Day Six

Up early and we got away at 7.45 after we had ‘lost’ Tsering for a while! On our way to Ura we had two passes to go over and between the two is a spectacular view of Gankha Punsum, 7541m, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. We were in luck and had a wonderful view. Even though it is only 48 km it took us about 2hrs to get there. We saw the Lhakhang from the road with the village, just 40 houses, snuggled below it. There is a large square outside the Lhakhang where the dances take place. The festival, or yakchoe takes place over five days, with the three middle days involving spectacular masked dances telling the folk stories of the region. The first and last days see the bringing and returning of the image of Vajrapani from the hillside Geyden Lhakhang to the main lhakhang. There were two covered areas round the square, but these were for the villagers and the VIPs, so not for us. We twice got settled only to be moved on by the man with the whip! But finally, we found a seat on the water trough by some steps into the Lhakhang, with a great view of the proceedings.
First the clowns performed some antics, then the village girls came into the centre and to their own singing, danced a round dance, which went on for ages, with several changes of song. Suddenly, horns sounded and the band playing horns, conch shells, and drums came down from the Lhakhang from the far entrance and paraded around the square, leading in several dancers wearing yellow skirts, brocade tops with criss-crossed braid. They had smudges on their faces and deer-like masks. They danced a swirling dance, stamping their feet, which is to scare off the demons. When they had re-entered the Lhakhang, the ladies came back to ‘fill in’ before the next spectacular dance. The dancers need to change costume, and the ladies’ gentle dancing and singing is a calm interlude between some breathtaking performances. But they were hurried away as the large horns were blown, through the windows of the Lhakhang, and the band, once again, lead in a procession of dancers. This time they were dressed in colourful long, full skirted dresses, but best of all, they had black hats topped off with elaborate decorations. A swirling, colourful dance was performed, with different combinations of dancers twirling forwards and backwards as well as round in a circle. More stamping of feet warded off the demons, with appropriate accompaniment from the band, which was ensconced in a corner of the villagers’ stand. This is the dance that most tour groups come to watch, and there were plenty of them – the Japanese with several cameras round their necks and no qualms about pointing them right in the faces of anyone in national costume or any monk! And predictably loud Americans. When this dance finished and the ladies returned, Kinley suggested that we go and have our picnic up the hill behind the Lhakhang. Tsering was going to take us in the car, but this got inexplicably stuck in a puddle of water – and he didn’t seem to know how to use the 4WD. Just as well, as we found a great spot up the hill among the prayer flags – and it has to be said lots of dried up DS and sheep droppings!! Kinley unpacked two tiffin flasks, and served us rice, beef, beans and spuds. As I was being vegetarian, there was plenty of beef for Kinley and Tsering to have with their rice and chillies. We finished with a cup of tea – then back to watch the next dances. Even though Kinley mentioned I looked a bit pink, I forgot to renew my sunblock. It didn’t seem that hot, but we were at 3100m and there was quite a dusty wind blowing. The Bhutanese were really enjoying the festival, showing off new clothes and the children all had new toys to play with – the top favourites were the cap guns and the plastic cars. Some of them were fascinated by the pictures in our guide book. They knew exactly where Ura was on the map of Bhutan.
The dance we now saw was the animals dance. Each dancer represented a different animal and in turns they proved how they understood religion, dancing in the middle of the circle and round in intricate movements. There were fewer visitors now, and we were glad the very aggressive Japanese woman seemed to have gone away. When the dance was over, I went to look in the temple. A man, one of the village elders, asked if I had come for the greeting – I said no, but he told me that it was open to everyone and that we would be very welcome, so I went and collected Alan. We sat on the floor with several other people (+/- 20) and we had a short talk about the festival from the man and the lama also came and sat in his seat near us. The monks all came in and were served tea and rice, along with visitors to the village – not us! This is all part of the yakchoe in memory of the mendicant monk who visited a woman in the village, when it suffered a plague of leprosy. She had been spinning, but prepared him buckwheat pancakes. When ready, she came in to find that he had gone, but in her basket of wool she found a small statue of Vajrapani. This stayed in her house for three nights, then flew to Geyden. The moment it arrived, a nine-headed snake rose out of the ground and slithered out of the valley; taking the curse of leprosy with it.
Outside again, Kinley wondered if it was time to leave, but Tsering said we should stay and watch the start of the story of the stag and the hunter. So we found a place to sit and watched the story unfold – the hunter’s servant visited the soothsayer, with the help of various clowns – all quite funny! Then the stag and the hunter’s two dogs performed a dance, which ended as they exited into the Lhakhang. But this wasn’t the end of the day – the village elders came into the square and the band struck up a tune which they danced too. Gradually people joined in and we decided to as well. A tricky little step we just mastered as they changed the tune and the rhythm – so there we were all left feet again! It was great fun, but it began to rain, so we quietly left the dance line and made our way to the car. As we set off, there was a terrific hailstorm – low cloud shrouded the mountains, and Tsering had a tricky drive back to Jakar. On the way, we saw a sort of pheasant, one only found in Nepal and Bhutan; a satyr tragopan. This went with the white tailed eagle we saw on the way there. Back at the lodge, we hurriedly showered and changed for dinner at 7.45 – buckwheat noodles, aubergines, bitter gourds, potatoes, beef and rice.

