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Published: April 27th 2024
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Bhutan – it has been on our list for a long time! And it did not disappoint. A beautiful country of @ 780k people in the area @ the same size as Rhode Island. It has a constitutional monarchy with the beloved King as head of state. The country is @ 60% forested and/or protected. It definitely felt like the entire area we covered was one large national park with small villages and temples or dzongs on the hillside. Our trip covered an elevational change of 5000’ to 11,500’, many times in one day. The mountain roads consisted of switchbacks, narrow, not always 2 lane, paved roads with some pretty impressive drop-offs. But gorgeous scenery, with prayer flags everywhere!. And the rhododendrons were in full spectacular blooms! It was amazing to see the hillsides covered in red, pink and white rhododendrons.
Bhutan, for the most part, requires you to book thru an agency with a guide and driver, in an attempt to maintain their beautiful culture and traditions, while recognizing the modernization changes occurring. They are known for their GNH, gross national happiness, as a measure of non economic indicators to include happiness or the well being of
the population, in the equation.
The concept implies that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards notions of progress and give equal importance to non-economic aspects of wellbeing. This was adopted by the 4
th King in the 1970s and is still embraced by the current King, who is much loved. Unlike neighboring Nepal, it was closed to foreigners until 1974 and still maintains tight control on tourism by implementing a $100 per day ‘sustainable development fee’. This is a country, that will take time to process. But spending the days in the smaller villages and beautiful mountains, it definitely felt very peaceful. Also, there is a Bhutanese movie that was nominated for best foreign language film called The monk and a Gun. Even Tahsi and Tscheng agreed it was a good representation of Bhutan. I watched it before we left and about 45 minutes into it, i started to think, this wasn't the Bhutan I thought i was visiting. But the ending is very representative of the culture. Highly recommend.
Flying from Delhi, on DrukAir, the national and only airline flying into Paro, we had a beautiful, clear, morning flight with a view of the Himalayas.
We booked a 9 day tour with Soul Trips, and enjoyed our time with Tashi and Tscheng, who proved to be excellent guides and friends. They gave us a great introduction to the Buddhist history and traditions of Bhutan. Although, we did struggle to keep all the deities and consorts straight.
It was a fast moving trip, visiting 5 villages in Western and Central Bhutan. We spent 2 days in Thimphu, the capital, (114k pop) with our first introduction into Dzongs, (admin), Monasteries (education) and Temples (worship). The flat roofed buildings were all similar design with beautiful intricate artwork painted on the wooden frames. It did look like a Swiss village. Archery is the national sport and we were able to watch a competition. Amazing to see how far away the target was, @ 476' away. And yet, a couple of them were able to hit it!
From Thimphu, we travelled to Punakha, which involved travelling over 10,000’ pass. Unfortunately, cloudy, no view of the mountains, but in the mist was the 108 chortens surrounded by the blooming rhododendrons. Punakha, had a beautiful 525’ suspension bridge and gorgeous dzong, built in 1637. It is
also known for the fertility temple, dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kunley, the “Divine Madman” known for his risqué behavior, indulging in song, dance, alcohol and women, taunting the hypocrisy of the monastic order in. Paintings on buildings displaying symbols of his ‘flaming thunderbolt’ are believed to protect the homes from demons. In the temple there is a wooden backpack size penis that legends state if a woman carries it around the temple, she will be able to conceive. If interested, google for more on his antics.
Then it was on to Bumthang, the ancestral home of Bhutan's royal family. It was a long day of driving thru the beautiful mountainside, with a stop at Trongsa Dzong and the beautiful valley. In Bumthang we stayed at the lovely Swiss Guest House owned by Fritz Maurer, a lovely gentleman who came for a year to assist in introducing cheese making and stayed for 55 years and counting. The next day, we dress in the traditional Gho and Kira and continue to tour more temples.
Since i already have alot of pics, I will continue with a 2nd blog that highlight the Ura Yakchoe festival and Tiger
nest hike.
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Laurie
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Incredible Travel Blog
Thank you for sharing. Lovely.