Day 5 (Continued) - Blogabond

After completing our shopping in Thimphu, we drove to Punakha. As we crossed the high mountain pass, the rain came (or we came to the rain) and Palden and Dorji hung a prayer flag at the top of the pass, where there were so many such flags that it was amazing.

We passed at least one hillside monastery and many villages and water-driven prayer wheels. The fog was thick for much of the drive, giving the rugged high jungle (and it was jungle) an eerie beauty. We eventually descended into the rice patty valley.

After lunch at our hotel, we continued on to the dzong (the fortress of happiness), a large, imposing structure in the valley. The main courtyard holds a large bodhi tree. The young monks were praying as we passed through on our way to the main temple. Although relatively new, it was spectacular, with 3 enormous buddhas, magnificently painted walls and gold pillars. We also climbed ot the top of the tower and visited two more temples before leaving the dzong.

Our final stop of the day was a short walk through the rice patties and a tiny village to a small temple called Chimi Lhaking, where we received a fertility blessing using an arrow and phallus (not that either Ellery or I are looking to be fertile right now). There was much praying going on inside -- throughout this trip was have chanced on several special prayer days/ceremonies as it appears we are traveling during certain auspicious days.

When we returned to the hotel, we found a group of Thai tourists who were a welcome diversion.

written by

shoshtrvls on August 25, 2006 from Punakha, Bhutan

from the travel blog: Bhutan and India (2006)

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