Bhutan: Places

Photos taken by Scott on his Bhutan visit.

Our first day in Bhutan... A typical office building in Thimphu.  As elsewhere, notice the air conditioning units right below hand painted images of orchids.  Quite a contrast.

Dogs... are everywhere.  Bhuddists do not kill (without special excuses) animals, so when stray pets run loose, the options are to leave them be or to catch them, neuter them, and release them.  Unfortunately, the sterilization "program" is largely ineffective and packs of dogs roam nearly everywhere.  They seem rather content and the locals have a very high tolerance for them.  Side note: the tin roofed shack housed several Indian men (no water and no electricity) who were most likely construction workers hired by wealthier Indians to build most of the rapidly sprawling city.

A quick view of our neighborhood.

Urban homes.

The vertical white lines are clusters of flag poles holding "Manidhars" or flags for the dead. These flags contain prayers for the deceased and are typically placed in clusters and high above rivers, with the hope that the stronger winds carry their prayers farther distances.

The clock tower square in Thimphu.

Erecting a building using bamboo supports.  The men are hoisting up materials.  Looks like fun...

Prayer wheels in the square.

No, I don't know what they say.

The archery field.

Far in the distance, the largest Buddha statue in the world (or so I was told).  It's 50 meters tall, made of steel, and made in China!  We went to it, but were not allowed too close due to renovations.  Bummer.

Outside walls of what we think will eventually be a stadium.  Yes, there are river stones all over the roofs.

I was told that these stones are placed deliberately to prevent the roof from blowing away.  Realistically though, probably as much decoration as helping to keep wooden tiles from peeling off?

No evening gowns or tuxedos allowed.  These signs were common outside of government buildings.  Men are required to wear their ghos and women their kiras.  Tourists with cameras: need not apply.

A pedestrian bridge over the Wang Chhu (chhu = river) decorated with hundreds (thousands?) of prayer flags. It's important that the prayer flags are placed in windy areas so that their prayers are carried upwards.

Unfortunately for the uber-I-hate-litter-environmentalist-do-gooder, many of these tattered flags can be seen strewn about the river banks.  They make for an interesting scene though.

The Wang Chhu flowing through Thimphu.

A ceiling mural of Buddha.

More construction.  The city of Thimphu is experiencing extreme growth.  Based on some pictures we were shown, the city area has doubled (if not more) in size in less than 10 years. Its rapid growth is presenting new challenges and opportunities for the Bhutanese.

The takin.  An animal magically created from the regurgitated remains of a goat and a cow eaten by the Divine Madman after his followers demanded a miracle.  The takin is Bhutans national animal and is roughly the size of a pony, for those wondering how big a goat-cow is.

And yes, some of this guys wild cousins are currently wearing gps tracking collars generously given to them by Nawang and his team at UWICE.

The fence on the left is the Takin Sanctuary enclosure.  This is a family home.

More tin and rocks...  I wonder how loud these homes are during rain storms...

Drying chillies.

Sambars.  A native deer species, approximately the size of an elk.

For more information, zoom in.

The base at 7:30AM.  We're headed to the Taktshang Goemba, the Tiger's Nest.

One of the trail horses enjoying its time off.

We're headed up there, the little white square in the center.

Each of these little structures housed a water powered prayer wheel.

To Guru's glory!

For perspective, the monastery sits on the side of the cliff.  The cliff goes nearly straight down for 900 meters.  Fyi, if you have vertigo, I strongly recommend against looking out the temples windows...

The valley of Paro below.  We flew into Paro from Bangkok.  I'll let you imagine what it would be like to land in a jet through these valleys.  Exciting times.

A caretakers home.

On the way up at about 3000 meters.

I'm not positive, but I assume this served some sort of smoke signaling purpose...

After a fire in 1998 that destroyed many of the temples roofs, I don't blame them for being cautious.

Nearly there: about 10,000 feet.

Someones mini-temple at the waterfalls base.

These are clay miniature temples, about the size of a tennis ball, placed by pilgrims. We saw these statuettes beneath cliff ledges along the roads as well.

Prayers?

Pilgrim offerings.

We made it.  Unfortunately for you, no cameras, videos, or phones are allowed inside.  Also, unfortunately for Davide, shorts are not allowed either.  Since it was so early in the morning, Sonam and I were allowed to walk around alone, barefoot of course.  We were even shown the actual cave (i.e., hole) where Guru Rinpoche meditated for 3 months.  The numerous buildings house a number of different Buddha statues that are elaborately decorated by pilgrim offerings of flowers, food, and money.

This guy followed us all the way up, so he deserved a nap.

