Land of the Thunder Dragon- 1- Paro to Punakha

Years ago the thought of visiting Bhutan seemed like a fantastic but impossible dream. The very name Bhutan conjures up images of snow capped mountains, temples perched high on cliff faces, yaks, monks, and of course the well known hefty price tag of visiting this remote Himalayan kingdom. Incredibly this dream became a reality a few weeks ago when Papa T and I were lucky enough to spend time exploring this wonderful country.
Bhutan only opened up to the outside world and began allowing tourists to visit in 1974, it still requires all visitors (with the exception of passport holders from India, Bangladesh and the Maldives) to travel on a preplanned, prepaid, guided package tour booked through a Bhutanese tour company. The government sets a "minimum daily package' rate (to control tourism and protect the environment) which for us as we were visiting in high season was set at US$250 per person per day!
 Only two airlines fly into the country Drukair and Bhutan Airlines and the only international airport is at Paro.
After a brief stop at Calcutta, and only 7 hours after leaving Singapore the plane was weaving it's way through the mountains on its approach to Paro airport. At one point with the plane tipping to one side I could see the pine cones on the trees on my right and a steep mountain side on the left, the mountains seemed close enough to touch!

Only a few pilots are certified to land at this airport as the approach is so challenging but we landed safely and were collected by our guide, Jamtsho and driver Tenzing who would be looking after us for the next 9 days

They took us to our hotel which when I heard 'overlooked' the runway I was initially disappointed thinking it would be noisy and industrial however once there realised it was situated on a hillside tucked into the mountains overlooking Paro Dzong and the valley. With only a few flights in/out of Paro each day the planes were not a distraction in fact they were an attraction and watching them land or take off seemed to be a favourite hobby

After freshening up we enjoyed a snack on the hotel patio overlooking the runway. Jamtsho like the majority of men in Bhutan wore the traditional 'gho' a one piece wrap around knee length robe, with generously large white cuffs, held in place with a woven cloth belt, called a kera. The robe is hoisted up to form a pouch at the front in which men keep their money, handkerchief and just about everything it would seem.

Rested we set off driving to Paro, the road was pretty empty apart from some ponies and mules grazing at the roadside. These ponies are used in the trekking season and when not needed are free to roam during the day and will make their own way home before night fall

Most of the buildings in the town were of traditional style and decorated with motifs that we would become very familiar with, snow lions, garuda's, dragons, flowers and ...

..phallus's! Jamtsho explained that the phallus symbol is not seen as a fertility symbol in Bhutan but is believed to ward off evil. Later on in the trip we would learn more about the " Divine Madman" who is attributed to starting this belief.

We drove through Paro and on to the other side of the valley,  we were on our way to visit Drukgyel Dzong. We passed many houses that had chillies drying on the roof and we could see the snow laden top of Mt Jhomolhari (7314m) in the distance. This mountain is on the Bhutan - Tibetan border, only 9 hours walk walk away from where we were.

Drukgyel Dzong stands proud overlooking the village below it

At the base of the Dzong were some lovely houses and the customary prayer flags

Built in 1649 this Dzong was destroyed by a butter lamp fire in 1951, something that we heard many times as being the main cause of fire over the years in this area 

Partially renovated it is still very impressive. On the path up to it we first came to a beautiful prayer wheel

and in a small cave further up the path was another prayer wheel and lots of little clay, conical stupas. Called tsa-tsas Jamtsho explained these mini stupas are holy offerings are placed in holy places as a way of obtaining merit, preventing disaster or curing illness for oneself or a family member who has died

Buddhist prayers were painted on the rocks, very often these would be the well known prayer Om Mani Padme Hum

We were not able to go inside the restored building (at the back in this photo) but could visit the yet to be restored nearer building and courtyard

 Walking back down the beautiful flagstone path I commented on how neat and tidy everything looked and Jamtsho remarked that the Bhutanese look after their environment and are committed to living a simple and sustainable way of life. 

