Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon

For my third trip to Singapore I had few goals:

1.) Don’t fall out of bed and go to the hospital

2.) See Pacita Abad’s painted bridge

3.) Go to Gardens on the Bay greenhouses

4.) Have an excellent bowl of Laksa noodle soup

Item 1 was interesting as I booked a loft room – the bed was upstairs as in, up stairs so less chance of falling than if it was up ladder…the sticker on the glass guard was a little concerning. I guess it’s only providing emotional support.

For Item 2,  I booked a hotel close to the bridge so I couldn’t miss it. A bonus that I did not expect was that the studio where she was artist in residence was right near the bridge and had a free show featuring work from her residency.

Item 3 was a short subway ride away – the flower dome was ho-hum but the cloud forest dome was stunning! I lucked out with a Jurassic park themed exhibit featuring some great animatronics. 

For Item 4, I crossed checked reviews and narrowed it down to two places – each within walking distance from hotel. I passed on the hawker stall since it closed early and went for Laksa Labo at Wild Coco with extra seafood. It came with a bib – best laksa ever.

Back to Toronto tonight – this trip has flown by – I am so privileged on many levels to have made this journey!

The one benefit of getting up at 4a to get to the airport is that I got assigned a window seat on the right side of the plane – with a beauteous view of the Himalayas.

What a lovely transition as I make my way back to the craziness of western life! I have had two weeks with no traffic lights, no sign of western brands and no political theater.

The royal family here is ridiculously attractive – the king sports sideburns that make him look like young Elvis. His equally attractive wife is, gasp, a commoner!

Pictures of the family abound everywhere: hotels, shops, banks, mountain passes, temples, homes and on and on. None of this is mandated – folks just revere them and it’s no wonder why.

Bhutan is very young as a country in its present form. The current monarchy was established in 1907 when King Uygen Wangchuck 1st Druk united regional dual-system districts. These were governed by both a religious and secular leader and they were operating rather independently from and, and perhaps at odds with each other.

The first 3 kings focussed on setting up the basics of running a country: taxes, defence, health, education, etc. King Jigme Singye 4th Druk embraced change, but on his own terms – or should I say on Buddhist terms. He introduced the idea of Gross National Happiness, opened up the country to tourism in a way that benefited everyone and then transitioned the country into a constitutional monarchy. To top it off, he abdicated to make way for the next generation of change. The current king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel 5th Druk, is continuing to develop the country in a measured manner that respects both the people and the environment. He has big plans for a development in southern Bhutan named Gelephu Mindfulness City. It’s a shrewd move on his part as both India and China have an eye on the largely unoccupied Southern area of the country. It made me a little sad when I first heard about the new airport that would accommodate any airline. Then again, given their track record, I think it could be remarkable.

“It will be a Mindfulness City, encompassing conscious and sustainable businesses, inspired by Buddhist spiritual heritage, and distinguished by the uniqueness of the Bhutanese identity.”

In a speech he made in honour of his father’s 70th birthday he presented a list of “12 Lessons from His Majesty Great Fourth to His Son, the Fifth King”

Bhutan is certainly not a rich country by western standards but I think it could very well be the most civilized one.

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There are no commercial abattoirs or slaughterhouses in Bhutan – you can’t fish commercially. You can’t euthanize your pet or those sometimes annoying stray dogs. All those wandering cows will die by misadventure or old age although, if I understood Karma correctly, you can hire someone (non-Buddhist) to butcher your cow for personal consumption. All of the chicken, beef and fish we’ve been eating comes from India and Thailand. Animals here have it pretty good – it’s estimated that over half the (human) population is vegetarian.

As such, I was surprised to see CORDYCEPS for sale. If you’ve been watching The Last of Us you’ll know that cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) is a fungus that infects humans in movie life, typically ants in real life, and then keeps them alive enough to control their actions. In Bhutan the cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) fungus attacks the larvae of the ghost moth and grows up from its head. Someone decided to taste it and now it’s a big ticket item in Asian medicine – taken as tea or in powder form. Also known as Himalayan viagra, it’s sold everywhere and for a lot of money.

