Bhutan Trip - Day 2 - Punakha

After a nice breakfast comprising of bread toast, baked beans, aloo paratha, yoghurt and fruits,we set off on a 3 hour drive to Punakha. It was a lovely drive up the Himalayas to Dochla Pass (3120m) and then down to Punakha (1200m). The views are spellbinding and the gentle curves winding its way up makes you feel very close to nature and gives plenty of time for reflection. Near the top, there are a few settlers who were Tibetan refugees, given the land by the third King. Interestingly, some accepted the land and hence have Bhutanese citizenship, bu some refused in the hope of going back and they do not have citizenship. Shortly after that, we came up to an Immigration Point. It is the first time I
have come across Immigration within the same country. Bhutan has immigration points between regions to track the movement of people and goods.

Shortly after passing immigration, we were at the highest point. 108 stupas and a temple are a sombre reminder of the lives lost fighting the Bodo terrorists in 2003. The view from the top of the Himalayan mountain is nothing short of stunning. It was drizzling a bit with fog rolling in, so we were denied a view of the Higher Himalayas with peaks up to 7350m visible on a clear day.

Coming down through the mountains, we were literally inside clouds at times! It was full of beautiful views of the cloud covered mountains and pine trees giving way to warmer climate and more diverse vegetation as we drive down.

Punakha is one of the most prosperous regions and was the capital until 1970. It still acts as the winter capital for the monks. However, the roads are not as good, with more potholes than asphalt in some areas. You can also feel the heat here and the lower reaches of the mountains being more barren. There are two main rivers - Po Chu (male) and Mo Chu (female), with most of the valley used for terrace farming.


We had lunch near the Punakha Dzong, with Bhutanese menu - including ferns, Emma Datshi and Kewa Datshi. While the ferns may not be for everyone's liking, Emma Datshi was fast becoming my favorite menu item. After lunch, we crossed the small bridge to go into the Dzong, which is split equally into an administration and monastic portions, with 3 courtyards. The first courtyard is the biggest and includes admin offices. The courtyard is also used for local festivals (Tshechu), where a big painting is hung from the central tower and shown to the public. The second courtyard is where the monks live and the third houses a temple that contains the dragon relic. A public portion of the temple contains the royal seat of the King and Abbott. There is a clear demarcation between the executive (headed by the King) and religion (led by the Abbott).

After the Dzong, we take a rough ride to the Temple of Fertility, since the kids didnt want to trek up the hill. The bus slowly navigated coarse muddy roads to the top of the hill where the temple is situated. It was created by the Divine Madman, who mized religion with indulgence. The story goes that the Divine Madman saw a young cowherd in the Dochla Pass who was scared. He realized
that there were lot of demons there whom he slayed and dragged the head of the demon who had changed into a form of a dog to the hillock. The demon then tried changing into a beautiful girl, but to no avail. The local name of the temple literally means the "Temple of the Dog", with a black stupa at the entrance marking the spot where the demon dog lay buried. People without children come here to seek blessings for a child, hence the more common name.

We checked into Hotel Lobesa, which seemed to be probably the only hotel in the small town. But they more than made it up with large rooms with a patio overlooking the valley, the kindness and warmth of their staff and their attention to detail. They even offered the kids customized menu options and the kids lapped up the chocolate milk shakes, mango juices and ice creams that came their way.

We had time to kill in the evening, so we took a stroll down to the market about 1km down the road. Almost every stall was selling the same stuff - fruits & vegetables, rice, chilli, packed puri and paani puris. Yes, you read that right - it came as a surprise to us as well! There were quite a few general provision stores as well. We came across an ice cream store so treated ourselves to some. We slept off early with a nice view of the Himalayas.