The Icon

We had plenty of exercise yesterday with a 5 hour hike to the most celebrated location in the country. Mythology says that centuries ago the Guru Rinpoche flew from the east of the country on a tiger's back, landed and stayed at a cave in these rocks. He frightened all the evil spirits away and it became a sacred place where this temple was built and named Tiger's Nest.

You get used to stories like these after a while but there's no doubt about it being a most spectacular location and it was by far the busiest place we have visited.
If you have any interest in Bhutan we suggest you come sooner rather than later, the modern world is fast catching up here. Roads are being widened all over the place, construction of homes, offices and  hotels is booming (mostly built by Indian men and women). WIFI is everywhere, mobile phone service goes right to the tops of the mountains and there are at least 50 TV Channels (again from India) with Bollywood, Premier League, HBO, CNN and American sitcoms, to name a few.
One priceless moment was in a temple where a young monk was sitting cross legged in front of his little table, manuscripts laid out, he looked quite dedicated but on closer inspection we could see he was actually on his iphone.

The Positives: Stunning scenery, historical sites, friendly (shy) people, few tourists, good weather, no hawkers, all the modern communications, inexpensive.
Other observations.
Modest hotels, little to do in the evening, poor lighting, basic food which is the same everywhere, some roads are poor, dogs (sleep all day bark all night), more litter than there should be.

A view of the Himalayas from Chelela Dantak on our drive today to Haa.

There isn't much in Haa, it was very isolated until recently but it's a nice drive. The views and a picnic overlooking the mountains made it worth the trip. It's been great, a week was enough and it's time to go home. Where next? We don't know.

Punakha

Yesterday's 4 hour drive through mountainous terrain was only 70 kilometers with some short stops bringing us to the former capital Punakha. Bhutan is one of the world's poorest countries but it feels different to India. There are still some tin shacks and mud huts but also many houses in much better condition and the road side is cleaner. There are no hawkers or haggling on prices (some people like it, personally I think it's a bore).
All the houses are decorated with hand painted protruding window frames and more, like this one with a phallus for fertility which is common, and other symbols asking for prosperity, long life and happiness.

The hotels are very modest 2 to 3 star and the food simple but good and mostly vegetarian which suits us. Lots of chillies is a good way to keep the stomach from acting up and so far so good in that department. Fresh corn cooked on an open fire by the roadside was a treat.
Today's outing entailed a drive out to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyai Chorten (pay attention there will be a test at the end!). It was an hour hike to the temple.

The view of the snaking Mo (mother) River through the valleys below was the highlight of the day and the walk up through the terraced rice and wheat fields where the farmers were thrashing grain, the horses and cows grazing and the ringing bells of the prayer wheels was an idyllic country scene.

The temples are elaborately decorated inside (photography not allowed once you remove your shoes) with finely painted wood carvings, elaborate murals, multicolored flags and banners and of course any number of Buddhas. It is very difficult to keep up with all their names, the Tantric Masters and the mythology behind it all so we just admire the beauty and take in a little at a time. If you have ever seen pictures of Bhutan you have probably seen this one, the Punakha Dzong with it's cantilevered bridge, the original 1637 fortress and temple of the city.    

Tomorrow we will return through Thimphu into the Haa Valley, said to be the most scenic in the country, if it is better than today it must be very special

From Hindustan to Bhutan

                              From the flatlands to the mountains
                              From Hinduism to Buddhism
                              From pollution to fresh air
                              From mayhem to tranquility

Bhutan is landlocked between China and India and was isolated until 50 years ago when the first road was built. Consequently tourism is in its infancy with only 100,000 visitors per year, which makes quite a change from the masses we encountered in India.
The capital Thimphu seems to house most of the museums, government administration buildings including the Tashichho Dzong fortress and military headquarters. The Royal Family is very progressive and they continue to put a lot of effort and funding into infrastructure, education, folk heritage preservation and conservation.
The tagline for all is not the measure of GDP but GNH, Gross National Happiness which is taught in schools, where daily meditation and the playing of soothing traditional music is encouraged.
A short way out of town and clearly visible up on the mountain a new Buddha has been constructed. The complex is not yet complete but the $20 million statue, one of the world's largest, is in place.

The National Textile Museum houses a beautiful collection of clothing and tapestries with a weaving school attached. The detail in some of these hand loomed pieces, which can take 3 years to complete, is extraordinary.
A Royal weaver at work:

The National Animal is a Takin, a rather odd looking creature with the head, horns and hair of a goat but the body of a cow, it roams the eastern Himalayas.

The National Sport is archery but a different version to the Olympic Games. The field is very long at 130 metres and the target is a small white board with painted rings about the size of a dinner plate, there is an earth mound stacked with hay as a backdrop. The archers line up at each end and chant encouragement to their team mates at the opposite end. They then crouch down with their heads next to the target, the arrow is shot from a bamboo bow, god knows how they see it, and they duck or jump out of the way when it arrives!! Apparently there are occasional injuries.
If the arrow hits the target the whole team lines up between the flags, then they sing and do a little dance not dissimilar to RunDMC and Steven Tyler in 'Walk this Way'.

Note the traditional dress or gho which wraps around the body down to the knee, tied at the waist with folded white cuffs on the sleeves, underneath it they wear a leotard and long socks.
A very entertaining day all around.

Sunrise

We were in the queue at 6am for the Taj Mahal at sunrise. This monument hosts up to 35,000 visitors per day but by good fortune and because our guide was 'on the case' we were the first people in the Mausoleum and were alone there for ten minutes, it was a special moment. The interior is as beautiful inside as the exterior is impressive with so much finely detailed inlay in semi precious stones and black onyx.
There are 3 World Heritage sites within a few miles of Agra and the Red Fort is also very impressive containing 3 palaces, 2 built of red sandstone and the third of marble.

