Bhutan, Thimphu

October 7th we headed back up out of the valley to the capital city of Thimphu.  We stopped at the top of the pass at 10,000 feet where we each had a set of prayer flags which we joined together in one long line and then our drivers climbed the hills to string it high above the pass where it flutter beautifully against the blue sky. After seeing prayer flags everywhere we went it was a really neat experience.  After lunch at a local restaurant along the way we arrived in Thimphu which is the capital city of Bhutan. With a population of 104,000 it is the third highest capital city in the world at 10,000 feet.  It is the only capital city without a single traffic light.  Traffic is controlled by white gloved traffic police and seems quite orderly.  We settled into our hotel and went for a walk along the Main Street and visited a couple of local stores.  Like the rest of Bhutan there were dogs everywhere.  They don’t belong to anyone in particular yet they appear to be fairly well fed unlike the ones in Thailand.

We had a very interesting evening.  We all got dressed, with help, in the traditional dress of Bhutan and attended a cocktail party and dinner with members of local government, local dignitaries and professionals.  It was extremely interesting to talk with them about their country and the visions they had for it going forward.  I sat between two very interesting gentlemen.  One owned a tour company and he definitely had concerns regarding the number of new hotels being built with foreign investment and what an increase in tourism might do to the local culture. The other gentleman,Sanjay is in the process of setting up the first law school in Bhutan.  To this point students have gone to India to get their degrees and then written the Bhutanese Bar with a very low pass rate. As coincidence would have it they have just in July signed a partnership agreement with the University of Victoria to help them with their Law School and he is coming to Victoria in the spring so he was very interested in our home.  Eric had very interesting conversations with a young poet who is hoping to get a scholarship to study in North America.  She is a big fan of Robin Sharma.  It is a small world.

We started the next morning with a visit to the textile museum.  The fabrics were beyond stunning and all handmade. There were also some embroidered works that one could never put a price on.  We then went on to the Thimphu Tsebhu Festival which is an annual religious event that goes on for days.  It was packed with locals all dressed in their best outfit and looking at the outfits was as interesting as watching the colourful dancing.  Even the little children were dressed in their finery. It was a photographers dream as everywhere you looked there was a photo to be taken.  Before going to lunch we visited an art School where accomplished artists donate their time and art to teach and finance young students.  Before leaving Thimphu we drove up the hill above the city to the giant Buddha which is so large it has a temple inside. It looks down over the city and can be seen for miles around.

My personal set of prayer flags 

Eric getting his flags ready to tie to the group line

The National Geographic Group prayer flags fly high over the summit with the help of our drivers who climbed the hills to attach them to some poles. Awesome sight against the deep blue sky


More monkeys on our way to Thimphu 

Here we our dressed in our gho and Kira. They were very comfortable 

Eric with the young poet he spent time chatting with. Very well informed for 18 years old

A pleasant dinner mate.  The owner of a large travel company in Bhutan 

The whole dinner crowd

Our travelling companions dressed for dinner

For the men no pants was a little more unique 

The festival was held on the grounds of the Dzong.  Rain did not keep anyone away

The costumes were fantastic and some of the dances went on for a long time.  They told a story if you knew the context

The fabrics of the clothing were exquisite 

The children were all dressed in their best as well 

Could not resist the little boy picture 

Never could tell if the dancers were male or female but they certainly were energetic 

The clowns roamed the festival grounds pointing phallic symbols at people and you were supposed to give them money which helps pay for the festival 

When the men are on a holy site they wear a scarf over their gho.  White is for common people and the red for monks

People were seated wherever they could get a view. The walls were a smart place for a good unobstructed view of the dancing

This little fellow was more than happy to have his picture taken

This large group of dancers all had on incredible masks. Saw some beautiful ones here but hard to fit into carry on

The women’s outfits were stunning 

Family dressed for the occasion 

Eric with the artist and his work

The Main Street of Thimphu 

This round about on the main street of Thimphu was covered with dogs which was a common sight everywhere we went in Bhutan 

This giant Bhudda looks down over Thimphu and has a Temple inside

Prayer flags beneath the Buddha. Anywhere that there is wind in Bhutan there are flags as the people believe so strongly that the wind will carry their prayers and help them in their lives