Happy New Year

It was a quiet night for us…dinner with our guide and driver and a couple of bottles of ‘Druk 11000’ beer, then back to the hotel where we had a bottle of Indian ‘champagne’ (called Zampagne) chilling outside our room.

Note to self, the French have Champagne…and champagne by any other name (Zampagne or otherwise) is still not champagne!  Let’s just say it was really, really awful tasting!  

I don’t think I was completely surprised.  The bottle was purchased from a small liquor store in Paro earlier in the day and the dust on the bottle either suggested it was a vintage bottle recently pulled from the dusty cellar…or…it had sat on the shelf for so long that even the shop keeper never expected that anyone would ever buy it…except some crazy tourist on New Years Eve!  Yes, one sip, one toast…for 700 Nu (about US$17).

It was not the bigger celebratory New Years of previous years, but still…to be in Bhutan on this day…we’re not complaining at all!

Strangely enough, there isn’t a countdown on television for Bhutan New Year’s Eve celebrations.  No Times Square, no Anderson Cooper, no Nathan Phillips Square, no fireworks…but the people in the room beside us were definitely from India, as they chose to begin their celebrations at 12:30am (time zone difference) and it was the Indian New Year countdown that was the only one I could find broadcast on TV.  So, we did the countdown for 12:00am and 12:30am…why not!?

When we arrived at the Paro airport the following morning, the New Years Eve celebrations were still being shown on television, but this time it was CNN coverage of NYC Times Square, then Nashville,… well, you get the picture.  Yes…we were there for quite awhile.  Our flight was delayed due to fog (snowfall last night).

The crowds got a little antsy, the airport staff brought in lunch for everyone, and finally 8 hours after getting to the airport, we finally boarded our flight back to Kathmandu.  Whew!  A New Years like no other.

Bhutan – Taktshang Monastery – Tiger’s Nest

The first time I recall reading something about Bhutan it was in reference to a monastery that was built into the side of a cliff.  I remember seeing the photograph online and couldn’t begin to imagine the work that went into building such a magnificent place of worship in such a precarious place.  What kind of visionary would think that this would be a good place to build (it sits at an elevation of 3120m or 10240 ft).

I was in awe.  In part, I think it was the image of the Taktshang Monastery that planted the seed that Bhutan was a place of mystery, beauty, and worthy of a place to add to our Bucket List.

Well, today is the day!  We are off to hike up the mountain side to finally see it in person.  We had arrived in Paro early this morning and were on the trail by 9:30am.   Nima had pointed it out to us on the drive up to the trailhead and we could barely see it.  It was a white speck on the side of a cliff.

Even as we edged our way up the gradual switchbacks, it still seemed to be far off in the distance.

 

With the zoom lens, it was a little clearer now.

And, now we are able to get a good view from a vantage point across the chasm between where we stand and the cliff edge where the monastery sits.

Amazing!!!!  We still had to descend back down and then up the other side to reach Tiger’s Nest.  No cameras are allowed inside (checked our bags at the guard’s office), but what an impressive structure.

 

Legend suggests that Guru Rinpoche rode on the back of a tigress from Tibet to this spot, chased away the demons, and went on to meditate here.  Thus the name – Tiger’s Lair or Tiger’s Nest Monastery.

The Taktshang was almost completely destroyed by a fire 1998.  It is believed to have been started by accident – possibly an overturned butter lamp.  You can still see the black burn marks on the rock face above the temple.  Now, butter lamps are kept in one part of the monastery only, as well as on the opposite side of the chasm facing the monastery.

Mark lighting a butter lamp:

 

What a remarkable place.  Yes, this on its own was worth the visit to Bhutan.

Bhutan – Thimphu sights (cont’d)

The Phelchey Toenkhyim (Folk Heritage Museum) was our next stop.  This offers the visitors the opportunity to see what rural life might have been like for Bhutanese people.  The three storey house is built in the traditional architectural style seen elsewhere in the country and dates back to the 19th century. 

Along with the house, furnishings, clothing, implements, equipment, etc. there is also a traditional water mill, rice paddy, wheat, and millet fields…oh, and yes…a phallus hanging over the front door.  It is something we see repeated in our travels here.  It is meant to ward off evil spirits.

