the ruin of drukgyal dzong: drukgyal meaning “the fortress of the victorious drukpas” is located in phondey village in paro. it was built in 1646 by zhabdrung ngawang namgyal to commemorate the victory over the tibetan invaders in a location chosen for its control of the route to tibet. however, as per some other belief, it might have been built by tenzin drukdra, the second desi at the behest of zhabdrung. it is set on a hill with a spectacular view of the valley and is about 14 kms from the town of paro. it is also the starting point of bhutan’s most famous trekking routes. at present the dzong is undergoing restoration after a fire destoyed it in 1951. if weather permits, bhutan’s holy peak, mt. jumolhari, can be seen in the backdrop.