Bhutan - Land of the Thunder Dragon
Bhutan, a small landlocked country nestling in the Eastern Himalayas between China and India, is known as the "Land Of The Thunder Dragon" by the Bhutanese. I believe this is linked to the violent thunder and lightning storms that can often sweep through the valleys - looking and sounding like an angry fire-breathing dragon.
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to pay a visit to this Buddhist nation of fewer than 1 million people, accompanied by an American photography friend. We had 5 or 6 days in Bhutan and visited Thimphu, Punakha and Paro with the highlight being a trek to the famous Paro Taktsang, better known as the Tiger's Nest Temple.
As I was going through my images trying to decide what to include in this blog, I soon realised that I would never be able to add all the photos I wanted to and it has been challenging deciding upon those to include here. I believe they do give a good idea of what to expect if you should ever visit this unique country. To be clear, this is not a comprehensive guide to Bhutan, it is merely a small selection of my personal experiences, and it has been tough narrowing down to the highlights included in this blog.
Bhutan has an air of mystery surrounding it, and only really opened up to tourism in the 1970s. The logistics of travel, such as flights being limited and the "minimum spend" requirement on tourists keep visitor numbers low, but the effort and cost are well worth it in my view. My Bhutan trip was right up there with my gorilla trek, in terms of top travel experiences.
If you do ever get the chance to go, I would suggest some thought going into your photography as you will want a proper record of your trip. The following book is one I would recommend reading beforehand and taking with you when you travel:
Lonely Planet's Guide to Travel Photography
Incidentally, I do have a wee iBook of my own Bhutan images available, only £1.99! :-)
Anyway, our journey to Bhutan started with a very early flight from Singapore, and after a very brief stop in Calcutta, we flew on o Paro airport. Videos of the Paro landing are well worth looking up on YouTube; it is widely recognised as one of the most challenging airport arrivals on the planet. After being met by our driver and tour guide, we started the drive to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. On the way to Thimphu, where we would spend two nights, we stopped at Tachog Lhakhang Old Bridge; this was somewhere I had seen online in advance of the trip and somewhere I wanted to visit.
Let us start our photographs from that point.
So here we have Tachog Lhakhang Old Bridge. As you can see, there are two bridges. I’m plumping for this one as the old one given the nature of the structure and the fact it connects to the building on the other side. I could be wrong, though. It would be unusual, to be fair, and it would put me in a mood for days - but it’s technically possible. It was fun to both cross the bridge and to watch others doing so! The prayer flags adorning the bridge also made this an excellent spot for photography.
After this brief stop, we drove on to Thimphu.
This image shows the Clock Tower Square in the centre of Thimphu. The large red building is the Hotel Druk, where we stayed for two nights. Lovely hotel with a bar, restaurant and comfortable rooms as well as a convenient central location.
In Thimphu, we visited the Memorial Chorten, and this was one of my favourite stops from a photographic and cultural perspective. Effectively this was a local park, with a Memorial, and a location for elderly locals to meet, socialise and pray together. The gentleman in this image was walking clockwise around the main Memorial while spinning his individual prayer wheel. Nothing touristy, just ordinary locals going about their everyday lives - I loved it here.
Taken from the Bhutan Travel website, “The National Memorial Chorten was built in memory of Third Druk Gyalpo and is dedicated to World Peace. The Chorten is a large white structure crowned with a golden spire.
It is located close to the centre of Thimphu city and is one of its most iconic monuments. Visitors will find elderly Bhutanese people circumambulating the Chorten throughout the day. Chorten literally means ‘Seat of Faith’ and Buddhists often call such monuments, the ‘Mind of Buddha’. The Chorten is an extraordinary example of Buddhist architecture and artwork with its gorgeous paintings and intricate sculptures.”
Staying within Thimphu, this is the Tashichho Dzong. This building is a Buddhist Monastery and fortress on the northern edge of Thimphu. Lonely Planet has a substantial write up on this building. During our visit, we were lucky to catch a flag-raising ceremony and also catch a distant view of the King walking from here to his official residence. Local regulations prohibited us from photographing the King, but it was a thrill nonetheless. To see some images from inside the Dzong, please do check my Facebook page.
Incidentally, I have put together a number of Bhutan images in a short video. Please do have a look - any channel subscriptions would be hugely appreciated!
After Thimphu, we headed to Punakha, a reasonably long drive which took us over the Dochula Pass. This Pass is 3,100 metres, or 10,200 feet, above sea level. At the top of this Pass, there are 108 Memorial Chortens, or Stupas. These were built in honour of 108 Bhutanese soldiers killed in the December 2003 battle against Assamese insurgents from India.
Also at this location, you can find a small monastery and a cafe/coffee shop.
In Punakha, we stayed at the Hotel Lobesa from where we had this glorious view over lush, green rice fields. On top of the small hillock, before you get the mountains, sits the Temple of The Divine Madman. This is now going to be my favourite section of this blog! Get ready for this. I am now going to copy some text from a previous blog, with some small tweaks.
