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