Eastern Bhutan

We left early this morning as we were to endure a long eleven hour drive to our next destination – Trashigang. Traversing up and down mountains as high as 12,900 feet stopping only for a picnic lunch and to view a ceremony in the town of Mongar. All we saw were hoards of people. They surrounded a building where the Chief Abbott was giving blessings to anyone seeking it.

As we approached Trashigang we could see damaged roofs and debris, the aftermath of a cyclone that came through that area earlier that day. As a result we found, at our hotel, peoples who needed our room more than we did. The guest that was occupying our room had to crawl from underneath debris in the hotel they were staying in. We spent the night in a room that had no hot water or shower. The workers brought us buckets of hot water in the morning so we could wash ourselves. The remaining two nights we were in a very nice room.

This was the first facility that was within a town. We had a good time walking the streets in the early morning. Dogs, multitudes of dogs, could be found sleeping on sidewalks and in the middle of roadways, presumably exhausted from their continuous barking the night before. Ramona would flippantly wake some just to repay them for their waking her at night. Ashamed as I should be, I admit to being delighted to find the first and only bakery I would see during this journey. Craving the sweetness of pastries I indulged myself these two mornings.

At the hotel there was a courtyard, surround by fencing of crushed bamboo and potted plants, where our group could sit and drink tea or beer. And here too Karma took the opportunity to tell some of the many tales he would share throughout our journey. He told of the yeti, a mythical creature much like our ‘abominable snowman’. This human like creature has feet that are reversed from ours so that where he appeared to come from is really where he went. Bhutan is the only country in the world with a national park set aside for the yeti. The yeti hasn’t been seen by scientists yet, but the forests are said to be impenetrable, so – who knows?

In the center of Trashigang's towns courtyard is a large prayer wheel. Every so often someone goes by and spins it. As it turns a wood protrusion from the top hits the clacker of a bell. The gentle ding we would come to look forward to hearing. Trashigang is in the lower regions of Bhutan. We could wear short sleeves in the morning but as we rode off into the distant heights we would gradually place more layers upon our bodies. We needed our long sleeved garments regardless of the weather. Covering our arms and legs was proper attire for entering Dzong's no matter the heat of the day.

During our stay in this area we visited a school for the blind, the only one of its kind in the county. Here only 35 students are fortunate enough to have an education tailored specifically to their needs. Near the town of Khaling, the school has a director and a very few teachers. We met with the math teacher who was anxious to share his knowledge of computers with me. He had a rather impressive piece of sound software affording him the ability to hear, rather than see, directions for entering and receiving information. I was fascinated by the Braille printer. I was pleased to be able to show him some ways that he could perform his tasks more efficiently using such programs and MS-WORD and MS-Excel.

The teacher told me how sorry he was about the 9/11 “catastrophe” in New York. He told me that his King lit butter lamps and prayed and that on September 12 the King closed all the schools. “The government closed. It seemed like everyone in Bhutan went into the monasteries to pray. - - I voted for Al Gore” he said.

Next we were able to visit the music class where students entertained us with dance, vocal, as well as instrumental music. The remarkable musical capacity of these kids brought tears to my eyes.

While traveling along our roadway paths we diverted a short way to a hilltop airstrip used by the military. Here we could drive back and forth at speeds greater than the 25 to 30 mph we were limited to along the mountain side. Great fun for our driver, Tenzing.

During a visit to the home of the sister of our tour companies owner in the town of Kanglung, we were invited to walk a short distance to Sherubtse College, Bhutan’s only post high school college. Thinly Wangchuk, the son of Aum Chimi, our host, and his college friend “Sangay” told us much about the history of the college. Interesting that, in this nearly all Buddhist nation, the first president of the college was a Canadian Jesuit Catholic priest - Father William Mackey. His home, for three decades being the only Christian home in Bhutan, was returned to the government when he died in October of 1995. Thinly also found it important to tell us that the first native Bhutanese Catholic priest, Father Kinsley, is a cousin of King Jigme Singye Wangchuk. Father Kinsley now lives in Darjeeling India – I don’t know why.

Sangay is part Bhutanese and part Australian. Recently she had been a foreign exchange student through the Rotary Club, an organization I belong to. I was quite interested in her experience as I had been the Rotary Exchange Director in my area for over 10 years.

Back at our hosts dwelling - we visited, had a wonderful dinner and shared musical talents. Using a guitar we attempted to recall and sing popular American music of the past. Aum Chimi’s brother, Sangay Tenzin had recently returned after 32 years in India. Trying to become an actor, he spent most his time working in hotels. During all these years the family did not know his whereabouts. He was very interesting, had many tales to tell and his family seemed quite pleased to have him return.

Along our path during the next days adventure, we stopped along the Drangme Chhu and its tributary in the small village of Duksum where Karma thought we might like to see a very old bridge made of nine very heavy linked chains over the expanses of its Kholongchu river. A lady was approaching from the far end of the ‘Iron Bridge’, it swaying as she shifted her weight from side to side. We chose to go but a few feet and then return. The landmark of this town, the original iron chain suspension bridge was built by Thangtong Gyalpo or Lama Hazampa (Lama Iron-bridge) in the 1600's. As small as it is, Duksum, being along a roadway, is the main supply town for all the high mountain villages that surround it.

Next we traveled to where we would meet and visit with Karma’s brother, Lobzang Rinzin. Nearby was a trade school for students of the arts. Here students can learn such crafts as woodworking, painting, metals and sewing. After our visit to the art school we walked to the district hospital where Lobzang’s wife, Yeshy Zam, is a nurse. We met the – one and only – doctor at the hospital. He gave us a tour of this facility that practices both eastern and western medicine. He had recently been given an ultrasound unit. Susan, being an ultrasound technician herself, was able to show him how he could use this equipment beyond the confines of what he had learned thus far. This enabled them to diagnose a current patient that the doctor had so far been frustrated in treating.