First stop, Memorial Chorten – stupa with pretty prayer wheels – walked around and couldn’t go in.
“Walked around but couldn’t go in” was a recurring theme when we toured Bhutan at that time. Given the high level of per capita per diem tax that we tourists had to pay to visit Bhutan at that time, it seemed a little churlish also to deny those visitors access to the very things they might have gone there to see.
Some places were less restrictive than others and I recall Pema blagging us in to one or two places where we thought we were going to be denied entry. For example:
Second stop Changangkha Lhakhang Monastery (not usually available to the public), where the monks chanted and let us look around
Then on to the indigenous hospital, where we had an audience with the registrar of the hospital. We had a look around the grounds…
…then onto painting school – sculptures, carvings, thangkas…
…and then on to library – being renovated.
The post office, then lunch at Pema’s house. Chime cooked us dried pork, phasha ba, potatoes & cheese, and red rice. We also tried salt butter tea (no ta!) and Arra [Bhutanese rice wine] (OK).
It was an unusual but not unique experience for us to receive generous hospitality in the homes of our guides while on our travels. Visiting Abdel & his family in Aleppo three years earlier springs to mind…
But one aspect of our home visit to Pema’s house especially springs to mind. In Bhutanese culture, visiting friends homes for meals is relatively common, but the custom is to leave immediately after eating the last mouthful of food. We were aware of that. Indeed, Pema had told us about that.
As we ate our last mouthful, I said to Pema, “shouldn’t we now go?”, to which Pema said, “oh no, we follow Western customs in our house. Stay and try some arra”, which we did.
The expression on Chime’s face, however, suggested that she was a little discombobulated by this more western custom:
The other lesson I learnt that day, and have learnt over again on the several but rare occasions that I have taken alcohol during the day…is, in my case, don’t!
One final point about Pema’s house and Bhutanese cultural mores. It is traditional for homes to be emblazoned with particular images. Pema’s house was no exception, which Janie ensured she captured for posterity in this photo:
Then [after a quick stop at a paper factory] on to Dechen Phodrang Monastery full of novices (bit cold)
…then saw the King [while we were] on a short photo stop! Then home – out again shopping (got some mats and toego jacket this time). Special order supper of pork, chicken, beans in cheese and red rice.
Red rice really is “the thing” in Bhutan. It is said to have the highest nutritional value of all rice species. Don’t all rush out and buy some at once, readers.
All of the photos from this day are contained in the following Flickr album – Nos 33 to 61:
