Table of Contents

Before I deep-dive into your trip, let me say a few words about the trip arrangement. Firstly, how did we choose Bhutan? I’ve been to Nepal before and heard about Bhutan being an Asian Switzerland, so visiting this country was on my list a long time ago.

Secondly, we did not plan much, the travel agency did everything for us. We expressed our interest and the itinerary was adjusted based on our tastes. In addition, the itinerary was customized even more during the trip according to our desires. The guide was very attentive and helpful.

Lastly, our package included everything—three meals a day, a hotel, flight tickets, etc. We brought some money but barely spent any. Our main expenses were a few alcoholic drinks, which aren’t included, souvenirs, and generous tips for our amazing guide and driver.

I want to say a big thank you to Breathe Bhutan and personally to Sonam and Kuenga for our fantastic time in Bhutan!

Links to the next parts

• Bhutan, Day 1: Arrival
• Bhutan, Day 3: Punakha
• Bhutan, Day 4: Phobjikha valley
• Bhutan, Day 5: Festival in the Phunaka fortress
• Bhutan, Day 6: Tiger Nest hike

Buddha statue

The second day started with a short trip to a giant Buddha statue, overlooking the whole Thimphu valley. The statue’s size is massive (54 m tall) and it’s hard to explain in words its dimensions. As later we will understand, the statue can be visible from almost every road, which leads to Thimphu. In addition to the statue, there is an amazing observation space to enjoy the views of the whole town. Lastly, there is a small temple inside the statue.

Takin sanctuary

Bhutan’s national animal is Takin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takin), a funny-looking creature that looks like a mixture between a goat and a yak. There are not many zoos in Bhutan due to their deep connection with Buddhism, which prohibits the imprisonment of living forms. Thus, there is a small, but lovely wild sanctuary, where you can contemplate these beautiful animals as well as some other Bhutanese creatures like Yaks and mountain goats. The sanctuary is rather small, but it’s nice to see that animal conditions aren’t too different from the wild nature here.

Thimphu

After the Takin sanctuary, we drove to the city center for a short city tour. Firstly, we stopped at an observation point to have a quick look at a fortress and the king’s palace. A king’s palace is nothing like old European monarchs, but just a few tiny houses near the fortress. Interestingly, the fortress was shared between the central monk body and the government institutions. We’ll see a similar collaboration between religion and official ruling powers in many other places later.

The busiest street in Timphu:

Art college

After a short stop, we drove all the way down to a local art colleague. The college doors are open for the tourists as soon as the latter one keeps gentle and silent. It is possible to walk around the classroom and see how artists are learning various traditional arts: pottery, painting, embroidery, etc. It seems that traditional painting is the hardest, and it takes about 10 to 12 years to master this art.

Local market

The next stop for us was a local market in the center of Thimphu. To be frank, the majority of goods are pretty standard - vegetables, fruits, species, etc. The main difference is that we weren’t able to see any meat. And there was a particular reason behind it - the auspicious month. During this period of time, all the meat on the market is locked and Bhutan has stopped importing meat in the country.

108 Stupas

After the city tour and a quick lunch, we left for our next big destination - Punakha town, which is famous for its fortress and breathtaking scenery. The ride usually takes about a few hours, so we had a few stops on the way. The first one is a 108 Stupas monument, which has been built to commemorate Bhutan’s victory in the operation “All clear”. Also, we were supposed to see Himalayan peaks from here, but, unfortunately, the weather wasn’t favorable.

Fertility temple

The second stop was a famous fertility temple - Chimi Lhakhang. A short hike to the temple goes through scenic, astonishing farm fields and local houses.

The first thing you’ll shortly notice it’s a plethora of penesic paintings as well as their wooden statues.

It’s all due to the local saint - Divine Madman, who used his phallus to fight and subjugate demons. He also loved to be drunk, spend his time with beautiful ladies, etc. So, it seems it’s not that bad to be a saint afterall.

After a short hike, we arrived at a small, densely populated dogs, area with a small temple.

Inside the temple, you can see a photo album of people, who managed to conceive a kid after performing a ritual at the temple. The ritual is quite straightforward - a lady should wear a backpack with a giant penis on it and walk three circles around the temple. After the ritual, the lady should receive a blessing from Divine Madman and conceive in a near future.

Dhumra Farm at Punakha

After approximately an hour’s ride, we arrived at Punakha.

Stunning view from our lounge:

Perfect spot to ejoy the view with a cup of tea:

One of houses in the farm:

Our delicious dinner:

It was already quite late, but it was self-evident that the place was amazing. A small valley is jagged to pieces with a strong, mountain river with a beautiful, medieval fortress at the center of it. In addition, we stayed at a wonderful homestay that uses only local ingredients for their meals. No surprises, our dinner was outstanding. Lastly, it is worth mentioning the fantastic view that we were able to enjoy for the next two days!