I cannot tell you how much I have been looking forward to this one, I’m going to have a field day here - and every word will be true.
Buddhism first arrived in Bhutan at some point in the 8th century. In the 15th century, a Tibetan monk named Drukpa Kunley arrived in the country and spread the faith more deeply. This guy became known as the “Divine Madman” because his method of teaching was somewhat unorthodox. I don’t know where to start with this; it’s all so good. I’ll just make a list.
Essentially he used phallic imagery to subdue demons and bless the people of Bhutan. His other nickname was the “Saint of 5,000 women”. He was known for stripping naked, offering his testicles to a famous Lama(don’t know why) and for peeing on sacred paintings.
His phallus became so famous and powerful that it was known as “The Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom”. Can you imagine? I couldn’t make this stuff up.
When I went to Bhutan, I travelled with a Texan friend, the Fabulous Baker Boy. He summed it up nicely when he asked our guide…”I can see why all that makes him a madman, but why does it make him divine?”. We ever got a clear answer to that.
In the village around the temple, there are phalluses everywhere - painted on walls, shops selling carved ones (of all sizes) and even wooden ones used as doorstops.
Now, I suspect some of you may wonder if all this is genuine. It is. But, to try and sway the doubters, the naysayers, the unbelievers - here are a couple of bonus snaps from the village.
Proudly displayed in a shop window.
And a doorstop. What if the in-laws pop round for a cuppa? Do you leave it out? Do they admire it? So many questions…
Moving on to more serious matters. The Punakha Dzong sits where two rivers meet, and I cannot think of any administrative building anywhere with such a glorious setting.
Behind the Dzong, this suspension bridge crosses the Puna Tsang River. I had to look this up, but the bridge is 160 metres long. It has been there for a long time, so the chances of it collapsing at the time you happen to be crossing it are pretty remote. So go for it, it’s fun!
On the way back from Punakha to Paro, we encountered a landslide and cars starting to queue up on both sides of the blockage. Nothing else for it than people from both sides of the obstruction to get out and help!
Just about every local seemed to carry a machete, especially those driving buses or goods vehicles. Our guide also had one tucked away.
I did help, I didn’t just stand and take photos. Honest guv! Incidents like this, in my mind, lift a holiday beyond the ordinary. It was extraordinary, watching everyone come together like this as if it was a regular occurrence. And in reality, it probably is for many drivers who frequent this road.
Back over the Dochula Pass then on to Paro, our base for visiting the Tiger’s Nest Monastery!
From our hotel, we could see the Monastery on the other side of the valley. It is the white building 2/3rds up the image, just right of centre. We didn’t walk from here, that would have been madness and would likely have seen me off. We were driven to the base of yonder mountain.
From the base of yonder mountain, our trek started, and soon we could see the Monastery high above us, peeking through the clouds and trees. From here, I need to be selective about the images I post, in the interests of time and space.
From this point, the trek leads you up a long slope until you reach a cafe. From here, you can rest a little, have some food and drink and get a closer view of your goal.
You climb up to one side of a gully. From here you go down, round and up again to reach the monastery.
Hopefully this image gives an idea of the last stretch of the long trek.
Just before the Temple, you reach this spot - what an incredible feat, to build in this location!
Sadly, photography within the Monastery itself is forbidden; cameras and phones need to be left outside. A slight disappointment, I have to say. But to be honest, I was so damned exhausted and thrilled to be there, and I didn’t throw a tantrum. Not even a single foot stomp. I was too bloody tired!
Looking back from the Temple, you can see the route you had just taken.
After retracing your steps, you get another look back at the Monastery.
Following on from my Facebook posts, I had a few questions about how were these constructions built and how are they supplied. Well, here is part of the answer; pack horses. Food and other supplies are carried up either by people or animals.
The Monastery hugs the side of a rocky cliff 3,000 feet above the valley floor and sits approximately 10,000 feet above sea level. In a country where inclement weather is not uncommon - remember, “Land Of The Thunder Dragon”.
From National Geographic; “The Monastery was built in the 1600s, although the buildings we see today have been replaced several times, including major reconstruction completed in 2005 after a fire devastated the structure and its contents in 1998. But as the Bhutanese point out, buildings are temporal and meant to be renewed; the ideas and philosophies they represent cannot be destroyed.”
I have looked online and can find no alternative to “manpower and horses” as the answer to “how did they do it?. What an incredible achievement.
One last look back at the Monastery. Truly a tick off the old bucket list. A long trek, I think 5 hours or so there all in, and steep at times, but well worth the effort.
I really could go on and on with images and stories from Bhutan, but this has to end somewhere. Finishing up with a last look at Taktsang Monastery, The Tiger’s Nest, seems very appropriate.
As always, thank you so much for looking through these images, it really is appreciated.
For anyone interested, some images of mine can be found online, for sale in various formats;
RedBubble Store (mugs and similar)
All done now. So, once again, thank you for looking - stay safe!
Fatman xxx