I guess that the larvae are considered to be dead so okay to harvest(?) The government legalized the harvest in 2004 but it was mostly to curb cross border poaching by Tibetans. The collection and sale of cordyceps is heavily regulated. Only certain families are allowed to collect, only a certain number of people from each family are allowed to collect. Collection is limited to a one month period. Most of the harvesting is done above 5000m. Vendors post their licences in the shops. You can buy online for $40 – $50 per gram. My little vial cost $18 USD much cheaper in Gangtey.

Last night after dinner my cook brought me a fleeced covered hot water bottle for my sleeping bag. MUCH appreciated! (It was still warm in the morning and Thrashing used the contents for his wash up water. So glad I asked for the down sleeping bag + parka when I booked. it was a very cosy night even though temp was zero. Also glad I brought a toque!

Even though it was zero through the night, as soon as the sun hit, it was warm enough for eating outside. Bhutan is around the same latitude as Tampa – it’s just as few kilometres closer to the gods elevation wise.

Today was almost all downhill which sounds like a blessing but my knees soon disagreed. Today’s we stop at the Taktsang or, Tiger’s Nest, Monastery – the one that defies gravity clinging to a rock face.

Lovely old growth forests and nice packed earth trails to start with a few monastery and mediation spots along the way.

The Tigers Nest looks so close but one must go down before going up. At least 250 uneven steps in both directions – that’s two stories higher than our condo building. I may be tempted to try this at home at low altitude for comparison…or maybe not.

The monastery name comes from the legend of Guru Rinpoche aka Padmasambhava, who arrived in the 8th century from Tibet on the back of a flaming pregnant tiger – it is believed he meditated for three months in a cave at this site – it was the one temple foreigners weren’t allowed to enter.

This was the only place we visited where the pilgrims out numbered the tourists. There was police security being very strict about shoes and cameras/phones. We popped into all 8 temples that foreigners were allowed to – they mainly featured Guru Rinpoche and buddhas of course. I felt uncomfortable being in the way of people praying – the rooms were not large – so our visit was short.

The saddle stairs in reverse took awhile – many tiny asian women passed me on the way up.

It was down 300m and 1.5 km to the cafeteria for lunch then another 1.7 km of uneven stairs to the car park for a total of descent of 1200m for the day.

My knee held out and I survived – now for the challenge of packing!

Yesterday Karma pointed out my Bumdra Trek trail from our Chele La pass vantage point:

Red = Day 1

Green = day 2

It gave me pause.

This is a popular 2 day trek for those who want a taste of trekking. On day two you descend to the Tiger’s Nest monastery – this would be to Bhutan as perhaps, the Notre Dame Cathedral is to France.

I said “see you later” to my travel mates – we’ll cross paths again in Kathmandu – and met up with guide Trashing on Saturday night for a briefing. Turns out that I would have to carry my lunch and water – bit of a disconnect from the trek description I was sold on in which the crew set up lunch and had water and tea for us. This meant that I needed my camera back pack instead of my little 4 litre handlebar bag. It made for an even more challenging two days!

Started out at 8:30 up a winding mountain road to Sang Chen Choekor Shedra Buddhist College (2800m.) About 3/4 of the way the road up we encountered a huge landslide boulder smack in the middle our way – we barely squeeked by in a car. Not sure how the bus behind us got by but the trekkers caught up close to lunch time.

Breathless due to altitude (and scenery!) for the first four or five kilometres, the path evened out for the middle bit and then started rising again.

Two German motored past us but we (I) caught up at a rest spot – seems it was their pack horse earlier. After I said I was Canadian they got chatty. One had been out to the Rockies and Vancouver Island last year and couldn’t say enough nice things about us and our landscapes – always chuffed to hear your country complimented.

