Dragons, Dharma and Dzongs Part 1

The Magical Land of the Thunderdragon—Bhutan. We've landed in Paro and are very relieved. Paro is reputed to be the world's most difficult international airport to land and take off from. The narrow mountain passes require unique piloting skills, so much so, only Drukair, the national airline with its tiny fleet of only two planes, flies there. En route we saw the glorious top of Mt. Everest rising majestically above the clouds.

Overnight in the capital city of Thimpu then all aboard a new Toyota Landcruiser complete with guide, Tandin, and driver, Phuntsoh, to Palea Pass at a breathtaking 3300 meters high. Sandi strikes a pose in front of 108 stupas, built by the present queen to commemorate a battle victory over the Indians. One hundred and eight stupas are reputed to bring good luck to the 108 joints of the body. Good luck is needed for a hike at this altitude!

A typical Bhutanese meal is big—usually consisting of soup, red and white rice, sauteed fish, sauteed hot chilli and cheese, sauteed potatoes, sauteed beans, sauteed spinach, sauteed cauliflower and NO dessert. Sandi could never live in Bhutan. We are eating two dinners a day—one at lunch and the other at dinner (have to make up for the lack of dessert). Due to the amount of deep frying going on, the average lifespan of the Bhutanese in only 63 years, not surprising since the national drink is tea with yak butter, or should we say, yak butter with tea, aka cholesterol in a cup. Tim takes too long taking this photograph so Sandi tucks into the grub.

As we drive further from the capital we are surprised how grand the farmers houses appear. Many of the houses and dzongs (fortresses/castles) have elaborate paintings on the outside as in the above example. Bhutan has a population of 700,000 and around 90% of the population survive on subsistence farming alone.

The new king has spoken and proclaimed the nations' motto to be "Gross National Happiness" and set this as his major target rather than "Gross National Product". Here's one little cutie following his lead.

The beautiful Bhutan countryside.

Out on a six-hour hike visiting several remote villages we are welcomed by many school kids (in their school uniforms) greeting us in English. Although English is taught in primary school starting at the age of six, we haven't met many children who say more than "bye" and "hi"—usually in that order. Tandin, our guide, seen in this photo, does a great job of explaining the intricacies of Bhutanese culture.

Dzongs are typically built on top of a hill in a strategic position to defend the village. There are many throughout Bhutan dating as early as the 8th century. Trongsa Dzong (above) is more modern, built in the 16th century. Trongsa is a major town in central Bhutan about eight hours drive along an extremely windy and narrow road, the only major road linking eastern and western Bhutan.

Bhutan has a series of cultural festivals that run throughout the year at different times in different regions throughout the country. The purpose of the festivals are to teach the locals about the basics of Buddhist beliefs. Each dance tells a story about what to expect in the afterlife. In Bumthang (not a typo), our hotel provides an evening's entertainment with local dancers and singers. Second exciting installment comin' up soon...