Bhutan (Tiger's Nest, Seat of Government, a Capital Without Traffic Lights)

November 19, 2010

My first morning in Bhutan, and today there’s a lot to explore.

A quick “bye” to the incredibly friendly and attentive hotel staff …and off we went towards what is probably Bhutan’s most famous sight, the Tiger’s Nest – a monastery complex in the mountains that you can only reach on foot.

At the start of the trek, the clouds in the mountains were unfortunately blocking the lovely view, and it was really touch and go whether the guide and I would make it there dry.

Luckily the weather in Bhutan changes pretty quickly – and that goes for turning nice, too. And there it was: a breathtaking view of the Tiger’s Nest (on the right of the photo, at head height).

To celebrate the nice weather, I started off by chewing a betel nut (betel chewing): betel leaf + “glue” (slaked lime) + betel nut. If you’ve ever seen old people in documentaries chewing and spitting for hours on end – this is exactly the stuff. Since it was my first betel nut and I wasn’t used to it at all, my salivary glands went into overdrive. Every 30 seconds I had to get rid of a gush of red spit. Swallowing would have been a really bad idea, because the active ingredients are toxic in high concentrations. So I carried on towards the Tiger’s Nest, spitting like a llama and wondering where on earth all that liquid in my body was coming from…. After a few minutes the betel nut kicked in: slightly faster breathing + higher pulse + heightened alertness. Basically the same effect as a very strong espresso.

Nicely buzzed, we inched our way closer and closer to the monastery, past other huffing and puffing tourists. Sadly, taking photos inside the Tiger’s Nest itself wasn’t allowed for security reasons – I even had to hand in my point-and-shoot at the entrance. Oh well, inside it looked like every other monastery (Buddhas^9), except for the “tiger’s nest” itself. Legend has it that the guru Padmasambhava once came flying here on the back of a tiger. Naturally, the tiger needed an entrance/shelter too, which we could only reach by climbing, and then took a good look at. Basically it was a crevice in the rock at the back of the monastery with a nice view out. Unfortunately the flying tiger had just flown the nest… – still, it’s a creative tale/story either way, and compared to the Tibetan monasteries this one was much more nicely done (less touristy).

Armed with my camera again, I documented the unique surroundings of the monastery: tall waterfalls,…

…little streams running along crevices in the rock…

…and a gorgeous sky with prayer flags fluttering in the wind.

The view of the Tiger’s Nest and the atmosphere all around were truly impressive.

But even here, at some point you have to say goodbye to this hard-to-reach sight built right into the rock face (dead centre of the photo) and face the cold hard facts:…

…the descent, on more or less well-made paths…

…past some interesting “structures”. If your imagination is telling you that this looks like a male sex organ – you’re right! Phallus worship in Bhutan (structures, paintings on houses, necklaces…) is pretty widespread and serves above all to ward off evil spirits, as well as a symbol of power, strength and health…

Safely back at the foot of the mountain, we drove on through gorgeous scenery (the water is unbelievably clear and there’s no litter anywhere)…

…to Thimphu – the capital of Bhutan.

After a quick stop at the big Memorial Chorten (memorial pagoda), with worshippers circling the pagoda and spinning their prayer wheels,…

…we moved on to a viewpoint overlooking the city. Left of centre in the photo you can make out Tashichho Dzong, a fortress-like monastery complex around 800 years old that now serves as the seat of government.

A good spot for a group photo: the driver on the left and the guide on the right, both in the Bhutanese dress they’re required to wear on duty.

And off we went to the seat of government…

…with its impressive size…

…and its friendly but also well-armed guards.

Inside this fortress monastery there’s a large assembly square,…

…lots of really well-restored buildings…

…and monster staircases. At times I really felt like Tom Thumb here… ;)

In the evening we peered through a construction fence at one of the biggest and most expensive seated Buddhas in the world: Buddha Dordenma. It was supposed to be finished in 2008, and although it was consecrated in October 2010, sadly it still wasn’t fully completed or open to tourists when I visited.

Finally we enjoyed the view of Thimphu by night from up there, and just like that, the day was over.

At the hotel (Raven Inn) I marvelled, as usual, at the size of my room…

…and at both the size and the tastiness of my dinner. (Yes, everything you see above was just for me…!) Once again it hit me: I LOVE good food. :D

Stuffed to the gills, I decided to explore a bit more of Thimphu and the local nightlife. That’s the capital’s biggest intersection in the photo above – and of course, like every other intersection in Bhutan, it has no traffic lights. On my evening stroll I was greeted by giggling, waving kids, while people my age and older looked at me with amazed smiles. In my two hours of exploring I didn’t see a single other foreigner, and to be honest I doubt other tourists just casually wander around Thimphu alone in the evening – the looks on the locals‘ faces made that pretty clear, anyway. If we take a closer look at tourism in Bhutan, both the high price and the country’s isolated location in the Himalayas create a kind of exclusivity. Only a little over 20,000 tourists visit the country each year. Of the ones I saw or met, nobody was under 45, the average age was around 55, and their jobs ranged from photographers, jewellers, plastic surgeons, entrepreneurs and managing directors to simply very relaxed gentlemen of leisure. At a youthful 28, and travelling the way I do, I was quite the exception – and an interesting change both for the locals and in my conversations with the other tourists. Bhutan – definitely worth it. :)

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PS (June 11, 2011): Since this travel blog lags behind where I actually am, I’ve had a flood of questions about it over the last few days. On the home page you’ll now find my route, with the country I’m currently in marked in bold. If you want to know exactly where I am, you can find me on Google Latitude under the following username: [address removed], or simply check “Where am I right now?” in the navigation menu above.

Further reading:

1. Tiger’s Nest – Bhutan’s most famous sight
2. Betel nut – An intoxicating kind of “chewing gum” with nearly 0.5 billion fans
3. Padmasambhava – Popular guru and founder of Buddhism in Tibet
4. Phallus worship in Bhutan – The penis as a symbol of protection and power
5. Thimphu – A capital without traffic lights
6. Memorial Chorten – Memorial pagoda in Thimphu
7. Tashichho Dzong – Bhutan’s impressive seat of government
8. Tom Thumb – A teeny-tiny little person
9. Buddha Dordenma – No. 34 among the world’s tallest statues
10. Tourism in Bhutan – Exclusive and sustainable
11. Gentleman of leisure – A thoroughly desirable state of affairs