Land of the Thunder Dragon

You may recall that my only reservation prior to our trip to Bhutan earlier this year was dealing with the Buddhism that is inherent in Bhutanese life and culture. I'm feeling that same concern now as I prepare to tell you about a wonderful living book that I found last weekend. In Search of the Thunder Dragon, written and illustrated by Sophie and Romio Shrestha is the best living book about Bhutan for children that you are likely to ever see - just my opinion, mind you!!

The book tells the story of a young girl, Amber, who travels to Bhutan for the first time to visit family. Her grandfather tells her the story of the Thunder Dragons who play hide-and-seek in the clouds during thunder storms. Amber and her cousin, Tashi, long to see the Thunder Dragons and so they set out across the mountains to find them.

At an monastery, an old monk tells Amber and Tashi that they must travel to a place high up in the Himalayan mountains called the Tiger's Nest. There they would find a flying tiger. The tiger would help them find the Thunder Dragons.

Clambering onto the tiger's back they fly higher and higher into the heavens over a patchwork of fields dotted with tiny Bhutanese houses. Thick clouds gather until suddenly two enormous dragons fly towards them...the Thunder Dragons. The children stretch out their arms. They will never forget this night.

This is a not a Buddhist book. It is a book about a Buddhist country. It is filled with monasteries, monks, mythical beasts and chants. But that is what Bhutan is - a Buddhist country. You can't learn about Bhutan without studying Buddhism in the same way that you look at Islam when you study Yemen and Jupiter and Zeus in Ancient Greece. They are inextricably linked.

So what else do you learn? You learn that the Bhutanese live in extended families. You learn that wisdom comes with age and that grandfathers know all. You see their beautiful clothes - Amber's kira and Tashi's gho and the saffron robes of the old monk.. You learn that Bhutanese houses are beautifully carved and painted with images of tigers, flowers and rainbows. You see painted Buddhist thankas on the walls. You see pictures of prayer flags, of butter lamps, altars, temples, fortress dzongs and mountains. Always the beautiful mountains. You see Bhutan.

And so you learn - not because you are told, but because you see. This is what living books do. They don't preach - they teach - through their words; through their illustrations; through engaging the child's imagination. This book does this perfectly.

This is Romio Shrestha's first book for children. Romio is a thanka painter - the sacred Buddhist scrolls that are depicted through the pages of the book. His full page illustrations are exquisite. Samples of his thankas hang in museums around the world including The British Museum, The Victoria & Albert Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History.

Romio believes that he is the 17th reincarnation of Tibetan Thanka painter, Arniko. This concept of reincarnation is intrinsically entwined with Bhutanese Buddhism, and it is interesting to discover this link. You can hear more about this and see some of his original work in this Youtube video:



I don't think you'll find a better book to teach young children about Bhutan. I don't rate my reviews, but if I did then this one would get 6/5. In Search of the Thunder Dragon is without equal.

Just a little bit rude...

...but a whole heap funny...

If any of you have bothered to watch my Thimphu slide show carefully, you'll notice a photo of colourfully decorated house. Most of the buildings in Bhutan are decorated in this way, with symbols of special significance. Swastikas, floral patterns, whirling clouds, and mythical animals are most common.

The design I want to draw your attention to is the one on the centre of the wall...see it? Variations of these are everywhere too...

It's a picture of a...well, never mind...this is a clean family blog. Let's just say that in our culture we'd probably refer to it as a fertility symbol - a male fertility symbol. (Is this tactful enough? I hope so.)

Jemimah found these pictures very, very funny - as only a seven year old girl could, I guess.

I am telling you all this because I want to tell you something amusing. When kids are young, they say funny things all the time. With Jemimah - she of the long words and large vocabulary - these times are becoming rarer and rarer - which is why this exchange was so priceless...

Her (excitedly): Oh mummy, M (her 5yo cousin) would absolutely love Bhutan. It would be his very favourite country.

Me (curiously): Why would M like Bhutan, do you think?

Her: Well mummy, M just loves doodles.

Me (tactfully): And why do you think that, darling?

Her: (conspiratorially): Well mummy, he's got one you know!!

Hmmm I think we'll leave it at that.

