4/25 -- Explore Thimphu

We started our day at the National Memorial Chorten, originally  planned as a peace monument by the third king, but made into a memorial to him when he died before its completion. Although Bhutan is a monarchy, it has only been so since 1907 when it was more of a feudal state. The various district leaders agreed to form a monarchy to advance the country, which is now on its fifth king.

In 2006, the king now known as the 'father king' announced that he was converting the kingdom to a constitutional monarchy and abdicated in favor of his son, who now rules a constitutional monarchy. There is much love for the 'father king' who has resisted the people's urging to take an active role in daily life. There is a possibility he will totally retire to a monastery in the next few years. He is only 60 now. This monument was for his father. Pictures of current and former kings and their families are found everywhere.

Prayer wheels at the memorial

They are heavy, hard to turn, and contain hundreds
to thousands of mantras inside.

We walked clockwise around the temple and found this group
of people doing ritual prostrations, which take two forms:
the simple one only involves touching your forehead to the
ground. The formal one has you completely extend your
body to the ground. This is similar to what we saw in Tibet.

This memorial functions as a de facto senior center every day,
where older folks spend a lot a time. We started talking to
these two ladies and were joined by a gentleman, below, who
talked with us a while. They all wondered how we could
eat well if we did not have farms and cattle to raise our food.

Jim poses with our new friends. Soldiers are in the background
here working to completely replace the landscaping, which
was in bad repair. Soldiers in Bhutan are more public works
contributors than peace keepers.

 Then we headed out of town to see the largest Buddha statue in the world. It has been completed and sits atop a two story monastery, but they are still working on the grounds.

This view can be seen from miles away.

The view of Thimphu from near the statue.

Jim and Lynn with Buddha in the background.

Dozens of these statues dot the grounds.

Each of the corners of the temple were decorated with a
different image on each side: elephants, horses, peacocks,
and warriors.

Apartment buildings from above. There is very little variation
in architectural style here. The primary difference is between
old and new. The raised rooflet in these new buildings is a
variation on the old style of having a roof over an open space.

This is the old house style, still being built in the countryside.
The raised open roof creates storage space for fodder (livestock
used to inhabit the ground floor) and a better-lit space during
the day for activities like weaving.

Our next stop was the National Textile Museum (no photos allowed in the main space) which featured the weaving styles of  the several provinces known for weaving and an entire gallery devoted to the Founding Father. Although Bhutan has never been conquered in its history, it was in disarray until  the early 1600s when a lama from Tibet arrived and consolidated the various factions into a cohesive country. He built several dzongs (fortress/monasteries) and codified the law. His fighting force was not large but he used clever ruses to convince invading Tibetans to give up and go home. He is knows as Zhabdrung Rinpoche. When he died, his ministers feared that the country would have issues, so for 58 years, they convinced the people that he was intensely meditating. 

In the museums lower levels, there were weaving and embroidery rooms, which we visited. This is a teaching space as well as production.

Intricate silk embroidery -- to make a large piece, the design
is segmented and worked on by several people. In the photo
here, there are five small pieces and 1 huge one visible.

 After  lunch, we set out in search of the Bhutanise national animal, which we had never heard of, the Takin. It is classified as a 'goat-antelope' a new concept for us. It is stocky and only attractive when young.

Grown up Takin

Baby Takin emerges from behind a rock....

and walks around.

 Our last official stop was the  National Library, which is famous for a huge book, held in a glassed in table, open to a pair of picture pages. I was disappointed in our photos of it. It was about 3.5 feet high and each page is 2 or more feet wide.

As we walked toward the library, there was a carver working
and selling his wares. He primarily makes masks, which are
important in Bhutanese traditional dance. He carves, and a
partner does the painting.

A lot of buildings have these
gargoyles, which often function as
drainage spouts.

Our last stop of the day was the Craft Market -- dozens of bamboo shops line the boulevard of the main street. We were dropped off at one end and had about a half hour to investigate. Because it was Tuesday, several shops were closed for their traditional day off. Textiles were the main focus of the shops, which was a disappointment -- I was hoping to expand my already enormous earring collection.

Back at the hotel, I had time for a massage before dinner at a local restaurant featuring non-americanized Bhutanese fare. The typical diet here is rice and dal (lentils) or 'chili cheese', a spicy dish with a runny cheese sauce that effectively makes plain rice tasty.