Asia Adventure 2012: Punakha to Paro, Bhutan

Today was another transfer day and we hoped it would be as interesting as the first.

We got started out in good time with the objective of avoiding the construction site traffic jam by travelling through that area during the “open” time between 10:30 and 11am. Along the way we saw lovely Rhododendrons and stopped to take a short walk to enjoy the peace and beauty by foot. With our objective met, we continued along up into foggy territory that had received and overnight dusting of snow.

So you can imagine that it was foggy again at the Dochu La Pass so we were not able to get clear photos of the 108 chortens. Oh well, I suppose well have to come back in another season. Surprisingly, and out of nowhere, the sky cleared for about 45 seconds and I got a wonderful shot of Greg with the sun shining down on him in front of an archway. Then the sun disappeared again. It never did shine on those chortens!

After the pass, on the other side of the mountain, the clouds had been defeated. It was sunny and much warmer. So we enjoyed another mini hike along the way, only to be greeted by one of Bhutan’s gazillion dogs. They are very friendly, but they do not get too close.

We had a really neat off-the-beaten-path visit at the Rigpa Chhungwa Child Care Centre which is currently being established by Sherab’s Mother. The playground was being installed and finishing touches were being completed, but it had several children enrolled and attending. English was prevalent in the school an in Bhutan, the child care workers are highly paid compared to Canada. Also, the child/teacher ratio is slightly less for the preschool age; 2 teachers for 15 preschoolers. Now that was a treat for me!

In order to satisfy my curiousity about Takin, Bhutan’s national animal, we had another off-the-beaten-path visit to the Thimpu Zoo. According to myth, the Divine Madman was asked to perform a miracle, so he called a cow and goat for lunch, after which he placed the goat’s head on the cow’s body (with his penis perhaps? haha) and commanded it to graze. It is quite unique looking and can be rather aggressive. Visitors are advised to remain back from the fence. This group/herd of Takin decided to make Thimpu their residence and for the safety of the Takin and Thimpu-ians, they were kenneled at the Thimpu zoo.

We ate lunch at the Eidelweiss restaurant in Thimpu, where we had delicious food and a wonderful view of the town and surrounding mountains.

In Bhutan, there are checkpoints between the regions. But fortunately for us Sherab took care of all those details. We did stop briefly at the Thimpu Dzonghag/Paro Dzongkhag border to have a look at the 3 stupas representing Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan which were located right where two rivers met.

A little further along the way, we stopped to visit a mystery temple with a bridge that was built in the 1500’s still standing today. It was very impressive as was the cypress tree with a trunk that reminded me very much of an elephant’s foot.

Paro Dzong and the even older Ta Dzong that now houses the National Museum of Bhutan. While you are not permitted inside the monastery, at the Dzong you can take a look around inside this impressive building, which is the monastic and administrative center for Southwest Bhutan. We learned about the 4 kings and 4 directions that are found at temple entranceways. North is gold (prosperity and wealth), West is red serpent (power and strength), South is blue and holds a wisdom sword (wisdom), and East is white celestial musicians (peace, serenity and all the good things).

This is our hotel’s description: “Establised in 1974 for the guests invited to the coronation of the 4^th King of Bhutan His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Hotel Olathang is located about 5kms from the airport. Beautifully perched atop a hill amidst 28 acres of blue pine forets and greenery. It exudes an ambience of peace and tranquility, thrilling visitors with its close intimacy with nature. The architectural heritage design and structure of its facilities presents a purely Bhutanese touch and feel to it and at the same time facilities include, a multi cuisine restaurant and bar, a 250 capacity conference hall, a modern spa and a traditional hot stone bath ensuring guests a warm and comfortable stay.” We had an awesome cabin with a beautiful view of Paro below.