Thimphu slideshow

Three Wise Monkeys

This is a photo of Jemimah's Daddy and two Bhutanese friends. Her Daddy is Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil. On the left, Jigme is Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil. On the right, Sangey is Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.

For those of you who, like me, wouldn't recognise the stuff if they were crouching in a field of it, our sanzaru (wise monkeys) are crouching in a field of wild marijuana.

The Bhutanese call it 'pig feed' and, yep, you guessed it, they feed it to their pigs. No drug problem at all.... or so they say...

P.S. One more Bhutan post and I'm finished. Hope you're not too bored.

Cyclone Aila

Thank you everyone who prayed for us during our recent holiday.

Cyclone Aila claimed many lives in Bhutan during those few days, including a number of children. One family from the village of Bumthang where we were staying lost six members when a land slide destroyed their car. Only two survived.

I thought you might like to see some photos and videos...

Tang River Bumthang

The river rises at the back of Bumthang's main shopping street.

A new road is created around a huge landslide.

The main road beween the Capital, Thimphu, and Paro where the Country's only airport is situated. (Look at the road, not the water... )


A land slide - and an opportunity for you to listen to our accents...


More of the Tang River


At least someone was having FUN...

The Divine Madman

Since now I am so loquacious,
Once I must have been a woman;
But I cannot tell you if this is really true.
Consider the matter yourselves.
What is your opinion?

Drukpa Kunley

Dangbo..o..o Dingbo..o..o there were two brothers. They were neljorpa - yogis - and they travelled Bhutan teaching people the truth of the Buddha. The older brother was very pious on the outside, but his insides were not so admirable. The younger was a strange man -outrageous on the outside, but a true disciple of the Buddha on the inside...where it mattered. He was Lama Drukpa Kunley.

They called him the Divine Madman.

One day the Divine Madman was talking to a large group of people who had gathered together to witness his magical powers. The people wanted to see the lama perform a miracle.

The Divine Madman declared that he was hungry. First they must feed him a goat and a cow for lunch, and then he would show his powers. The people prepared the animals with care and presented them to the teacher. He ate them with relish, throwing the bones aside on the ground. After letting out a loud and satisfied burp, the lama bend down and began gathering the bones together. He placed the bones of the goat in one pile; the bones of the cow in the other. When he had finished collecting the bones, he discovered that the head of the cow was missing.

The Divine Madman took the head of the goat, and stuck it on the body of the cow. Then, with a snap of his fingers he commanded the strange beast to get up and to graze on the mountainside. Much to the astonishment of the people, the animal began to arise. It stood unsteadily for a moment, and then with a shake of his strange head, cantered off to eat.



The animal became known as the dong gyem tsey - or takin - and you know it can still be seen, grazing on the mountainsides of Bhutan, to this very day.

Chilli and Cheese

“Addictions to ema are formed early in life and the victims, I for one, never recovered,” said Abi Sonam Kitsho, 85, from Zhemgang. “On cold winter days, I get such a passionate yearning for a bowl of ema datsi that I nearly lose my mind.” Kuenselonline

I'm just sitting down with a nice cup of Twinings Lemon and Ginger Tea, as I begin this post. You can see it in the photo above. It's a pretty cup - a Christmas present - but that's not why I'm showing it to you. It's the brownie I want you to see. It's the last one of a batch that were given to us as we left our hotel in Paro, Bhutan...well, actually, it's the second to last, but I do have to share...and yes, we did declare them through Customs...

The reason that I'm showing you this piece of deliciousness, is because despite its inoccuous appearence, this brownie is loaded with chilli. Hot chilli. The kind that make you sweat. It's delicious, but you need to drink lots of tea, and I mean lots.

No food in Bhutan is prepared without chilli - not brownies - not even food for toddlers. Parents encourage their kids to eat chilli, and their children take great pride in their ability to do so, seeing it as being grown up, and the Bhutanese thing to do.

A Bhutanese cook will look bewildered and say, "I don't know how to cook without chilli," and, more seriously, most Bhutanese will declare: "I cannot eat food without chilli."

