Bhutan ~ Arrival in Thimphu

Please note: my connectivity here in Bhutan is very limited. I will catch up as I can. 🙂

Every description of Bhutan includes the word “magical”. Pretty soon after arriving I feel like it’s kind of true.

You have to appreciate the fact that Bhutan is small (well under a million people) homogenous (and closed to immigration) and overwhelmingly Buddhist, in terms of population, policy and values. It’s a pretty chill place, as befits a country committed to promoting Gross National Happiness.

We were picked up at the airport in Paro late in the afternoon and driven to our hotel in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. (You cannot visit Bhutan without a licensed guide and driver, not that you would want to attempt driving on these mountain roads). That evening we were taken to our first “dzong”, or fortress. Originally used by clergy, and as garrisons for soldiers the dzongs no longer serve as fortresses, but they continue to house monasteries and administrative offices. With their massive stone walls and huge inner courtyards, they are also among Bhutan’s most impressive architectural sights.

Here is the outermost building, a kind of gatehouse. The courtyard behind it is ringed by buildings, including government offices.

I have to include a couple of web images here, because there’s no other way for me to illustrate the scale of this place.

Next we made our first temple visit. Tired as we were, the stunning interior, the huge sitting Buddha, the sound of chanted prayers were as transporting as we remembered from our time in Tibet five years ago. No photos allowed in this, or any other of Bhutan’s religious sites.