Thimpu Tshechu!

Recently here in Thimpu autumn has arrived. After celebrating blessed rainy day last tuesday, indeed in the last few days a noticeable shift has occurred. The sky has cleared up, the nights and mornings are a bit colder and a kind of crispness has arrived driving away the monsoon season. These last couple of days I have noticed a new mountain peak that I had not seen in the previous 5 weeks that i've been here in Thimpu.

I went to buy a Gho (the traditional wear for men) a few days ago ahead of the Thimpu Tshechu which began today and will go on until Wednesday. Chimmi, my neighbor took me to buy one, and along with the Gho I had to purchase long stockings, an under-gho (underwear piece), a belt, and the kabne, the scarf that one has to wear. These Ghos come in so many different types of colorful designs. The difficulty with the Gho lies with the very complicated method of wearing it. Pema came over a few nights ago and helped me put it on, but it quickly became clear that I will not be able to put the Gho on myself anytime soon. It is a demanding process, both in terms of accuracy, understanding space, having precise skill and coordination, while also maintaining a certain kind of strength. There are many subtle important things that one has to be aware of when putting on the Gho, and furthermore everything has to be very tidy. And because one needs to have the Gho stay in place all day long, the belt is tied so tight!

Even the act of then later folding the Gho is a demanding task, with precise and important rules and methods on how to do it. Not to mentioned that I tried learning how to put on the kabne, and though it appears quite a bit more manageable then putting on the Gho the learning curve for even this simple matter is steep.

Small things matter with Ghos. What kind of fabric you’re using. For example mine is a cotton one, and one wears cotton or wool (in winter) for ordinary occasions, but Bhutanese will wear their best silk or raw silk Ghos for the Tshechu. Bhutanese have many Ghos in their closets and Pema showed me his Ghos, including several that he inherited from his father that are quite beautiful antiques, including one silk one from Tibet.

Early this morning my friend Tshering Dorji and his friend Karma came to pick me up to go to the Tshechu which is happening at the Thimpu Dzong. On the occaison of the Tshechu, Bhutanese will wear their finest Ghos and Kiras and so it seemed like a great opportunity for me to wear my Gho for the first time in public. Tshering and Karma had to help me put it on properly and then we were on our way.

Tsheschus are religious festivals held in honor of Guru Rinpoche, commemorating his great deeds. Guru Rinpoche, the "precious master", is believed to have brought Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century AD. The Nyingmapa religious school considers him to be their founder and the Second Buddha. Anyway "these great deeds are believed to have taken place on the 10th of the month, which is the meaning of the word tshechu". Each district Dzong in Bhutan has an annual Tshechu and they usually happen on and around the 10th of various months (different months for every district) according to the Bhutanese Calendar. Tshechus feature many religious dances performed by monks and laymen and the same dances appear pretty much the same everywhere. (Bhutan:Himalayan Mountain Kingdom, Pommaret).

The Thimpu Tsheche is quite a tourist attraction and it is said that these three days in September are some of the busiest tourist days in the calendar in Bhutan. And indeed, in the Dzong courtyard where the Tshechu was held today you could spot many tourists with their cameras and western clothes, and yet still, the overwhelming majority of the people in attendance were Bhutanese. And one is left realizing how very few tourists actually come to Bhutan as compared to other places in the world.

The dances are accompanied by dronal music, bells ringing at constant intervals helping to guide the dancers and provide a rhythmical framework for the dance, while the long and very low sounding horns provide a carpet of dronal sound. There were also a few traditional songs, sung by both men and women, accompanied by dance.

Sitting in the Dzong courtyard which was full with thousands of people, all dressed in their colorful ghos and kiras, roasting in the sun (sometimes using their kabnes and rachungs as head covers) with the backdrop of a clear blue sky, and the majestic mountains I felt a great sense of calm actually as I was watching these dances. We spent several hours, watching what in the west might be considered a very slow form of entertainment, and yet I was totally engaged and immersed in the color, the movement and the sounds all around me. Not only the dancers, but the people surrounding me. Despite the sun and the hunger, I felt that I could happily sit there all day and watch these dances I didn’t quite understand (yet), mesmerized as I was.

Photos to follow very shortly...

