We were met at the airport by our Breathe Bhutan partners in crime for the week: Jamyang (our guide) and Tashi (our driver). From the start they were warm, kind and ready to ensure we had an amazing, customized visit to Bhutan. Let's do this!
Bhutan Fun Facts
As we were leaving the airport Jamyang explained to us some fun/interesting facts about Bhutan, virtually all of which were news to us:
Carbon-negative country (no polluted air)
70% of the country is covered in forests
Live with the principle of Gross National Happiness (GNH)
Has the highest unclimbed mountains in the world (mountains are considered sacred, protected by the deities, so climbing is not allowed)
Largely tobacco free (it's against the law to sell cigarettes & tobacco)
No zoos (improper for Buddhist country to confine animals for religious & environmental reasons)
Country with no traffic lights; it's one "traffic light" is controlled manually
First opened to tourism in 1974
Archery is the national sport, played exclusively by men
Traditional Dress is Gho for men and Kira for women
Of the set $250/person/day tourist charge to visit Bhutan, $65 (of that $250) goes back to the Bhutanese government to fund free schools, healthcare, help for those struggling with poverty and to crucial projects (i.e. current hydro-power one)
Family Ritual
Jamyang also explained that our first stop of the day would be to his home in Paro to join a special Bhutanese ritual. Families in Bhutan hold a ritual 1 time per year; the precise date is set by astrologists. The day we arrived to Bhutan happened to be the day that Jamyang's family was observing this ceremony, and he kindly invited us to his home to join the special day. We enthusiastically said we'd love to join!
We arrived to a whole slew of relatives gathered at Jamyang's parents house, including his wife & young son, siblings, parents, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews and cousins. A full house! We were invited to sit on the floor in a room adjacent to the kitchen where they eat their family meals on a daily basis. Jamyang explained to us that the purpose of this annual family ritual is to give thanks for the (red rice) harvest and their well being, as well as ward off evil spirits/energy.
First Bites of Local Food
As family congregates for this special ritual day, a big part of what they do is enjoy meals together. Seated cross-legged on the floor (the way Bhutanese traditionally eat their meals) we were treated to our first Bhutanese food & drink:
Butter tea with puffed rice
Red rice
Ema datshi (chili peppers and cheese)
Various meats (pork and beef)
In typical fashion, the girls impressed us by jumping right in, trying everything that was served to us. We all especially liked the butter tea; the smooth, milky tea went well with the crunchy texture of the rice puffs. The ema datshi was really tasty but Doug was the only one of us that could handle the spice level! Bhutanese food (as we learned) have an impressively high tolerance for spice and most of their dishes are served with chilies.
First Encounter With Monks
Traditionally, families also invite monks to their home to pray on their behalf, as part of the ritual day. Jamyang showed us to a room in a newer building on their property where a whole room of monks congregated, chanting prayers on behalf of him and his extended family. It was a sight to behold! It really was amazing to see the room full of monks, hear their prayers & blowing of a traditional horn and smell the incense; a beautiful, vibrant welcome to Bhutan and wake-up to all our senses.
Special Kick-Off
Meeting Jamyang's family, seeing where they live, trying our first Bhutanese food and getting a glimpse of their family ritual was an incredibly special way to kick off our first hours in Bhutan. We felt like we hit the jackpot to step into the shoes of locals from the very start. What a treat!
Thimphu Homestay
From Jamyang's family home we made our way to Thimphu, just under 1.5 hours East of Paro. The first two nights we stayed at a "homestay" type arrangement. We were in a beautiful duplex-style apartment, adjacent to where Kinley & his family live. Kinley is the owner of our tour company, Breathe Bhutan.
We were welcome into the apartment with a whole spread of tea, steamed dumplings & other goodies. The girls excitedly helped light the butter lamps, part of a small Buddhist shrine in the apartment. Kinley had kindly invited us over to their place for dinner. We had an hour or two to unpack our stuff and get settled. Inspired by our stories of massages at our Delhi hotel the night prior, the girls set up a mini spa in one of the spare bedrooms and insisted on giving us foot massages. OK, if you insist! :) So fun that they have such vivid, creative imaginations and enjoy pretend play still.
Dinner of Champions
We walked next door around 6:00pm and were warmly greeted by Kinley. I had corresponded with Kinley quite a bit in the months leading up to our trip, so I was excited that we were getting a chance to meet him & his family.
Kinley warmly welcomed us with an offer of a local beer and a few local goodies. He gave the girls awesome t-shirts that he designed & had printed (a side project of his) and us some cordyceps tea from Bhutan. Cordyceps is a fungus that lives on certain caterpillars in the high mountain regions. It has a whole slew of health benefits and actually tastes quite good! We talked at length about how Breathe Bhutan got started (his wife started it originally, and then he took over the business once they started a family), tourism in the country, day-to-day life in Bhutan, and a ton of other things. It was easy, enjoyable & enlightening conversation! Kinley also invited some friends to join for dinner. We really felt like locals, just gathering with friends on a usual Saturday night! Wow.
Jackpot First Day
We had a truly wonderful first day in Bhutan, with multiple opportunities to learn firsthand about the everyday of Bhutanese people and a peek into their unique culture. We are so excited to explore this special country more in the week to come!
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