Blue Poppy Tors and Treks

Day Five

A clear and sunny day dawned and breakfast was a busy affair with a large party of Americans/ Canadians occupying a majority of the dining room. We had buckwheat pancakes and honey – all grown or made in the Bumthang Valley. Some conifer branched were smouldering in a wide dish outside and this was in preparation for a wedding due to take place in the altar room, upstairs, during the morning. We think that the couple were European, dressed in Bhutan national dress for the occasion. We were soon off to visit a full collection of temples and monasteries with Kinley and Tsering. The first stop was a very old temple, Jampa Lhakhang, from the 7th century. Tibetan king, Songsten Gampo, was charged with subduing a particularly troublesome demoness by building 108 temples in a day to pin her down. Her left leg was in Bhutan, and two temples were constructed here, this being one of them – the other is Kyichu Lhakhang in Paro. Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) came here on his first visit to Bhutan in 746; a tantric master magician, the Guru meditated in a cave, leaving an imprint of his body in the rock. The temple has been restored and repaired several times; and has acquired a golden roof, courtesy of several penlops of Trongsa. In the main hall are three steps, representing past, present and future. No woman is allowed on these (we are ‘unclean’!!). They believe when the present step sinks to ground level, the gods will become like humans and the world in its present state will end. In the inner area, there is a statue of the Buddha of the future – Jampa, who has his feet on an elephant. It is protected by chain mail made by Pema Lingpa. In an alcove above the entrance is a statue of the Guru, where he mediated, leaving behind a footprint. The walls are covered with murals, some hidden behind light curtains for protection from UV light. There is apparently a lake under the lhakhang, where the Guru hid several terma. A terma is text or artefact hidden by the Guru, some of which have been found by Pema Lingpa, the terton (treasure finder) 1450-1521, reincarnation of the Guru. We walked around the inside of the temple, and received a blessing of holy water. And this was just the first visit of the day!
Just a bit further along the road is the ‘holiest’ monastery, Kurjey Lhakhang. The courtyard is the place where Kings 1, 2, and 3 were cremated; as well as the mother of the third king. Immensely tall prayer flags mark each of these spots. The whole monastery is enclosed with a wall supporting 108 chortens, which was a gift from the present Queen Mother. Three large buildings make up the complex and the first one is the oldest, built in 1652. This is built around a cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated and left his body imprint – kur (body), jey (print). Under the eaves is a carving of a snowlion, a representation of Shelging Kharpo a local demon subdued by the Guru. Inside at the top temple is a representation of the Guru and 8 of his manifestations which guard the meditation cave. We could peep in through a heavily carved, gilded wooden door. Down in the lower hall there is another cave, which local people can try crawling through. A successful manoeuvre means that you have left your sins behind, so our guide, Kinley must be pretty stain free as he does it most times he visits the temple. Over the top of the building we saw an old cypress tree growing out of the rock. They say that this grew from the Guru’s walking stick.
After looking around the courtyard, Tsering drove us down to the river bank and then we walked down to a wobbly bridge, covered in prayer flags. Up the other side, we followed a footpath taking us to Tamshing Goemba, about 20 mins. The Temple of the Good Message was founded by Pema Lingpa in 1501 and they say he built it himself with the help of the khandromas – even the paintings on the inner walls are attributed to him. In the main temple there is a large statue of him which they say was made by the khandromas and had to be finished in one day. As dawn came, they left just as the statue was completed and his eyes are looking skywards watching these angel type beings floating up to the heavens. We walked round the outer corridor of the temple, looking at the wall paintings, and came across the chain mail cloak made by Pema Lingpa. This weighs 25kg and he made it when he was a shepherd to keep warm in the cold nights. If you carry it around the circuit we had just walked, it is considered auspicious. First Kinley, then Alan and I managed this – much to everyone’s surprise. Upstairs we saw pillars that Pema Lingpa had made – to his height, which just about had me ducking, too. The walls here are decorated with 100,000 images of Sakyamuni, the history Buddha.
