Day 10 – The capital Thimphu

About 20,000 people live in Thimphu, roughly translated as 'city of the sinking rock'. A small town with heavy traffic, but no traffic lights. What they do have are thousands of dogs. These wild dogs are a problem all over Bhutan, but here the cacophony has become overwhelming. Those who didn't bring earplugs had a rough night.

Upon arrival last night, the illuminated national dzong sparkles in the dark.

Our hotel is right across the archery range. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan and I am shocked by the distance the arrow has to cover. Unfortunately for us there are only a few archers practicing and no competition is taking place. These matches are apparently a joy to watch. The team that misses the goal is laughed at by the opponents who start dancing. Conversely, if it is a hit, it is the scoring team that starts dancing.

After breakfast we head into town. And like any big city, it's just a gray sad place. You can't call me a fan. It is miles away from  Bhutan as we have seen it so far. Not much of the country's charm remains.

We first visit the Memorial Chorten, an impressive monument built in memory of the third king. Every morning the inhabitants come here to walk their three tours around the stupa before going to work. The elderly spend the day here.

It rains lightly during our visit. No heavy rain, but a little blue sky is more pleasant and a bit warmer.

We drive a little higher into the mountains to look at the large bronzed Buddha statue. At 51 m, it is the largest in all of Bhutan. The statue was financed by a Chinese. The construction of the monument has taken many years and the works have not yet been completed. They are now trying to put 1,000 Buddha statues in the foot of the statue, where one can walk around. A bit copied from the Statue of Liberty in New York.

We drive a little further to Chanankha Lakhang, one of the oldest monasteries in the valley of Thimphu built in the 15th century. This is where the inhabitants of the valley come to have their newborn child named by the monk. This one is also a 'healer' who blesses sick children. From birth until they go to school (at the age of four), offers must be made for this child every month.

When descending the hills, we get a nice view of the dzong which we cannot visit this time. It is of fairly recent construction (late 19th century), but is not accessible to visitors during the day. This national dzong is not only the seat of government (after the third king made Thimphu the capital), but also the religious center of the country.

The national dzong is theoretically the king's residence, but the current king has decided to continue living in his 'home', which he lived in when he was still crown prince, and which is located to the right of the dzong. And that house is an ordinary house, nothing that betrays that the head of state resides here. By royal standards it is rather modest. The kings of Bhutan (certainly the latter) have a fairly austere lifestyle. They move around in regular cars, fly commercial on the national airline DrukAir and try to travel through the country as much as possible and talk to the inhabitants about their daily problems in order to find a solution. He is therefore rarely found in Thimphu.

Right opposite the dzong is the newly built parliament. Since the last election, Bhutan's government  consists of ten ministers, including one woman.

As a last stop before lunch we go to the post office. Bhutan apparently has a fantastic collection of stamps for collectors and you can also have your personalized stamps made.

We have lunch in the city and afterwards take a walk to the clock tower square. During this walk we see a traffic cop directing traffic at the busy intersection of Thimphu. His arm movements look more like controlled ballet or tai-chi movements and are a joy to watch. Talk about a stylized performance. That is quite different from our traffic cops who, at best, throw around an orange salami.

I'll be glad when we leave Thimphu later. Just give me the countryside, much more charming, much more authentic. The people there have nothing or less than nothing, but turn out to be happy nonetheless. Here in Thimphu you notice a higher standard of living, much more western oriented, but the region no longer has originality. Tourism started here. It is clear why only the people here in the west have to pay taxes, at least those who are employed. The peasants in the countryside are left alone.

After our walk we leave Thimphu with destination Paro. We finally drive on a normal asphalted road. This road was constructed between Paro and Thimphu in 2008 specifically for the coronation of the current king, because all foreign guests and high visitors had to be driven to Thimphu from the national airport in Paro in a comfortable way.

On the way we make a short stop at the Simtoka dzong. This is the oldest monastery fortress of Bhutan built in 1627. To reach the fort we have to cross a suspension bridge made of ... fencing wire. So not for me. I do watch the dzong from across the river.

The 65 km are quickly bridged this time. We stay in Paro in the only 5-star hotel in Bhutan. It is a beautiful Bhutanese style resort, but not kitschy. It was recently named one of the twenty-four most unique lodges in the world by National Geographic.

I'm going to be very happy here.