Thrashing was a very nice guy. He still lives with his parents and farms when not guiding. His hobby is Ham radio – he is very popular in the group he connects with as he is the only Bhutanese person. This has drummed up a lot of interest in travel here – smart move on his part. He’s also making connections with an eye on international travel. He told me that during the COVID lockdown when 58,000 people in the tourism industry were out of work, that the king cashed in his own personal investments and paid a living wage to them for 2-1/2 years with no expectation of being reimbursed by the government. A truly remarkable leader is King Jigme 5.

I wanted to get a different take on homelessness in Bhutan from a younger person. Karma, when pressed on this issue said, no, there aren’t really any homeless folks – if someone wants to farm or open a business, they can ask the king for help. Thrashing on the other hand said, yes, there are lots of homeless people – people with mental health issues and/or addictions. Turns out that these people drift about and their community looks after them. Thrashing said very proudly that he has a spot where folks could sleep and wash up in some out buildings on his farm. Hmm, Buddhist merit making sometimes sounds like social democracy (or vice versa) and that’s not a bad thing.

Now my watch went dead at 9.34 km after which we trekked at least another km so I am claiming 10km total. With a final elevation of 3800m it means a 1000m rise. Chuffed = me.

Fantastic camp site!

There are some permanent tents (glamping) above our (real) camp site. Above that are three sky burial sites higher on on the slopes.

Turns out we were the only “real” campers this night. Super quiet except for the two howling factions of dogs – l’ll take that anytime over Jarvis Street noise!

Our big bags and bikes left yesterday and this morning respectively, on the bus and the truck respectively. This left us walking to Jakar Dzong this morning. Still huffing and puffing on uphills.

There was just enough time to go back to yesterday’s shop to pick up a few things. The nice lady invited us to lunch alas we could not go. Her business has been struggling – she used to be the #1 shop on Main Street but the local council made her move to New Town which is off the main highway so no one knows she’s there. New Town has stalled – there are streets and street lamps but no services. I think she really appreciated all the business from our group hence the invite.

One more hotel lunch and it was off to the world’s nicest most peaceful airport.

A little lunch box is served, even on a 35 minute flight.

Sadly, today is the last day of biking so we had a bit of a lie in and got started on our valley ride at 9:30.

Stopped in at 14th century Tamshing Lhakhang Monastery to admire some incredible murals – the exterior murals that we could photo graph were even impressive.

Second stop, Kurjey Lhakhang Monastery where Guru Rinpoche’s body is said to be printed on a rock.

Third stop was Jambay Lkakhang. Built in 659, it is said to be one of the 108 temples built by a Tibetan King in 659 on a single day, to pin down an ogress to earth forever.

We appear to be a marked group now. Other bus-bound tourists have been chatting us up curious about the bikes. On Danish sounding woman seemed quite envious today.

Next up, hotel lunch followed by The Strong Man competition – and it was right next door. There were nine crazy contestants and four crazy events that had to be done back to back:

It took 5 guys to wheel the log back to start point.

Log = 110 kg

Sand = 130 kg

Tires = 120 kg

Three contestants finished, top two go on to nationals in December.

Checked out the shops in New Town – a nice young woman gave me some off cuts for free – fabrics were gorgeous.

It was “good-bye” to two of the crew after dinner after stripping our bikes.

In honour of his father’s 70th birthday the king declared a 4 day national holiday. Did not get to the museum as it was closed but did get a good look around the massive Trongsa Dzong.

Founded in 1647 it is the largest dzong in Bhutan. It once stood as the seat of power in central and eastern Bhutan ruled by the Wangchuck dynasty. When Bhutan was unified in 1907 it became the administrative centre for the Trongsa district. The heir apparent to the throne is given the title of Penlop (governor) of Trongsa before ascending to the throne – kind of like the Prince of Wales I guess.

We have seen a number of dzongs so far but they never get boring.

