Day 7

The first calley we came to was Chhume, which at the time was without water or electricity. We stopped only briefly here at a weaving facility before heading over Kiki La to Jakar in the Choskhor Valley.

Our first stop was Tamshing Goemba, with probably the oldest wall paintings we've seen yet. But most amazing was a sand mandolin being worked on by one of the monks. It is truly a shame that I couldn't take a photo of it. And, sadly, it won't be preserved -- after a ceremony in which it is used, it is scattered to the wind. Also inside was a large colleciton of masks, drums and black hats used during the festivals.

We then drove by a small temple with a monolith in front (konchogsum), said to be one of the oldest in the valley. From there we went to the dzong, which was rather empty and far simpler than the others we've seen. Then we went to Kurjey Lkakhang, where the main temple featured the imprint of Guru Rimpoche in the mountain. Next was Jampa Lhakhang, another very old temple with a "mate" in Paro (Kyichu).

Our next stop was one of the funniest. Walking around an old abandoned palace, Wangdichholing, we noticed several young monks running up a flight of stairs. We followed, passing many pairs of abandoned sandals. Eventually, passing through two rooms, we came upon the young monks -- all huddled around a television watching a Bollywood movie! Apparently, they were taking advantage of the fact that their master was away.

We then took a short walk through the town of Jakar until reaching the final stop of the day, Kharchu Monastery, where we were met by another surprise -- two comedians entertaining the monks. Ellery danced around to their music and I think was as much of a show for the monks as were the comedians.

At evening, we were joined at the hotel by a couple from Italy (although she was originally from Malaga, Spain) and had enjoyable conversation until bed.

written by  shoshtrvls on August 27, 2006 from Jakar, Bhutan
from the travel blog: Bhutan and India (2006)
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