So, it's called the Tiger's Nest because Guru Rinpoche is said to have flown there, on the back of a tiger so that he could destroy the demon that ravaged the locals.  After defeating the demon, he meditated there in the hole.  To temple is said to be anchored to the side of the cliff by the hairs of female celestial beings.  Of course! How else can it stay there?!?

The horse can only go so far (~2/3s).  From here, tourists can head to the cafe for an energy boost for the last hour.

A cow about 2500 meters up the trail.  Cows and dogs are everywhere...

A side trip.

On our way back from the Tiger's Nest, Sonam surprised us with a detour to the Drukgyal Dzong.

Here on the left of the main fortress is the chapel.

What's left of a road/trail (I'm guessing for moving soldiers since it's only 2 meters wide...) inside the the fortress.

Lush, terraced rice fields.

The exterior walls.  The Dzong was built in 1649 and was a major source of victory for Bhutan during the Tibetan invasions.

Many of the walls and stonework remain impressively straight.

The courtyard.  The grass hides an incredibly flat and even floor or stone.

In 1951, while the building was used for legislative purposes, a lamp fire broke out, destroying most of the building.  In some areas, like this one, you can still see some of the charred lumber.

Some restoration efforts have been made, but the only success seems to be part of the central tower.   In the following picture, you can see the steel cables preventing the roof from blowing away.  Literally, I asked.

Narrow steps for small-footed people.

And of course the prayer wheel and a dog.

This was next door to the Dzong.  Amongst other things, this building housed several families and a mill that was milling down rice from the neighboring fields.

The view along the highway in the lower elevation valleys.

Terraced gardens at ~1500 meters, more of a temperate rainforest climate.

Rice fields.

The courtyard of the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and the Environment. The Institute occupies one of the Kings former fortresses.  On the left you can see one of the three surrounding walls.

This is where Nawang serves as Director and hopefully I'll eventually occupy one of these offices.

The other two walls.

Hanging out on a Saturday.

The Suisse spent a lot of time in Bhutan and their influence is seen in some of their beer and cheeses, and some of their architecture, like this house.

The roofs of most of the buildings are peaked, but above a solid flat roof.  The space between the peaked roof and the actual building roof is usually vacant.  When it can be afforded, owners use these interwoven bamboo to hide the space.  It's usually adds extra color and seems to at least help keep pigeons out...

The view from outside my hotel room in Bumthang.  All of the fixtures, paintings, and furniture are all hand made, and probably locally so.

The view out my back door.  Cows, of course.

The hotel courtyard.

Local homes in Bumthang.

The Dzong above Bumthang.  These were military fortresses, but now typically house legislative offices.

A local.  This guy, aside from making more cows, really serves no purpose to most Bhutanese.  The Buddhist solution is to let it wander freely.  This may be the happiest cow I've ever met...

Privacy fencing in Bhutan: bamboo strips.

Banana trees, hotel bed sheets, and mountains...

A modest home.

All painted by hand, by locals, with paint made from local, natural ingredients.  I think Kathy will enjoy learning about all of the amazing native arts and crafts.

Downtown Bumthang.  Bumthang has suffered three (?) major fires in recent years so unfortunately much of the original structures are gone.  Lots of the buildings are new or being built; notice the guys pouring the cement walkway.

I don't know what this building will be, but I do know that behind that little bamboo door is a bar, a lounge, and a nightclub.  We sampled quite a few local brews and whiskeys with the help of our friends at UWICE...  Oh, the bathroom is around the far corner.  Just pick your pile of rubble and aim.

Our future home? This is a 6-bedroom house near the Institute that we may rent when/if we move to Bhutan.  Feel free to visit, we've got the room if you've got the $300/day to enter the country!  If I get a working visa for Bhutan, we can have 2 guests per year visit without paying the entry fee.  We'll start accepting bids... now!

Oh, if you visit, get use to this scene: a repaired section of the highway, post-landslide.  Yes, it's fixed and yes it's wide enough for one vehicle.  Vertigo? Don't look out your window (see next picture).

It's completely safe...

A paved section of the highway.  Pit stops allowed for a few pictures.  The forests are lush and seem nearly untouched.  Massive trees covered in bryophytes, lichens, and ferns.  Incredible structure and rhododendrons everywhere.

This happens a lot too.  No problem, take some pictures.  But, the drive from the Institute to Thimphu, despite only being 280 km, takes ~7 hours, so every interruption makes the long, windy, bumpy ride that much longer.

No road? No problem. At first I thought two things: that looks incredibly dangerous, and look out for that beautiful tree.  But after a while, I realized this entire process is probably mundane for Bhutan.  Most of the trees look like that one and the teenager doing the work has probably been doing it for years.

Every construction job needs an audience and Bhutan is no different.  But, when a boulder is pushed over the side of the road in Bhutan, it tumbles for a loooong time.

One of many roadside waterfalls, but this one was next to a road block.