For the adventure of travel in the west of Bhutan, please read the separate story text.

My previous visits to Bhutan had included stops in Paro, the capital of Thimpu, and Phuntsholing.  This time I was en route to the central and eastern parts of the country, with exit into Assam, India.

In addition to the abundant amount of luggage required for the weather extremes accompanying travel through Bhutan, to be followed with continuation of travel into Vietnam and Thailand, two large and heavy boxes containing ECG equipment, gave me that "refugee" look.

I had returned to Bhutan as a guest of the State once again but, unlike the previous visit of four days, this visit through Central and Eastern Bhutan was for a stay of seven days.  The cost of the entire tour was covered by the government.  I had decided that something more than a few calendars and the donation of a book to the national library was necessary to show my appreciation.

I had been in contact with the tour leader of a recent Tokyo American Club group that had been in Bhutan and discussed an appropriate gift.  She recalled that one of the participants, a medical doctor, had visited the National Referral Hospital and met with Dr. Gado Tshering.  In the course of their conversation, it was learned that a dream of the hospital would be to have an ECG machine.  They have regional hospitals throughout Bhutan that are visited on a regular basis by staff from the main hospital in Thimpu, for 14 days at a time.  A portable ECG (Electro Cardiogram) machine could be a valuable addition.  This had been included in their list of items to be acquired in 1999, but where the funds would come from was far from clear.  Over US$4,000 would be required for purchase of the equipment alone.

I then made contact with Dr. Doogan, with the Pfizer company in Tokyo, and confirmed that this had become his personal project since his return from Bhutan in November.  His concentration had been not only on how to obtain the unit but, more importantly, how to cover the nearly US$2,000 in air courier freight costs.  With my offer to carry the unit with me and participate in the purchase of the machine, he moved quickly and, together with the assistance of his staff and NEC company, we soon had the equipment sitting next to my desk, ready to be delivered.  The special packaging of the machine for shipment and the supply of one year of special graphic paper required for operation was a bit more than I had bargained for but, after all, it was Christmas.

I arrived in Bhutan at Paro airport on Christmas Day and was transferred immediately to the capital city of Thimpu.  You would be somewhat taken aback if this was your first visit to Thimpu, the Kingdom's capital, with a population of about 40,000 and, in reality, only one main street, Norzin Lam.  This capital city is still without traffic lights.  Two traffic circles at the north and south ends of Norzin Lam are manned by traffic officers who with great elaborate gestures keep the traffic sorted in the daytime, but leave it to sort itself in the evening hours.

The evening, Christmas Day, I was entertained for dinner and the other guest was Dr. Tshering.  I presented the ECG machine to him in the shipping crates and agreed to meet him the next day at the hospital to make the official presentation.

On Saturday morning, I was given a full tour of the hospital, including the new children's ward and a newly-constructed playground for rehabilitation and use by those with learning disabilities. The excitement throughout the hospital was the news of the new addition of the portable ECG equipment.  Though Christmas is hardly celebrated in this nation of devout Buddhists, I had the satisfaction of handing over a true Christmas gift.

In the afternoon, I paid a visit to the local weekend market.  On my previous visits, I had not been in Thimpu on a Saturday or Sunday, so it was my first visit to the weekend market.  This market not only serves the locals in Thimpu, but also provides the opportunity for traders to purchase goods that are then carried to other markets across the country for re-sale.

When I say "carried" across the country, I truly mean carried on one's back and "walked" across the country.  There is a highway system that was constructed in the 60's and 70's, but this crosses the country from Phuntsholing in the west to Samdrup Johgkhar in the east and a few other destinations to the north and south. In general, when you ask a Bhutanese how far he/she is from their hometown, be prepared to note the distance in the number of days "walk"!  The national newspaper, Kuensel, is published each Saturday and the 26th of December edition notes that a fire destroyed four houses in Lomsokha, a "five day walk" from Wangduephodrang!  Now that brings to scale the remoteness of much of Bhutan.

The weekly newspaper is published in the local language Dzongkha and English.  Dzongkha is derived from the Tibetian language, but is different enough that the Tibetians cannot understand it.  There are many dialects spoken in Bhutan, with many of those in the eastern part of the country so different as to be not understood by those familiar only with the standard Dzongkha language.  School instruction is in English.  Many of the children not only speak and understand English, but actually speak English when they play.

Bhutan is without television transmission and the radio station operates limited hours from 4pm to 8pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.  You will see television sets for sale in some shops, but these are used to play video tapes available from a host of video rental shops in Thimpu and throughout the country.