Following a late lunch in Thimphu, we still had time before we were scheduled to see the Tashichho Dzong and so we made an impromptu stop at a local dart playing field as a tournament was in progress.  Now, I understand how Nima’s friend may have gotten hurt.  These darts are far more ‘dangerous’ than the lawn darts we played years ago.

Our final stop today would be Tashiccho Dzong.  It’s an incredibly impressive structure which houses a monastery, government/administration offices, as well as the throne of the King of Bhutan.  All visits can only occur once the offices close for the day.  As we await the lowering of the flag, we are able to get a view of just how big this structure is.

 

Bhutan – Thimphu sights

After returning to Thimphu, we stopped into a handmade paper-making factory – Jungshi Handmade Paper.  We followed their manufacturing process - soaking the daphne bark, pulp making, pressing, drying, and so on.  Before we left, we visited the on-site store where they had a large selection of note paper, cards, envelopes, etc. store. 

There is a very large Shakyamuni Buddha statue (169 ft tall) that is under construction overlooking the city of Thimphu.  It is said to be one of the largest Buddha statues in the world and will end up containing over 100,000 smaller Buddha statues.

To see it up close is truly magnificent.  We had planned to try to get as close as possible (outside the construction gates), but as it turns out…the gates were open and we were able to get much closer to it than expected.

Next up, the Takin preserve.  This is the strangest-looking animal I think I’ve ever seen.

There is a sign that is posted just outside the fenced area where a few takin graze.  If you recall from our earlier visit to Chimi Lhakhang, the Divine Madman was quite the character and had some unique powers.  The legend of how the takin came to be had its roots in one such display of the Divine Madman’s magical powers.  As the sign suggests…after devouring a whole cow and a goat, he performed one of his ‘miracles’ and placed the goat’s head on the bones of a cow.

Bhutan – Wangdue Phodrang

This morning we visited Wangdue Phodrang Dzong.  It was originally built in the 15th century and sits high on a hillside.  According to the Lonely Planet book, there is a legend which suggests that four ravens were seen flying away in separate directions from this spot - considered a good sign and as such, the spot was chosen for this dzong.  It was to represent the spreading of religion in all directions.

This building has retained much of its original structure, despite some restorations following an earthquake and fire.  The roof is held in place by bamboo poles, lashed together with cane strips and then covered with wood pieces which acts as shingles.  These are weighed down by stones so that high winds don’t destroy the roof.

In fact we noticed that even the King’s home in Thimphu had these stones all over the roof.  Nima joked that possibly the King couldn’t afford a new roof.

(Nima, our guide in traditional dress (gho).  He is also wearing a white sash called a kabney which all Bhutan commoners must wear when visiting dzongs and temples.)

One of the highlights for me was seeing the inside of a prayer wheel.  I had heard that the ‘om mani padme hum’ mantra was written in ancient script repetitively on a scroll inside.  The outer casing on some of these prayer wheels looked like leather.  Due to the age of the dzong, it wasn’t surprising that over time, some of these outer casings would begin to wear and in one case, we saw one that had frayed/worn so much that you could see the script inside.

 

After seeing the dzong, we went to the local market which was within walking distance.  The market offered up fresh produce of all varieties.  We picked up some oranges for our journey back to Thimphu.

 

Our travels would take us back over Dochula Pass and retrace our route back to Thimphu -still 2-3/4 hours of driving ahead of us. 

I’m not sure why it is, but we think of Maureen often when we’re traveling. :::nudge, nudge, wink, wink:::  This is a drive where a bit of Gravol for a weak stomach might be in order -lots of twists and turns, switchbacks, high cliffs, narrow roads.  Best to just sit back and relax.

Bhutan – Day 2 – warm welcome

We were fortunate enough to be invited into the home of a family in Metsina.  We were walking back from Chimi Lhakhang and our path took us through some harvested rice fields and past some farm houses.

We walked alongside the outer walled area surrounding a farm house and our guide said something to the young woman of about 16 years of age on the other side of the wall.  They spoke a few words back and forth and then he looked at us and said that she would be happy for us to go in and see what a typical Bhutanese farm house might look like and to meet the rest of her family.