The views from here down the river to the Taj Mahal are stunning but the stench from the moat below is shocking, it reeks of sewage and is so thick all the rubbish floats on top, Unesco should do something because with the millions in entry fees taken by the government there's no excuse for it. Perhaps I'll write a letter!
The drive to Delhi was relaxing for a change as it is a 6 lane tollroad and it is deserted so driving was easy. The well tended farms and brick factories were an improvement on most of what we saw in Rajasthan and were a prelude to Delhi, a very green, orderly and clean city by comparison to all the others. We did not have a lot of time but were able to fit in a few hours touring, the highlight of which was the tomb of Humayun, another WH site built in the Islamic style with an octagonal central core, said to be the model for the Taj Mahal, as it was constructed 400 years earlier.

  
After a night at The Imperial hotel and a great dinner in The Spice Route we took the noon flight to Paro, the only international airport in Bhutan. It is nestled in a valley surrounded by steep mountains so the approach into the landing strip was interesting with at least 2 turns in either direction. We had been advised to sit on the left side as we travelled along the Himalayas and fortunately we got a good view of Mt. Everest with no surrounding cloud, the peak on the left in this photo.

The Amber Fort and more

This citadel was built in 1592 by Man Singh on the remains of an 11th century fort and was the home of the Maharajas until 1727 when the new Jaipur was laid out, the first planned urban city in India. It sits high on a hill and can be approached on foot or by riding an elephant, if you are prepared to queue.

Designed to have cooling winds from the lake float through the carved screens, Turkish baths, toilets and gardens it was a most comfortable place to be. Twelve individual apartments were built within to house the Maharaja's wives, cleverly arranged so that he could enter any one of them undetected. There are some beautiful frescoes but the standout feature is the Hall of Mirrors, so named because of the thousands of small mirrors used in the decoration, seen here one small section:

In the evening we went on an elephant safari outside the city on a private estate. We were expecting it to be a typical touristy outing but the ride at sunset was tranquil and was followed by drinks by the fire and some of the best Indian food we have eaten, a nice surprise.

Today's ride to Agra included a stop at Fatehpur Sikri, built by Mughal Akbar in 1571 as the new capital of the state of Uttah Pradesh. It was abandoned after 12 years due to a severe drought and the treasures were plundered but the Hindu Islamic architecture and the red sandstone, a change from marble, make a visit worthwhile. The Debating Chamber:

 
And so on to Agra, grubby even by Indian standards. This is the land of contrasts as we have seen many times as we have left our magnificent palace hotels to confront piles of rubbish outside the front gates and join the heaving masses in the streets. But this has to be the starkest of all; driving through the mayhem of the roughest areas we have seen, then walking past the hawkers and pickpockets to get through the gates to see this, the jewel of them all.

Jaipur

Yesterday was a travel day from Jodhpur to Jaipur, starting on the back roads but eventually getting onto the main central Highway 8, a dangerous place to be. It is 3 lanes and highway code says slow traffic stays left but the Indians do exactly the opposite. They have a history of weaving so perhaps that is carried into the driving habits.

You are as likely to see a camel cart as you are a truck in any of the lanes, often there will be vehicles coming the wrong way on the hard shoulder. We saw one car stopped in the fast lane, the man was unloading luggage for 3 women to climb the barrier and cross the highway on the other side! Often there are patches of tarmac missing with no warning signs or multiple speed bumps approaching a junction. We saw 3 cars completely smashed and a tanker truck lying on it's side in the ditch. Driving at night is not recommended.

We made it to the Rambagh Palace Hotel in one piece, ready for cocktails.
Today's excursion focused on the City Palace, an unusual combination of palace complex and observatory. Maharaja Jai Singh was a world renowned astrologer and astronomer and he built a complex of sundials including the largest in the world, accurate to 2 seconds. Here you can see it at 11 o'clock in the morning, the shadow precise.

In another section of the complex is a separate structure called the Palace of Winds, built to satisfy the ladies of the time when they were not allowed to appear in public. From this building they could get away from the 'drudgery' of palace life and look out over the streets at daily life and at the same time be protected from view by the screens which are so prominent in Mughal architecture. Naturally there was a pecking order so there were five floors, the highest nobility used the top floor and so on down. Jaipur is called the Pink City but most of the buildings are more brown than pink.

Jodhpur

The extent of the Umaid Bhawan Palace is so great that I cannot get it all into one frame, and the opulent interiors are also difficult to capture. If you wish to see more, google images under the name, it is quite a place to stay.
Jodhpur is bigger and more interesting than Udaipur and has 2 main attractions: the first is the former palace and fort of Mehrangarh which is now a museum housing a number of collections of Maharaja memorabilia. The Royal Family moved from there to where we are staying in 1943.
These 2 structures dominate the city in both size and elevation.

Jodhpur is also known as the Blue City as many of the houses are painted that colour to keep them cool in summer when temperatures reach 50 degrees.

Just below the Fort and within the old city walls is the second attraction, the solid marble crematorium Jaswant Thada reserved for the Maharajas, it is beautiful.

The city and surrounding areas are well known for their crafts, furniture, dhurrie rugs and textiles. The bazaar is a colorful collection of spices, fruits and vegetables, metalwork etc and buyers come from around the globe to shop here. We found this warehouse, a cooperative which employs 8,500 people in the surrounding villages and contains 8 floors of textiles like this one.