Bhutan 17 September 2016
A joy and a puzzle to find the car decorated with flowers and balloons!! Dorji informed us that it was to celebrate the cars’ birthday!!! The official name is Vishwakarma Puja (we think!), a celebration of machines! There did not seem to be a vehicle on the road that was not washed and adorned.
Leaving Punakha, we headed for Chime Lhakhang, the monastery of Drukpa Kunley, also known as the ‘Divine Madman’ owing to his unorthodox interpretation of Buddhism. Stories abound of his quirky interpretation of Buddhism with broad views on sex. Apparently instructing many women (literally) that celibacy was not the way. Given sex is a key part of his legend, phalluses are an important symbol. A plentiful supply of souvenir shops along the way were selling phalluses.
The walk to the temple began with a peaceful crossing of the rice fields – the atmosphere enhanced by a perfect sunny day. We met returning pilgrims who had spent several days sleeping at the monastery to complete certain rituals. Finally, we walked up the hill to a small temple filled with people. The Divine Madman is said to bestow fertility, so it is the place to come if you want to conceive or are having difficulty.
Drukpa Kunley is also famous for ridding the area of ogres and demons, which is how the temple came to be named. The story began with the arrival of the Divine Madman at a time when ogres and ogresses were terrorising local populations. Drukpa Kuenley shot an ogress with an arrow; she changed into a dog to escape but was killed and buried in the temple. The ogress was transformed into a guardian of the temple. ‘Chime’ is the Bhutanese word for dog hence the Temple’s name ‘Chime Lackhang’.
Back on the road, we stopped for coffee and listened to travellers complain about there being no yoghurt or Dahl at the buffet. And worse there were not enough papadums and apparently they should have been roasted and not fried. Entertaining eavesdropping over our coffee.
Driving on across Dochula Pass we stopped for lunch at the Druk Wangyal Memorial where 108 memorial chortens (stupas) were erected in memory of Bhutanese soldiers who died in 2003.
A heavy mist prevented any view of the Himalayas, but we could see the sign and the direction of the mountain range. The pass itself is 3,100 metres above sea level. The mist added a mystical touch to the area around the pass.
After lunching and time wandering through the memorial park and it was on to Paro, stopping on a hilltop to view the Rinpung Dzong of Paro with the National Museum perched on the hill behind it.
A surprise visit was organised on our way into Paro. We met Tshering’s husband at the Paro Archery Park and watched the men with their high-tech bows shoot at seemingly small targets 130 metres away. We were surprised to learn that Bhutan had not been more successful in archery at Olympic level. Surprising in a country where Archery is the national sport. There had been an Olympic medalist – a woman! To the unpracticed (me), trying to pull back on a bow was enough to convince me this was not for me; I failed dismally. We left and drove into Paro where we consoled ourselves with eclairs and coffee at Champara.
Tshering dropped us off at a farmhouse outside Paro that afternoon for an authentic Bhutanese farmhouse experience. Dorji helped us dress Chris in Gho (male traditional dress) and Mel in Kira (female traditional dress) before a communal dinner. Dressing in the Gho seemed a complicated procedure. Thankfully, Dorji was an expert. Over dinner we met Sarah and Bob from the UK, one of our only interactions with other travellers and great to share experiences.
After dinner we were led out the back to a lean-to consisting of a series of wooden troughs. One end of the trough was blocked off to enable young men to pile in burning hot rocks thus heating up the water. Heat it up they did; we both emerged looking like lobsters. Dorji had about three loads of the rocks!!!
It was a very comfortable night’s sleep, though we did have to go down death-defying stairs to get to the loo.
A favourite experience and accommodation during our time in Bhutan.