Now it was time for lunch, and Tsering had brought the van around via the big bridge to collect us and take us back to the Lodge. Here they served us noodles with tomato sauce, corn rice from E Bhutan (with yellow flecks of corn in it), potato datse and asparagus. My right middle finger has been bitten by some fly or other and has decided to swell up. The finger is very stiff and my hand is looking extremely puffy. I am applying lots of Anthisan to treat it. After we had finished lunch, a director of Blue Poppy came to talk to us – he apologised for our not being at the Mountain Lodge, but what you haven’t had, you don’t miss!! It’s OK at Rinchenling. We then left for the last of the temples on the eastern side of the river. Konchogsum Lhakhang was renovated in 1995, but was originally built in the 6th or 7th century. This wasn’t the first renovation as Pema Lingpa also renovated the building in the 15th century. On the floor beside the altar is part of an old bell, which used to be outside. It is made from 10% gold, 20% silver, 50% bronze and 20% tin and they say that when rung it could be heard in Lhasa Tibet. It sat on a stone outside the entrance and apparently the Tibetans tried to steal it, but dropped it and it broke. The missing piece is somewhere in the National Museum, but Kinley says he hasn’t seen it there! There is a white safe to one side, in which are small statues of the three Buddhas that are said to have flown there from E Bhutan. On the altar itself are statues of Nampa Namse with Chenresig to the left and Guru Rinpoche to the right. This is a lovely place and once again we met a family – father, son daughter-in-law with baby, and daughter, who were making a pilgrimage to all the temples in the area.
Our next visit was to Burning Lake, an auspicious place up the Tang Valley. Apparently Pema Lingpa discovered several terma here and performed a miracle by diving into the lake and reappearing quite a long time later, with a butter lamp still burning in his hands. This is where the name comes from. On our way down the river we saw a field full of red billed choughs! And we also passed the Swiss farm where they make a local hard cheese, as well as honey. We did stop and buy some. Our turn into the Tang Valley soon became a dirt track, but shortly Tsering parked and we got out to walk down to Membartsho. There is a wooden bridge across the waterfall and below the bridge is a deep pool in which the ‘enlightened’ may spot the hidden temple where the Guru hid some terma. Across the bridge are strung hundreds of prayer flags and all along the rock walls people have placed lots and lots of tsha-tscha, the tiny clay cone-like sculptures people leave as offerings on behalf of the dead. Just before the bridge is a wooden cupboard looking just like a loo, but inside are three sculptures of Pema Lingpa and his two sons. Behind the shrine is a crawl through cave, which only the virtuous can get through. It is apparently small and very dusty! I could feel I was getting bitten again, so had to leave quite quickly, which is a shame. But I ended up with several more bites that swelled up, even though Kinley squeezed them to get out the poison. As we were visiting Jakar Dzong next, Alan asked if we could go back to Rinchenling for me to take some benadryl tablets. When we came back to the car, Kinley and Tsering insisted that I should go to the hospital, which was on the way back to the Dzong. This we did, and after a bit of a tour of the place we found a nurse on duty who swabbed my fingers with iodine so I look as if I have got war paint on them! At least the others feel reassured! I think they were hoping for more – as there had been ominous discussion about antibiotics and who knows what horrors before we got there.
Jakar Dzong dominates the valley as it is built on a rocky promontory above the town. It is the summer residence of the monks from Trongsa. Its name translates as the castle of the white bird, and comes from the fact that the monks saw a white bird, an egret possibly, rising up into the air and landing on the promontory when they were seeking a place to build their summer residence. The first monastery was built in the 1550s, but the present building dates from 1667. As the monks were not in residence, it was quite deserted, with just a few monks carrying out repairs before the whole group arrives to take up residence for the summer. Nevertheless, it was lovely to see the utze and the views from the top. We walked down to the car and Tsering drove us back to the Lodge – tea in our room, a fire that wouldn’t light, a thunder storm and a power cut; all before dinner at 7.30 – soup, red rice, cabbage and cheese dumplings, beef, spinach datse, mixed veg, roasted baby spuds and mushrooms with angel hair noodles. Dessert was slices of watermelon. We leave for Ura Festival at 7.30 in the morning!

