Travels of THB: Day 15: Punakha to Thimphu

Day 15: Punakha to Thimphu

Over THB's right shoulder (that's the one on the left of the picture) is Bhutan's tallest mountain looking like a table

Weather: Cool in Punakha, very pleasant in Thimphu by mid-day

Quote 1 of the Day: From a welcoming letter at the Taj Tashi Bhutan: … (the Taj is requesting that you join them) as proud participants in this global initiative of the “Earth Hour” by switching off the lights once each month for an hour… by switching off all the lights in your room and spending this special hour with us celebrating this cause at the “Ara Bar Balcony” from 19:30 to 20:30 Hours

THB is a total collapsarian, the tipping point on climate change has been reached and it all downhill from here (if THB was more optimistic he might add something about in 20-30 years it might happen that the industrial revolution has become carbon neutral…THB is not that type of optimist).

The Taj has come up with a great alternative: turn off the lights (in your $600+/night) room and join them in the bar for an hour of alcohol free bonhomie.

THB is not making this up!

(BD: maybe something for your newsletter? I can send you the original)

Quote 2 of the Day: Because it’s there (George Mallory, 1923, on why attempt to climb Mt. Everest)

Quote 3 of the Day: THB: Has anyone climbed the highest mountain in Bhutan? Tashi: nobody has climbed any of these mountains (Himalayan mountains in the distance, most over 25,000 feet), they are the homes of gods and goddesses and not to be disturbed

King #4 and his 10 children and assorted grandchildren. Today THB and DB saw a car drive by with one of the princesses with one of her children (thus a grandchild of King #4). THB has no clue which ones they are in the pic, it was a fast drive-by

Canadian couple DB chat's up last night and then they stop by our table this morning

Pancakes good, sausage - one bite

Gorgeous looking porridge

The usual schedule: up early, coordinate packing, breakfast of pancakes and ginger tea (THB) and porridge and decaf coffee (DB), chat up the Toronto couple we saw at GG Lodge: they told DB last night they wish they had spent 10 days in Bhutan and 6 in Nepal rather than what they did, which was the reverse. And they guessed that we were treating our guide and driver to a going away dinner and were jealous of how much fun we were having (it’s hard not to have fun when Tashi is around) since their guide is humorless. It’s so easy to make up a story, don’t think anyone would guess that our traveling partners dropped out at last minute due to health and the guide and driver were getting to enjoy lots of good hotel/lodge meals in their place.

Depart the Uma Punakha at 9:30 and head to Thimpui on a newly paved road. By Bhutan standards, this road is as good as it gets.

A stop at the pass for photos and restrooms, admire view and the 108 stupas honoring the 7 dead in a fracas in 2003.

Some of the 108 stupas

A gorgeous clear day and tons of tourists

The big guy on the board and the big guy behind the board

The Bhutanese ejected Assam (India) separatists that had taken up residence in southern Bhutan. Chencho, a soldier then, was a member of one of the two battalions lead by King #4 and was wounded during the very short battle: in one day the Assam rebels were uprooted (after 10 years of unsuccessful entreaties and negotiations for them to leave Bhutan). India and Bhutan are on good terms and it is pretty obvious that Indians are the primary source of tourists and economic activities here. For example, the gas stations have Indian names, and we’re staying at the Taj!

Another short jaunt (the total trip including stops was around 2 hours) and we’re in Thimphu. Our first stop is thwarted: we were going to visit a state sponsored Institute of Arts and Crafts of Bhutan, they are having some sort of day of celebration. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Pics from around Thimphu

Construction is going on at a rapid pace all over the country...

The only two lanes each way divided highway

Gas station with brush fire some distance away

The town clock, only 2 hrs 45 minutes off the local time; an indication that in the big city nothing really gets fixed if it isn't essential

There are no stop lights in Bhutan so this police control spot is as close as it gets to traffic management

After 10 days, our first indication that ATMs exist in Bhutan (there might have been one in the Paro airport...THB can't remember back that far)

The only stop sign we've seen; a two-fer with a large utility box in the pic

There are a lot of roundabouts

roundabout

Where else would two Bhutanese guys who love their chili cheese take THB and DB for lunch in their hometown? Where else but pizza. It’s not bad, a bit too thin crust for THB, the toppings are mild and we see a couple that took our same flight from Paro to Bumthang a week ago and Tashi and Chencho know the three guys (all guides) eating at the next table. Small town.

Pizza for lunch

Not unusual: we're the first to arrive

Sign written on the back of the bathroom door

We saw this couple 8-9 days ago in Paro airport

Lemonade

Pizza #1

Lots of country places don't serve napkins, we're in the big city now! Thimphu population: about 110,000 though it seems like half that when we're done touring

#1-4: all gone

As in Paro, there are guys on the street responsible for collection of parking fees (no meters)

Roundabout

A short walk through the two levels of the farmer’s market: too many identical booths for THB’s taste. THB buys a 50 cent bag of popcorn for his dessert. No takers among the other three.

The market is ghettoized: this is a shot from the dried fish part of the market; there are no fish in Bhutan (lots of rivers, no ocean, no lake)

Day care for the retailers; no real farmers here, just resellers

When it comes to chilis, it is just like Santa Fe: red or green?

