Seat of the dragon kingdom - Day 6, 7 & 8 in Bhutan

It was another long drive towards Thimpu, which is the capital of Bhutan. However before we got there, we stopped by at Phobjikha Valley to see the black-necked cranes, but unfortunately there was none as the weather was too cold so they were all hiding. The valley did look rather majestic though I sadly cannot find any pictures of it.  

Along the way to Thimpu, we stopped at another pass which CS described as looking like the set of Game of Thrones after the white walkers fought with the crows. 

We finally reached Thimpu after yet another long drive and boy that was the first time we saw so many people! By Singapore standards, the population is quite small but by Bhutanese standards, it was a huge city and was the first time in our trip we experienced so much traffic. Our guide told us that there would be traffic jams during peak hours, which is understandable since it is the capital and tons of people are living and working there. 

Since it was the capital, we encountered crowds everywhere we went, which was a bit of a shock to the system after having the luxury of being able to have most places to ourselves as we slowly wandered around. We did manage to have the most wonderful lunch before we went to the various attractions. 

the small bowl of chili is similar to the sambal we eat in Singapore and it was so good I could eat it with plain rice

it doesn't look like much but even now in 2023 I remember how good it tasted

While we did do the touristy stuff like visiting the National Memorial Chorten as well as Buddha Point, we also asked our guide to bring us to the local market where we had a good time walking around and looking at what the locals buy. It's very much like a wet market in Singapore just that they have way more of each items. 

We also finally bought prayer flags and went to Chelela Pass to hang them to make merit and for general good fortune. More explanation on the different colours of the prayer flags and what they meant can be found here. 

It is a popular place to hang prayer flags and the sight of so many of them fluttering in the wind is really quite calming and soothing. 

Edit : Posted in 2023 though the trip was in 2018. 

Of monasteries and prayer flags - Bhutan Day 4 & 5

The next day, we readied ourselves for the long drive towards Bumthang. Not as many tourists visit Bumthang as you have to either drive there, which meant almost an entire day of driving, or fly there, which meant additional costs. On top of that, there are usually landslides during summer due to the rain which meant roads would be closed and driving would not be an option. 

While there were planned stops to do sightseeing, we didn't really do much of that but the scenery along the way was amazing. We stopped here and there to take some photos but most of the day was spent sleeping and chit chatting about various topics with our tour guide and driver. According to our driver, Bumthang is where all the pretty girls come from in Bhutan. And later as we found out, they also made very good apple cider. We also listened to a lot of Hindi pop as our driver preferred that music to keep himself awake. 

One of the places we stopped along the way was Trongsa Dzong, which according to Wikipedia is the largest in in all of Bhutan. As was becoming the practice, once we started walking towards the dzong, one of the stray dogs sleeping outside started following us. It's almost like they are showing us the way in, which is kind of cute and reassuring at the same time. It was pretty quiet at the donzg when we were there, probably due to the late timing 

After that it was another long drive before we reached Kikila Pass. There were probably thousands of prayer flags. It felt really really serene and calm and I really enjoyed looking at the prayer flags fluttering in the wind. 

We had a short walk around the town where we got a bottle of Bumthang apple cider before heading to the hotel to get some rest. We lost our driver for a while as he was on a hunt to get some betel nut leaves which was supposedly only found in that area. It was quite funny though and with the extra time we had, we walked around 

The next day, we visited Jambhay Lhakhang which is said to be one of the 108 temples built by the Tibetan King Songster Gampo in a single day, to pin down a demoness to earth. From there we did a short walk to Kurjey Lhakhang. We met a stray cow along the way which to us city dwellers looked really cute. Then it was off to Tamshing monastery for more temple hopping.

Edit : This is posted in 2023 thought the trip was in 2018, a lot of memories have faded, posting this so as to remember the trip. 

Top of the world (well almost) - Bhutan Day 3

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.