I was zonked post-dzong so had a snooze on the bus on the way up to Yutong La pass – I contemplated spending the day there – the bus not the pass. We pulled over to unload the bikes about 500 m from the top where there were toilets so I grabbed my bike and went ahead of the others. This was the hardest stretch of riding on the trip so far – at 3425m with a still stuffy head.

My reward was the best descent of the trip! Roads were good wth not so many hairpin turns to start.

There were lots of evergreen trees, sawmills and landslides.

At a textile shop stop it was natural dyed wool and some antique-y stuff.

I scored my treasure of the trip: a printing block for prayer flags!

We had to go up again before we went down for the day so a quick stupa stop.

It got cold and twisty towards the end of the ride – was very happy to make it to the hotel in Jakar! …at 2580m

Distance: 39.42 km

Elevation gain: 287m

Elevation descent: -845m

Calories: 1239

Said goodbye to our hosts this morning after breakfast and headed to the Black Necked Crane Festival early to snag a seat.

The courtyard was packed full of tourists – the most we’ve encountered so far. Even it the third row it was hard to see what was going on so very glad we caught yesterdays rehearsal.

This is a relatively new festival focussed on the cranes with respect to environment & conservation and to, to bring in some tourist dollars. I think it’s a fantastic idea – how many other places in the world turn to that low hanging fruit, “Casino,” to boost local economies?

The government regulates the home stays so that visitors get an authentic experience. This ensures that farms in the valley get an equitable share of tourist dollars. Rooms are limited to four per host, bookings are through Bhutanese travel agencies only, food is local when possible (but spicing is adjusted,) internet service is not permitted to be offered.

I’ve been battling a sinus cold so was happy to sit in the sun doing nothing. The program started with the entrance of the VIPs and a flag lowering ceremony. When the flag unfurled it released a shower of angel seeds.

It was great fun watching all the bored kids across the courtyard from us during the long speeches. All the classes from the school were queued up in the temple door waiting their turn to perform.

Also entertaining were the orange clad military guards doing crowd and hat control. They would scan the crowd, focus with steely eyes on hat offenders and point with such authority there would be no mistaking that the hat was to come off. They were pretty stern with all the senior ladies who crept up to the front for photos as well.

There were several kid dances – one with them dressed up like cranes and potato farmers. Then the balance of the kids had sandwich boards on their backs with mountains painted on so they could kneel down and create a valley.

The highlight was a traditional dance with colourful costumes and leaping men.

Sadly, at 11a we had to hit the road. It was a tetris puzzle to get the bus out of the parking lot and back on the main road – so many tourists! We headed back up to Pele La pass (at 3420m) hung a right heading to Trongsa and got the bikes unloaded at the first craft stall stop. I got out of the bus and promptly got back on – way to cold to consider a descent that generates zero body heat.

At our cliffside cafe lunch stop I decided to ride a leg – it was freezing, there was a headwind and my ears stuffed up so I couldn’t hear. Too bad as the rolling terrain was awesome and the sight lines were good.

It was back on the bus after a stupa stop at Chendebji Chorten. Nicely sited next to a river and modelled after the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu.

I joined Sally, who was also suffering, on the bus for the rest of the day’s journey – we were able to take in more of the landscape this way. Evergreen trees gave way to more jungle-y vegetation. The number of landslides increased though. We passed a couple of boulders bigger than the bus just sitting there blocking a full lane till the road works folks shift it or break it up further. Passed some cranky looking monkeys – glad to be in the bus. The valleys are quite deep now – saw my first hydro dam and a huge solar farm. (The panel layout jogged around a stupa – in Canada, anything in the way would have been mowed over.) This is another reason Bhutan is a carbon negative country all electricity is from clean sources.

Stopped at an exquisite coffee shop just as we crossed a bridge into Trongsa (2200m.)

Our fancy hotel for the night (at about 1.2 km lower than where we started!) was just what I needed!