The Travel Connection

Remember the Divine mad man Sir Lam Drukpa Kuenley (1455-1570). Well, in his quest to define himself, one day landed at Dochula pass. And who does he meet there but a Demon and no prizes for guessing a female Demon. The smart she Demon turned herself into dog but unfortunately could not save herself from the Sir Kuenley's " flaming thunderbolt of infinite wisdom " . So  our mad man decided to bury the dog , uttered the words " Chi -Med(no dog)"and built a black stupa over it. In 15th century a temple was built at this site and was called Chime Lhakhang or " no dog temple". The itinerary promised a short walk through paddy fields to get to the hillock. But what was not informed us was the in your face "graphic" for lack of  a better word wall paintings. We got a taste of it earlier at Thimphu as we walked through the arts and crafts stores. As I had not read up about Chime Lhakhang or its significance, I actually had look at  the key cha

If I had to choose my favorite structure, It would be the bridges without any hesitation. Bhutan renewed my fascination for bridges with their traditional cantilever bridge called the Bazam. Tintin's knowledge about architecture was limited. My questions on the location of  the toilets, kitchens inside the Dzong  or how the water supply/ drainage worked  and other queries must have driven him mad or made him think that the mountain air had made me go bonkers. So my hopes of understanding the bridge through Tintin was futile. Punakha Dzong is undoubtedly one of the most elegant structures in Bhutan.  To get to the main building , one has to cross Mo chhu through one of the most beautiful bridges I have come across so far. Most buildings in Bhutan are a replica of their ancient self. Due to natural calamities or fire, almost all the prominent sites in Bhutan have been rebuilt in the recent years. The Punakha bridge is no different. You can read more about it here. http:/

If ever Alfred Hitchcock made " The birds" in Bhutan, he would have to use Oriental Turtle Doves. Not that there is anything scary about them, but the peace mascots are out there at every nook and corner. Giving them company are the sparrows and pigeons.We never spotted the handsome cousin of the crow, the raven which is  the national bird. But Bhutan is indeed a birder's paradise. Oriental Turtle Dove Sparrows at Dochula Pass Like the golden fish which is one of the eight auspicious symbols, we decided to fearlessly migrate from Thimphu without danger of drowning in the ocean of suffering . Just as a fish that swims freely and spontaneously through the water, we embarked  onto Punakha. To make it even more memorable and spiritual ,Sangay our driver promised us a well deserved massage. This is what i call life. Yes, We got what we deserved! We were whacked,thumped,knocked,smashed,jolted,smacked,rapped,walloped in the Toyota Hiace or was is it o

Bhutan is as rustic as one can get. It's conscious decision to isolate as much as possible has made it a  Shangri La. The willingness to continue its traditions not just when it comes to religious festivals, customs, food but also  the national dress Kira,the Gho and architecture makes it a "not to miss" country. But it was the mythical stories that made it exotic. On our itinerary were the other popular attractions in Thimphu. One of them was the King's chorten. The memorial chorten in Tibetan  style is a hot spot for the elderly of Thimphu.Look closely at the some of the deities and you will find some interesting figures. After a quick pit stop at the stupa, we checked out the National textile museum.It had some amazing antique and contemporary pieces on display. The short video leads you to  appreciate the effort that goes into the art of weaving  or as it called " Thag - zo". Weaving is the most popular craft among Bhutanese women a

Thimphu is a bustling capital city with 5 storey buildings packed like sardines. It is the rolling mountains beyond the building line that makes it different. The first thing I noticed as we drove in was the multiple car showrooms right from Toyota, Hyundai to Maruti and many others and cars of all sizes on the road.  The second thing that was pointed out to us by Tintin was that Thimphu is a signal free city. My immediate reaction was to admiringly assume Bhutanese were disciplined enough to follow rules without traffic lights. But then we came across a junction manned by a police man. Till date, license plates have never caught my interest. Bhutan changed it. I was drawn to the private vehicles with red license plate immediately. The number has prefix of "BP". Taxis are yellow in color with "BT" written on them. The diplomatic vehicles are green/blue with "CD". Royal Bhutan police have  blue license plate with RBP