Bhutan - Life in the City

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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 boys I met had heard of Mumbai (where I live) and instantly said "we want to go to Mumbai". They have heard of the Bollywood stars and aspire to meet them. One said he is saving money to go to Goa since many 'foreigners' say that Goa is beautiful.

The King is handsome, respected. In 2008 the monarchy will give way to democracy - the kingdom will surely change after that. Roads are being widened. People are being trained on voting.

Newspapers are not daily. Some weekly, some twice a week.

Food is spicy - I loved it.

Handicrafts are gorgeous - but clearly priced for the 200 USD a day foriegn tourist. I actually found the BTCL run shop at Tigers Nest Cafetaria to be more reasonably priced than the towns!

Bhutanese music is lovely - Jigme Drukpa is famous. Monastery music is good. You could pick up some from a music shop in Thimpu or the Handicrafts Musuem in Thimpu.

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Photos

Thimpu - the new with the old
Theatre seems to be a thriving industry - modern. Yet against a backdrop of the traditional - boys and men wear 'ghos' which are keen length robes (something that looks like a loose short and a skirt), and girls wear the 'kira' - modern dresses are not allowed - you get a sense of "hey is this for real?".

Traffic Police - Keep it Simple!
Even in the largest (only?) real city, Thimpu, the traffic is managed by policemen and not traffic signals. Its quaint!

Kids
Kids walk to school, often long distances. Boys wear the gho, girls the kira. They carry a large tiffin - often 3 boxes - of lunch to school. Junk food doesnt seem to have caught on thankfully.

The Indian Influence
India is like a big brother. Power and Infrastructure, Teachers... mostly supplied by India. Tata Power has big power projects here.

Stray Dogs
No travel blog on Bhutan is complete without a mention of the dogs. Dogs are a plentiful - completely mild. Almost part of the landscape. Bhutanese will not hurt an animal. But they eat lots of pork and beef ... I wonder how...
In fact they believe if you kill an ant you will be born an ant in your next life

Kewadashi and Mushroom dashi rice
The most popular food seems to be rice with a side dish - white gravy with cheese and chillies. Kewa means potato. This dish is either had with Potatoes, ot Mushroom, or a few other varieties. Thukpa too is popular - which is soupy spicy yummy noodles.

Dieties and the Buddha
Buddhism in Bhutan is "Tantric Buddhism". Which is a exotic cross between Hindu elements like multiple Gods and Goddesses, Saints, Reincarnations, Spirits, Superstitions, and Reincarnations.
In the evening lamps are lit and prayers are made.
They worship the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, God of Compassion, and holy saints.

The Main Dzong - The Royal Palace in Thimpu
The Royal Palace is where Bhutan is run from. Its an immaculate building... giving it that unreal look - how can offices be run from fairy tale buildings?

Paintings and Carvings
This is just one of the many "details" in the Royal Palace.
Even the common man's house has intricate paintings and carvings - must be taking a very long time to make these beautiful houses!

The River Flows Through - the SAARC building and the Royal Palace
Thimpu is on a mountain side and the valley. The river meanders on - gracefully - nothing is rushed in this land it seems. Everything is beautiful, gracious - as if time stood still.

Takin - The National Animal
Legend has it that when the "Madman" Saint was asked to perform a miracle he first ate a goat and a cow, and then placed the goats skull on the cow's sksleton and the new creature was created - the takin.
This animal is found only in certain parts of Bhutan, China and Rangoon.

Paro - The Airport
Small and neat. Old with the new.

Wangdue town
Wangdue town is the last town in central Bhutan before you move in the states in the east. Its lively, full of hustle-bustle. Small shops - selling Tibetan Charms and fake Tommy Hilfiger teeshirts from China - are all here.

Locals sitting in the Wangdue town
Life is peaceful, slow. People waiting for nothing, just chatting and observing.

The Taxi Stand at Wangdue town
Taxis include the best of Toyota's and many international brands. Indian cars are very popular.
Name plates are red in color. BT is for Bhutan Taxi, BP is for Bhutan Private, and BG is for Bhutan Govt.

Archery
Its the national sport. And you have archers shooting from a distance of 10 metres without warning, on a makeshift bullseye target! You need to be careful else you could cross the path of the arrow and get one on your backside!

Traditional House in Paro
All houses look the same. Citizens must submit the plan including paintings which will be painted on the outside, and the date of start/finish of the construction. Only after govt. approval can the houses be made.
They do look fairy-tail-ish.

3 generations of Bhutanese women
Notice the grandmother - she has short hair like most Bhutanese women. Eating melon slices seems popular!

Comments

[Yash]

Looks fascinating
Great pix...looks exotic even for India...

[Pitaji]

Nice Blog
We enjoyed going through the blog. It has become really fascinating. Do make one for Sikkim too.