The Bhutanese consider ema datse to be their National Dish. It translates as Chilli and Cheese. Not cheese with chilli, you'll note; chilli with cheese. Bhutanese cooks are particularly proud of their ema datse. You are served it everywhere, and everyone has their favourite variation: fresh Bhutanese green chillis with cheese; dried red chillis and cheese; blanched dried white chillis with cheese; green Indian chillis and dried red chillis with cheese; green chillis and tomato with cheese...you get the idea.


You eat ema datse with side dishes: ezay, a decicious chilli dip, and gen hogay, a cucumber, tomato and chilli salad. A dish of condiments is served along side: dried ground chilli and a couple of chilli and cheese dips. I'm not kidding, you know - here's a photo...


This pic proves that Jemimah has eaten ema datse. As you can see, she prefers chocolate...

PS The quote above about Bhutanese cooks is from a book of Bhutanese Food and Society by Kunzang Choden. It's called...yep, you guessed it...Chilli and Cheese.

The Tale of the Three Friends

or Why there are always cows sitting at the edge of Bhutanese roads.

Dangbo..o..o Dingbo..o..o there were three friends, a horse, a sheep and a cow. They needed to travel from their home in Bumtang to the Capital, Thimphu, for the Thimphu Tshechu, or festival, which was due to begin that week.

The bus fare for the journey was 50 Nu. Now the horse had his 50 Nu, and the cow had 100 Nu. The sheep didn't have any money at all, but he didn't let this stop him (Since when has a lack of finances prevented a sheep doing exactly what he wants to do anyway?). The three friends boarded the bus and travelled the long and windy roads to their destination.

The Tshechu was in full swing when they arrived. The sheep got down from the bus, collected his luggage and melted into the crowds. The horse also left the bus. He paid his 50 Nu fare, collected his bags and walked away. The cow was next. He too paid his fare - 50 Nu, you'll remember - with his 100 Nu coin. The conductor took the coin, thanked the cow and pocketed the coin.

The cow was flabergasted. (Have you ever seen a flabergasted cow then? No, neither have I, but he was certainly not smiling...) He needed his change. He wanted his change. He was going to have his change. The cow didn't go anywhere. He sat down by the side of the road and he waited. He waited for his 50 Nu.

The Tshechu ended, and the horse and the sheep hitched rides home on the back of a lorry. Not the cow. He was waiting for his change. He waited.

The cow still waits. On the side of every road in Bhutan you'll see him. He's no longer flabergasted - in fact he looks quite tranquil as he sits there, chewing on grass. But he still waits.

Until he gets his 50 Nu, he always will.

_____________________________________

Every Bhutanese story begins with Dangbo and Dingbo. Together they equate to Once upon a time. The length of time ago depends on the length of the words, hence in my little tale above, Dangbo..o..o Dingbo..o..o indicates that a long long time has past since the three friends boarded their bus to Thimphu.

The story was told to us by a young man in Bhutan. Thanks, Sangay Dorji. We miss you.

A Prayer Request

We continue to have a wonderful time and have seen and experienced some amazing things.

The food is very interesting, and I have taken advantage of a few opportunities to see them cooking it now - twice in hotel kitchens and once, yesterday in a traditional farmhouse where they made everything using the old methods by hand. I can't say we really 'love' the food - it is both chilli hot and bland at the same time, but we do enjoy trying the different foods and have discovered a few favourites.

We have seen very few temples - they are not really our thing somehow, but we did go this morning to see a local temple that dates back to the 7th Century. Isn't that amazing to imagine! There is currently a prayer ritual going on there, and hundreds of pilgrims have been there praying for rain for the last few days. Alas, their prayers have been a little too successful it seems, as the monsoon started yesterday - several weeks early.

Although we are all safe and happy, I want to let you know, because the results of the torrential rain have been quite catastrophic and several people have already lost their lives in the raging rivers including two young children. (Just wait until you see our incredible photos!) Alas it seems that every time I venture overseas there is a natural disaster somewhere close by for my parents to worry about!! (Mind you, maybe Bhutan is too small to merit a mention on International News...)

Anyway, the road between the Capital, Thimpu, and the country's only airport in Paro is currently cut, which leaves us effectively stuck and unable to get out. I wonder whether you might be able to include us in your prayers. Please pray for us that the rain will ease somewhat over the next few days allowing us to leave the country as planned. Also please pray that there will not be road slides and that the airport will not close. All of these look somewhat likely at the moment.

