Saturday 1 Oct in Thimphu

It's Sunday here, but I did not have a chance to post last night. We all went to bed early. The rest of the group has left for Panaka and they left at 4:30 to catch the first light at the high pass. We are staying an extra day to get Michael's system under control. The tour company will take us to Panaka tomorrow.

Since we will be hanging here, I should be able to upload some of yesterday's pictures from the markets, the paper factory and the Dzong we visited later in the afternoon. We have to change hotels so I am hoping I will still have access.

Hard time choosing pictures today. Too many to choose from. We started out at the weekend market. We got there early to watch the set up - and to get photos before it got too crowded. This young girl was shelling peas and not looking too thrilled about it.

This family is weighing their mushrooms for sale. This weekend market is for farmers outside the city to come and sell their produce. Unlike many cities, it runs Friday through Sunday. 

On the right are Bhutanese tomatoes. Not fully ripe. 

This gentleman is making brooms. The second picture is the finished product. 

On the other side of the river is the handcrafts market and the clothing market. I got a bit caught up in the items and it was hard to take photos because of the lighting. I did buy a kira, a scarf, a kira belt and some beadwork. These are masks used in festivals. Hope to see some festivals later this week. 

These are stacks of inner and outer jackets that are worn by women over the kira. The kira is a dress that like a toga is suspended from the shoulders. Unlike the toga, it also gets wrapped around you a few times, pleated, and belted to get the right length. I watched a sales person at the Gov't handcraft store put one on a potential customer and it took both of them. I bought one, but mainly for the fabric. Over this go a lightweight silk blouse (right stack) with very long sleeves, and a heavier, usually brocade, silk jacket (left stack), also with long sleeves. The collar of the blouse is folded over the outer jacket collar and the sleeves of the inner blouse are folded over the outside jacket and both are turned up at least halfway to the elbow. 

These are kira. Stripes go sideways around the body. 

We visited a shop that sold hand painted mandela, t-shirts, woven items and some other items. Two of these guys are guides. I put it in to show how the men dress. They wear a koh. Although it looks like a skirt and jacket, it is actually 4 panels of fabric, wrapped and belted in place. The kira is "open" at the side. The koh in the back. As you can see, some men wear a t-shirt underneath and drop the top of the koh around the waist. I loved this guy's skull t-shirt. 

After more shopping we went to a paper factory. Seemed to be a family business. Their paper is made from the bark of the daphne plant. Inner bark is lighter and finer. They strip it, boil it, pulp it and dip it. The only thing that it done by machine is the pulping. Here is the finished product drying outside. Near panels are still wet. There are cosmos petals in this paper. The middle panel shows the woman dipping the deckle into the tub of pulp. The last panel is the finished paper. The spots are created by dribbling water over it before it is taken out to dry. 

As I said, this is a family business and on a Saturday the kids are under foot. There were four of them clowning for our cameras. This was the best shot I got. They got the giggles looking at their images in the camera. Yes, that is corn on the cob. 

We bought school supplies after lunch. Bhutan prefers this to paying children to pose, or giving them sweets. Supplies are donated to a school and the teacher doles them out. Then we did more shopping. Dick and John and I found a shop run by a weaver - she has a loom in the shop. She is from northeast Bhutan where most of the weaving is done. Her patterns are exquisite. We learned that a kira takes 3 lengths of 18" wide fabric and since it is a backstrap loom, it takes about a year. Compare her designs to the ones above. Some of the more complex ones are for festivals. Those on the right are more for every day.

Here are a couple shots from downtown Thimpu. Note the contrast of Bhutanese dress and western sports wear. Children in Bhutan attend school from 8 to 4 weekdays and a half day on Saturday. Plus they are practicing routines for the royal wedding on the 13th.

The architecture in Bhutan reminds us a bit of the Tyrol. Stucco and lots of decoration. Painting is all hand done, of course and the king has decreed the traditional style be used on buildings.