This would be our first look into the life of the locals and as it turns out, our timing was perfect as she was also in the process of making some rice wine on an open fire.

Many rural homes have 2-3 floors of living space.  The lower level may be used for smaller animals in winter months and equipment.  The second floor is for storage of grains, utensils, etc and the upper level is the kitchen, living room area, bedrooms, and a room set aside for a shrine.  And finally, there is a space between the upper floor and the roof that is open-air that they use for storage and a place to dry crops.

This particular home was 2 storeys and from what we were able to determine, the owners didn’t have a need for keeping animals in the lower level area and so those rooms were rented.  They lived on the second floor.

We passed a sleeping dog and climbed a steep staircase at the side of the house to see a smiling young boy of about 4 years of age at the top, just grinning and smiling at these new guests.

The interior was relatively sparse of furnishings and was very tidy. Their bedrolls had been placed neatly in the corner of the bedroom and they had a TV in the living room area, which is where we found the parents of the girl that we had met outside. 

They were sitting cross-legged on a straw mat and were quite welcoming.  Although, they didn’t speak English, it was obvious that their children could speak it by the way they spoke to our guide.  We had asked questions and before they had a translation, they were already answering.  It seems they were just a bit shy.

When we first arrived, we had seen a very young girl sitting on the mother’s lap.  I might have guessed that she would have been the grandmother to this child, but she explained to Nima, the young girl had been adopted by them.  There was no doubt that this family was willing to open their hearts and home. 

Mark, myself, and our guide Nima were given a small plastic pink bowl filled with warm rice wine fresh from the batch being made.  I think it’s something that would take some time for me to acquire a taste for, but it warmed us up and made my cheeks immediately rosy-red.  (Anyone that knows me, knows that this isn’t surprising!)

 

It is a simple life for these hard-working farming families, but with the land they have, they can grow enough rice and food for their own families and in some cases sell extra at local markets.

This chance introduction was a very special treat for us.

Bhutan – Day 2

Our day began when we were picked up from the hotel and our first stop would be the National Memorial Chorten.  A chorten is basically a Buddhist monument and this case, it was built in 1974 in memory of King Jgme Dorji Wangchuck, the third king of Bhutan.

This is place where many locals come to pay homage and worship.  They walk around the chorten in a clockwise direction, usually 3 times.  There are a number of prayer wheels that they may turn as well.  The ‘om mani padme hum’ (hail to the jewel in the lotus) mantra could be heard being repeated by some of the worshippers.

We still had a long drive ahead of us, so we didn’t stay long.

We began ascending to the Dochu La Pass (3140m elev).  It was a very narrow road with steep cliffs and switchback turns.  We passed one checkpoint as we passed into the next district.  There was a woman selling apples at the roadside and after we stopped and determined the price, we bought a 2kg bag.  What Nima neglected to tell us before we bought the apples was…they might be a bit ‘old’.  He commented on it just as Mark took the first bite – yup, a bit ‘mealy’.  Oh well…lesson learned.

Dochu La pass offered up the most amazingly clear view of the Bhutan Himalayan mountain range.  Apparently, this is quite a rare sight.  We parked here for a short while to take in the sight as well as walk around the collection of 108 chortens that were built in 2003. 

Further up the hill, we walked to a monastery where a Buddhist monk unlocked the doors so that we could go inside (after removing our shoes) and view the interior – beautiful!

A short drive down the other side of the pass, we stopped at the Dochu La Hotel for some tea and biscuits.  It was chilly, but the sunshine made it seem much warmer, so we sat outside…along with our 4 new-found friends (dogs) who decided that biscuit crumbs may be forthcoming.  They didn’t have to wait long. :)

Legend suggests that many believed the area was inhabited by spirits and our next stop was to Chimi Lhakhang (near Metshina) which was built by the ‘Divine Madman’ (Lama Drukpa Kunley) in the 1499 to ward off these spirits, was also built as a celebration of his victory over the demoness of the Dochu La.

