Day 16 and 17: Zhiwa Ling Hotel

Hello all:

THB decided to do a separate post because something extraordinary happened: THB and DB were able to see the inside of a temple while THB was holding a camera in his hands! There were no signs that prevented us from taking pics. So there you have it, THB broke a taboo, earning himself a ton of black marbles at the time of reckoning. Good news: THB earned a bunch of white marbles by making it to the Tiger's Nest and visiting a number of temples inside without taking a single picture.

The back entrance of the hotel

Our room is 2nd floor on the far left

River view...we think these rooms and all the other rooms are mostly empty

Room 103

That thing: it's a desk!!!

The front of the hotel

Fitness center: very dim, set up wit 3 machines and a bunch of yoga mats

You can see the Tiger's Nest from the meditation room. DB took advantage of the silence while THB was climbing into the clouds

Decorations from around the hotel:

In the foyer of the meditation room

2nd floor of the great room in the main building (no elevator, you gotta climb the stairs)

King #1

King #2

King #3

King #4, in color; yellow is sign of royalty in Bhutan

King #5

Kira as art

Would look great in loft if THB and DB had room for it

The guardian King of the east, plays a lute

Guardian King of the north; carries a banner of victory in his right and a mongoose that vomits jewels in his left

Guardian King of the south, carries a sword and scabbard

Guardian King of the West, holds a small stupa in his right hand and a serpent in his left

Great rug in the great room of the lobby

Now for something special: after all those posts where THB was not allowed to take pics in the temple, here are some from the temple on the 3rd floor of the hotel.

This sign is from the Paro dzong...not the hotel's temple

Also from the Paro dzong; somehow this bell is right in front of the main entrance and in India it is placed so that anyone entering pulls the bell. Not so in Bhutan Buddhism. THB is not sure what fiddling the bell means

 Now: never before seen on travelsofthb, pics from the temple

This is a prayer wheel turned by the candle inside burning and creating a draft; not all temples have something like this, THB would guess less than half of the ones visited

Guru Rinpoche

The Unifier

Very unusual: an electric candle. Since almost all the ancient temples and monasteries and nunneries and even the dzongs have burned down multiple times, this seems wise to avoid lit unattended candles

View through window into temple

View through window into temple