Blue Poppy Tours and Treks

Day Four

This was a driving day as we had to get to Jakar in the Bumthang Valley – about 7hrs driving time. We began with a visit to Punakha market and the colourful local life with their national dress and interesting local produce. To follow was the long climb up to Pele La, the pass guarding the Trongsa valley. On this beautiful clear day we had a great view of the mountains. We had to stop at Wangdi Phodrang to get our passes stamped, so took some photos of the dzong, which we will visit on the way back. There was a crested kingfisher on the electricity cables by the bridge. With the formalities complete, we began the climb up into the mountains. As we got higher, the rhododendrons appeared again; and just before the pass we saw our first yaks and also a fantastic view of the Eastern Himalayas. We wondered if this included Jomulhari, maybe. Pele La (3420m) does not have a view, but we walked up the path by the short bamboo and found the view – and the loo! We drove over the pass and down and down the other side along hillsides covered with red rhododendrons and populated with yaks. Down by the river we found Chendebji Chorten, which is a copy of the huge Swayambhunath in Kathmandu. Our lunch spot was a stone’s throw from here at Urgyen Dorji Tabdea Restaurant. Another buffet with the usual variety of food awaited us and a view of the river and the mountains – it is a lovely spot. After lunch we had to drive on to Trongsa. This town at 2180m has another dzong perched on the cliff side. It keeps appearing and disappearing as you drive along the twisting road, teasing with spectacular views, then hiding until the car rounds a corner and there it is almost touching distance across the valley, only to disappear yet again. We reached the town and parked underneath the palace where the 3rd king was born, and Kinley checked us through another police point. We walked up into the town, looking in vain for a view of the dzong, but it was as illusive as ever. As we walked to the end of the street, we did find it, but the view was so covered with wires, it wasn’t worth taking a photograph. We had passed various hotels, shops and houses all built in the traditional style, and there was a cute child sitting on some steps. I took his photo and he promptly ran down the steps demanding to see it! Then, all his friends appeared out of nowhere, also wanting to see – and to have their photo taken!
Back in the car, Tsering drove us up to Yotangha Pass (3425m) with its chorten and prayer flags; down into the Chhume Valley; and then up to Kiki La (2860m). Just before the last pass, we stopped at a local weaver’s complex, with girls weaving in a shed by the road and plenty of stuff for the tourist to buy – but not us! Over the pass, we descended into the Chokhor Valley and on to Jakar (2580m), our destination. Due to the festival, our original lodgings were full, but we drove a little further on to Rinchenling Lodge. This is owned and run by a Dasho (honorary title bestowed by the king for good works for the national good). He has converted his house into a hotel with one large reception room doubling as sitting and dining room with its enormous wood burning stove. There are several rooms above, including the altar room, as well as on the ground floor, the kitchen and area for the staff, guides and drivers. Our room was in an L-shaped block built at the back containing a dozen or so rooms – all en suite. The room also has a small wood burning stove, which they lit on our arrival as it was a bit chilly. Soon it was very warm in the room and we showered before strolling across the garden to dinner. Outside there is a small garden where lovely blue iris are in bloom. There are also masses of blue iris by the entrance. This was rice, noodles, beef, carrots, nakey, bitter gourd and aubergines. Bodes well for the next few night we are spending here.

