan's Paro River flows past the Paro Dzong.
A manmade river on the grounds of the new Zhiwa Ling ("Place of Peace") Hotel in Paro
Villagers dressed in traditional ghos spin prayer wheels in Paro
The Zhiwa Ling Hotel is constructed in the traditional Bhutanese architectural style.
Prayer flags symbolizing the five elements (earth, water, fire, clouds, sky) fly at the Zhiwa Ling Hotel.
The main lodge at the Zhiwa Ling Hotel
The Zhiwa Ling at night
White prayer flags called Wind Horses disseminate prayers through the Paro Valley.
The Punakha Valley in central Bhutan
The dawn mist rises from the Paro Valley.
A view of the elaborately carved temples inside the Punakha Dzong
A local in Wangdue Phodrang.
Girls dressed in kiras walk home from school near the town of Trongsa.
Costumed monks from the village of Ngalhakhang wait to perform a welcoming dance.
A costumed monk performs a dance in a Ngalhaklang village courtyard.
Villagers from Ngalhakhang watching the ceremonial dances from the local temple
A Buddhist welcoming ceremony before meditating in the temple at Ngalhakhang
The famous Tiger's Nest Monastery on a cliff overlooking the Paro Valley
Welcoming flags fly at a campsite near the village of Ngalhakhang.
A dancer at the temple in Ngalhakhang (Robert Thurman is in the background)
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