Before departing Thimpu, I did a bit of window shopping and noticed a beautiful wool carpet 92cm x 158cm (3 feet 1inch x 5 feet 2 inches) for approximately US$350.  The design featured a couple of  playful dragons and the next thing I knew, I was adding a carpet to my assortment of luggage!  After my purchase, it was explained that the carpet had come from Tibet, the border being about a day's walk from Thimpu, where carpets were bartered for grain or foodstuffs.  Now, how could I pass up such a deal?

A stay in Bhutan comes complete with your private vehicle, in my case a 4-wheel drive Land Cruiser, driver, guide, accommodation and all meals.

After finishing a tour of the Saturday market, we proceeded 45 minutes to Dochu La Pass at 3,116m (10,023ft).  Here we stopped to enjoy the panoramic view of the Himalayas spread before us.  Nearly all the 7 peaks in view are over 7,000m (23,000ft) with Mt. Gangkar Punsum the tallest at 7,239m (23,750ft).  We then descended to the Punakha Valley at 1,300m (4,300 ft).  Here the weather is milder than that of Thimpu.  The monks from Thimpu still traditionally winter here in this warmer climate.  The climate allows harvesting of two rice crops a year, the growing of winter wheat, mango, sugar cane and guava.  The poinsettias in full bloom stand nearly 180cm (6ft) tall and from mid-March to the end of April the rhododendron and magnolia will astound you.

We paid a visit to Punakha Dzong, the second of Bhutan's Dzongs, built just at the confluence of the Mochu and Phochu (Male and Female) rivers.  Built in 1637 to 1639, it served as the capital of Bhutan until1961 when the capital was moved to Thimpu, upon completion of the highway from Phuntsholing.

We overnighted at the Zangto Pelri Hotel, located about 8km (5ml) south of Punakha.  Here one should be forewarned that travel in Bhutan in the winter months, outside of Phuntsholing, Paro and Thimpu, does not necessarily come with accommodation providing the basics of electricity, hot water or heated rooms.  I was uncomfortably cold in the dining room with a sweater and coat.  Though there was a small electric heater in the room, it served only to raise the temperature a degree or two and the hot water heater supplied only lukewarm water.  The daytime winter temperatures are in the mid-teens (50'sF), but once the sun begins to cast those winter shadows about 3:30pm expect the temperatures to drop quickly, and many mornings, you may expect heavy frost and even ice on the car.  Be prepared with winter clothing that can be layered with warm heavy clothes for the evenings, nights and early morning and then shirt sleeves in the mid-day.

The students in Bhutan enjoy school holidays from mid-December to early March.  This vacation span is chosen to take into account that there is no heat in the school buildings.

Cattle are seen throughout the country, with the males used mainly for draught and breeding purposes.  Mules are also bred for draft use.

Rather startling to many visitors is the phallus painted on the side of many houses.  This symbol is to ward off evil spirits.  I was told that men walking in the forest at night frequently lift the front of their goh, "the national dress of men", to expose themselves to ward off evil spirits and possible wild creatures in the forest.  Superstitions abound in Bhutan.

Leaving Punaka, we proceeded via Wangdi and the pass of Pele La (La means "pass" in Bhutan) to Tongsa.  Departure from Punaka was at 8:00am and we reached the pass at 10:45am.  We passed fields of winter wheat and also rice terraces spilling down the mountain slopes.  It was explained that the small stilted huts in the fields of winter wheat are used by the farmers to sit and sleep in during the final ripening of the crops to scare away the birds and animals from the forest coming to feast on the wheat.  The farmer sits in the hut and shouts and yells to scare them away.  This didn't sound very practical to this former farm boy, but then again who knew that the phallic symbol would frighten off evil spirits?

At this high altitude travel in the Himalayas, the sky is especially clear and the shadows and colors cast are almost surrealistic.  The intense fall foliage colors and contrasts make the panoramic views almost like an oil painting. 

I wondered how people in these remote villages get to the markets, but was assured, indeed they do, taking several days each way on foot, to purchase such items as tea and salt which are not available locally.  Mentioning salt, it was related that some ten years ago goiters were a serious problem for the Bhutanese, but now, with the facilities to iodize all salt sold in Bhutan, the problem of goiters has been brought under control.  The government provides and requires children to be inoculated and certification of such must be shown to gain entry to school.