Blue Poppy Tors and Treks

Day Three

Our starting time is 8.40 precisely, and we were all ready for the off - bags in the car. Kinley suggested a visit to the weekend market, where all local produce is on sale. We saw beans, asparagus, potatoes, okra, bitter gourd, onions, mangoes, tomatoes, and dried fish; there were herbs as well as dried leaves and spices to burn in the family altar room. Of course, there were piles and piles and piles of various types of chillies. We also saw how the Bhutanese make up their ubiquitous 'chewing tobacco'. This is a piece of areca nut wrapped up in a half betel leaf smeared with lime paste - as in calcium carbonate. This neat parcel is popped in the mouth and chewed, producing the infamous red juice which stains teeth and lips and which is spat out, staining roads and pavements with little red splatters. It is awful for teeth, gums, oesophagus and stomach, but as smoking is banned, it is the local equivalent. Its mildly narcotic effect makes it quite an addiction. On sale were fresh and dried nuts and lots of people were buying including monks. They bought all the separate ingredients as well as ready pasted leaves and chopped up nuts, and ready made parcels. We saw some people buying, then being given a ready bite to sample. Moving on we at last found nakey for sale, looking like thin green beans with curly ends. Then at almost the last corner was a 'local' yak herder with all his yak products. He came from 6 km outside Thimpu - so it must be somewhere in the high mountains as yaks only live above 3500m. On sale here was yak cheese in various forms. There were great slabs of greenish brown stuff as well as the dried variety which comes in small cubes threaded in long strings. He also had something looking rather revolting. This turned out to be dried yak leather - that really is the skin of the yak, air dried and one chews away at this. Some say it lasts well over six years. He also had several yak hair belts. He was a very jolly chap ready to explain everything via Kinley. Then just across the aisle from him we noticed a woman with a Bhutanese dragon-headed lute. This was a quite plain one, so it was easy to see the construction. Tsering held it up for us to photograph. I think the woman was quite bemused at our interest. She told us that she didn't play herself. We got Kinley to buy us some little bananas for our journey, then it was time to leave.
We began the journey to Punakha, stopping first at the checkpoint on the road out of Thimpu. All foreigners need permission to travel and here our permits were checked and stamped. As we waited, there was another couple also waiting who turned out to be Belgians. They had been in Sikkim and were also going to the Ura Festival. He was smoking a pretty revolting pipe, but they were interesting to speak with. Back on the road, we climbed up and up to a pass called Dochu La. (3140m). It was blowing a gale and so cold we had to put our jackets on. 108 chortens were built here in 2005, to help to put at peace the people killed when the Bhutanese army eventually went in and ousted the Assam terrorists who had secret bases in Manas National Park (Dec 2003). It is a very peaceful place, with a hillside next to it, covered in prayer flags. We walked on the paths between the chortens and were rewarded with a tremendous view of Bhutan's Himalaya. We were very lucky as this is usually at its best only in the winter. Back to the car and down the other side - not stopping at the cafe as we still had some distance to travel. We were passing rhododendron and magnolias in flower; and all along we were seeing drongos, bulbuls and shrikes. As we descended it got warmer and warmer. By 12.30 we reached the pretty resort of Meri Puensom about 1350m, just up a hillside outside Punakha. We were shown our room, just down from the main building in a block of rooms with en suite facilities and a lovely balcony looking down towards Punakha. Lunch was served - rice, noodles, pork, chicken, mixed veg, brinjal (aubs) - all very tasty. This over, we were off again to visit Punakha Dzong. This is the second largest dzong and was the seat of government until the mid 50s. We are very lucky to be visiting it now as the jacaranda trees are in bloom. Their pale purple flowers look very picturesque against the white wall of the dzong. Tsering parked the car and we then walked across a temporary bridge slung across the river. Once there had been a box bridge here, but the monsoon flood had washed it away. Nevertheless, it is still attractively festooned with prayer flags. As we looked across at the Dzong, Kinley told us that the Guru Rinpoche had predicted that it would be built by a man named Namgyal in front of a hill shaped like an elephant. And you can see that is so, the dzong becoming the end of the elephant’s trunk. This is also at the point where the Mo Chhu and the Po Chhu meet. Crossing the river, the first building seen is the old 14th century dzong. Then the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal had his vision and the Pungthang Dechen Phodrang (Palace of Great Happiness) was constructed in 1637/8. 