We left bright and early on our third day as our guide had invited us to her house as her family was having a ceremony to change the house prayer flags. Due to our itineary we were unable to stay til the actual ceremony was conducted but we were invited to eat some traditional food, visit their altar room (apparently ALL houses in Bhutan has an altar room) and watch cable tv from India since that is the nearest country and the two countries have a close relationship.
We found out that popcorn is considered a traditional food which is offered during religious ceremonies (which also explained why we kept seeing them in temples!) and we finally got served butter tea, which tastes of salt and sugar at the same time. We also had porridge which is quite similar to what we have in Singapore. The monks were all already in the altar room when we visited, I was intrigued to learn that even at home in their own altar room the Bhutanese are expected to observe their national dress code, thus our guide has a rachu (narrow scarf for women to wear with their kira) hanging just outside the altar room which they can just throw over their left shoulder as they entered the room.
popcorn for offerings, and also for eating!
After filling our stomachs, we headed off to Dochula Pass which is 3100m above sea level. The pass is popular as on a good day there's supposed to be panoramic views of the Himlayas, however it was pretty cloudy on the day we were there so we didn't get the views we were expecting, even then it was pretty amazing to be there.
Other than the famous views, Dochula Pass is also well-known as the Queen Mother built 108 chortens (stupas) as a memorial in honour of the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed in the December 2003 battle against Assamese insurgents from India.
just some of the 108 chortens around
look at that clear blue sky!
We spent quite a long time there taking photographs and just admiring the views. In the end our guide had to gently shoo us to get going!
one last glimpse before head off to Punakha
From there, we headed off to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten. It was built by the Queen Mother to bring peace in the world in general, and to clear obstacles for the country of Bhutan. In order to get to the chorten, we had to cross an iron suspension bridge and then take a short trek up , walking past some farmlands on our way up. It was quite a lovely easy trek honestly, and we even had a cute little dog which accompanied us on our way up.
view as we were walking up to Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten
There was absolutely no one at the chorten when we finally reached, except for one monk who was the caregiver who kindly opened the temple door for us. Same as the Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang, the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten had 3 levels but the difference was that it was lit with electricity so we could have a proper look at the murals and deities. Another difference is that we could go up to the rooftop so that was pretty fantastic.
We then had to rush off to Punakha Dzong before it closed, and again on our way down there was a dog which accompanied us. It was the beginning of a trend though as we later realised that whenever we trekked to a lhakhang or dzong, there will be a dog following us.
There are a few interesting facts about Punakha Dzong. One is that it sits at the confluence of two rivers. The faster flowing one is known as the 'father' river while the more gentle river is the 'mother' river naturally. The other is that it was the venue for the wedding between Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, King of Bhutan, and Jetsun Pema in October 2011. Lastly it is the second oldest dzong in Bhutan. It was really picturesque and we enjoyed exploring the grounds of the dzong.
view of Punakha Dzong as we bid farewell to it
With a last glimpse of Punakha Dzong, we set off for our hotel for an early night's rest in preparation for our long drive to Bumthang the next day.
