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To visit the Trongsa Dzong this morning required a 4:30 am departure; we are plunged into darkness while packing things up. This is the third hotel where we've lost power; all of Jakar is dark as we work our way out of the valley, resuming the trek east on the East-West national highway, potholes and all. Sometimes it fees like driving in the north woods of Maine: narrow road, fir trees towering overhead, mountains on the horizon. Even the neatly chopped cords of wood look familiar though stacked under corrugated metal secured by a grid of large rocks. Lots of sawmills.
There are no straight roads in Bhutan! Soon we reach the sections that are being widened to improve ease of commerce. Swaths of mountainside are sliced off and dumped on the downside of the road burying trees and rhodos. Nice pavement even with painted lines exists but for how long? Rocks fall, monsoon rains bring washouts, a never-ending maintenance challenge. Road workers tend to be Indian.
The Trongsa Dzong (17th c) is the largest in Bhutan. Not as elaborate as the one at Punakha, nevertheless of greater importance. Each king must serve first as governor of this dzong. Originally it was the fortress for the country; any east-west or north-south travel came through the gates of this dzong. Lebo gives another crash course on Buddhism as we witness the instruction of a group of red-robed boys in the temple, self-conscious and snickering as they attempt to bow and recite correctly.
Buddhism teaches the respect of all sentient beings. There are six worlds that one must strive to escape to attain enlightenment. Three poisons to rid ourselves from: greed, ignorance, hatred. Admirable tenets to follow for a better world for everyone primarily and secondly for ourselves. How much better our world would be if people and nations adopted this philosophy. Bhutan attempts to practice these principles.
Today was our first fully rainy day. Good that some of it was in the dzong. We climbed two passes over 11,000 feet. Cloudy but blooming red rhodos are hitting their stride at 10,000 feet along with yaks, black with red tassels on their horns. Pele La pass is shrouded in fog. Tonight's stay is at Yue Loki Guest House (9500 ft) in Phobjika Valley, a glacial valley where Black-headed Cranes overwinter, gone over the Himalayas by now to Tibet and China. Perhaps they have left too soon. It's still chilly; our only heat source in our room is a small wood-burning stove that seems to need frequent feeding.
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Susan Brandehoff What a fascinating country. I'm enjoying your descriptions very much and the photos are beautiful. Would love to visit Bhutan someday!