The next morning (May 10th) was misty, so we again pulled on our rain jackets, but the weather gradually improved. Tshering took us on a walk that began at Tamshing Lhakhang (temple), established by the terton (treasure finder) Pema Lingpa in 1501. As always, photos of the interior are not allowed. Tamshing is on the west side of the Bumthang Chhu (river) on a narrow road.
In the above photo, taken from the rear of Tamshing, there are two other major temples, on the far side of the river at the foot of the hills. We'll visit them later. The Bumthang region is in many ways the ancient seat of Buddhism in Bhutan. A closer view of Tamshing. One of the relics inside is a coat of iron chain mail made by Pema Lingpa himself. If you wear it for three circumambulations of the interior of the temple, it will burn off your bad karma (absolve you of your sins). I was unaware of the three-circuit requirement, and trod it only once, as did Joan. So I have unfinished business here ...
Inside, all the statues are smiling except for the usual wrathful deities. Guru Rinpoche has a surprised and delighted expression we haven't seen anywhere else. I'll digress for a moment to point out that Tamshing is a monastery of the Nyingma school of Tibetan/Himalayan Buddhism, while the Drukpa Kagyu school, a Bhutanese sub-school of the Kagyu lineage, is the state-supported religion of Bhutan. Thus Kagyu temples, monasteries, and nunneries have state sponsorship, while Nyingma institutions do not. Fifteen minutes down the road we froze to admire this verditer flycatcher. Thank goodness my point-and-shoot camera has a 20x zoom.
A footpath that split from the road was our route further upstream. This moved us much closer to the river, and around the bend on the far right is a footbridge.
It's not far across the river at this point.
From the far side I was able to zoom in on the Konchogsum Lhakhang, a temple dating from either 7th or 8th Century, and the new school and monastic housing surrounding it. The small white building is the temple itself.
Tamshing Lhakhang is just a stone's throw from Konchogsum, and the two temples are associated. Not far down the road we came to Kurje Lhakhang, constructed in the 8th Century, and to borrow a description,
Kurje is one of the most sacred sites in Bhutan as Guru Rinpoche meditated here and left the imprint (je) of his body (ku) on a rock.
There were some vendors outside the main courtyard, including a woman who, in addition to her religious and artistic objects, had some cordyceps to sell. This parasitic fungus is widely sought after for Asian medicine, commanding as much as 1,000,000 ngultrum (US$16,500) per kilogram some years. Bhutan has been forced to limit the number of harvesters, giving priority to traditional rural inhabitants, and reducing the number of harvesters per household from three to one. Otherwise the mountains would be stripped of cordyceps. The vendor let us take a photo of one piece.
Tshering talked this monk passing by into pausing so that we could take a picture of the fabulous torma, an altar offering made mostly of flour and butter.
Joan and I were startled and entranced when we saw this prehistoric-looking bird, a hoopoe.
The Kurje Lhakhang has three main buildings, constructed in the 8th Century, 1900, and 1990. The oldest building is on the right in this photo. Interior photos, as always, aren't allowed, so I refer you to the previous link.
Representations of Guru Rinpoche are everywhere, from a ten-meter (33') statue in the shrine of the 1900 building to this exterior carving. It references an 8th Century event where Guru Rinpoche, in the form of a garuda bird, subdued the local deity Shelging Karpo, in the form of a white lion. Shelging Karpo had been afflicting the health of the king of Bumthang, but was converted to Buddhism and the well-being of the king was restored.
Across the grounds is another temple, first designed in 1998, and consecrated in 2008 by the Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck (not to be confused with other royalty with the same or similar name).
From here it was a kilometer's walk past farm fields to our next stop, the Jampa/Jampey Lhakhang, a 7th Century temple that precedes Guru Rinpoche's arrival in the 8th Century. This lakhang is dedicated to Maitreya, the future Buddha. It is said to be the first of 108 built throughout the Himalayas by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet,to pin down a giant ogress/demoness. Jampa Lhakhang is holding down her right knee; Tshering forwarded this image of a poster depicting the 108 locations holding down the ogress.
I don't have any photos of the interior, but this exterior photo is illuminating. The trays of pebbles are counting mechanisms, so that the devout who frequently perform a kora, or circumambulation, of the temple can keep track of their merit. Jampa is the only temple where we've noticed these.
Nearby we got a good look at another hoopoe.
Kaka picked us up here, and we drove to our lunch stop, a small second-floor restaurant called Noryang Restaurant and Bar. It was fabulous. Bhutanese home cooking, served family style. Of course, as chillips (foreign tourists), we needed to be careful with the ema datshi (chili with cheese), Bhutan's national dish, which ranges from spicy to explosive.
After lunch Joan and I were dropped off in the center of Jakar for some window shopping and general poking around, after which it would be a short-ish walk back to the Yu Gharling. This photo shows the main street of the business district, with the dzong perched on the hill behind. Jakar has suffered three fires in this area since October 2010, but appears to have bounced back.
We wandered up one side and down the other, and then one street over where there was a farmer's market. We bought a couple of postcards and stamps, in two different shops. I had to take a picture of this business' sign.
This is how the Yu Gharling looks when you drive or walk up to the front.
Here is zoomed-in view from our room. Farm fields and development, all in the same place. That's indicative of Bhutan today, where statistics say 63% of the population lives in rural areas, compared to 93% forty years ago. Would this scene be considered rural? If not, is it urban?
Tomorrow Kaka would drive us over Thrumshingla Pass, 12,400', and then to Mongar in eastern Bhutan.
