It was all going quite Lord of the Rings again. We had nicknamed Bumthang, where Kunzang Choden lives, "The Shire", given its distinct air of bucolic bliss. But we now had to continue east, towards Sakteng, the fabled yeti sanctuary.

First we’d need to get to Mongar (which definitely sounded like where Sauron was based), and, fittingly, as soon as we crossed the pass out of The Shire, the landscape, weather and road all got a lot more edgy.