 Passing herds of  domesticated yak, I was reminded that the yak serves many purposes here in Bhutan, as well as the other Himalayan areas.  They are used as pack animals to carry loads of goods, the females provide a rich milk, providing cheese and butter, the fur is woven for rope, tents, rugs and bags.  The meat is dried and eaten, along with chilies, as part of the daily diet and I thought it quite unique that yak meat is more costly than that of cows.  A grown yak will sell for about US$400, or even more if early in the season. Therefore, after a few beers one evening on a previous visit, we had great fun debating how many Matsutake mushrooms which Bhutan exports to Japan, it would take to buy a yak.  Not many, by Japanese retail costs of  Matsutake mushrooms!

A quick movement in some roadside trees caused us to stop and watch a pack of  monkeys feasting in the trees.  Along the roadside I also noticed growths of thistle alpine bamboo, standing about 2 to 3 feet high.  Yak, cattle and horses dine on this variety of bamboo.

Average driving speed for this travel in Bhutan peaks at 40km (25mls) per hour.  Without a straight stretch of road for days on end, we found the speed more like 35km (22mls) per hour.

As we descended, along the road grew crops of wheat, radish, turnips and potatoes.  Not wide expansive fields, but more in terms of patches of farmable land along the road and other areas actually terraced. 

About 11:40am, we passed a group of Rhesus monkeys playing along the road.  It is quite amazing, and will continue to be amazing that we drove hour after hour along the main highway crossing Bhutan and did not see any roadside litter at all.  None!

A group of women, walking along the roadside pushed the stem of ferns into the hair between their hats and heads to form a natural sunshade like the bill of a cap.

Off in the distance of perhaps a 100km (62mls), we saw a major forest fire.  So far away and yet so huge that the smoke made us think it was perhaps a volcano erupting, but unfortunately, it was a major and serious forest fire.

We followed the banks of a small river with huge boulders causing great white water cascades and then crossed over a bridge to the opposite side.  I couldn't help but think that, if this was in North America, the area would surely be developed with view points, huge parking lots and souvenir stands.

As we drove along though these towering grand mountains, I was reminded of Shirley Maclaine's book, "Don't Fall Off The Mountain!"  The book was about travel and experiences in neighboring Sikkim, but applies very much for travel here in Bhutan.

My guide, Kipchu, had visited Tokyo in the spring of 1998, along with the manager and director of Gangri Travels, as our guests and participants in our Bhutan Night presentation at the Tokyo American Club.  He laughed as I took the opportunity to ask him what had been his greatest surprise and time of enjoyment on the trip.  "Oh, for sure, it was the ride on Space Mountain at Disneyland!  I was sure my heart would jump out of my mouth!"  He related his experience of trying to convince his sister on his return that in Tokyo they have buildings as tall as 50 and 60 stories.  He had to show her photos and even then she could not believe such a thing existed.  Forget trying to explain why going to work would not be like trying to climb the Himalayas every day!  There are no elevators in Bhutan!  He laughed again at trying to explain that the sea is salty, there are trains and subways and even a "Bullet Train".  It seemed difficult enough to explain a train, much less one that runs underground and one at a speed of 250km (155mls) per hour!  There was the "grass" that people eat with their meals!  Here I laughed too, recalling dinner at the American Club, just hours after their arrival in Japan.  Kipchu had ordered an entr*e, but I felt it really needed a green salad with it, so asked the waiter to include one.  The salad arrived and was placed in front of Kipchu who, without missing a beat, moved it over to my place and stated, "Sorry, but we don't eat grass in Bhutan, we feed it to the yaks!"

Approaching Tongsa, we rounded a mountain curve and stopped for a panoramic view of the Tongsa Dzong atop its strategic position on a hill guarding the valley.  This is truly one of the most magnificent examples of Bhutanese architecture and was built in 1644.  We stopped for a short lunch and then drove to the Dzong. Luck was with us as there was a festival in progress.  As has been mentioned previously, foreigners are absolutely forbidden to enter any of the dzongs in Bhutan, but again, this was to be a lucky day and we were not only allowed to enter, but also enjoyed a group of dancers performing one of the traditional Bhutanese dances.  We then continued on to our destination for that day, of Jakar in the district of Bumthang.

On the 28th of December, Monday, we toured the Jakar area, happening upon a monastery on exam day.  We were not only invited into the Lhodark Kharchu Institute monastery, but also right into the hall where the exam was being given.  Here about 20 young monks in their robes hunched over the test paper and looked no different than American youngsters would look, some with a quite confident air and others sweating away.  We were later told by one of the young high school age monks that the exam was a geographical / environmental exam and, out of 14 questions, they were allowed to choose 10 to answer.