The surrounding countryside was stunningly beautiful with the rice almost ready for harvesting

Back at the other end of the valley and above Paro Dzong we left the car and went hiking along a beautiful path through the woods. We did not see another person for a couple of hours, just the occasional eagle soaring above us

the views below us were incredible

it was so peaceful walking through the forest and the smells of the pine trees and earth was wonderful, something we really miss in Singapore

we came across a small 15th century Lhakhang (temple) but admission was not allowed

After a lovely walk we arrived outside the massive buttressed walls of 17th century Paro Rinpung Dzong, which means " fortress of the heap of jewels"

Like most dzongs it houses both the monastic body and district government offices, including the local courts. It is compulsory for all Bhutanese to wear national dress in schools, government offices and on formal occasions and when visiting a dzong they must also don a 'kabney' (sort of shawl) that identifies their rank. For ordinary men the kabney is of unbleached white silk, the king and chief abbot wears a saffron coloured one, monks wear orange and red for senior officials. The kabney has to be put on in exactly the right way and before we entered the dzong we watched Jamtsho arrange his kabney

In 1644 Paro Dzong was commisioned to be built by Zhabdrung Ngawaang Namgayal, who were told was recognised as the reincarnation of Pema Karpo, a prince-abbot in Tibet. He came to Bhutan, when Tibet was in turmoil in 1616 and established himself as the religious ruler of Bhutan, he became known as Zhabdrung Rinpoche, a name we would become more familiar with during our stay and is considered to be the founder of Bhutan.

 The huge entrance staircase was very impressive

and then inside the entrance corridor were beautiful paintings which Jamtsho tried to explain the meanings of to us. First we saw the Gods of the east (white face), south (blue face), west (red) and north (yellow)

Another painting we would keep seeing is of the "Four Friends', depicting the story of how the peacock found a seed and planted it, the rabbit watered it, the monkey fertilised it and the elephant guarded it. When the fruit was ripe the four friends worked together to pluck the fruit and then shared it- a buddhist tale of the power of teamwork. 

Through the corridor we entered a flagstone courtyard area with beautifully carved wooden buildings on each side

In the middle of the courtyard is an impressive five storey central tower

there was so much to look at, so many beautifully painted and carved doorways and windows

Jamtsho led us on down another huge stairway to the monastic quarter 

we could not see inside the quarters but Jamtsho said they would be very simply furnished and very cold come the winter as there would be no heating inside them. There did not seem to be electric lighting either

The dzong is perched on a hillside giving good views of the valley and river

As we left the dzong some young monks came running down the path. In Bhutan it is still traditional for families to send one son to join a monastery. They will then spend the majority of the day learning to memorise buddhist texts and progress on to Buddhist college in their teens

We followed the path and then over a beautiful wooden cantilever bridge across the river

 like most young boys the monks seemed to enjoy messing around on the bridge 

We were taken back to the hotel and having had a 4am start and a full first day seeing and learning so much we were ready for bed very early.

The following morning it was my birthday and Papa T had brought along the lovely cards and presents from the family for me to open. After breakfast we packed our bags and met Tenzing and Jamtsho who were watching the first plane of the day take off

Today we would drive to Thimphu, Bhutan's capital, only 2 hours drive away. The road was good with only a few cars on it and the passing scenery was stunning, it was clearly harvest time in the valley

 rice and chillies seemed to be the most prolific crops 

 Only a few miles from Paro we stopped to visit an iron chain bridge, first built in the 14th century and repaired and rebuilt after each flood it still gives access to a small private temple, although the bridge is currently closed for further repairs so we used the neighbouring rope bridge to cross

Both towers of the bridge have a saffron coloured stripe with yellow circles on, denoting a religious building

 and nearby was the stupa with the prayer wheels for devotees to turn on their way to the temple

 Inside one of towers were hundreds of little tsa- tsas

 and the upper room had intricate decorative motifs

 and on the ceiling a large mandala. A sanskrit word meaning circle, a mandala is a Buddhist symbol and used as an aid in meditation

 Back on the road we left the Dzongkhag (district) of Paro and entered Thimphu Dzongkhag. We had to get out of the car whilst Tzering showed our visa's and permission to travel in Bhutan documents at the government post. Whilst waiting I enjoyed seeing the colourful trucks as they drove by 

