Continued from Bhutan – Part 1
Nowadays most of us lean heavily on google aunty( some would call google uncle) and online trip advisers to plan an itinerary. Nothing wrong with that. Only issue is that one has to be aware that the advice is based on the intentions of the majority of tourists; to cover maximum places in minimum time. This creates an inherent conflict; the more places you cover shallower will be the experience. One ends up moving from place to place, mentally checking off bullet points, with very little time to fully digest the sights and sounds.
So , should we temper the recommendations with our own inclinations to buy stuff, do stuff and to just be what we are ? No adviser is aware of our capabilities, limitations and the health status ; after all what’s the point in going to a place if you are in no shape to experience anything?
Our original plan was to spend two days at Thimpu, one day at Punakha, one day at Haa and two days at Paro. Later it was modified to three days at Thimpu with a day trip to Punakha. Though very much do-able, it would have meant covering around 200km in a day , and in the mountains , 200 Km is a lot.
As it panned out, Punakha had to be dropped altogether, due to some permit issues. In a way it was good since we could move around Thimpu more leisurely. Also our sixty year old frames would have been thankful to be spared the hectic road trip.
05 Oct 19
On our second day at Thimpu, our plan was to cover Simthoka Dzong, Royal, Takin Reserve, Dechenphug Lhakhang Folk Heritage Museum (Simply Bhutan), National Textile Museum and the local handicraft market.
Simthoka Dzong
Dzongs are Castle – Monastries. They are well fortified to withstand an attack by an army and are also places for monks to stay and practice their rituals and to meditate.
Normally one doesn’t associate Buddhist monks with battles. But it does appear from history that lamas fought other lamas often resulting in bitter stuggle spanning over centuries. Tibetan Buddhism , Main stream Mahayana Buddhism and our own Indian religious ideas influenced one another, sometimes clashed violently, leading to the present form of Buddhism in Bhutan.
It is called Vajrayana Buddhism.
Royal Takin Reserve
Here the animals are fenced in , over a large area in the natural habitat. In fact, the natural habitat gave them such a good cover ; we could just see them moving about lazily or just sitting ; there are no photographs to show; and they wouldn’t come out to pose for a selfie.
Dechenphug Lhakhang
Only Bhutanese are allowed to enter the temple . Note that even small children are dressed in traditional clothes. One group of worshipers happily let us pose with them.
Folk Heritage Museum (Simply Bhutan)
This covers all aspects of Bhutanese culture; the way they live, build houses, the agricultural tools they use and so on. There are English speaking guides to explain.
It was lunch time and we had worked up a healthy appetite. Despite our best efforts to enjoy local food, we failed miserably. By and large the food is bland . They sure don’t believe in spices or salt. They do have ferocious looking chillies (if you are from Rajasthan, you would call it mouth-watering) . Personally , for me rice with anything is quite ok and yes, I kept a decent distance from the chillies.
After the meal you are treated to some practice in Archery. You get two attempts and if you hit the target the staff breaks into a nice jig in Bhutanese style. As a group of four we did manage to get them dancing twice. Unfortunately there’s no photo to show. I feel one should have a battery powered video camera fixed to the forehead to record everything you look at .
National Textile Museum
There is a rich history of weaving . There are many legends on the origin and evolution of weaving tools and skills as we see it today. While in most cultures, handloom industry is struggling to survive, in Bhutan the govt has taken massive efforts to keep it alive. There is a National Textile Academy in Thimpu to train weavers.
Weaving a single dress may take 3-6 months , while a machine made fabric is easier to make and is also less expensive.
Bhutanese are very proud of wearing their national dress and it is mandatory to wear it in religious places and Govt offices.
Local Handicrafts Market
There is a well laid out Handcrafts Market, though it appears expensive to a typical Indian tourist. Bargaining is frowned upon and there is hardly any Bhutanese trying to hard-sell any merchandise.
We found that many of the items were much cheaper at the IMTRAT Non CSD Canteen at Haa, which is open to faujis and the general public alike. (Useful tip for faujis)
PS
I had messaged an NDA and IMA coursemate of mine Brig Sangay Thinlay of Royal Bhutanese Army. He was a busy man on Palace duty and was then at Punakha in connection with funeral rites of the queen mother’s father, Yab Dasho Ugyen Dorji .
While we were shopping, I got a call from him and later he turned up to meet us at the market. He said, he was free the next day and invited us to dinner at his place. It was a pleasant surprise indeed. As it transpired later that he was called back to Punakha early morning on the 7th and he went back just as suddenly as he had come.
So there was something to look forward to in place of the Punakha Trip.
For Part 3 Click