These last few are from the dzong. These are old fortresses that have been turned into religious facilities. This one dates from the 1670s. The original was built in 1642 when the Tibetans were causing trouble. Lighting was murder. The king's office is also in this building so you can't visit 9-5 on weekdays. The king is affectionately referred to as K5 - their fifth king. He's 31. And has a Facebook page.

This is the temple for the dzong. Incredible inside, but no pictures allowed. Long sleeves required. No shoes.

There was some sort of ceremony going on and there were a lot of students. The women wear a red sash when they are visiting the dzong as a sign of respect. Men wear a while shawl looped over the shoulder and around the body. These girls are all from the same school as they are all dressed alike. You can also see the turned up sleeves of the inner blouse. I love the sneakers with the kiras. As you can see, men wear knee socks. This guy also has western shoes. Some socks are plain, but if you check the photo at the craft store, you will see the guy on the right is wearing argyles. Note the prayer wheels to the right of the girls.

Friday 30 Sept - Bhutan

We did get to Bhutan yesterday. It's an amazing place. We were on the go once we landed so while I have pictures, did not get the pics out of the camera last night. Michael is under the weather again, but I am hoping he feels better today. If not we are going to have to seriously consider ending the trip here. After today we head east and getting back to the airport is a problem.

This is a dzhong or monastery. The suspension bridge was built severla hundred years ago and is secured by iron chains secured through the buildings at each end.

Chilis are an important part of the cuisine in this part of Bhutan. Farmers grow their own and dry them on the roof. 

 These boys were on their way home from school and were happy to clown for the camera.

These girls are nuns. We visited their nunnery late in the afternoon when they were washing up. Most of them were also happy to clown for the camera. They start their training at about age 5-6. 

Thursday at the Grand Palace

We decided to get up and out early in an attempt to beat the tour buses to the Grand Palace. No such luck. Although we left the hotel at about 7:45, we did not get to the Palace until 9:20. Trains and boats took longer than usual. We were able to help out a British couple who had not ridden the boats before.

The only trouble with getting to the Palace early is the sun angle is not great for photographs. Dick and John advised us to hire a guide - BT500. And we were targeted by one as soon as we entered the complex. He seemed like a nice enough guy, only wanted BT400 for 45 min. He spoke good English and slowly. He also walked slowly, which Michael appreciated. And he carried an umbrella, which is what the guides use to keep their group together. OK, some use the flags. Tuvee used it to provide some much needed shade.

This palace has not been used as a residence since 1946. Parts of it date back to the late 1700s, others to the 1800s. The last building used as a residence by Rama VIII is now a guest house for visiting heads of state, Kennedy and Johnson as least stayed there. Rama IX, the current king moved his residence so that this one could be open to the public.

Enough history, let's seem some pictures.

This is the view from the entrance. That's gold leaf over glass on the gold pagoda. Here's a close up. The guide said that 4 of these tiles have a dollar's worth of gold on them - probably more now. Think about how many tiles there are on this. Yikes.

These figures are demons. You can tell because they wear shoes. THere are 12 of them around the temple to ward off evil spirits. The idea is that the demons fight amongst themselves, which keeps them away from the good guys.

Here is a monkey - monkeys are always good - flanked by two demons. Note the monkey is laughing and does not wear shoes. On the left is a mythical man/bird creature.

I had thought that Wat Arun was unique in its use of Chinese porcelain, but apparently not. There are several structures here that had the porcelian as well. In fact there were three people breaking the China and using nippers to create the pictures for a building under construction. Here's one that uses the porcelain.

THe main chapel is quite amazing. You can go inside, but may not take pictures. This is the home of the "emerald" Buddha. It's actually jade. 66 cm tall. Carved from one solid piece. I took a picture from outside, but you can't really see it well. Need a long lens. 

The lens flare is bad in this one, but it's the only one I have of the exterior of the main chapel. Build in 1782 of solid teak - no nails. Covered in porcelain tiles and glass tiles. Magnificent. 

This is a side wall. The blue area is ceramic tiles. 