 Our next stop was at the confluence of the Paro and Thimphu Chu (rivers), Bhutanese tradition regards the joining of two rivers as inauspicious and so they have placed chortens here to ward away any evil. The three Chortens (Tibetan for stupa but seemed to be used interchangeably in Bhutan) are in Nepalese, Tibetan and Bhutanese style ( left to right in the photo and of course the saffron coloured stripe around the Bhutanese one)

On the outskirts of Thimphu we stopped at the recently completed Buddha Dordenma, a gigantic 51meter high statue of Buddha  made of bronze and gilded with gold

At the foot of the statue was a huge awning with hundreds of people sitting on the floor underneath it. They had gathered to listen to the Je Khenpo (the highest religious leader in Bhutan) conduct a rare event, he was reciting the Kangyur, a set of Buddhist texts. Speaking all day, every day, apart from breaks for meals and sleep, this task would take him three months to complete and those that came to listen would gain great merit. A tented village spread out on the hillside where the devotees would live over the next three months

The views from the top of the hill was stunning

and we could see the capital city and it's 13th century dzong below us

Needing to change some money into the local currency, the Ngultrum, usually called 'Nu', Jamtsho took us to the main post office, which is in the most beautiful building

 Inside there was a small and surprisingly interesting museum about the Bhutan postal service. Bhutan only introduced postage stamps in 1962 and perhaps in an effort to become well known and collectable have created many world first's- including the first scented stamp, the first 3 D stamps and the first talking stamp, which was a self adhesive record that could be played on a record player and gave the listener a taste of Bhutanese culture, language and history. However you must have needed a huge envelope to attach it to!

Our next stop was to the see Bhutan's national animal-the Takin, a rather strange looking beast which some say looks like a bee stung moose, although folklore dictates that the Divine Madman was responsible for creating them when he attached a goat's head on to a cow's body! Their habitat is alpine pastures above 4000 and they are only found in mountainous parts of North-Eastern India, Western part of China,Tibet and Bhutan

Classified as being 'vulnerable' the threats to this species is largely due to hunting and habitat loss. In 1994 a law was passed that made it illegal to hunt or trap any animal in Bhutan, fishing is also illegal. Tenzing admitted quietly to being a keen fisherman along with friends of his and having been caught and fined once already for this he now has to be very cautious as to where and when he fishes

The Takin were in a large enclosure on a pretty hillside along with some Sambar and Barking deer

Our last visit of the day was to the National Institute of Traditional Medicine which I had been looking forward to visiting. We were told that the Institute provides medical services, trains doctors and conducts research into the ingredients used in traditional medicines. The displays looked a bit 'tired' and the explanations brief.

The museum guide told us more about the wall charts and plants and other ingredients on display including the King of Medicinal plants -Terminalia Chebula that works as an anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, helps with asthma, digestive problems, poisoning and even scorpion stings- a true wonder, cure-all medicine!

Another ingredient was Cordycep- a fungus that lives on caterpillars, found in high mountainous regions of Bhutan and China it's quite rare and commands very high prices (US$1-5,000 per 100gm).It's used as a brain booster, to increase energy and endurance and of course sexual prowess.

 He also talked about how people's chakra's and the buddhist way of life influences illness and health and even can dictate what sex baby they conceive! Coming from a medical background I found it all fascinating and would have loved to have more time there and understand more, but it was getting late and we had to move on.

 Driving through Thimphu city centre we passed a beautiful covered roundabout with a policeman inside directing the traffic. Jamtsho told us that a few years ago as the number of cars increased the  traffic police were replaced by the first traffic lights in Bhutan but as most drivers didn't understand what the coloured signals meant there were many accidents so traffic policemen were reinstated

On the way to our hotel for the night we stopped off to visit some stalls selling locally produced crafts, mainly woven scarves, bags and beautiful hand made paper notebooks and cards. At many of the stalls the items were being made on site, never a moment wasted. This lady is using the traditional loom with the tension of the threads being held by a strap around her back 

 I bought a beautiful hand woven blue bag, which has been very useful and a lovely souvenir

We were dropped off at the hotel and I was a little surprised when Jamtsho followed us all the way to our room, saying he wanted to check it was alright. When we opened the door I understood why, he had informed the hotel that it was my birthday and there were balloons, a chocolate cake, a present (a beautiful book about Bhutan) and flower petals laid out to form a HB, presumably for Happy Birthday, and my age- such a kind thought, although I wasn't that keen to be reminded of my advancing years!