There was construction of a new entry to the courtyard, with two very large prayer wheels being installed.  I had always known that regular prayer wheels, like those seen in Tibet and here in Bhutan that are held in the hand and the top twirled in a clock-wise direction, had a paper inside with prayers on it.  I had not realized until seeing these huge prayer wheels being installed at the monastery that the huge wheels are actually a giant roll of paper, much the size of a roll of newsprint, in this case totally covered with prayers.  It would seem there are miles of paper printed over with prayers and then rolled until the desired size is achieved and then coated with a red lacquer.  As one strolls past the prayer wheel, one reaches out with a hand and gives it a push so that it will begin to turn, usually causing attached temple bells to chime as it goes around.

Dinner that evening at the Am Leki's Guest House included home-made (we helped with the process) buckwheat noodles, buckwheat pancakes and ara, a distilled liquor that helped calm my dry throat cough!  Accommodation was a bit on the rustic side, but would be gotten used to over the next few nights of travel.  A wood stove heated the living / dining room area that resembled that in a mountain lodge back home.  And the heat was truly appreciated as the temperature dropped quickly to freezing.  I quickly learned that one should unpack anything needed for the evening, prior to it getting dark outside.  Suddenly, the power failed and a candle was the only source of light, making it hard to locate the tweezers that were surely somewhere in the bottom of my bag and desperately required at that very moment to remove a wood sliver in my finger.  With the power gone, so went the electric heater in the room.  Now we were going back to those days on the farm in Illinois where I slept in an unheated upstairs room those early days in Hinckley.  A small generator was cranked up and sometime later we had basic lighting again, but the heater could not be used with the limited power generated.  The bath was down the hall, one each end for the 4 rooms in the guest house proper.  One toilet did not operate so well, but the other did and with buckets of hot water hand carried in, the system worked well enough.

We spent two nights in Jakar and then departed on the 29th of December to Tashigang, an eleven-hour 275km drive.  With three more days of driving, I could not imagine that there would be a continuation of interesting events and sights to keep my attention but, contrary to my expectations it only became progressively interesting.

The windshield had to be scraped free of ice and then we were on our way.  The road continued to be well paved and maintained, making the drive comfortable and certainly an attention-getter, with the road carved from the mountain side, making for a drop of thousands of feet on one side and solid rock towering up on the other.  There is almost no traffic.  I timed it from 10:00 in the morning till noon and we averaged one oncoming car every 15 minutes and at no time was there traffic that could be seen behind us.

A few minutes after 10:00 we reached Thumsing La pass at 4,130m (12,400 ft), a literally breath-taking experience!  The pass is normally closed from mid-January to mid-March, so we were lucky to have experienced a beautiful, sunny, dry and snow-free trip.  After crossing the pass one is officially in eastern Bhutan.  The drive becomes one of the most spectacular in Bhutan, if not in the world, as one drops 3,200m (10,496ft) in a distance of 84km (52mls).  Here the road has literally been carved out of the side of a cliff.  We reached the lower levels and found rolling fields of grazing land with wooden fenced fields and herds of sheep, reminding me of New Zealand.  We were told the fields in spring turn pink with buckwheat in bloom.  As one descended into Mongar, there were rice terraces and the climate became more mild, rather sub-tropical. 

One would normally overnight in Mongar, but we made only a brief stop for fuel and pressed onward to our destination. During the short stop in Mongar, I made an interesting observation.  Watching the teenagers strolling in the town square, I noted that they walked and gestured differently from those in Japan or the U.S.  I tried to make out what was different and finally noticed they walked in a very self-assertive manner, with direction and purpose, and then wondered if this was how we moved too in the days before MC TV, discos and a world of myriad outside distractions, all demanding our attention at once.  The most popular pastime in this part of Bhutan seemed to be keeping a steel hoop going by tapping it with a stick as one walked or ran along.  No video games here to waste precious time to be enjoyed outside with nature!

Tashigang turned out to be a delightful place.  We arrived at the hotel just about dark and despite shouts from both the driver and guide, no one seemed to be at home!  Finally, a neighbor advised us that he would find the girl with the key, so we went downtown to the village square for a beer and some fresh butter cookies from the bakery.  Back at the hotel, the door had been unlocked and I was the guest for the evening in one of the 7 rooms, while the guide and driver occupied another.  Dinner was served by the waiter who had also cooked it and turned out to be the sole employee of the hotel.  The reception girl disappeared soon after our arrival. Seemingly, her job ended with the key duty.  After dinner, a bucket of hot water appeared at the bedroom door and I soon found out why, when I discovered I had a choice of cold water from the tap or cold water in the shower.  I slept very well, perhaps because of the lower altitude, warmer climate and very comfy bed.  I was awakened by the crowing of roosters and the strumming of a stringed instrument in the distance. 