There is a storied past to this Divine Madman.  Apparently, he thought the clergy of the day were quite stiff and needed to be more relaxed in their teachings in order to garner the interest of the average person.  So, he used his own way of teaching – often obscene, with sexual innuendo – as a way to get people to throw away their preconceived notions.  Let’s just say that the phallic symbols that can be found painted on the exterior of homes, represented in door handles and carvings – well, it’s not surprising that women and couples will visit this temple to receive a blessing and pray for children.

hmmmm, should I post photos?

We had lunch in Metshina with a beautiful view of the now-harvested rice fields and the Chimi Lhakhang in the distance.  But, we completely missed the Fertility Handicraft emporium on our way back to the vehicle.

Our final stop would be in Punakha to visit the Punakha Dzong, built in 1637. It is an impressive building that housed both government administrative offices as well as a monastery and assembly hall (which contains gold statues and murals depicting the life of Buddha).  Situated between two rivers at the point where they meet, it is built like a fortress – high walls (six storeys) and inner courtyards.  The design apparently came from a dream.  There has been many reconstructions over the years due to fires, flooding, and an earthquake.  But despite the natural disasters, the building remains a significant part of Bhutan’s history and continues to be a used for ceremony and worship.

Off to our hotel – Damchen Resort, which sits alongside the Panachu river. Our room has a beautiful view of the river and the high hills on the opposite bank. 

Unfortunately, our guide did not join us for dinner as he was off to the hospital to visit a friend who suffered a leg injury while playing darts (kind of like the lawn darts that we all used to play many years ago).  Ouch!  And, I wondered why they were banned in Canada!!

Bhutan – Day 1

The flight from Kathmandu to Paro went by far too quickly.  We had a beautiful view of the Himalayan mountain range, including Everest along the way.  Flights in and out of Paro are only allowed during day-light hours due to the location of the airport (a valley).  The view was outstanding.

We were met at the airport by Nima, our guide and Mr. Dowa, our driver.  They had been waiting for quite a long while as they had expected our flight to arrive sooner, but after loading our bags we were each given a ceremonial welcome scarf.

We had a 90 minute drive from Paro to Thimphu ahead of us and because of the delayed flight, our planned afternoon itinerary would have to be postponed and hopefully we would be able to make up some of the time we missed over the next couple of days.

Unfortunately, no cell coverage as we had expected…so no SMS messages.  But, we arrived at our hotel and got settled in after a quick snack.

Since Nima lives in Thimphu with his wife, he would not be joining us for dinner, but he did walk with us into the downtown area where we quickly were able to get our bearings and once we went our separate ways, Mark & I continued to walk around and enjoy the town for an hour or so.

Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan, but the population is only 80,000 approx.  It’s not a large city at all, but Bhutan, as a country, also has a low population – less than a million for the full country. 

To travel from Kathmandu which is a crazy, busy place…to Thimphu…the quietness seemed a little surreal.  The chaos seen on the city streets in Kathmandu would not be seen in Thimphu.  In fact, there are no traffic lights in Thimphu.  During ‘rush hour’, there is one junction where an officer helps direct traffic.

KTM airport - queue after queue!

Gyan told us that we should arrive to the airport approximately 3 hours before our flight to Paro, Bhutan from Kathmandu.  The queue wound its way along the front of the airport and we quickly got in line after making sure we were in the correct one.  It took awhile and despite the wait, we were surprised at how relaxed most people were…none of the pushing, shoving, and complaining that we some times hear when traveling in other places.

After finally getting inside the front doors, we had our bags scanned and we were patted down by security personnel.  Next, we then had to find our way to the check-in counter.  But…there wasn’t one for Royal Bhutan Airlines (Drukair) and after being directed back and forth between check-in areas we found out that the reason we couldn’t locate our counter is that it was shared with another airline and check-in hadn’t opened for our Paro flight. When it did…a mass of people quickly ran into line. 

We ended up being directly in front of a Buddhist monk.  hmmm, wonder what the protocol is with respect to priority check-in for monks.

Once again, a long line to check-in.  During this time we met someone from Bhutan who spoke English and was able to give us a quick language lesson on the basic greetings.  Although we had a phrasebook, it really didn’t help with the phonetics and he was able to clarify some of the sounds.