After strolling around in the heat, we decided to head back to the hotel and see what Dick and John were up to. John is not felling well. Dick and I planned to go to the Siam neighborhood, but we got as far as lunch and Dick decided he really needed a nap. So I went shopping!  It seems as if there is a high end mall about every 5 km in this city. This one had an area with Thai handcrafts. I focused on the silk and bought several scarves. They also have some very nice clothing that I have no where to wear.

Early morning flight to Bhutan tomorrow so the pictures are going to change dramatically, I think.

Wednesday at the Museum

We set out at about 9:30 for a silk store that was supposed to be a couple of blocks away. After hiking over there and asking around it turned out that the shop had moved. We called the owner to find the new location, but decided it was farther than we wanted to go - and it was already 92 deg and sweltering.

So we headed for our second destination, the National Museum by train and boat. We're getting good at this. There was a lot of chop on the river -the current is heading south and the wind was out of the south. There was a lot more tweeting going on from the stern to tell the driver which way to go at the piers. I am determined to get pictures of the whole process. Today I got the guy holding the rope as we approached the pier.

The pier near the Grand Palace and the museum has a sort of mini-market with a lot of vendors for food, clothing, shoes, souvenirs, etc. It's busy and crowded.

We decided to try to find lunch before going to the museum. The streets are lined with people trying to sell you fans, postcards, etc. We saw a small Thai restaurant and an Au Bon Pain - the rule was it had to be air conditioned. We decided to go with the ABP, just to see what it was like.

You fill out a slip of paper with your choice. One side English,the other in Thai. The menu is similar to that in the US and you can make your own sandwich. But the decor is totally different. They were selling books and other items and the seating was a lot more comfortable with padded wicker furniture. And they have green tea lattes that Dick decided to try - ice or no ice.

Then we headed down the street to the museum. It's not that large and there was no A/C. Bummer. We picked a few rooms that we wanted to see. It looked like the buildings used to be a wat - same roof, colors. Later we found out it used to be the residence of a Vice King. Who knew there were Vice Kings? There was a temple, but we decided to pass - tired of the shoes off ritual.

The first area had some really early history and archaeological artifacts. Michael decided this was not his cup of tea and bowed out. The rest of us plowed on. There was an interesting exhibit of contemporary artists attempting to recreate some of the old crafts. This one caught our eye - especially when we saw the label.

We decided to look at textiles, wood carving, and the gold, but we got side tracked by a room with musical instruments.

We eventually wandered through most of the rooms, including weaponry and ceramics. We were surprised at how little info there was - at least in English - about each item. Usually just a label and a rough time frame. This guy was very impressive.

Most of the textiles were printed, or painted. This one was the only ikat I saw. Reflections were a challenge. I took this by putting the iPhone against the glass.

We called it quits at about 2:15, checked out the Museum Shop and tried to find a cab. The first one refused to drive out to Sukhumvit, the second wanted BT200 - almost twice the going rate. It was beginning to feel like NYC at 5 PM. So we headed back to the river. Oops, this is the afternoon for the exercises with the royal barges. They canceled Monday because of the current and we assumed they would cancel today as well. Nope. So no boats are running. Back through the market to find a cab. This one wanted BT300, but Dick got him to accept 250. Took an hour to get to the hotel - which is why the taxis don't want to come out here and don't want to use the meter.

More wash. Trying to get everything washed before we leave for Bhutan on Friday AM. Having the washer and dryer has been a huge help.

Tuesday in Bangkok

Michael slept in to try to kick the cold. The rest of the group got up early to get to the Grand Palace by 8:30 and avoid the crowds. Dick and John hired a guide. We forgot to tell Dick that shorts are not allowed in the Palace, but their guide found him some long pants to put on. This is a common "problem" and the Thais are prepared.

We met up for lunch at the Jim Thompson House Museum. Jim Thompson was stationed in Bangkok in 1945 as part of the OSS. He fell in love with the people and culture and built a house in Bangkok. He then set about building up a Thai silk industry. Mr Thompson disappeared mysteriously in Indonesia, but his business continues. You can tour the house, but not take photos inside. Very nice collection of Asian pottery, wood panels, art, and sculpture. Also a very nice "jungle" garden that isolates the house from the street and the busy canal. Note the wood screen behind Michael. (He's playing with his iPod)

We had a nice lunch in the restaurant (pic is pad Thai in an egg wrapper), toured the house and I bought a silk scarf with weft ikat. There is another silk shop nearer to us that we are thinking of visiting tomorrow morning. Then the national museum in the afternoon.

