Bhutan 2: Punakha and the Divine Madman

   We began at the Jungshi Handmade Paper Factory. We were brought into a large room where workers made the paper.  We ended in a large showroom filled with artwork made on the paper made here.  I fell in love with one piece. from a local artist.  It was displayed with light shining through the back, illuminating it through the thin paper.  This was packed into the first cylinder, of what would become many that I accumulated in Bhutan.

I asked permission before going close in for this photo.

The base of a Buddhist statue nearby.

  We left the paper factory and made our way up the mountain toward Punakha, stopping at the Dochula Pass.  We had hoped for a nice view, but the haze was overpowering.  108 stupas were erected as a memorial in honor of a 2003 battle with insurgents from India. 

  Partway down the other side of the mountain we made a brief stop at the Royal Botanical Garden.  Unfortunately, not much was in bloom.

Although this type of tree is found in the US, I had never seen one before.  The peeling made the trees look manufactured.

  A little farther down, Rye asked if we wanted to get out and stretch our legs.  I lagged behind Jeremy and Rye, taking photos.  This is what I saw:

A man parked this truck a few moments before, and when he saw that I was taking pictures, he turned and smiled.

Spiderman was found everywhere in Bhutan.

Motorcycles had just passed, so I raised my camera, hoping more would pass.  Instead, this strangely decorated truck passed.

  Our last stop was in a village filled with phallus artwork on the building walls.  We took a short hike up a hill to the Temple of the Divine Madman, named Chimi Lhakhang.  Rye explained that people visit this temple when they have trouble conceiving.  The couple is then led around the temple holding a large phallus, hoping that this would grant them fertility.  I took no pictures.

  The hotel was an interesting ride up the mountain from the main road, with a stretch of dirt road and a steep drop on one side.  None of the hotels after the starting city had elevators.  The staff of hotels were almost entirely very young and small women.  They took great pride in carrying our suitcases up every flight of steps.  This made Jeremy and I uncomfortable, but every time we would try to carry our own suitcases or intervene in any way, they would shoo us away.  I tried to make a game of bringing my suitcases down on checkout day before they had time to realize that I was doing so.  The best technique for doing this was to leave a few minutes earlier than scheduled.

 

  I had a view of the Punakha valley from my room, but the haze was impenetrable.  We both worried that the haze would be everywhere on the trip.

 Our original plan for next morning was to hike up the mountain the next morning, to visit a nunnery in time for sunrise.  The guides were unclear as to where the trail was, and the road was a bit too dangerous to navigate in the dark.  Therefore, Rye decided to pick us up at 5:45 AM and drive us up.  We were the only visitors.  The views were obscured by haze, but the place was beautiful and serene.  I bought a few from the nuns to support them.

Rye, our guide.

This was the first time that I saw a black and gold Buddha.

  We returned to the hotel for breakfast, and then set out later in the morning for Punakha Dzong.  Across the street was a pizza place.

The pizza place. 

  Behind the fortress, we took a short walk to a suspension bridge.  Jeremy walked across with Rye, and picked up ice cream for himself.  I stayed on the near side of the bridge and waited for them.

A closeup view of the white prayer flags flying nearby.

Mantras are written on the prayer flags flying throughout the country.  Rye explained that if they blow in the wind, it is the equivalent of being recited.  The colors correspond with the five gems that one of the Buddhas received.

  That night, the power in the hotel went out, about five minutes before dinner was scheduled to begin.  Using our phones as flashlights, we cautiously went upstairs to see if dinner would still be served.  We ate dinner by candlelight until the power returned about twenty minutes later.