On the road to Punakha

After breakfast, we headed off to Punakha, the former winter capital of Bhutan. On the way out of town, we stopped to visit the fortress, now government buildings and home of the king and queen.

We also happened upon an archery tournament, which was interesting to see. Archery is the national sport. The target was so far away, it was impossible to see if they were hitting their mark, but every time someone did well, the team would get together to perform a little song and dance of celebration

 

As we finally left Thimphu behind, we began our long journey through the picturesque villages and terraced fields, stupas and rows of prayer flags, thick evergreen forests, and the windiest roads this side of Hana. Rhonda swears they were much scarier than Hana. The road could barely fit two cars, and there were no guard rails to prevent us from slipping over the side and over the several 500 foot or more drop.

 

We made a stop along the way at Dochula Pass, which is at 10,000 ft elevation. There were over one hundred stupas rising up into the clouds, and from the top we had stunning views of the valleys below and the snow capped Himalayas in the distance. We couldn't wander around all of the grounds because the police were guarding some of the areas as they were expecting the arrival of the king. We were hoping he would show up while we were there because we have heard he's very friendly, but we had to move along.

 

We stopped for lunch just a short distance down the hill.

 

Just before reaching our resort, we stopped for a short walk (a mile and a half) up a hillside to a monastery. We walked through a village that appeared to pay homage to phallic symbols. Craft shops and houses displayed penises at every turn. Apparently, this monastery was built by the Devine Madman, whose name was Drukpa Kunley. Every child in Bhutan knows the stories of his eccentric life, some of them are painted on the walls of the entrance to the temple. The penis symbol is not considered indecent in Bhutan. When a new house is blessed, a carved wooden penis is hung at each corner to keep away evil spirits.

 

A short fifteen minutes drive and we arrived at our resort for the night, the Punatsangchu Cottages, located along a lovely river. Last night we learned about rafting adventures available here, so eight of our group have decided to deviate from the itinerary tomorrow and give the river a try.