The city of Tashigang reminded me of Gangtok in Sikkim, where the buildings seemed scattered down the side of a mountain.  There was the city square, where we had stopped for the beer a night before and in the center of the square was a huge prayer wheel in a covered structure. With the constant passing of villagers, it seemed never to stop revolving and a bell chimed with each revolution. 

As we departed the city, we stopped at the Tashigang Dzong, one of the most charming dzongs in Bhutan.  So tidy and well-kept, with a spectacular view from its plaza.  As with all dzongs. the half on one side of the plaza is the monastery,  with the half on the opposite side being the administrative offices for the village and surrounding area.  The dzong was built in 1667 and the eastern region of Bhutan was governed from here from the late 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century. 

We stopped at the edge of town to fuel the Land Cruiser as this was the last fuel stop until our destination of Samdruk Jonkhar.  Fuel is all hand-pumped.  The fuel is pumped up into one of the two 5 liter glass containers until it is full. Then the valve is opened to let it drain down the hose to the vehicle while the boy pumps the neighboring one full and repeats the cycle.

The drive to Samdrup Jongkhard was 180km (111.6mls) and took us about 6 hours.  Now we were in a sub-tropical part of Bhutan and I was amazed by the colors of the bougainvillea and poinsettias in full bloom.  The poinsettias in this area grow into grand bushes more than 180cm (6ft) tall.  It was like passing through a horticulture festival that goes on for hours of ones drive.

Discussing the meals I had enjoyed throughout my stay, I asked Kipchu why we were being offered meat so often in this very religious country of Buddhists where we outsiders might envision a nation of vegetarians.  "Oh, it's all right, we just don't kill the animal ourselves, but send it away for rendering."  I needed a bit more explanation and discovered that a simple "around the corner and out of sight" was enough for the send it away part of his reply.

Two hours into our drive on the 30th of December, we arrived in Khaling, home of Bhutan's only university, Sherubtse College, opened in 1970.  There are about 300 students here studying agriculture, commerce, economics, English, geography, sciences and education.  The agriculture studies are broken down into forestry, animal husbandry and other aspects.  The university is located in this remote part of Bhutan to encourage the students to become familiar with areas of the country other than the larger populated areas in Paro and Thimpu.  Students study here for 3 years and then return to Thimpu for an additional year of civics study.  Education is free through the university level.

 From Kipchu, I discovered that there are many dialects of the language and crossing from western to eastern Bhutan the dialect is so different as to become almost a totally different language.  The national language is Dzongkha, which is similar to Tibetan, from which it is derived.  There was actually no written language until the 1960's.  Dzongkha language is now understood countrywide and English is also widely understood and spoken.  Classes in schools are taught in English, so most youngsters are rather fluent in English, as well as Dzongkha.

In the afternoon, we passed a group of 6 people sitting along the road and stopped to chat with them.  The ages ranged from 5-28yrs and, listening and looking up into the forest above us, we saw sheep grazing and found that they were herding about 120 sheep.  They told us it would take about an hour to round them all up and that they were about 3 days' walk from their village, the nearest village!  They were from the isolated Merak or Sakteng valley areas.  The girls were wearing hats made of yak hair and woven in a manner to have 5 pigtails about 10cm (4 inches) long protruding around the hat, that serve rather as rainspouts when it showers.

Later in the afternoon it quickly became quite hazy and humid as we descended to Samdrup Jongkhab on the Indian border.  From the road, we could look into the distance and see the plains of India.

After an overnight stay on the border, I was driven to the airport in Gauhati in Assam state in India, for my flight to Calcutta.  The drive takes about 3 hours and passes through tea plantations en route to the airport, about 143 km (88.7mls) away.

OBSERVATIONS IN BHUTAN:

What they don't have:

Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's, shopping malls, furniture in their homes, tableware (as they eat with their fingers), television, freeways, refrigerators, stress, billboards along the highways, pizza, frozen foods, vending machines, railroads, bowling alleys, subways or jumbo jets.

What they do have:

Autos, computers, e-mail, good telephone services, fax, a good education system, hospitals, a road system, abundant natural foods, traditional national dress, abundant water, a wide spectrum of flora, basketball and a Saturday / Sunday market that serves as their super market.

The wearing of the national dress is actually required by law, but there are exceptions, such as laborers and farmers while at work.  The wearing of the traditional dress is for national pride and to preserve the identity and culture of Bhutan.

A typical dinner menu is served in a buffet style and would include, white or red rice, string beans, scalloped potatoes, sautéed ground beef with chilis, lentil soup, fish, dried yak meat, chili sauce, fried rice, bread, honey, jam and mixed fruits.