Yeast patties

A repurposed brandy bottle full of honey

Red rice

More pics from around Thimphu

There are a room full of prayer wheels and a large stupa; senior citizens come and socialize during the day and earn white marbles for the final accounting after death. They dominate the place during the day, the office workers (walking a lot fast) do their three turns clockwise around the stupa before and after work

Prayer wheel room

A glorious day at the stupa in downtown Thimphu

Nearby is the Textile Museum: AWESOME! Lots of great woven pieces: shawls, kiras (traditional skirts), ghos (men’s traditional wear), large wall pieces, well done displays (i.e., well lit), and great videos (one shows how men and women get into the traditional wear…it ain’t like slipping a t-shirt over your head). Excellent shopping opportunity in the gift shop! Sponsors/benefactors list at front of museum is almost all foreigners. THB does not think this is an accident when evaluating the museum.

THB scouts out a restroom: closed for maintenance, use the one in the building next door. THB starts to go through the connecting walkway between the buildings: locked!

Then THB goes to pay, using USD. Clearly the clerk is used to every foreigner paying with VISA. Not that THB considered it, the VISA card is using the restroom next door. Then the clerk quotes a very low rate for the USD…not in a nice way. Tashi sez something in Bhutanese which translates to give him the big bill rate (not that she should be asked, THB has put a $100 bill on the checkout table). Finally, calculator comes out, new rate quoted, $10 saved (which really wasn’t THB’s intent, he just wanted to get past auto-pilot treatment), and then change made in nu. Hey, THB gets another 200 rupee note which he deposits in the “make a donation” box on the way out.

At checkout this morning at Uma Punakha, DB proved that her call to VISA worked and the card is now accepted. Now to settle up with GG Lodge. Tashi and Chencho find the office: Thimphu proper is really only about 8 blocks long by 3 blocks wide with a constantly jammed major road running lengthwise. We walk the stairs to the second floor (turns out the elevator is broken, we only find that out when the guys in the office tell us). Good news: the card works and we are now longer scofflaws running away from paying a bill. The accountant explains why they don’t take AMEX: they use a local Bhutan bank which doesn’t have a strong relationship with AMEX. The other hotels have international ownership and relationships with banks outside Bhutan, thus it is easier for them to process AMEX charges.

GG Lodge office in town

DB spotted a soft serve sign and THB wants to give it a go (mostly to see if he can entice Tashi into trying one). Up to the second floor where the guy there looks totally baffled and then tells Tashi “the machine is broken.”

THB is pretty sure the sign has nothing to do with the restaurant behind it and the guy in the restaurant has no clue as to what soft serve is

Back to Thimphu:

The central plaza

The clock works, it just doesn't know how to keep the right time

Check-in at the Taj is bizarre: the guy giving the instructions in our room talks so fast we have to ask him to repeat or slow down constantly. When it came to turning on the lights he got most of them right. Room is ripe with aroma of gardenias or jasmine. We ask for someone to come and help aerate the room. First thing she does: turns on the fan (like the guy showing us the room could’ve done) and then she suggests leaving the door to the room open. Of course the door to the room won’t stay open so THB puts his soft suitcase in the way, and opens the window.

Door pulls are musical instruments

The all-cuisine restaurant...pic taken at check-in, looks exactly the same when we dine much later on except the lights go off mid-meal

Lobby looking at check-in/out desk

The welcome greeting

Mini-review of Thimphu: a small city in an up and coming third world country. THB and DB have been dramatically sheltered by staying at high-functioning, expensive small hotels and lodges. Almost every place we visit today has something broken down and clearly not on for repair any time soon. Very noticeable. On other hand, lots of people have small cars, education K-12 is free, health care is free, and cows roam free even in the cities. We think the water is safe though they tell tourists to stick to bottled water (THB doubts that every restaurant in the country is serving filtered water in reusable bottles). Is this second world? Probably...read Rosling's book, he has a much better way of separating countries into four categories.

THB is now going south, doesn’t feel good at all. Tries to read Into The Silence (expedition #2 has failed to reach the summit) and passes out. DB also takes a nap.

Feeling good enough to attempt it, THB and DB go downstairs for the bonfire and dancing demo. DB trips of a mandala of small unlit candles. In the middle of the lobby? Hmmmmmm....

Dancing better than at Amenkora, with more variety of dances and dancers. Bonfire not as good. There are 5 people watching in traditional clothes, the hotel offers a full Bhutanese dinner in a separate dining room, complete with local outfits. One other woman is watching. THB and DB turn down the butter tea, the other accept the offer.

THB has forgotten his camera, these shots are by DB (THB is lucky not to have left his head in the room).

Dinner: we are the only people in the restaurant from 7pm to 8:30pm. And, it’s a big place. We order Indian and Chinese (not Bhutanese) and end up with a pretty good meal: tandoori chicken, chicken curry, jasmine rice, three kinds of naan, hot and sour soup with tofu (very good), and a mild tofu in black bean sauce. Two glasses of sauvignon blanc and a local brewski. (alcohol comes to $35)

Other pics: