Day 10: Bumthang to Phobjikha

Day 10: Bumthang to Phobjikha

The traditional white "cuffs" are pinned on to the gho then folded over. Tashi and Chencho wear their's all the time because it is required of the guides/govt workers. Knee socks (some where tights), some shorts underneath (spanx? spandex? ex-officio underwear?), usually with dark shoes (the archer's wear sneakers while shooting). With the belt cinched tight, their smart phones and wallet are lodged inside the top fold of the gho for easy access. Tee shirts under the top layer. Shawls (of the appropriate color related to the wearer's status) in temples. Women's skirts are single pieces of fabric, some weavings are way more complex than others. 

Weather:  Low 40s in early morning, warming up to low 60s mid-day except when at altitude (9,000 feet or higher) when it was in low 50s with brisk winds

Gangtey Goenpa Lodge, another minimalist entrance

Quote of the Day:  Does anyone ever get hit?

460 feet/140+ meters from the target

Today was a long travel day, our decision. We could have gone halfway, stopped for the night where we had lunch and continued on tomorrow. Instead, leaving at 8:30 and arriving a bit after 4pm was the right choice. The road traveled has been greatly improved and is still torturous at times, and even much improved over 6 months ago. And, THB is talking about the major “highway” linking west and east Bhutan.

Remember when you found out you could check out of your hotel by just leaving the key at the desk (or most times now, not even doing that much) and heading off, and most places now can check you in under 3 minutes and hand you your room key and you're all set?

Not so when staying in upscale places in Bhutan. Checking out now requires a ceremony led by a Buddhist monk complete with wrist bands and anointment of water poured in your hand and then rubbed on your head and neck (hats off). Checking in now requires listening (while standing) to 6 members singing a long song in Bhutanese (afterwards you receive a mini-scroll translation) and 3-4 gracious meetings with individual staff members who explain how the (Gangtey Goenpa) Lodge works, in soft and welcoming tones (that means you have to ask for things to be repeated because you didn't hear what was said the first, or sometimes second, time. 

THB is trying to imagine what it would be like if there were four of us awaiting check-in. Hmmmm....

Bathtub is in the main part of the room, right in the window. It's lined up with the bathtubs in the rooms on our floor. Synchronized bathing...start your countdown....now jump in the bath!

Today’s greeting was accompanied by a warm apple cider drink. Our corner room is spectacular, way more functional than the Amankora (THB is still contemplating and mulling the combined review of all these top-level accommodations...Amankora still in last), and some of the welcome is already coming true: there can be intermittent power outages (especially between 1-4am), dogs barking in the night, and the room can take quite a while to lose temperature (and the radiated heat floors are still a big plus).

The view from our room; it was hazy/smoky in the valleys today; Tashi's comment: very clean air in Bhutan

THB thought this was the most creative creative coat rack; after talking to manager David (from Espana), it turns out to be a minimalist art installation (David sends up extra hangars while we're eating dinner). These hooks in main room look identical to those next to the shower...where towels and bathrobes are hanging

It's very dark and dim in the dining room, this is the only pic that came out

We appear to be the only people here…we come down for drinks at 6 and end up talking to the Aussie chef for 20+ minutes (he gives all 3 day stay guests the opportunity to order whatever you want). Dinner starts around 7, still nobody around. Two other couples come into dinner around 7:30. They probably did the 5:30 meditation and 6:30 monks chanting at the monastery next door, which we may do tonight (THB meditating…can they really be playing a baseball game on the TV with the sound turned off?).

The day in pics and captions:

This room at Amankora cannot be used that much....they did offer to seat the two of us here for breakfast!

THB had rice porridge (aka juke in Chinese restaurants) with bacon and chili: excellent! Very Bhutanese way to begin the day (minus the bacon)

It's Sunday morning around 8 and a darts game is being set up between the Amankora and the renovating palace

Archery is huge here and Sunday brings out the teams for competition. Two types: traditional bows and high-tech bows. The target is a wooden plank about 3 feet high by 1 foot wide, 460 feet away.

Teammates awaiting the flying arrow

Each member of the team shoots two arrows and then they switch sides (some of your teammates are standing very close to the target!). If you hit the plank, the guys on your team do a 30 second cheer and bow at the waist to the arrow sticking in the target. Your team gets 2 pts if it sticks, and one point is awarded to the closest miss.

After a shot, your teammate uses hand signals and arm waving to let the archer know how close he came

Honoring the arrow that hit the target

Those really small figures in the distance: the guys shooting at you, with a target just behind them

Pic using telephoto lens (what the hell is a telephoto lens?)

If you hit the target you get to wear a red sash the rest of the meet (or until the blood from being hit later on soaks into the sash)

Traditional bows

Arrows are now imported

That's the target

Instruction to teammate 4000 miles away: here, shoot it here

Lots of snow on those higher elevations; we see snow/slush alongside the road at times

A highway marker...something new every day

Another first: a real biker out for a Sunday morning ride

A house visit: the owner's family is related to the Queen by marriage and you can see the Queen's family house across the field next door

Very steep stairs leading to the door; the owner is well-off enough that she doesn't have to rent out the first floor

Stove in middle of the main room; space heaters now used in bedrooms so people don't sleep together in one room 

The start of making butter tea

Cut off a chunk of yak butter

Add salt

Old fashioned wooden churn; nowadays the pot is taken into the kitchen and an electric churner is used to mix the butter in thoroughly

Modern hot pad: the end of the sweater; note the flip flops, we've removed our shoes at the front door, the folks living here wear slippers of flip flops inside

Tea not bad, drinkable (now, if they used chocolate yak butter, there's a drink THB could go for). We're warmed up that we can go on to the next course: wheat based home-made moonshine

Goes down easily, let's hit the road, muchachos. Good news: Chencho doesn't drink

Another first: live yak, walking the new highway. Semi-owned: owners let the yak stroll around large areas

Mini-yak...2 years old?

Pass #1, over 10k feet

Prof Woo ceramic head photo op! Don't think he mixes in remains of monks or nuns in his clay

Pass #2

Pass #3

More yak

The Dzong of the day: huge! Right at mid-point of the drive

This dzong, active in the 1540s,  is the mid-way point of east/west route of the country, and this is the gate anyone traveling across the country had to use and check in...showing proper Buddhist intentions (at least while going through the gate) 

Huge monastery

Tashi promised monkey sightings are coming

Inside the temple (no pics allowed) there is a picture of the current head monk, #70. #71 is on deck. 

Temple monkeys! Temple cats! Temple dogs, OH MY!

An ancient incense burner

Druk, the magic dragon

After we leave town, a view back of the dzong (it's big) and the watchtower above it; for 100s of years the cross-country traffic flowed through the fortress

The used (or not?) blue barrels are used instead of flag people to indicate lane closures. Also used: rocks, piles of gravel, old equipment, planks...and rock slides and crumpled road (these latter two unintentional)

Not a good sign: crumpled barrier

Time to get out and stretch, this was our only real delay on the road today: about 25 minutes or so

our fetish to avoid bad spirits...working? 

DB and THB always buckle up, Tashi and Chencho never buckle up. We don't see many motorcyclists, they are always wearing helmets

Typical road barrier

Two construction guys about 12 feet up...is one guy spotting the other or awaiting his turn to jump into the building?

The lunch buffet below pics of the 5 kings; the food was not very good, this is at the hotel we would've stayed out if we had broken the trip into two days

Sorry, pic is blurry. In men's room, so automatic it doesn't work (again, at the hotel we were going to stay at). DB reports: women's bathroom, same-same

The lunch buffet...note THB is going local and adding chili sauce to his meals. Dark leafy greens most welcome (and tough); beef curry sauce very good, beef really tough

$2 for a big local brewski. THB ends up having whiskey, beer, and gin today...maybe another first? 

1000 nu bill, about $15 

Group walking highway a long way from anywhere

The modern version of the east-west gate, at a bridge about 5 miles from the dzong

Chencho goes over and "registers" us...no passport info required. So little traffic we're the only ones there at around 1:30

This time our penis works, and the traffic flows around the construction crew

Giant stupa with a No Entry sign; we do see a few kids and women walking around or playing

Tashi told us about the "eyes", they are wisdom eyes showing that Buddha is looking in all four directions. 

While the monk gave us orange string bracelets (sorry, pic lost) Amankora gave us a much better going away gift: chocolate truffles (shared at appropriate moments along the drive)

Magnolia trees are in bloom along the route as are rhododendrons (red and a few white?)