stewcombiningthemwiththeubiquitouscrumblyfarmers’
cheesethatis usedasa condiment,seasoningandsauce.
Thehoarding,smugglingandgeneralchaosexperienced
a fewyearsago,whentheBhutanesegovernmentbannedthe
importofchilliesfromIndiaoverpesticideconcerns,is a
measureoftheirimportance.Themarketaislesarecrowded
withchillieseverywhichway.Freshis best,butthereareplenty
ofdriedandpowderedvarieties,“mostlyforchilliemergencies,
andforporridge,”saysourguideTashi.
It’seasytobea vegetarianhere(vegans– referabovetothe
virtuallyinescapablecheesefactor).It’salsosurprisinglyeasyto
bea carnivore.Truetotheever-pragmaticpathoftheMiddle
Way,theBhutanese– eventhemonks– areenthusiasticmeat-
eaterswhotaketheiranimalstoIndiaforslaughter.Theysay
prayerstoatonefortheirdinner.Evenhere,forgivenessis
easiertoaskforthanpermission.
AtZombalaintheheartoftown,peoplescoffpork,beef
orchickenmomosbeneatha TVscreenplayingIndianmusic
videos.Linesformat lunchanddinnertime,and,judgingby
thesejuicydumplingpocketsservedsteamedorfriedwith
lashingsofchillisauce,momoFOMOis a thinginThimphu.
It soontranspiresthatBhutan’sreputationforbreathtaking
sceneryisn’tsimplya metaphor.Uphereontheworld’stop
floor,theairis thinenoughtomakeclimbinga minorsetof
stairsa majorfeatofendurance.Thedefactonationalsymbol,
TaktsangLhakhang,orTiger’sNestmonastery,overlookingthe
ParoValley,is theprimarylureformanytravellers,butit would
befoolhardytoattempttheclimbwithoutacclimatising.
Truetoorganisedreligiontheworldover,Bhutan’sclergy
gravitatestothehigherground.Hikingandmonasteryvisitsare
thereforeanenticingjoblotproposition,andina landwith
moremonksthansoldiersthe“seenonetemple,seen’emall”
syndromedoesnotapply.Billowingincenseanddroning
mantrasaretheconstants– asaretheflickeringbutterlamps,
whichhavebeenimplicatedincountlessmonasteryfires– but
thankstoa colourful,almostanimistictheologymixingTibetan
Buddhismwitha beliefinghosts,evilspiritsandhyper-local
deities,eachonehasitsowncaptivatingstory.
AtDodeydrakMonastery,hiddeninthehillshighabove
Thimphu,thewaterlevelina goldenpotlockedinsidea cloistered
mountaincaveis saidtogoupanddownofitsownmysterious
accord.Supernaturalpotsarejustonepartofthemysticalmise-
en-scène.Anofficialsignnearthestartofthetwo-hourclimb–
moreofa wadethroughairthatfeelslikeit hasbeenstrippedof
itsoxygenmolecules– politelyinformsusthatdrinking,smoking
or being noisy is likely to bring about sudden rain and hailstorms.
Themonks,cladinclaretrobesandcolour-coordinatedpolar
fleeces,aregracioustothevisitorswhocomegaspingintotheir
villagehome.We’reinvitedintotheircell-likesleepingquarters
forsweetmilkteaanda snackoftheroastedricetossedwithbutter
andsugarknownas zau.Intherudimentarykitchen,a mountain
ofpotatoeswaitstobepeeledforthemonks’simplecommunal
dinner,augmentedbya ricecookerthatcouldfita smallcow.
AswewitnesstimeandagaininBhutan,themetaphysical
andeverydayrubshoulderswithnonchalanteaseat Dodeydrak.
Riotouslycolouredaltarsoverlookedbysuper-life-sizedimages
ofdeitiesarebusywithincenseandfruit,flowersandchimes,
packetsofcrispsandsoccerballs(becauseevenmonksneed
toeatandplay).Dishesofwaterareplacedasanoffering,
becausewateris plentifulandfree,andthereforedoesnot
discriminatebetweenrichandpoor.Besides,it mightbeuseful
toputoutthebutter-lampfires.
Highinthehillsabovethevillagearehermitcaveswherethe
mosthardcoremonkssitmeditatinginsolitarysilenceforthree
years,threemonths,threeweeks,threedaysandthreehours
at a time,blissfullyunawareofglobalpoliticsandcelebritygossip.
Belowit,thewell-tendedfootballpitchis testamenttoBhutan’s
othernationalreligion.Aswithmanymonasteriesaroundthe
land,the 180 soccer-madmonksplayeveryafternoonbefore
prayersina fiercelycontestedleaguebasedontheirhomeregions.
Foroneyoungmonkwhoenteredthemonasteryat theageof
eight,histeambeingtopoftheladderis as closeas hehasbeen
tohomeforseveralyears,thankstohisBumthangvillagebeing
a 12-hourbone-jarringbusrideawayfollowedbya six-hourwalk.
TravellinginBhutanis nota quickaffair.Thenation
welcomeditsfirstpavedroadin 1962 andevennowthe
50 kilometresseparatingParoandThimphutakesabout
90 minutes.That’sfastgoingina countrywherehazardsrange
fromminibar-sizedpotholestocatastrophiclandslidesora
calfsucklingitsmotherinthemiddleoftheeast-westhighway.
Untila fewyearsago,traversingthelengthofthehighway
wasanepicjourneyofindeterminatelength.Now,it’sa single
yetsoliddayofdriving– “ortwodaysormaybethreedays,
dependingonif they’rerenovatingtheroadornot,”saysTashi.
Consolationforthelackofspeedcomesfrompassing
old-growthrhododendronforests,yakswithsurfer-dudehair
grazingonthesideoftheroad,andtheendlesslydivertingsafe-
drivingsigns(“Ifyouaremarried,divorcespeed”).Hundreds
oftinystupasknownas tsatsa,madefromclayandsometimes
mixedwiththeashesofthedead,nestinmountaincrevices,
eachonecarefullyplacedwitha separateincantation.Bright
prayerflagsflapandflutterinthebreeze,crowningeveryavailable
hilltopandstrungincriss-crossinglinesacrossmountainpasses.
Bhutan’sforestsarea biodiversityrefuge,a Noah’sarkfor
theHimalayas.Thereareleopardsandtigersintheseparts.
Thereareredpandasandblackbears.Anarguingfamilyof
goldenlangurmonkeysperchesintreebranchesbeforethe
crossingintotheremotePhobjikhaValley.Attheapproachof
everywinter,flocksofrareblack-neckedcranesflyoverTibet’s
snowypeakstoroosthere.They’reconsideredanauspicioussign
bythisvalleyofpotatofarmers,whosaytheycircletheGangteng
Monastery clockwise three times on arrival and departureto➤