Tashi Delek, Bhutan!
Dustin Frazier on Monday, May 31, 2010 at 8:18AM After a successful but exhausting trek up to Chomolhari base camp, we were happy to spend our last few days in Bhutan doing more of a cultural tour. Most of the trekkers left immediately after the trek (since they’d done their cultural visits beforehand), but a few – Pete, Bernard, and Jennifer – joined us for a few days in Thimphu, the capital “city” of Bhutan (population 60,000), and Punakha. We enjoyed having a chance to get to know them a bit better since we weren’t able to trek with them. We were also totally blown away by the thoughtfulness and intelligence of our main guide, Tsewang, and we were thankful to have a chance to see Bhutan through his eyes before we left.
Rather than try to detail all of the cultural sites we saw in those last few days, we’ll let the captions on our Thimphu and Punakha photos tell the story. The 108 stupas monument, the home and temple of the ancient Divine Madman, the Punakha Dzong, the archery tournaments, and the Memorial Stupa in Thimphu were amazing to see in person, and they were a perfect balance to the seven days we spent hiking and camping in the Himalayas.
Bhutan has a rich cultural history, and it seems to have a bright future ahead of it. Unlike the seemingly thoughtless and uncontrolled expansion of humanity we saw in Kathmandu (and the chaos, trash, traffic, and smog that comes with it), Bhutan seems to be stepping very carefully and consciously into the modern world. It’s obvious that their Buddhist roots lend themselves very well to a measured and balanced approach to economics, government, environment, family, and culture. They’re not naive enough to think that they can join the world community without adopting many of the conveniences and efficiencies of modern technology, but at the same time, they’re very aware of what they stand to lose if they’re not careful about preserving their history, their culture, and the natural wonders that surround them. They seem to be doing a great job so far of balancing progress and preservation, and we can’t wait to return in a few years in hopes of seeing an even brighter and more vibrant Bhutan.
Reader Comments (2)
Beautiful photos as always! Thanks Frayzhe, I was to visit Bhutan now. What are those purple flowering trees, Jacaranda? They look like the ones we have in LA. If so, yes I can attest to how many blossoms they drop all over the sidewalk to rot. :-) They look awesome though.
I cant believe you met Pancake too - you know the dog with the blue eyes. He hiked with me for 4 days! Love that crazy dog!