When I told friends I was headed to Bhutan, the common response was, “Where?” Bhutan is a small Buddhist country (population of approximately 700K) between India and Tibet.  It’s also the place that has stolen my heart.

I traveled the north of Bhutan, starting in Paro. Here is a  summary of my itinerary:

Day One: I flew from Bangkok to Paro, Bhutan via Druk Air (very limited flights into the country). I checked out the Drukgyel Dzong (a fortress built in 1649 to protect Bhutan from invading Mongols).

and then checked into the Zhiwa Ling Hotel.

My local guide was Namgay Tshering of Namgay Adventure Travels . A more wonderful human being does not exist. I highly recommend him for any type of trip you might take to Bhutan. He knows everyone and can get you in everywhere. Later that evening, I saw locals filming a movie at the hotel. The film industry is just starting to take off in the country and is considered a “hot” way to make money.

Day Two: I visited the Paro Dzong and Kitchu Lahkang (one of the first monasteries built to subdue the demon and oppressor of Buddhism). Out among the country homes of Paro it’s hard to miss the interesting décor. What is it? It’s a phallus. Yep – large penises everywhere you look. The symbol is very important in Bhutanese rituals and celebrations. It is thought to be a holdover from Bonism, Bhutan’s religion before Buddhism. It is also thought to be from a popular deity, Lam Drukpa Kunley (the “Divine Madman”), who had an eye for the ladies. While it is funny to see phalluses painted on homes and hung in doorways, some Buddhists argue that the practice has a deeper meaning: keeping the male ego in check.

Day Three: I drove to Timphu (about a 1.5 hour trip) and stayed at the Taj Hotel. Timphu is the capital and considered the big city of Bhutan – it has about 40,000 people. There was a ton of construction going on and you can really see here how quickly the country is changing. You can tell the Bhutanese by their traditional dress (required by the government – ghos for men and kiras for women). I’m in a full kira with a short silk jacket called a toego and my waist is tied with a kera below. The government just allowed women to start wearing a half-kira (where the skirt only comes to the waist) to save women time dressing in the morning. The rest of the city was full of Indian laborers who do most of the construction work and don’t wear traditional dress. Thimpu is also the site of Bhutan’s only golf course – all nine holes of it. Golf is an increasingly popular sport in Bhutan (but still behind archery – the country’s main sport) and argyle socks are all the rage.

Day Four: I hiked along Thimphu Chuu and then on to Cheri Goemba (built in 1620, it’s where the first monk body was established). Later that night I went into town and ate at the city’s only pizza parlor. After, I checked out a bit of Bhutanese television, courtesy of the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS). I was particularly interested because I have wanted to visit Bhutan ever since I saw a 60 Minutes episode on the country when I was young. I remember that at the time, 60 Minutes noted that Bhutan was a country without television. I thought to myself, “What kind of country doesn’t have television?” and promised myself I would find out one day. The country didn’t open up to travelers or foreigners until the mid-1970s. Television, via satellite, begin to sneak in around the 1990s and the kingdom didn’t make it’s official television debut until 1998. Today, television is pretty regulated. While visitors see a whole host of cable shows in their hotels (did you know there is an Indian Judge Judy?), most locals do not. While Buddhist philosophy is based on adaptation and acceptance, it will be interesting to see how television and it’s growing encroachment will affect the country.

Please see my next Essay, Beautiful Bhutan (continued) for more…

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