600 monks came here to join the Zhabdrung from the Cheri Goemba in the Thimpu valley. Even today, monks 'overwinter' from Thimpu in Punakha Dzong. The day they make the move is officially the start of winter when the men are allowed to cover their legs under their khos, usually with thermal underwear or nowadays sometimes tracky bottoms. The dzong is very large, and we had a steep climb up stone stairs and an almost vertical set of wooden steps to get to the gateway. Our permit was scrutinised and then we were allowed in to the first of three courtyards. This is the largest, with offices down the sides. In the middle are a white chorten and a large shade tree. At the far side is the huge utse whose entrance is in the second courtyard. The second courtyard is surrounded by the monks’ rooms but also has two halls; one is where the first King of Bhutan was presented with the Order of Knight Commander of the Indian Empire by John Claude White in 1905. In the third courtyard we visited a large hall - the hundred pillar hall, which has 54 golden pillars and walls covered with the story of the Buddha’s life. There are three very big statues here, of the Buddha, Guru Rinpoche and the Zhabdrung. As we were about to leave the hall a gong sounded and we saw a monk walking up and down the terrace along the exit wall of the hall, swinging a three line whip. He walked all around the square as the gong continued to sound. Kinley explained that the monks were being called to pray and to have tea. They came running from all sides to gather in the square, waiting for a signal, and then they were allowed to enter the hall opposite the one we had visited. Kinley led us up some stairs and we found ourselves on a landing overlooking the monks who were being served butter tea and rice. They are allowed to add flavouring - usually chilli, but they need to provide this themselves. This was the end of our fascinating visit, so we walked back out again, crossed the bridge, to find Tsering waiting for us. A little way back down the road - even passed the turning for the hotel, we parked the car at the start of a short walk to Chimi Lhakgang. The Lhakhang is across the valley, so we had to walk through the terraced fields to the tiny hamlet of Pana (field), down to Yoaka (in the drain) and up a slope clothed with cactus, to reach it. Built in 1499 by a cousin of Drukpa Kinley, the divine madman, it honours his subduing of the demoness of Dochu La. She had been giving a lot of grief to local citizens and travellers, so the clever Drukpa went to the pass, lay down playing dead, all but his penis which he kept erect. This was his so called 'magic thunderbolt of wisdom'. The demoness was naturally fascinated by this and he was able to subdue her and convert her to Buddhism and charge her with protecting all sentient life. We sat on the bench overlooking a small pond as we waited for a large party of tourists to come out of the small temple. At last we entered the small courtyard and then the equally small temple. It is beautifully decorated with scenes of Drukpa Kinley's life. The main statue is of the lama and his dog, which accompanied him from Tibet. We also saw statues of the Zhabdrung, with his wise man's beard, the historical Buddha, Sakyamani and Chenresig who is the bodhisattva of compassion. This latter is a special guardian of Bhutanese religion. At the side of the altar we saw two phalluses and the lama's bow and arrows in a case. Kinley gave a ten nultrum note and got a roll of three dice to divine an answer to his secret question. Apparently there would be a successful outcome. He has to visit this Lhakhang several times during the year as it is where he got his name and he has a special attachment here. He was, apparently brought up around here. This is a temple many women come to, to ensure fertility. We were given some holy water, but luckily we weren't blessed with either the wooden or metal phallus. As Kinley was describing the wall paintings, the gong sounded and lots of very young monks came rushing in, sitting in rows side on to the altar. They were served tea and a slice or two of bread, while chanting went on. Time for us to leave, and we walked around the outside of the building, noting the prayer wheels and slate carvings. Back at the car, Tsering drove us up to the hotel, and we took tea on the terrace. Then we showered before having dinner with Kinley. On the walk from our room to the main hotel, there are pots full of orchids, some already in flower. One of the staff told us that they are all local species. One of the buffet dishes was fish and chips - small pieces of battered fish with crisps. There was also a tasty mushroom dish with fried cottage cheese squares - looking a bit like tofu.

