Divine Madman – IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY………..

DAY SIX – BACK TO PARO AND FUN AND GAMES

Time to retrace our steps back to Paro and see more of everyday life in this beautiful country.

We set off early through winding mountain roads and stopped in the Divine Madman’s village primarily to see the painted houses and see how much the people revere this god. To us westerners the worship of the “flaming Thunderbolt” seems a little shocking and quite bizarre but during our drives around this western region we came across many houses with the art in different villages and towns. Clearly this is accepted and no one thinks anything of it. This is the god of fertility and so it is quite natural.

Once again we drove up to the Dochu La pass but this time the view was marred by smoke from the forest fires – deliberately lit by farmers to improve the soil. However driving through the forests of cypress pine and spruce amidst tiny waterfalls and memorial chortens was just as breathtaking. Once over the Pass we saw several traditionally built roadside markets. Obviously the farmers do well with the local travellers who stop to buy the fresh and very colourful produce. The variety was staggering much of which I had never seen before.

By the time we reached Thimphu it was time for a break and where better than a stop at the Ludrong Memorial Garden which is an oasis in the middle of the city. There we found walking trails, gazebos and bridges, ponds and ornamental gardens, woodlands and lots of picnic areas. The local population come here for family time on weekends and holidays and the dogs in this area are very well looked after!

The National Textile Museum was our next visit. Located in a modern building, the museum is under the royal patronage of the Queen Mother and was opened in 2001 and gradually added to since that time. Showcasing the beautiful Bhutanese textiles and the traditions of weaving and embroidery, it is fascinating to see the weaving techniques – demonstrated by a weaver of great skill – and the styles of local dress for both men and women. No photography is allowed but there is a gift shop and, of course, I bought a scarf as a souvenir!

Before we hit the road back to Paro we went to the weekend market. People from surrounding villages start arriving on Thursday evening and come to buy and sell produce, ranging from dried chillies and yak butter to textiles and bamboo products. The market continues until Sunday afternoon. Here again was such an enormous variety of produce it was mind boggling. Small food stalls and cafes were inside where we could have lunch. We met a little boy, obviously the child of one of the stall holders, who followed us around and in the end asked for an ice cream. How could you refuse such an appealing little face? We got permission from a parent and then he indulged in a very messy fashion!

The market is held in a large open space which is undercover and is divided into sections according to the product.

One of my favourite vegetables in Bhutan was fern – cooked in a variety of ways. Here were huge bundles of it ready to take home.

Archery is a National sport in Bhutan and people partake for fun and physical exercise. It is said that it builds concentration and is important for socialization and mental development. Bhutan has competed in the Olympics since 1984 and maintains an Olympic team. Every village has an archery field and our hotel, Como Uma Paro, is no different. That afternoon we tried our hands in this very unusual sport using traditional equipment. Bows are made of bamboo and arrows are reeds or bamboo. The target is normally 100 – 145 metres away but in our case it was somewhat closer. I managed to hit the target but it wasn’t quite bullseye!

The other fun game they play is dart throwing, Khuru in Dzongkha, which involves throwing darts outdoors some 15 to 20 metres away. The darts are wooden sticks with a pointed end and the target is a wooden post. Once thrown the competitor turns around and tried to hit the target on the opposite end. I had no luck at all but Jacqui was a natural!

Time to call it a day and prepare for our last day of adventure tomorrow.

DAY FIVE : A PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT

CHIMMI LHANKHANG, SANGCHEN DORJI NUNNERY, NALANDA TEACHING MONASTERY

One of the reasons we wanted to spend time in Bhutan was in order to visit teaching institutions and some of the well known temples with fables attached. Today we were not disappointed. Our drive to the first temple was through lush fields, rice paddies, orchards and forests. Chimmi Lhankhang is a 15th century fertility temple dedicated to Drukpa Kuenley, a Tibetan Buddhist saint who is probably better known as the “Divine Madman”. We had already heard the story of this saint who went about the country dressed as a vagabond, indulged in alcohol and women, feasted and danced and generally behaved inappropriately. He was totally unconventional and disliked the hypocrisy of order – particularly monastic orders – and so used his phallus as a “flaming thunderbolt” weapon to challenge society and its discomfort in facing the truth. There are countless stories about his travels and deeds – all of them quite fantastic – but he liberated generations from negative energy and to this day many couples come to the temple to be blessed and to pray for their children. His bizarre and unorthodox teaching ways endeared him to the people and he is now the patron saint of Bhutan and considered one of the greatest spiritual teachers.

When we arrived at the temple we were greeted with the hollow sounds of trumpets – these long instruments are used by monks and nuns as a call to prayer. We walked the long path to the temple gates and found student monks practising on their instruments. Dressed in crimson and saffron robes they made an arresting sight in the temple garden – the stupas glistening in the early morning sunlight.

Across the valley we went to another place of peace and contemplation. This time it was the Sangchen Dorji Lhuendrup Nunnery. Situated on the edge of the mountain, the complex overlooks the Punakha valley and has stunning views. A large prayer wheel overlooks the hills and coloured prayer flags were fluttering in the breeze.

Along with teaching a spiritual life, the nuns are also taught many life skills such as tailoring, embroidery, thangka painting and statue making. Many of the women go onto normal lives with families or teaching others. It seemed to me that they were happy to devote several years of their lives in the nunnery and later make a decision about how to spend their time. When we arrived a group of nuns were having a mid morning break and making a very spicy chilli lime drink with fresh limes, chilli paste and betel leaves. It was overpowering and quite disgusting but they laughed at our distaste and added more chilli paste to the concoction!

As at Chimmi Lhankhang, we found a couple of nuns practising their call to prayer on the trumpet like instruments. The courtyard was vast and the sound echoed throughout.

We were unable to access the library and teaching rooms as they were being used but we chatted to the nuns outside and wandered through the beautiful gardens full of rose bushes and other flowers. It was so neat and orderly.

After a picnic lunch we drove to the Nalanda Buddhist Institute which has an interesting history and is now a “shedra” which means teaching monastery. It was founded in 1757 by Gyalwang Shakya Rinchen Rinpoche who is considered the reincarnation of Rechung Dorje Drakpa, a student of 11th century Tibetan Buddhism. Today the student monks range in age from 8 – 28 years and upon entering the school, some had reached a certain education level whilst others had had no education at all. Here they learn Buddhist philosophy, how to play ritual instruments and the making of ritual cakes called tormas.

We met many of the students and offered them a traditional offering – in this case a small popper juice which the little ones loved – and then went into the temple climbing to the upper floor. The room overlooked the valley and was filled with statues and images of various gods. The altar was literally overflowing with offerings including some very elaborate cakes. These, we were told, are the ritual cakes and the young monk we spoke to was very proud to claim that he had made that particular cake. I was surprised that he spoke English so well and he told me that he loved to practise speaking and that they have English lessons every day from 7 – 8 pm. Subjects such as Buddhism, health and disease and basic science are taught in English. The next surprise we had was that there is a computer laboratory there and students are taught the basics of computer science and software although there is no internet connection there – yet!

Our final stop on this interesting day was via a village nearby called Talo Village. We walked through the woods to a very old temple that sat in the midst of beautiful gardens. There were a lot of temple dogs playing on the grass and a few local people entering the temple. This temple does not allow visitors and is apparently very old which was evidenced by the painted windows and the old door. Chencho and Sonam entered to offer prayers whilst we stayed outside and played with the dogs!

A fabulous day with so much information that we needed time to absorb it all so it was back to Punakha and the comfort of our room, ginger tea and a relax. Tomorrow is another day.