Day 15
Monday October 20, 2008
Phojikha, Bhutan
Bhutan Temperature: Glorious with clear skies and crisp air
Hotel: Hotel Dewachen
After a good night sleep and a strange dream where I was a contestant in a reality show, I got up around 545am or so. I got dressed to take some photos of the gorgeous plains in the early morning sunlight. There was frost on the ground and the air was nippy but it was glorious. After some photos, I went to the dining area to read more about Bhutan and had a delicious breakfast of eggs with chile sauce and toast with of course, tea. I can’t believe how much tea I’m drinking! We also found out what the name of the plant that we saw at the Goemba which was hanging from the “gargoyles” (I don’t know what the Bhutanese word is but have a photo). There was a senior guide at the restaurant and Margot asked him and he told us it is called Indicum, in Bhutanese its called Cham Pakai Meto and basically is a tree with a very long pod and it’s the leaves in the pod that are used as decoration because they are considered pure. It is grown in the East and the Sub-tropics
Today, we are doing a nature hike and then visit an elementary school! Caryn was not up to it so passed so Margot and I did the hike and the visit to the school.
So Margot and I ventured out to do the Nature Hike with Kunzang. We started in the plains which was breathtaking beautiful and very quiet. We walked through the pastures and passed cows and horses grazing. While taking the trail we ran into two old men who were also taking the hike. I asked them for a photo and asked one of the men with an ESPN hat how old he was. It took awhile for Kunzang to translate the age as he used a different language and an old way of counting. But we found out that he was either 85 or 90!! He looked great for his age. We continued the beautiful walk into the forest and got two good stories from Kunzang.
Firstly, we heard him complain for the first time! He complained that Chencho is very loud in the morning Apparently when he gets up he yells and sings! We told him is it rap and Kunzang got a good laugh! For the second story we learned about why there is hot water boiling on top of the wood burning stove. The Bhutanese believe that heat takes the blood and heart away so having water boiling in the room protects one from the danger.
We continued the beautiful walk which was very well tended and was created just for tourists. However as we walked up a cleared hill and got near the “main” street where Chencho was to pick us up, we found garbage strewn from the festival so Margot took the initiative to pick up the garbage and we followed. Margot and Kunzang got a good laugh when they saw me carry beer bottles as it looked like I had a good time drinking! Chencho met us at the “main” street and he said we walked to fast! It took us less than 1.5 hours to do the trail which I guess is fast although I had to catch my breath a few times as we were at 3000 meters!
Morning View from our Hotel
Our Hotel
The Woods by Our Hotel in the Morning
The Starting Point of our Nature Hike
The Sky was Clear and the Scenery Breathtaking
This Cow was on the Lookout for Us during the Hike
The Old Man going up the Trail
The Man Standing is either 85 or 95. He had an ESPN cap on.
The trail took us through the forest
And we got a great view of the Gangtey Temple
We also walked by buckwheat and potato farms. Potatoes from this region are very famous! I believe it was the mid 1900s where an Englishman trekked through the jungles and mountains to meet the King and planted potatoes on the way. Thus the potato became a staple in Bhutan.
A butterfly hitched a ride on Kunzang's gho.
Our next stop was the Bayta Community Elementary School where I was to give a quick origami lesson. As an all my trips, the people I visit give me some much of their culture that I have always wanted to give back a little something of my culture to them as my appreciation. Lemo suggested I go to a school in Phojikha valley as the children will appreciate it so Kunzang took us to the elementary school. Kunzang asked the headmaster if I could share some origami with the kids and he agreed for me to talk to the second graders who had free time. The kids were so cute and well behaved. They brought chairs for me and Margot and a desk. I introduced us and found out they haven’t learned where America is yet and are beginning to learn English. I demonstrated how to make a hat and crane and made hats with a few of the students. They were very well behaved and seemed to enjoy it. They were also very curious about Margot’s camera and she was busy showing them photos! I gave my origami to the headmaster and he said he will show the kids how to make a hat and graduate to a crane. I told him that origami can be done with any kind of square paper. He seemed appreciative. I found out that he had 160 students and only 3 fulltime teachers and 3 part time teachers. He also said conditions are tough in the spring and summer as the land turns to marshland thus the kids where boots. His kids where green boots and kids from the other school where purple boots. There is a shortage of teachers in Bhutan especially in the remote areas. He said the kids did a black crane dance for the King during the celebration and two Japanese have visited their school and showed them how to make a crane (tsum tsum in Bhutanese) but it was difficult. Hopefully, the hat will be easy to make and will bring some joy to the kids. They certainly brought a lot of joy to both Margot and me!
The Elementary School entrance. In the spring and summer than land turns marshy so the kids where boots and that is also why there is a raised walkway.
The second grade class that Margot and I got to know
Saying goodbye to the kids was tough!
We then went to the black crane information center. No cranes were around but we spent time researching the flowers and trees that we saw during our drives.
It was then time for lunch that Kunzang arranged. It was at the original hotel we were to stay in for one night – Hotel Gakiling, which was cute and had a mountain hut feel to it. We were the only ones there for lunch but their specialty was roasted potatoes which were very very good. It seemed to be roasted in butter and a very good chile sauce. I’m sure the potato itself has something to do with it as we were in potato country. I ate too much yet again and in addition to the potatoes, I had their green pepper like veggie in cheese sauce, an excellent paneer curry with fresh peas, green beans and as a bonus chile cheese with pork. Margot and I ate everything!
Although it was only 130pm or so we decided to head back to the hotel to chill out, write our diaries and get ready for ride back to Thimphu.
Around 5pm, I decided to go for a walk as the sun was setting and could not help think about the beautiful valley. Since its my last night here I wanted to soak in the beauty as the sun faded. On the way, I saw a beautifully crafted wooden house and in the back yard about 4 kids were playing. They started talking to me and were very happy for me to take their pictures. They loved the photos and as a thank you present they gave me a beautiful yellow flower. I am going to miss this place!
I Loved this Log Cabin by our Hotel
I met the kids that lived int he cabin. The older brother was taking care of all of them and was very affectionate and caring with his younger siblings. ( I saw this behavior everywhere in Bhutan. They are a living example of what family values should be) After I took this picture, the youngest in the yellow turtleneck gave me a marigold!
I was surrounded by beautiful trees in process of changing colors during my walk.
This is where the black necked cranes from Tibet come in late November to escape the harsh winter of Tibet and mate
Final Photo of Phobijka – It was a beautiful valley