Blue Poppy Tours and Treks

Day Two

Kinley met us in the lobby at 9am. Today is apparently an auspicious day in the Bhutanese calendar, meaning schools and government offices are closed. It is the anniversary of the death of one of Bhutan's great Lamas. So we adapt our plan, as the museum and the painting school and the government handicraft shop will be closed.
Nevertheless, all the religious sites will be busy with people in their best clothes. Outside we meet our new driver, Tsering. Our first visit is to the Memorial Chorten, where we join the crowds making a clockwise circuit, spinning prayer wheels and mutter to the clack of prayer beads, before going inside and climbing to the first floor. Here are grand views of the city. Reaching up from the ground floor altar is a huge representation of the wrathful Buddha, surrounded by smaller statues. Butter lamps burn in front of it, and murals cover the walls. It was crowded with people all trying to get up and down the same staircase, so as we stopped to try and take a closer look, we tended to cause a traffic jam. Upstairs there was a monk, chanting with the accompaniment of two horns and a drum. All very exciting. On our walk around the outside we were given a paper disc with the photographs of Bhutan's leading lamas. The Bhutanese held the pictures to their foreheads as a kind of blessing. Now we walked back to meet up with Tsering and he drove us off up the hill, really to visit another temple, but it was so busy, they decided to take us right up to the takin reserve above the city.
The takins, Bhutan's national animal and almost only found here, live in a huge fenced area - an 'open' zoo. At one time, the then King thought it would be a good idea to set them free, but instead of heading for the hills, they wandered into town, and they are large animals with horns. The bull we saw was pretty ferocious, too. So they had to round them up and take them back to the enclosure again. The takins are hefty beasts with shaggy coats and horns like wildebeest’s. In the animal book, they are listed as a unique animal - there is just nothing like them. We managed some photos through the fence, then one of the other guides stuffed some herbs through the fence - he called it wormwood (Wormwood, Artemisia Absinthium, common name – Green ginger.). The females and a young one gobbled it up. Then the large male came along at the gallop and chased them away. Kinley led us up round the side of the area, where there is a smaller enclosure which contains some Indian muntjack deer with their lined faces and little horns. Back at the other area, we saw some 'reindeer', one with an amputated half leg. We decided that these could be Indian red deer.
Next we drove up to the Bhutan Telecoms tower. From here there is a great view of Thimpu, and the hillside is covered with hundreds of prayer flags. Hopefully lots of lovely photos.
By now, Changangkha Lhakhang would be quieter, so Tsering drove us down there, and indeed there were fewer cars outside. It is a small temple with teaching facilities for the monks. A small fortress style building, it is built on a promontory, looking down onto Thimpu. We climbed many steps up to the entrance, and walked into the courtyard, then with shoes off, we followed the crowd into a hallway to look through windows into the holy area where scriptures are kept by a manifestation of the compassionate Buddha. Only Buddhist men are allowed in here. But we did receive a few drops of holy water, which we sipped then brushed over our heads. Turning around, we bent our heads to a senior monk sitting in a ceremonial chair, who blessed us. Then we gradually made our way out through the throng, recovered our shoes ready to descend the steps down to the car. It is a lovely building with an immensely tall flagpole with a blue prayer flag.
The last stop before lunch was the Jangsa handmade paper factory. Here they make paper from the white Daphne plant and starch extracted from Hibiscus root. Lovely smooth paper results, which they colour with natural dyes. They also make it with inclusions of local flowers, leaves and grasses. If they use the black Daphne, a much rougher paper is produced. In their little shop we saw some beautiful papers, but it wouldn't really travel, so we bought nice books and some postcards.
We lunched at the Plum Cafe on Thimpu's main street, pausing to quickly photograph the policeman directing traffic from a traditionally decorated gazebo. Lunch was a buffet offering beef and fish curry, potato datse (i.e. in a local cheese sauce), spinach, mixed veg and rice. There was cake and coffee for dessert. Afterwards, I asked one of the ladies about their national dress, the kira, and how it was worn. They were so pleased to explain the wearing of the full kira and the half kira, then proceeded to dress me up over the top of my clothes in a half kira and jacket. Great fun - they were even trying to persuade me to wear it for the afternoon. Alan took photos. Just as all the fun was over; Kinley reappeared for our next event. As all museums were closed, we were a bit at a loose end, but there was an archery competition on at the national ground, so we stopped by to watch these professional archers in the national league. This afternoon was the turn of the traditional bowmen; the others we saw were using 'technical' bows. These competitors were very good with bamboo bows and arrows, hitting the target several times as we watched. There were some wonderful faces in the watching crowd.
Another brainwave of Kinley’s was to visit the Botanical Gardens, a new-ish project on one of the hills above Thimpu. It has very much the beginnings of a lovely spot, though it looked in need of water and some dedicated gardening. It is divided into different areas - rock, flowers, herbal, arboretum etc. and even has a small glass house, with traditionally painted window frames. We found the orchid house, with only a couple of plants in flower - too early for most of them. Apparently 10% of Bhutan's flora is orchids. Then we walked through the arboretum to a view point on a very windy ridge, looking down the Thimpu valley. At last we drove back down the hill and into town. Kinley dropped us at the hotel around 3pm, giving us some time to ourselves. Tea was served in our room (102), and then we went for a stroll around the main streets of Thimpu. We passed the traffic policeman again, and then looked at strange shop signs, bamboo scaffolding around several new buildings, the fascinating artwork on the buildings and lots, lots more. The young men were playing a sort of shuffle board game in the street. We visited Yak Handicrafts and bought some souvenirs.
Back at the Wangchuk, we packed up in anticipation of our moving on tomorrow. We are off to Punakha. Dinner comprised the ever present soup, which was far too spicy for Alan. Then cucumber salad, red rice, butter naan, Bhutan style beef, chicken masala, nakey datse and Chinese veggies. Dessert was fruit salad with tinned cream a la British boarding house. We enjoyed a shared Red Panda, again and finished with tea. Now time to get to sleep before the jet lag strikes.

