Leaving Bhutan

During my short visit to Bhutan, I experienced Im sure only a glimpse into this world. One of my enduring impressions will be of the expansive forests that cover the majority of this small Kingdom and the inherent reverence for the living world that is the foundations of Buddhism.  

Exploring the remains of an old fort against the backdrop of unclimbed peaks. 

My guide, Ratu, and driver, Ramish, on the ruins of the fort.

The government banned the climbing of any mountains above 5000m after a few tragedies with people trying to climb the highest mountains. It is in keeping with their philosophy that mountains are themselves sacred and should be respected, not conquered.

Bhutan is many things - including, for better or worse, highly controlled by the government. It is a place like nothing I have experienced before and the many ways in which reverence for all living things are naturally a part of daily life was incredibly inspiring. One thing is for certain is that Bhutan is consciously determining its own path towards the future - with high speed internet and luxury cars alongside archery competitions and youth training to be master sculptors, a massive investment into hydro power and national protection of forests. Bhutan is a country considered.

Tiger's Nest

Tiger's Nest Monastery is perched high on a cliffside in the Paro Valley. Legended to be the place where Guru Rinpoche was taken on the back of a flying tigress, it is where he then meditated for quite some time and today is still a sacred place for retreat and meditation, as well as pilgrimage for many Buddhists.

The hike up the mountains and up the cliffs was quite something else! Reaching the monastery was definitely worth the effort though! With beautiful views from all sides, and a dramatic waterfall to pass over to finally reach it, it is an incredibly awe inspiring place.

The view of the Tiger's Nest from across the valley.

Learning in Bhutan

Bhutan was an incredible learning experience and part of that was visiting the various institutions that were a part of keeping the traditions and culture of Bhutan alive. The School of Astrology is where young monks train in the art of astrology and locals come for readings. I had the fascinating and slightly surreal opportunity to have my stars read which included the strangely accurate locating of an auspicious birthmark and the prediction that I will live between two places, be self sufficient and have 3 or 5 blessed children. A few more interesting things to hopefully look forward to as well! That, and to avoid travel on Wednesdays.

The Institute of Traditional Medicine is where doctors are both researching natural medicines and practicing ancient traditional approaches to health and wellbeing. It was great to see a place where people could come for preventative and restorative natural medicine practices.

A few years ago, the School of 13 Arts was established to promote the practice of traditional arts such as mask making, sculpture, weaving, painting, metalwork, embroidery etc. The work is, ofcourse, exceptionally traditional. The quality of the final year students work is incredible and its interesting to see behind the scenes of what goes into keeping an ancient culture alive.

Life in a Monastery

 During my travels through Bhutan I had the chance to visit many historic buildings. Usually I tire after the first three (as Jani might be able to tell you), but these visits were so interesting as the buildings were both full of interesting history (secret tunnels, heroic battles and such) and still very much alive at the same time. The old forts, monasteries and stupas are today home to schools of monks, administrative offices and have many local visitors every day along with the very few occasional foreign tourists. 

The Tzong in Punakha - once a fort and now home to both monastery and government offices.

 

Three curious friends I made in a monastery of one of the smaller villages we visited.

Young monks reciting prayers under the shade of the trees.

A good game of soccer to finish the day in a small monastery perched high on the hill side.

A Dog's Life

Such happy dogs, seriously. But so many of them, everywhere, roaming around and feasting on 'offerings' and generally being well cared for. Not quite the same case now that Im in India unfortunately.

Punakha Valley

A view of rice paddies and wheat fields with a small cluster of farm houses beyond. The houses are majestic and the fields which have been farmed for centuries, remain rich and fertile. The pace of development is certainly felt in Bhutan, with cell phones and high speed internet equally available, but the direction of the development if far more considered and that includes valuing the role of rural areas to grow food and sustain the population. As well as the importance of other factors, such as conservation and wellbeing. Bhutan is not without its contradictions though and as a very tightly controlled state, there are certainly downsides as well. One of which is the contested issue of Bhutanese refugees that is worth reading more about if you are interested.

A small stupa in the middle of the fields, with an elderly farmer making his ritual turns of the prayer wheels. Prayer is built into the everyday through household alters and stupas to be found everywhere. Prayer seems to serve many functions here, one of which is maintaining an appropriate pace to life which includes time for gratitude and reflection.

Punakha Market

As always, I enjoyed a short stop to a bustling market on an open lot in the Punakha Valley. It also helps to describe some of the Bhutanese cuisine which is based almost entirely around chillies, rice, potatoes and cheese. Some eat meat - mostly cured and served with a healthy dose of chillies.

A type of fern harvested from the forests and stirfried as a vegetable.

Wild pepper.

An ingenious baby carrier made from a single stretch of fabric. I saw various verions of this, depending on the child's size. Pretty cool.

Homes that come from and return to the soil

 Women making a rammed earth house - singing beautifully whilst they pound the earth down. Whilst many of the new houses are still traditional in design, they are mostly made with concrete in the towns and cities. In the rural villages though, most are still rammed earth.

Some might call if dilapidated, but I found the natural materials that blended into the surrounding hills quite beautiful.

The other interesting thing about the homes is that people paint various symbols on the outside walls to bring luck and protect the house. One of those happens to be giant phallus symbols to bring fertility to the home and protect the residents from malicious gossip.

Beautiful Bhutan

 

A week in breathtakingly beautiful Bhutan. A country like no other - pristine wildnernis covers most of the country, traditional design is compulsory by law for all buildings, gross national happiness is more important than economic growth, men wear dresses (of sorts) and the rice is red. Tourism is highly regulated (and quite expensive), so a short whirlwind and fully guided tour through Bhutan was both magical and surreal. Battling with super slow internet here in Darjeeling, India now so just a few photos for now, more to come! Above is the fort in Paro that is now government and monasterial buildings, and was our first stop from the airport. Quite typical of a Bhutanese built landscape.

 

 Buddhism is a way of life for Bhutan - a philosophy of living that permeates everyday actions from community living to environmental stewardship. 

 

Some of the young monks playing with my camera in a small hilltop village we visited in Punakha. Amazing ecological design, living sustainable agriculture, conservation work by communities and more to follow!