If you have heard anything about Bhutan, it is probably that the king has declared that he measures the success of his country by their Gross National Happiness rather than Gross National Product. By whatever standard, it does seem as if they are getting something right. Everyone we met was incredibly kind and friendly, treating us like we were honored guests rather than just tourists. Maybe a little bit of this was because of Greg's position and the work he was doing there, but I got the feeling that it had much more to do with Bhutanese culture and their Buddhist values than anything else.
On our second day in Thimpu, Greg left the boys and me to do some exploring while he met with different government officials and held very important meetings. I am fairly sure I got the better deal! Our helpful and lovely guide for the day, Sangay, picked us up at our hotel and took us into the hills for a nice walk. Our walk started at the radio tower above Thimphu and took us along the mountain to a temple that is being restored. Along the way the views of Thimphu valley were amazing, and we all enjoyed being out and active in the clean and pure air. Rhododendrons were just beginning to bloom, so here and there we saw beautiful bursts of bright red flowers. People who take this walk often continue on the trail to a nunnery, but we decided to turn back at this point so we would have time to visit some other sights as well.
Trekking in the hills above Thimphu, Wangditse temple
Our next stop was at the Motithang Takin Preserve, located in the hills above Thimphu. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan, and it is only found in the Himalayas. Legend has it that a Lama in the 15th century created the takin by combining the body of a cow and the head of a goat. It is certainly a strange animal, but the boys and I decided we thought it reminded us more of a smallish buffalo than either a cow or a goat. Originally this was a little zoo, with various animals from Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal, but the King of Bhutan felt that for both religious and environmental reasons it was not right for a Buddhist country to confine animals, so all of the animals were returned to the wild. The takin, however, refused to go home! They wandered into downtown Thimphu and generally made a nuisance of themselves so the King decided they should be protected and taken care of in a nature preserve. They designated over 8 acres to house the takins, and now the preserve is free to anyone who wants to see this strange animal.
After a quick lunch Sangay took us to watch an archery demonstration. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan, and these guys were amazing. We could almost not even see the target they were shooting at, it was so far away.
After this we went back to our hotel and had tea and eclairs again before meeting Greg for dinner in Thimphu. What a fabulous day in an amazing place!
On our second day in Thimpu, Greg left the boys and me to do some exploring while he met with different government officials and held very important meetings. I am fairly sure I got the better deal! Our helpful and lovely guide for the day, Sangay, picked us up at our hotel and took us into the hills for a nice walk. Our walk started at the radio tower above Thimphu and took us along the mountain to a temple that is being restored. Along the way the views of Thimphu valley were amazing, and we all enjoyed being out and active in the clean and pure air. Rhododendrons were just beginning to bloom, so here and there we saw beautiful bursts of bright red flowers. People who take this walk often continue on the trail to a nunnery, but we decided to turn back at this point so we would have time to visit some other sights as well.
Trekking in the hills above Thimphu, Wangditse temple
Prayer flags, and an amazing view of Thimphu valley.
The buildings below are the Royal Fortress, which houses both the government offices and the religious leadership. The King's residence is just to the right of the fortress.
On the far mountain, about half way up, you can see one of the largest Buddhas in the world. You can't miss him if you know what you are looking for! More on him later.
This Dzong was built in 1750, and houses some ancient stupas, or Buddhist shrines. The work they are doing here is really amazing to see. They have completely removed everything from the structure down to the original clay walls and foundation, and are rebuilding around them. They had already built a wooden framework for doors and were hand chiseling stones to fit in to make the walls around them. There are no roads here, only the small walking trail we had just taken to get here, so all of the stones and all of this wood for constriction was hand-carried onto this site. As we walked around enjoying the views, the only sounds were bells from a prayer wheel, prayer flags flapping in the wind, and a melodious ping, ping, ping, as workers chiseled away at the stones.
Conor and Ryan amongst the prayer flags.
Prayer flags are everywhere in Bhutan. Sangay said that they are typically hung in forests, on hills, near rivers, and near holy places where the air is clear. That pretty much describes the entire country of Bhutan! Buddhist prayer flags aren't hung to carry specific prayers to gods, rather Buddhists believe that they promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom in the world. Traditional prayer flags come in five colors, each representing an element. Blue symbolizes the sky and space, white symbolizes the air and wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water and yellow symbolizes earth. Each flag has a traditional mantra or prayer on it, and as the wind blows through the flags it spreads good will and compassion freely. As the sun and the wind fade the mantras from the flags, they join the elements of the earth. Hanging these flags at high peaks, where the wind blows strongest, is also believed to bring good fortune to the person who hangs them.
Another view of the Royal Fortress and Thimphu valley.
Prayer flags on the way back. Although the elevation change wasn't much on this hike, we did go up and down quite a few times. I think the way back was slightly easier.
Our next stop was at the Motithang Takin Preserve, located in the hills above Thimphu. The takin is the national animal of Bhutan, and it is only found in the Himalayas. Legend has it that a Lama in the 15th century created the takin by combining the body of a cow and the head of a goat. It is certainly a strange animal, but the boys and I decided we thought it reminded us more of a smallish buffalo than either a cow or a goat. Originally this was a little zoo, with various animals from Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal, but the King of Bhutan felt that for both religious and environmental reasons it was not right for a Buddhist country to confine animals, so all of the animals were returned to the wild. The takin, however, refused to go home! They wandered into downtown Thimphu and generally made a nuisance of themselves so the King decided they should be protected and taken care of in a nature preserve. They designated over 8 acres to house the takins, and now the preserve is free to anyone who wants to see this strange animal.
There were also kittens and goats hanging around looking for attention!
Conor found this graffiti, the first we had seen on our trip!
Don't feed the animals indeed! After this stop we went back to town to have some steamed and fried dumplings called momos.
After a quick lunch Sangay took us to watch an archery demonstration. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan, and these guys were amazing. We could almost not even see the target they were shooting at, it was so far away.
Two teams of 13 players each take turns shooting two arrows at a time between two targets, first in one direction and then in the opposite. Sangay told us that two points are given for hitting the bullseye, one point for hitting the target, and if no one hits the target, one point is given to the person who came closest. The first team to score 25 points wins, but it isn't really as easy as all that. A second hit by an opponent can invalidate the other player's score, and it is possible somehow (I really didn't get this part) to reset your team's or your opponent's team score. Apparently these matches can last days!
This picture was taken from the sidelines, not quite midpoint between the two targets. See the target down there? Me neither!
Our last stop of the day was a visit to the big Buddha that you can see from just about anywhere in the entire Thimphu valley called the Buddha Dordenma. This is one of the largest Buddhas in the world, measuring 169 feet high. It is made of brass, with gold plating over the head. Inside there are 125,000 smaller Buddhas, each measuring between 8 and 12 inches, also made of brass and plated in gold. The site is still under construction, and there are plans to create a Buddhist meditation hall in the base of the statue.
The view of Thimphu valley from the Buddha Dordenma
After this we went back to our hotel and had tea and eclairs again before meeting Greg for dinner in Thimphu. What a fabulous day in an amazing place!
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