Mar 1 - Our tour yesterday originally included a stop at an interactive cultural center called Simply Bhutan, but they were closed. So today we head there before setting out on the drive out of town.
The Simply Bhutan museum is meant to introduce visitors to the cultural aspects of the country. Not much of it is just looking at stuff, rather it is interacting with traditional life. It is funded through the Bhutan Youth Development Fund.
The items on the back wall are meant to be taken down and handled by visitors. The host, dressed in traditional clothing, is preparing some Ara for us (tastes like sake). The hat she wears is called a belo, and is traditionally worn by Layap women.
These boys are pounding earth inside the frame of a house wall. Before the use of wood for construction, packed earth was the normal. The song they sing is like an apology to the worms et al, and the earth itself, for hitting it so hard.
This is an example of a dance common in the festivals, to denote happiness for good things that have occurred. We joined them later to learn the dance, but it made for a much less interesting video clip.
The climate is such that crops can be dried by hanging them outside the houses. Here, corn, peppers, garlic, and radishes are being prepared for dry storage.
The host explains the story of the Divine Madman. He is a Tibetan monk of sorts named Drukpa Kunley (1455-1529 CE), born in western Tibet but came to Bhutan and has a bit of a cult following that survives to today. He famous for his radical philosophy that sexual intercourse and wine-drinking were also ways to achieve enlightenment.
The Divine Madman. He is normally depicted without a shirt, and with his pet dog.
A kitchen utensil for mashing grain.
Odette was very excited about the archery lesson.
From here we head up the side of the valley to the east. The road winds up through pine forests until we reach Dochula Pass (3100 meters). It is a bit cloudy so no views of the Himalayas.
At the pass are 108 chortens, memorializing those killed (both Bhutanese and Indian) in the 2003 Bhutan-Indian War (called Operation All Clear). In this conflict, Assamese separatists, under pressure from Indian troops, relocated their base of operations inside the southern Bhutan border. The Bhutan government tried unsuccessfully to convince them to leave. Eventually the Bhutanese army marched in and the war took place, expelling the rebels back into India.
Standing among the chortens, with the Druk Wangyel Lhakhng temple (built in 2008) in the background.
Our guide Gembe carries Odette, calling out “Pork for sale!” This a a common game played with Bhutanese children when they ask to be carried.
Up here in the forests near the pass, there are magnolias, rhododendron, and wild cherry trees in bloom. The eastern side of the mountain is obviously where the rain falls more, as the density of vegetation is much greater.
The valley south of Punakha.
On the road north, we parallel the Puna Tsang Chu (river). It is much larger than the rivers near Thimphu, and has generated a wide flat valley. This is a much more agriculturally intensive area than we’ve seen previously. By far most of the fields are dedicated to rice, though it is too early yet this year to plant it. The fields we see that are green are currently growing peppers and a grass used to feed farm animals.
We stop at the town of Khuruthang, and hike from here across the river to the village of Lobesa. I realize now that many of the pictures I’ve seen relating to the Divine Madman come from this place. Get out of the van to walk through the town, across the river, and up the east side of the valley. This is one of the most important sites relating to Drukpa Kunley, who built a chorten here.
A water-powered prayer wheel.
The Chime Lhakhang Monastery is up the hill from here. It is a pilgrimage site for those seeking the help of the Divine Madman for their fertility issues. The Madman himself is said to have refused to bless a woman unless she had sex with him, and likewise refused to bless a man unless he brought a woman as an offering for the same. Couples come from everywhere to this monastery to receive a much more mundane fertility blessing. Women are obliged to carry a large wooden erect penis around the building a number of times. Unfortunately, a lot of the interesting details of this monastery are inside, where it is forbidden to take photos.
The path up to the monastery.
Chime Lhakhang exterior.
From here, further up the valley to Punakha, where we will spend the next few days. It is a tiny town, though it used to be the capital city before Thimphu was declared such in 1955. Our hotel (Zhingkham Resort) is way up the side of the valley on a narrow, nail-biting road.
A view down into the Punakha Valley from the hotel. The large structure is the Punakha Dzong (Palace of Great Happiness and Bliss). It is one of the oldest surviving structures in Bhutan, originally constructed in 1637-38. It serves as the administrative capital of the valley, and sits at the confluence of the Pho Chu (father river) and Mo Chu (mother river). The Dzong houses the most important relics of the Kagyu School of Buddhism and the remains of its builder, Ngawang Namgyal.
Looking up the Mo Chu. The climate is decidedly warmer here, though as with Thimphu, not many crops are growing yet.