Michael is feeling better, but not great. We were both glad to hear that the flight on Friday morning to Bhutan is at 8:40, not 6:30. Means we can leave the hotel at 5:30-6:00, not 4.

I think I have won the battle with the dryer. at least the clothes are mostly dry. Took 2 hours and emptying the water reservoir twice.

Monday on the river

So yesterday our plan was to break away from the group and see some sights. Dick and John had borrowed our Frommer's Sunday night and they suggested a trip to Ko Kret, a small island in the river at the end of the Express boat line. We also met the two final members of the Bhutan group, Cathy and Michelle. We all met at the Amari Hotel and took the train to the boat pier as we did on Saturday afternoon. The rest of the group was going to get off and wander around a few neighborhoods.

The boat fare is a flat rate for any distance and we rode to the end of the line - over an hour upstream. We expected this would be the pier at Ko Kret, but instead we had to take one of the long tailed boats. For BT 1600 we had the boat for 3 hours. This is a good deal as they are usually BT800 an hour. We negotiated a stop for lunch and a stop at one of the potteries on Ko Kret.

This is a picture of the express boat coming into the pier (see Saturday). The guy in the orange shirt has just jumped ashore with the rope. Note the gap. We saw some people running for the boat where we got off in the afternoon. Tourists thinking the boat would wait for them. Not these guys. You have to be on the platform to get off and on the pier to get on. Fast!

There is a lot of contrast along the river. Note the high-rise behind the houses right on the river.

Man and his family feeding the fish on the pier where we got the long tail.

The stop for lunch was at a restaurant on the river where no one on the staff spoke English, but they found a young woman who could translate our desire that everything they served be cooked. And we did not want ice in our beer. We ended up with an interesting dish with shrimp over rice (which is being served in this picture), tom yum goong (lemon grass soup) and pan fried fish.

We also had a great view of a young man out on the river with a jet ski - doing back flips with it. Sometimes he was successful and sometimes he went headfirst into the water. Keep in mind that the river is flooding. I tried to get a picture, but he was too fast. Should have shot a video. You can just see him behind the long tail - under the canvas roof.

Here's a shot of the engine on the long tailed boat. As you can see, these are old car or truck engines with a long propeller shaft - the long tail - and the driver steers by rotating the whole engine. As near as I could see.

When we got to Ko Kret we explored a small pottery museum that was part of the wat or temple. The terra cotta has very intricate carving that's hard to capture.

And a young monk taking a nap.

This wat had a very impressive Buddha.

According to our guide on Sunday, there are over 40,000 temples in Thailand. We lost count of the ones just along the river. I jokingly asked Dick if he had calculated the wats per mile. He said he was thinking maybe 7-8 (an exaggeration) but did not have a wat meter. groan.

We tried to get to one of the potteries, but both streets were flooded. The road runs along the outside of the island and the river is so high that it's under about a foot of water. Too bad.

There was a very impressive Buddha on the opposite side of the canal from the island. Note the telephone pole lower right.

One thing we noticed with the high water. Many houses have constructed a sort of wier (see the sticks. Others used empty bottles as floats to perhaps support a net we could not see) to trap fish.

Michael has caught a cold and at about 3 he decided he wanted to head back to the hotel. Dick and John were going to try to do a walking tour of old Bangkok. I decided to join them, so after an amusing interchange with a couple of tuk tuk drivers who thought we were 1) crazy to walk and 2) mean to put Michael in a cab rather than a tuk tuk, we set off. After a brief stop for beer (Dick) and ice cream (John and me), we walked along a few streets, read a few signs, and got to the Golden Mount after it was closed.

At that point it was 6 PM and time to head home. 10 km took about 45 min in Bangkok traffic, but at least it was air conditioned. BT117 - about $4. Try that in NY.