Nepal and Bhutan
Kathmandu to Thimphu
Day Three – 11 October 2017
Weather: Sunny, mid-20s.
The first thing I did when I got up was to check the weather forecast for the flight to Paro. The flight flies right by Mount Everest but the forecast looked like cloud for the whole area. This was confirmed when we got on the Drukair flight and the captain said that Everest wouldn’t be visible.
Two tourmates had left for Paro the day before and managed to get a pic of the tip of the mountain poking through the clouds.
I think that’s a spectacular pic.
But Everest isn’t the only thing this flight is memorable for. The flight into Paro is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world and is the most dangerous offset approach. Flights can only land in daylight hours and under good visual conditions. Paro sits at just over seven thousand feet and is surrounded by hills and mountains up to eighteen thousand feet.
There are only twenty-five pilots in the world who are qualified to land at this airport. Looking at the airport here, you can see that a straight line approach is impossible.
As we approached Paro, the plane made a steep descent and had to weave between the hills until it found the runway snuggled between the peaks. This video shows a plane on the last portion of its approach and this video shows the landing from the cockpit.
I haven’t been on such a roller coaster ride in an aircraft since I landed in Sarajevo during the war.
What a way to start the day.
It was a smooth procedure getting through the airport and we were able to pick up some local currency at an ATM. Outside, we met Kinley, our local guide for the duration of our stay in Bhutan.
And yes, like Nitin, he was a pretty cool dude.
They were an awesome pair.
Kinley was wearing the traditional Bhutanese dress called a Gho. It’s tied at the waist by a belt called a Kera and this forms a pouch that used to be used to carry food and a daggar. Today, most carry their phones and wallets in the pouch.
The Gho is worn by all Bhutanese men when they are at work or school. The women wear a long dress called a Kira with a light outer jacket called a Tego.
The children wear the same type of dress, and as with this class, they can be uniform.
The colour of the scarves worn also has meaning. The commoner wears white which represents purity and loyalty. Members of Parliament wear blue, judges wear green, elected officials wear orange and royalty wear yellow. Note the yellow on the king’s left shoulder.
We left Paro and headed east to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. The country, isolated by the mountains, has never been colonized thought it maintained close relations with the British and Indians, especially after the Communist revolution in China.
In 2008, the country moved from being an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one and its first election was held that year. The country’s primary sources of income is hydro-electricity and tourism. Bhutan exports seventy-five percent of its power to India.
There are just over eight hundred thousand people in Bhutan. Education is free and mandatory. Healthcare is also free, but with only three hospitals in the country, some people are sent outside the country for treatment at government expense. Bhutan is also noted for the idea of “gross national happiness.”
Kinley noted a few things we needed to keep in mind. Pointing is considered rude and they point using an open hand instead of a finger. Hats off in the temples and no selfies with the statues.
As we drive along, we noticed part of the houses (roofs and windows) were red.
They were chilis drying in the sun. In other spots, the ground was completely red with drying chilis.
Chilis and cheese are their national dish.
The country also produces potatoes, rice, buckwheat, asparagus and apples.
Bhutan is the only nation in the world that is officially Buddhist. About three-quarters of the population are Buddhist with the rest being primarily Hindu. Buddhism was introduced into Bhutan from Tibet in the 7th century CE.
Our first stop en route to Thimphu was a visit to the Tachog Lhakhang Dzong Bridge built in the 15th century by Thangtong Gyalpo (1385-1464) who was a Buddhist and engineer. He wanted to make it easier for pilgrims to reach sacred sites and is believed to have built 108 iron-chain bridges throughout Tibet and Bhutan. As a result, the number 108 has significant connotations in Bhutan.
The Bridge is located just below the dzong (temple/fortress).
Visitors can only cross the actual iron-chain bridge with permission which we were not able to get, so we had to walk across the suspension bridge next to the iron-chain one.
We were able to climb to the second level of the far pylon which gave us a great view of the iron-chain bridge.
On the way out of the pylon, Kinley pointed out a number of small clay statues by the window.
These are called tsa tsas (pronounced cha-chas). Since Buddhists believe in reincarnation and are cremated, there is no body left to bury, so some of the ashes are collected and molded into these little statues as a memorial to the deceased. Generally, there are one hundred and eight. Today, they are usually made of clay.
We continued to Thimphu where we stopped at the Simply Bhutan Living Museum for lunch.
We had a buffet and then were given a tour of the small facility. We were given some of the history of Bhutan and shown the contraption that was used to build houses in Bhutan. They primarily use mud-brick.
Then she showed us a number of….well….mushrooms.
The phalluses are a traditional Bhutanese symbol for good luck and are believed to drive away evil spirits. They are evident primarily in rural areas where they are painted on walls or hung from the eaves.
We also met Pema Tshering, an extraordinary young man who suffers from cerebral palsy and congenital deformities in his spinal column, but he is able to use his feet to create amazing works of art.
He was able to sign his work and even make change from his wallet using his toes. I didn’t get a chance to make a purchase but wish I had.
Our next stop was the Great Buddha Dordenma statue.
It is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world (#17) and was built to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Construction started in 2006 and finished in 2015. It is surrounded by almost a thousand acres of preserved forest.
We visited the interior where photos were not permitted. There were tens of thousands of smaller Buddha statues inside the temple. There were also a lot of young monks sitting around, talking, reciting texts or drawing pictures. One monk was busy doing something I didn’t expect to see.
There was a huge crowd around the complex attending a festival.
And a great view of Thimphu below and two locals in traditional dress.
The men have to wear the sash when they visit certain religious or political sites.
From here, our next stop was to an arts and craft school.
The temples and other structures around the country have a lot of ornamental work including painting, wood carvings and metal work so there is a high demand for artisans.
This school teaches sculpting.
Silversmithing.
Sewing.
Drawing.
And more.
Just outside the school, we were distracted by construction at an adjacent site. The men were lifting a tower of rebar using ropes, poles and their own muscles.
It was fascinating to watch.
From here, we headed to Tashichho Dzong.
Built in the 13th century, the dzong was traditionally the seat of Bhutan’s civil government. Besides the government offices, the dzong contains a number of temples and chapels.
From a distance, we were able to watch the flag lowering ceremony.
We couldn’t go inside until all the civil servants had left for the day so we waited almost an hour along with about a hundred other tourists before they gave us permission to go inside.
It was an impressive structure given that it was over eight hundred years old.
We visited the temple, which like all the other temples in Bhutan, didn’t allow hats, shoes or photos.
As we left, the dzong began to turn on its lights.
For dinner, we went to a place that Nitin liked and it was delicious. The cobbler for dessert was divine!
Nitin and Kinley also told us of an itinerary change that looked likely. The roads to Bumthang were pretty muddy and they feared it would be impassable for our bus. They showed us video from earlier that day that showed a 4×4 sliding sideways in mud that went half up the rims.
Yeah. That wasn’t a hard decision. Bumthang was nixed in favour of Haa Valley.
Go to Day Four
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