Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 24

The animal the Takin - heard of it? Didn’t think so! This is an animal that is said to have been made by a “Divine Madman” who after devouring a cow and goat used the bones of the said animals to create a new animal that came alive after he uttered a few words and it started to eat in the meadow. This is how the Bhutanese believe the Takin was created and so it is Bhutan’s national animal. And in the flesh it is just as weird but strangely mesmerizing, as it has such a gentle inquisitive personality, as we found out when Sonam, our guide, started attracting its attention with a branch of a tree and it came over the devoured the lot by pulling the leaves expertly off the branches. After this ... read more

Thimpu was the best... every lane has more than a few hotels ... where do the locals live? I couldnt see any houses at all. But the hotels were great.. Hotel Pedling especially. We set out one morning early to find breakfast at 8:30 am - we searched most market lanes... the few "local" shops/bars/restuarants which were open had food from the previous night. Roads were deserted but clean... we finally found a place called Tasty Bites which gave us great Aloo Parathas which are nothing like the Parathas I have eaten before. (Thats us searching for a nice local breakfast joint Rinchenling Lodge at Paro was a SURPRISE. Its a wood panelled house - few rooms, a small garden/orchard... luxurious settings... we had the whole place to ourselves. The manager running it is gracious... we ... read more

Bhutan is really an amazing place - traditional, almost like time has stood still. Thimpu is the city, Paro the town, and others are really tiny... Punakha - dont know if it can be called a town - its so small! Everyone wears the traditional dress. Though I did meet a teacher in Pheuntsholing - who was from Nepal and she said they have to wear the dress though they would prefer not to. But the police may check and hence they need to. Young boys play the guitar, sing, watch movies and TV.. but its all very protected from western influences. Bhutan identifies closely with the culture and religion in Tibet - bit is always wary of its Chinese neighbours. India is a big brother - friendly and powerful, preferred over China. Many young ... read more

Bhutan. Druk Yul in the local language, Dzongkha. Translated, that is the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon. At one time this hidden country, high in the Himalayas, was considered the Shangri-La, the land beyond the blue horizon of so many fables and myths. Now, this isolated Kingdom is being confronted with incredible choices as they and the 21st Century meet. It is a Kingdom. There is a King. He and his predecessors have been in power for about 100 years. The Kings have been truly benevolent and caring rulers, looking out for what is best for their subjects. Like refusing to let their land be destroyed by mining and instead developing their natural resources so environmentally sensitive travelers like me would come and spend money. Or deciding that no dams would be built on their ... read more

Waking up in the annex I fall prey to the usual tug of war; and as usual the warm bed always seems to lose in favour of a cold water shower, I don't know quite how that works. Dorji comes by to pick me up to drive me over to the hotel for breakfast, the token toasts with jam and some tea. It is a lovely morning, sunshine and quite warm already. I have some time to walk around town while we wait for the dzong to open up. Some of the shops located at the main square have already opened and I peek into the photo shop to inquire about film; turns out they don't stock such material at all, only an assortment of frames in various size and colour. After a short ride to ... read more