Early the next morning we were off to the second day of the Trongsa tsechu. Advance warning: with the festival being such a feast for the senses, I've got a lot of pictures and videos in this post. Take a deep breath and plunge in. With parking at a premium, the bus let us off a short way from the dzong.
The plastic tarps are temporary shops, bars, and videogame parlors. One of the snack and beverage establishments was run by the wife of Tshering, our driver. For now she lives in Trongsa with the four kids while Tshering, for his job, lives in Thimphu. It's not easy, but they're working hard. Here is Tshering with his two youngest.
People were beginning to gather at the main courtyard, where the performance space was marked off with red carpets. Some of the choice spots were already filling up.
Soon the procession of local notables began.
Here, the Guru Rinpoche figure is seated along the far wall, where he will remain for three or more hours, and an early segment of the dance of the Eight Manifestations of Guru Rinpoche has begun.
Here is a closeup of one of the figures.
Everybody dresses up for the tsechu.
If you're going to keep your spot, you need snacks, especially for the kids. Here is a brief closeup of a dancer and Guru Rinpoche.
A grandmother ponders the passing atsara.
This family group has it all, including pink mittens.
Those horns you've been hearing? Here they are.
The viewers sat or stood in the courtyard and along either side, while some perched on the wall of a higher courtyard. Here's the view down to the show.
As the time grew closer for the offering of blessings, the crowd grew thicker.
Here is a zoom-in of the blessings being offered.
Joan and I decided to take a break from the show, and wandered among the shops. We visited Tshering's place, watched a jeep almost get stuck in the mud near the darts range, and also glanced at some dice games. Here is another perspective on the rows of stalls.
When we returned, the line for offering respect and receiving blessings was as long as before. The dakinis have great stamina; they did their slow steps for hours.
Here is a closeup of a dakini. Although they are female celestial beings, they are played by men.
The apron and cuff ornaments are made from bone. This is a reminder of impermanence. Lo and behold, shortly after we reentered the courtyard, finding the rest of our group, Tsewang came up to us. The man has connections. He had acquired a blessed string (reddish shade of orange, with a knot in the center) for each of us! He gave us basic instructions for wearing it, including that it should be worn for at least three days. I'm a couple of days away from a month, and mine's still in good shape. Here, a policeman tries to squeeze past Guru Rinpoche as the saint takes his last circumambulation of the courtyard, and the attending atsara is not amused.
After the blessings, the Guru Rinpoche figure is escorted out of the courtyard.
After a morning full of sight and sound, it's time for us to leave and get lunch. The view leaving the dzong ...
After lunch, Tsewang and Jen pass through the gate at Yangkhil Resort.
Our bus awaits, clean and shining.
Our long afternoon drive was back up to Pele La, and then taking the side road into the Phobjikha valley, a winter home of the black-necked cranes. Along the way was one of the locations used in the filming of the movie Travelers and Magicians.
We arrived at Dewachen Hotel in Phobjikha after a very full day. And you're probably glad to finally reach the end of this post! Congratulations.
Today's walk is eight or nine miles to Nabji, but without as many challenging ups and downs as yesterday. Here, Tsewang begins a couple of explanations.
The marks along this rock are thought by some to be the writings of dakinis. (Be sure to click on the image to get a better look.)
Here is the stone from behind which Guru Rinpoche is supposed to have conquered a demoness. He also sat and meditated there, hence the name "Guru Rinpoche's Seat."
One of our many stream crossings.
It's difficult to photograph the small, flitty birds -- they just won't sit still -- but today I snapped this shot, a chest view of a Mrs. Gould's sunbird.
As we walked along the ridge, the rice fields of Nabji and Korphu grew closer.
The camp crew was well ahead of us, and here we can see the tents below us, although we still had a ways to go.
We passed a decommissioned prayer wheel.
We finally arrive at our campsite.
Now that everybody had arrived at camp, Tsewang laid out the evening schedule. We had all expressed an interest in the traditional hot stone bath, where fire-hot stones are immersed in the water. Before supper there would be time for one bath, at 6:30 (well after dark). The other slots would be after dinner, the fifth and final one being a late 10:00. (The wooden tub would be emptied and fresh water added for each bather, so each slot needed at least 45 minutes.) Tsewang diplomatically had us draw lots, and I drew slot #1. Going first meant that I wouldn't learn from the others, but as it turned out, the only thing I really missed was a timepiece. I had no idea how much time I was using -- would I be dashing up just after getting in, or would I be late for dinner? Here I am, all 6' 3" of me, warming in the outdoor tub with a fragrant veil of artemisia leaves. The hot stones are along the vacant short side. I opted for a cooler bath than is customary, but still toasty -- I didn't want to be sweating for half an hour after getting out! (The attendant added a few buckets of cold water.) After the stones were removed, having given their thermal all, I was able to stretch out lengthwise.
During bath #2, Joan (who had drawn #5) visited the outhouse, to find a gathering in the alley between the two buildings, glimpsed above. Relatives of the attendants had come to help them refill, and then their friends visited ... Joan informed Tsewang, and soon only one person was in attendance if one of us was in the tub. It became apparent that Joan's slot would be quite late, and she decided to give it a pass. Further, less rustic, opportunities for hot stone baths were taken at Phobjikha (Dewachen Resort) and Paro, although not by yours truly. The Taj Tashi in Thimphu would have also been available but we were very busy there. The next morning, the porters watched as the trekking crew broke camp. Because it was a short walk that day, and it had been a late night, the morning schedule was pushed back half an hour.
