We had a very nice hotel in Thimphu in the centre of the town so we were able to wander around the shops before dinner last night. We found a shop and stocked up on kit kats, chocolate bars and chips. The hotel also had wi-fi and CNN so we were able to access the internet and catch up on the news. By contrast tonight’s hotel has none of these things. It is at a slightly lower elevation but there’s no heating so I may have to crack open my sleeping bag!
We had a look around Thimphu before we left and first visited the Post Office. Our guide said that they were able to take your photo and have it printed onto a Bhutanese stamp that you could actually use to post your cards home. I liked this idea. I suppose it’s supreme vanity to have your face on a stamp and this would be my one and only chance. Alas, imagine my disappointment when the girl told me this opportunity was not available that day. I had missed my chance to have my good looks circling the globe and have some postal worker wonder who that distinguished looking person was.
After the PO we went to the National Library to view the world’s largest published book; a photographic book about Bhutan. Proudly on display in the foyer was the certificate authenticating it. They also had a lot of Buddhist texts there carefully wrapped up. Most of the Buddhist texts are written on daphne paper, which comes from the daphne tree/bush and doesn’t rot. There are 7th and 8th century texts written on this paper that are as good as the day they were written.
Next stop was the Art College where the students were completing 4-6 year courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, embroidery and weaving. We were able to wander around the rooms and watch the students working. They were all learning traditional crafts and the standard of their work was impressive. In the shop I was able to buy a lovely small hand-woven silk mat for a reasonable sum given the high prices here.
From Thimphu we drove to Wangdue in central Bhutan. There’s only one road going from Thimphu to the east of Bhutan and we were on it. It was a tortuous path that wound its way through the steep hills and up to the pass. We passed through beautiful wooded country but the slopes either side of the road were precipitous and the road narrow and windy. It was one of the windiest roads I have ever been on and wasn’t in too good a shape either. At best it was a narrow strip of uneven bitumen with dirt on either side to allow for passing. At worst it was pot-holed and disappeared over the side in a landslide of rubble and mud. Keeping up the road would be a job and a half because it would get washed away in the monsoon and also be victim to landslides not to mention its whole inaccessibility. How do you get heavy earthmoving equipment up a narrow, delicate road that is the only road through the country?
At the top of the pass were 180 stupas built to commemorate a victory over the Tibetans and the whole forest behind it was strung with thousands of prayer flags. It was quite a clear day so in the distance we could see snow capped mountains. Two of our party needed a comfort stop at the loo and that was an experience never to be repeated!
After lunch at a cafe near the top of the pass, where I had soup and marmalade toast much to the envy of my fellow travellers who were not enthused by their meal, we descended into the town of Wangdue. The old town clung to the hillside above the river. The old wooden shops and houses had no facilities and had been condemned by the government. At the end of the year everyone was being moved into a new purpose built town nearby complete with sewerage and electricity. As we drove into the main square the schoolkids were just leaving school and they looked gorgeous in their school uniforms of matching gho and kira.
Pruba, our guide, took us up to the dzong to have a look around. All dzongs in Bhutan now have the dual function of housing the area administration together with a monastery. The building was very old and not in very good nick. At first I thought it was ruined and just a tourist site but then saw monks moving around. We were able to go into one of the temple areas and watch the monks doing their studies. Nothing much was going on when we arrived but as soon as they saw us one monk tried to chivvy the others by starting intoning from their texts. The others reluctantly settled down and some half-hearted study began to take place.
We drove a short way to our hotel for the next 2 nights by the river. The rooms are quite pleasant and the beds comfortable with hot water but I suspect we are going to have an army of mosquitoes for company. Fortunately I have my RID with me. Tiffany, my room mate has just flooded the bathroom. She was doing some washing and when the sink emptied it did so over the floor. There was a hole in the wall for it to drain through but a whole sink full was just too much. We now need some fresh towels!
Tonight the food will be vegetarian as the complex has something to do with a high incarnate llama. I’ll be sticking to soup and maybe some rice. I do have my chocolate provisions to fall back on! It should be an interesting night with the cold and the mossies.
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