Around Thimphu

About two weeks ago, Matt and I went on a lovely short hike near Thimphu. You drive up a mountainside to start. Here you can see the evidence of a fire that we saw in progress while we were in town in February.

At the start of the hike, the ridge is absolutely covered with prayer flags, more so than any location I have seen so far.
View of the beautiful Thimphu valley:
Temple along the hike. Inside was one of the most unique temples I have seen so far. There were footprints in the wooden floor, worn down from a lama who prostrated in the same place every day over 1,000 times. Inside the main temple, small chortens darkened by smoke lined the sides along with boxes full of sacred texts.

“Spring Break” Bhutan-style

Last week was midterms followed by “spring break” from the college where we work, and Matt’s parents arrived for a visit. We took a lovely trip to Punakha, about two hours east from where we live, and then north from Punakha to the most beautiful location I have seen yet in Bhutan. Here are some pictures from the trip.

View from a temple at Dochula, a pass at about 10,000ft on the national highway.

The temple entrance at Dochula.

We were invited inside this temple, much to our surprise, which was full with a class of monks ranging in age from about 4 to 16 plus their teacher. They served us a glass of coke, and went about their business – a cacophony of chanting and sound from drums and horns that filled the temple and my heart.

Chorten next to the temple in Khuruthang.

Punakha is at about 4,000ft, lush and invitingly warm at this time of year. Orchids and vines adorn the trees, waterfalls spill down the mountainsides, and a boulder-filled river charges along the valley floor.

Gasa

Gasa, and Jigme Dorji National Park within it, is the most spectacular place I have visited so far in Bhutan. This National Park reaches all the way to the border with Tibet, encompassing the headwaters of all four major rivers in Bhutan. Jagged peaks, bright glaciers, abundant wildlife and only about 6,000 residents. We went at just the right time – in another month or so, the town of Gasa in this area will be cut off from the rest of Bhutan for months because the monsoon makes the road-in-progress impassable.

As the jagged Himalayan peaks come into view from far away, you notice a speck of white at their base – the Gasa Dzong. The unpaved road now nearly reaches the town of Gasa. We parked the car and hiked up for about one hour to the village.

Jholmohari looms, peaking in and out of clouds.

Mountains are considered sacred in Bhutan, so summiting by trekking groups is prohibited.

Getting close to the dzong…

The village of Gasa.

Morning in Gasa after several hard downpours the night before.

From the outside of the Gasa Dzong.

Monks head to their classes into the dzong (pictures are allowed in the courtyards of dzongs only).