Bags checked, visa information verified…we now had to go through immigration/passport control.  There were separate lines for foreigners and residents of Nepal.  Once through that line, we were then separated by men and women - another line to get patted down and then directed to a table where our carry-on baggage was checked, boarding passes stamped, and then sent on to the gate/boarding area.

Within a few minutes, the boarding area was overflowing with people.  Three hours ahead of schedule…and as it turns out, we had only 35 minutes to spare in the end.

And then…we sat…waiting…our flight was delayed almost 90 minutes.  We knew this would impact things for the afternoon itinerary in Bhutan, but it was out of our control.  Nothing to worry about.  The monkeys that were hanging around outside the airport windows kept us amused.

Finally, one more line to head off for our flight…we were on our way to Bhutan! I wonder if it will be anything like what we envision it to be.

Street scenes

A few street scenes in Kathmandu that Mark took this afternoon:

Yes, many of these streets are for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians.  We’re not sure how they do it…but most are two-way streets as well!

A pashmina by any other name is…

well…maybe a pashmina and maybe not.  This afternoon we learned about pashminas – the wonderfully warm and often times, soft material used for scarves, wraps, and blankets.

So, if the label reads 100% pashmina…that may mean that it is :

a.  100% pashmina

b.  part pashmina and part merino

c.  part pashmina and part silk

d.  or, maybe 100% chance that the logo that reads pashmina is in fact a pashmina logo (but has nothing to do with the material itself)

How do you tell?  By the feel.  But, without the experience of knowing what real pashmina might feel like…you may never know. Real or not, the label will still say 100% pashmina.  So, good luck with that!

The other thing that is a little less than authentic here is the amount of outdoor wear (North Face is the seen most often, Columbia, Mountain Hardwear,etc) that has real-looking logos, but  you can tell by the quality that it isn’t the real thing.  There are a lot of knock-offs here being sold in the Thamel district to trekkers and unsuspecting buyers.  Having said that, the prices reflect the fact for the most part.

Customs, culture, beliefs

Today we were up very early to spend some time visiting two World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley – one is a Buddhist stupa – Boudhanath, and the second is a Hindu temple - Pashupatinath.

Our plan of arriving early would give us the opportunity to see the Buddhist pilgrims come to receive blessings and worship. 

The weather was quite cold this morning and the early morning fog (which also delayed our flight out of Pokhara yesterday) settled in and wasn’t ready to lift anytime soon.  But, the worshippers came and gave offerings, turned the prayer (mani) wheels, rang bells, and walked around the exterior of the stupa 3 times in a clockwise direction (this is known as Kora).

I could have sat and watched the people for hours. 

Before leaving, we stopped into a small artists’ gallery of Thangka pieces and while our plan had been to only learn about the art form, it wasn’t long before we saw a piece that we thought was so intricate in its design and beautifully coloured, that we decided to make a purchase.

Our next stop was the Pashupatinath.  It sits alongside the sacred Bagmati River and is also a well-known place of worship, but this time for Hindu devotees. 

Monkeys are also abundant in the area and sit ready and waiting for any morsel of food that may have been dropped to the pathway.

Inside the temples, shoes and any leather items are not permitted.  So, belts, wallets, etc. must be left outside before entering.

Pushpati is not only a centre of worship, but it is also a place for ceremonial purposes.  Cremations occur along the river and we bore witness to the the process as these are held in the open air.  Our guide explained the cultural and religious significance to what we were seeing. 

Following our visit to these places of worship, we returned to the Thamel region of Kathmandu and visited the offices of the trekking company we had used for our travel.  Mark was given a Nepali-style hat (Dhaka topi…dhaka refers to the type of fabric and topi is the word for hat) as a gift and we have both been invited to Gyan’s home for dinner the evening we return from Bhutan (before flying back home).  What a special treat that will be.

More to follow…

Happy Holidays

Just to wish everyone a very special holiday today.  We’re enjoying a relaxing day in Pokhara…thinking of everyone.

All our love,  Tammy & Mark

Morning at Annapurna Base Camp