The following morning I woke up early and looking out of our bedroom window had a great view, below was the city of Thimphu and it's huge Dzong and the beautiful valley and surrounding hills. Looking down on Bhutan's capital city I remembered what we had been told yesterday; that Bhutan's population is under 1 million people with about 95,000 living in the capital, this must be one of the smallest capitals worldwide?

Although early a family was already hard at work harvesting rice

The previous evening Papa T and I had been a little disappointed when we realised that our hotel was not in the centre of the city, Jamtsho explained that most tourists prefer to stay outside towns as street dogs are a problem in Bhutan with large numbers of them barking all night keeping many people awake. Driving through Thimphu after breakfast we saw quite a few dogs and were grateful we had had a peaceful night's sleep

That day we would drive from Thimphu at 2320m to Punakha valley at 1250m, it was a fantastically scenic drive along the National Highway which was a quiet mountain road. We stopped at the highest point at Dochu La (3140m) where we were blessed with panoramic views of the Bhutan Himalayas

 The stunning peaks of Masang Gang (7194m) and Tsherday Gang (6994m)

 and the world's highest unclimbed mountain Gangkar Puensum (7570m) on the far right. Jamtsho explained that climbing any Bhutanese peak above 6000m was banned by the government in 1994 out of respect for religious beliefs and to protect the environment 

 There are 108 chortens at the pass, built in 2005 as atonement for the people killed in 2004 when Bhutanese troops 'flushed out' Assamese separatist militants from Bhutanese territory along the border with India

It was wonderful to have such clear mountain views, apparently quite a rare treat

 Leaving the top of the pass we stopped several more times to take photos, luckily the main National Highway was not exactly busy!

 Occasionally we passed a road side stall, this one had strings of dried yak cheese and bags of apples and oranges. This was the only time that we saw plastic bags in use, Bhutan is deeply environmentally aware and plastic bags usage was banned in 2005 but has been hard to enforce

We descended down into the cultivated valley

 and stopped for lunch at a pretty restaurant, newly opened, there was only 1 other person eating there 

 We were served a tasty buffet of dahl, curried vegetables and curried meat, rice, spring rolls and the Bhutanese favourite dish of ema datse, which is made entirely of cooked dried chillies, it was seriously hot! This meal was typical of what we had each day, and although tasty became a bit boring towards the end of the trip 

 Refuelled we carried on and arrived in the Punakha valley stopping off to have a photo of the very beautiful Punakha Dzong situated on the junction of the Mo Chhu (Mother river) and Pho Chhu (Father river)

Built in the 17th century it has the reputation of being the most beautiful dzong in Bhutan, we walked over the bridge and entered the site

 It is absolutely stunning 

there were few other tourists, most of the visitors were locals.

 and there were photographic opportunities where ever we looked

Papa T spotted this thoughtful young monk gazing out of a window

 In one of the temples the remains of Perma Lingpa and Zhabdrung Namgyal are preserved. Only the King and Je Khembo (religious head) are permitted to enter here.

We left the Dzong and went for a walk up the river 

 to see an impressive suspended bridge across the river

it was the main way for the locals to get across to their village

and although we didn't need to cross it, we did just to enjoy the feeling!

Our next stop of the day and on route to our hotel in the hills above the Punakha valley was to Sangchen Dorji Lhundrup Choeling Buddhist College for Nuns, founded by the Queen Mother in 2015 in celebration of the 60th birthday of the former King 

 The place seemed almost empty of people and we didn't see any nuns, they must all have been inside studying

 The site was certainly beautiful with wonderful views

A short way on we came to our next hotel the Meri Puensum and with no wifi connection had a very peaceful evening, enjoying the views and playing cribbage

 We looked forward to the next part of our trip as tomorrow we would be heading away from the main towns and deeper into the Bhutanese countryside