Bhutan

We've been on the go for some long and arduous days lately, leaving little time for blogging! Fortunately Pen has taken the time to email some family and friends and once again I'm copying and pasting it here. Here's her take on our week in Bhutan:

We flew from Siem Reap in Cambodia to Bangkok to catch our flight to Bhutan. We were excited about this opportunity, facilitated by Peter's cousin Cate who works with the Australian Electoral Commission in Canberra. This agency assisted the Bhutan government through the process of organizing their first election. Through her work, Cate has visited Bhutan over twenty times and has many contacts there. She was able to assist us in the process of getting a visa at short notice and when applying from outside your home country!

We tried to visit Bhutan in the Seventies but it was essentially a closed kingdom at that time. Due to Cate’s contacts and reputation in Bhutan, we had a very personalized tour on our 6-day visa. Bhutan requires all tourists to be accompanied by a local guide who provides cultural context and information. We like to visit historical and cultural sites but really enjoy meeting the local people and seeing how they live. Our guide was willing to adjust parts of our tour to accommodate these interests.

Bhutan is a Buddhist country and many of their cultural sites and customs reflect their strong, widely held religious beliefs. We visited Dzongs built centuries ago, which are a combination of Buddhist monastery and seats of governance in Thimphu, the capital city, Punakha and Paro. After a visit to the Punakha Dzong, we crossed the river on a long suspension bridge and visited a small rural village. Our guide was able to spontaneously facilitate various encounters with local villagers.

One man, whose wife had left to help their daughter who had recently given birth, invited us into his typical Bhutanese country home, played us a few tunes on his traditional stringed instrument and sang us a song about missing his wife and the joy of his new granddaughter. We were invited to tea at another residence and while there a young woman from the village, who is studying tourism in Thimphu, rushed in to ask us to complete a survey about our stay in Bhutan – an assignment for one of her courses. Word had spread of our presence in the village and we were warmly welcomed!

The next day in Punakha we were supposed to be going for a hike but heard that there was a Tsechu at a Monastery/Dzong about 30 minutes drive on the top of a high hill. We were very excited to have this opportunity to witness the dances, songs and ritual that go along with these festivals. The following day very early in the morning we hiked up to Taktsang Monastery (at 9,700’ altitude), the most revered monastery in Bhutan. It clings to an impossibly craggy cliff face. Josh was the first visitor to arrive that morning, with the result that we had a very private visit. We were guided by local monks through 5 very special and different chambers, with the opportunity to meditate in extremely sacred surroundings. We departed just as the sun was catching the roof of the monastery and the first wave of international visitors arrived.

The high point of our Bhutan adventure - Taktsang Monastery at 10,000'. We were the first visitors for the day.

That evening we had dinner at a farm house built 350 years ago that still contains some of the original furniture and implements used at that time. The dinner came complete with rice wine, arras and genuine Bhutanese food. Laura, who loves taking photographs, was rapt! Of course our visit was much too short but we all agreed it was just an hors d'oeuvres tour. We hope to return one day to explore more of the country. Canada has many NGO’s there so volunteers are always welcome. There is a hospital in Thimpu that always needs nurses and of course there are outpost clinics in villages all over the country if any of you are looking for an adventure!

More pictures to follow!