Blue Poppy Tours and Treks

Day One

After an uneventful flight into Kolkata, we cleared customs and went in search of DrukAir. We were too early, so had to wait to check in for about an hour. We queued up for security, only to be pushed through without it. But when we checked in, Alan went back with one of DrukAir's staff to get the regulation yellow band put round our bags. It was free seating, and as most people had come with the plane from Bangkok, there was no chance of a window seat, or of sitting close to each other. It was pretty cloudy going in, so we didn't miss the chance to see Jomulhari (7329m). Our first sight of Bhutan was the very pretty, traditional style terminal building. We were surprised as many people stopped to take photos, so I did, too. Formalities were soon completed and we found Kinley Dorji waiting for us. We were soon on our way with driver Pema and the first stop was up at a view point overlooking the airport, watching our plane take off again on its way to Katmandu, and the Paro (Ringpung) Dzong. Kinley then took us into town for a cup of tea and biscuits. This was at the cafe in town, but a load of tourists had got there already, so we sat in a back room with a view of the balcony on which they were drying meat and chillies - with accompanying aromas. After using the loos, it was time to make a move. This was out of town and up the mountain to Drukgyel Dzong - a ruined monastery above the village. We were dropped off and walked along a path towards the dzong, and suddenly realized that the men were holding an archery match across the area - shooting arrows at a tiny target 140m away. They play from both ends, leaving a few of the team at either end to watch the target. If one of the team hits the target, the rest of the team performs a song and dance, praising him. This seemed a rare thing, though many arrows were close - only once during the time we watched.
So we walked slowly up to the ruin. This walk gave us breathtaking views of the valley. The dzong dates from the 17th century, but in the early 50s there was a devastating fire and despite some half hearted efforts, restoration has not been undertaken. I climbed up on a bit of outcrop and managed to take some photos looking down on the archers. Not a place for Alan. While we were here, we saw a red minivet, just as we had seen in Assam. We made our way back down to the archers and the car, a Kia Sorrento, and Pema drove us back to the first cafe for lunch. On the way we had our first view of Tiger’s Nest, to which we will walk on the last day of the holiday. For lunch we ate red rice - a truly local dish, aubergine fritters, fish curry, beef curry, mixed veg and ferns. The ferns are like the Canadian fiddleheads we have had, and are called nakey in Bhutan. It was all very good and we finished with mandarins and tea or coffee. Alan needed to change some money, so we parked in town and he and Kinley disappeared onto the bank for a while. Now he could pay Kinley back for our lunchtime drinks.
Our next event was a visit to the Paro Dzong - a fortress type of building overlooking the town. Pema dropped us off and we walked down to the entrance, where there are fabulous murals. One of these depicted the story of the Four Friends; a fable known to all Bhutanese and we will see many representations of it throughout our holidays. We stepped into the courtyard and saw the vastness of the complex with its rows of prayer wheels in the wall. Oriole windows jut from the building and are beautifully painted with patterns, devices, dragons and suchlike. We walked on, then down steps to the next 'layer'. Here we could go into one of the rooms, no shoes, hat or cameras - and look around. Student monks were learning their lines and rehearsing for a ceremony. This included twirling the small yellow umbrella symbol and blowing horns. When we finished looking around, we made our way back out of the dzong, walked down to the river, the Pacchou. In the fields beside us there were brown and yellow bearded iris growing, with great big blooms – almost ‘Chelsea’ like! We crossed the river using the 17th century box bridge, spotting an Indian style truck parked on the other side, with an elephant painted in its side. Pema was waiting at the far side ready to whisk us on to the road to Thimpu. Due to its being upgraded, it is closed between 3pm and 6pm each weekday. The road is not much wider than Sheath Lane with a sandy or gravelly hard-ish shoulder of half a meter or so either side. To avoid oncoming traffic, the drivers politely blow the horn to make sure the other driver has seen them, then each move over a bit and slide passed each other. Overtaking is a similar manoeuvre, only after, the overtaker peeps a thank you to the other vehicle. It all makes for a noisy drive if there's a bit of traffic on the road. Due to the road works, there are lots of Tata trucks on the road billowing smoky exhausts at you. Also there are loads of workers on the road - many Indians and also Nepali refugees, who are breaking rocks and virtually making the road by hand - rather like we saw in Assam. It was hot, busy and noisy, and we were succumbing to jetlag. We arrived at our hotel, the Wangchuk, around 5pm, and tea and biscuits were served. Outside, the entrance is bordered with beds of blue iris. Kinley arranged to meet us at 9am the next morning and left. We showered, shaved etc. and staggered to dinner at 7pm after a short power cut. Dinner was a starter of soup, warmish chicken curry, fried dried fish, poppadoms, veggies, spinach and white rice. This was washed down with a shared large bottle of Red Panda Weiss beer. We finished with a tasty Indian dessert and more tea. Now we are completely knackered and its time for bed.

Blue Poppy Tours and Treks