Again I reiterate that, aside from further potential inconveniences, we are quite safe and continue to have a great time. We are in very good hands. It is at times like this that we remember Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD
Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip
He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed he who watches over Israel
Will not slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you.
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm.
He will watch over your life.
He will watch over your coming and going
Both now and forever more.

(Written from memory - please forgive any mistakes!)

Jemimah is currently challenging her Daddy to a local game of “Parala” which uses cowrie shells, coins and dice. It looks fascinating - I might go and learn to play myself!

Bangkok Highlights

Mum:
The wonderful street food;
The blissful albeit punishing Thai massages at Wat Pho;
Exploring in the Asia Bookshop...what a surprise!!

Dad:
Reclining by the hotel pool and reading a trashy novel;
Exploring Chinatown;
Chatachak Weekend Market.

Jemimah:
The delicious tropical fruit - especially the pineapple;
Swimming with Daddy in the pool;
Daily foot massages - an affordable indulgence at $6.50 an hour!

Hong Kong Highlights

Mum:
Shopping - and buying - at Shanghai Tang;
The Sound and Light show of the central skyline from Salisbury Road;
Seeing Jemimah having so much fun meeting the Disney characters at breakfast each morning.

Dad:
The Buzz Lightyear ride;
Eating choc dipped strawberries with flecks of gold leaf at the Godiva shop;
The Breakfast buffet in the Enchanted Garden restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel;

Jemimah:
Space Mountain;
The Waterslide at the resort swimming pool
The Star Ferry across to Kowloon

Going....going...

We leave for Melbourne on Friday, and fly out on Sunday night. I'm really excited - visiting Bhutan has been a dream of mine for so long, and now it's becoming a reality!!

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update my blog while we're away, but I plan to pop in occasionally just to let you know what's going on...our life should be pretty exciting for the next few weeks...

I've made a few bloggy changes to facilitate things from my end. I've added a Followers link so that I can keep in touch with those people who publicly admit that they read my blog. Thanks girls, it's an honour. If you want add your name to my Followers I'll be able to easily access you from my Blogger Dashboard while we're away. (Please!!) You can also follow me on twitter. There's an orange link for that on my left sidebar, or you can click below. Please make things easy for me!!!

I've also put up a poll for you to complete while I'm gone. I hope you don't mind. Let me know what you're looking for when you read my blog. You can add a comment if I haven't added enough categories. I just want to ensure I'm heading the right bloggy direction with my posts.

Finally, I'll be reading and answering comments. Please do leave me some.

I'll check in again before we leave.

...Gone

A Bhutanese Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there lived a handsome king. The king was good and kind and gentle, and he was much loved by all his people. He lived in a mysterious, hidden land called Shangri-La. His name was Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and he was the Precious Ruler of the Dragon People.

The Dragon King was married to four very beautiful sisters, who lived together in the palace with their five handsome princes and their five graceful princesses.

Bhutan's Queens

Everyone was happy in the Himalayan utopia that was the land of Shangri-La.

One day the good king decided he didn't want to be king anymore. He wanted his people to stay happy in their land, and to do that he needed to make some changes to the laws of his land. They needed a new constitution, and it was time for a new king.

Luckily, the Precious Ruler of the Dragon People was a good father as well as a good king, and he had a handsome son who would make a fine new king. The prince's name was Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

"He will make a fine Dragon King for my people," thought the old King.

The fifth king of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck at his coronation ceremony.

Sounds of giant gongs and ethereal music echoed around the white-walled Golden Throne Room of the Dragon King's palace as the kind old Dragon King placed the beautiful Raven Crown on his young son's head.

" The Land of the Thunder Dragon is now yours, my son. Rule it well," the old man said as he anointed the new young king, "Rule it well."

(Photos from here.)

PS Why, you might ask, are you being given a geography narration? Because, I would reply, we'll be there in only a few more weeks, and I'm obsessed with Bhutan. That's why! I just can't help it if some of my enthusiasm bubbles through onto the pages of my blog now, can I?)