Road trip part 2 - Two chillips and “the traveller”

One of my very first introductions to the kingdom of Bhutan was through the movie Travelers and Magicians. Travelers and Magicians is a Wizard of Oz-like tale where Dorothy’s ruby slippers are replaced with traditional Bhutanese boots and the yellow brick road to the Emerald City is replaced with the road back to Thimphu.

The movie is, by far, the most famous film to come out of Bhutan. It was an official selection at both the Toronto and Venice International Film Festivals and has won several awards at international film festivals.  It follows two intertwining stories. One is the tale of a fatal love affair. The other tells the story of “the traveller”, a young Bhutanese man who has dreams of escaping his life in Bhutan and travelling to America. He sets off on the road towards Bhutan’s capital (Thimphu, aka my hometown) only to discover along the way that “There’s no place like home”.

So, never did I ever imagine that one day I would find myself travelling down that very same road, back to Thimphu with the very “traveller” whose adventures I had followed many months ago! But this is how I spent one very interesting Christmas in Bhutan. 

In front of the Trashigang Dzong

My first stop after the SJI launch in Samdrup Jongkhar (see previous post) was Trashigang . I met with Tempa, one of the Observer’s bureau reporters, who acted as my unofficial guide and took me to the Trashigang dzong, which is known as the ‘Dzong in the Sky’ because of is breathtaking location on a cliffside. 

Young monks

We then drove to the town of Radhi, famous for their weaving, and interviewed farmers for a story on rural-urban migration.

 The town of Radhi

But it was half an hour outside of the main town of Trashigang that I found paradise in the Himalayas . Rangjung is tiny town situated along the Gamri river and at the base of a small mountain. Despite the fact that it was the middle of winter, the hills were covered in lush green vegetation with papaya trees and bright red magnolias blooming. 

Woesel Choeling Monastery in Rangjung

The most spectacular thing to see in Rangjung is the Woesel Choeling monastery, which is perched on the top of a hill overlooking the town. Since coming to Bhutan I’ve seen my fair share of Dzongs and monasteries.  To be honest, despite their magnificence, there comes a point where every big gold, red and white building begins to look the same. But the Woesel Choeling monastery is drastically different to every other monastery or temple that I’ve seen so far. The architectural style can be likened to the monasteries of Tibet, with its square structure and pastel coloured paintings.

 Rangjung town centre

From Trashigang to Bumthang I travelled with Noa and Tshewang (aka “the traveller”) who had both been in Samdrup Jongkhar working at the SJI launch. Although it wasn’t the most comfortable ten hour taxi ride, with no heater and five fully grown adults crammed into the vehicle, the scenery was spectacular. We passed over frost covered peaks and held our breath as the car skidded along icy cliff side roads. We looked out the windows in awe at the tropical greenery and exotic wildlife (monkeys, rainbow pheasants etc.) as we passed through deep valleys.

The three of us realized that we must have looked like a very dysfunctional family on a Christmas vacation (with Noa being American, Tshewang being Asian and me as their biracial daughter) and had fun trying to convince anyone we met that Noa and Tshewang were my parents. Tshewang took advantage of the fact that he was the only one of our trio who could speak Bhutanese and told Noa and I that, while most people could believe she was my mother, they couldn't fathom that he was old enough to be my father!

Noa and I - Christmas Day

We arrived in Bumthang to the Swiss Guest House late that evening. Having been in a devoutly Buddhist kingdom for nearly two months, it was easy to forget that Christmas was approaching. But with the Swiss owner’s half Bhutanese and half Swiss family also staying there for the Christmas holiday, the Christmas tree was out and traditional Christmas decorations covered the rooms. We were the only guests at the resort and the Maurer family were kind enough to let our dysfunctional travelling family intrude on their lavish Christmas dinner. The Dasho is an interesting character and has had a massive impact on the development of agriculture in Bhutan. He was one of two Swiss men to introduce potatoes to Bhutan, which are now a staple in the Bhutanese diet and an important part of the agricultural economy. He also introduced the cheesemaking process to Bumthang, which has resulted in one of Bumthang’s most famous exports – DELICIOUS Bumthang cheese! Another one of his many ventures is Red Panda beer, which we were lucky enough to enjoy fresh from the tap.

Noa and Tshewang at one of the filming sites for Travellers and Magicians 

After a day spent wandering through the temples of Bumthang, some of the oldest and most significant in Bhutan, we headed on the road back towards Thimphu. Along the way, we stopped at the sites where Travellers and Magicians had been filmed.  It was the first time that Noa and Tshewang had been back to the sites since filming wrapped and I felt really lucky to be able to share the experience with them. One of the murals painted on a rockface for the film has become a site of spiritual significance and hundreds of tsa-tsas* have been placed there by locals.

It was a very special Christmas with my crazy and wonderful pseudo family!  

* Tsa tsas are small Buddha and stupas made out of clay. In some Buddhist cultures it is believed that the process of making tsa tsas accumulates merits and virtues. When placed at spiritually significant sites, Tsa-tsas are believed to have the power to prevent disasters, cure illness and provide atonement.