-Noam

The Trip to Haa in PIctures!

As Promised, here are some photos from my journey to Haa Valley in early September!

Hope you enjoy!

On our way - a Monastery

This man is also on his way...

These are the kids that greeted us

with "chillips" and "hello"

Some of Chimmi's family in Haa

From left to right Chimmi (my neighbor),

her sister, Signe, Sonam (Chimmi's daughter),

and a cousin, and i'm also in there.

Suspended bridge covered with prayer flags, in Haa

Two young Bhutanese men apparently just as curious

about Signe and I as we were of them.

These are the kind of signs you see

at the archery grounds in Haa, as well as

many other places in Bhutan

Archery Match


Taking a brief walk in and around Haa









The young monks playing soccer at the white temple in Haa

On our way back to Thimpu, climbing up; Haa Valley from above

Chilela Pass (approx. 4,000 meters)

A monastery tucked away up high in a mountain
Brief visit in Paro; Paro Dzong

More to come soon about my life here in Thimpu!

Happy Blessed Rainy Day! (Celebrating the end of the Monsoon Season here in Bhutan)

Noam

6.3 Earthquake Shakes Bhutan

There was indeed an earthquake today felt all across Bhutan. It's epicenter was in the Eastern town of Mungar, approx. 150 km east of Thimpu. No casualties or damages in Thimpu, but unfortunately at least seven deaths in the Eastern part of Bhutan have been confirmed. And I imagine quite severe damage. As for me, I was practicing the keyboard at KILU music school, when all of a sudden in the middle of a passage of Beethoven's Sonata in E minor, Op. 90, it seemed as though my keyboard my moving from side to side, the windows shook and the earth was definitely quaking, but for no more than 2-3 seconds.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/090921/world/world_earthquake_bhutan_india_deaths

-Noam

Haa Valley Journey Part II

OK - so here goes the second part of my journal entry about the journey to Haa. I wrote the actual entry on September 6th.

~~~~

Today (september 6th) it was still raining, and from the restaurant window, during breakfast I glanced outside watching the passerby lead a cow here, or walk with produce there. We took a long stroll all through town. First heading in the direction of the Indian military compound, walking parallel to the river, to our right a suspended bridge, decorated with prayer flags, heading to the other side of the river. Quickly getting away from the “downtown” and passing through some residential areas. As we turned back and headed back towards town, I noticed two young men, sitting in front of a house, one holding a guitar the other taking of picture of Signe and myself as we were walking by. I decided to pull out my camera, and turn this into a human moment. We would both be gawking at chillips, right? When I pulled out my camera and aimed it at him, a large smile appeared on both of our faces. I decided to grab the opportunity and go say hello. I joked about taking pictures at one another, and immediately asked the young man with the guitar to play me a song. He was tuning it, and after finishing to tune it (it was still quite out of tune) he asked if I wanted to hear a song in English or Dzonghka. Signe and I both said Dzonghka immediately. And so he played us a song. A two chord song, and singing shyly, it was hard to really tell what the quality of the song was like, but it was a pleasant sounding song. Seemed to have western qualities, though sung in Dzonghka. It turned out it was an original (as I had thought).

We made our way in the opposite direction, passing by the archery grounds where a match was being held. After pausing for a few short minutes to watch the competition, we continued our walk out of town in the other direction. We crossed a bridge by foot, alongside a cow, and a woman with two kids who seemed to be asking for money, and as the river was now to our right, widening, with a secondary school by our side, kids playing football (soccer) in the rain, we ventured slightly up hill towards another more residential area of town. Local Bhutanese who were walking in the same direction or opposite direction seemed to be very interested in our presence. A few of them asking us where were we going, where were we from. I noticed a curious habit with a few of these passerby, they would trail us for a few minutes, walk very close to us from behind, until I guess they realized that the conversation was over. I wasn’t sure if it were more polite to continue the conversation, but on the other hand we didn’t quite have much left to say. The English of most of the people we ran into in Haa was not very good.

In this same neighborhood we met a young man, Tenzin, who asked us those two questions: “where are you going?” and “where are you from”. He was on vacation from school in Bangalore and helping his dad build a garage for the new pickup truck they bought. They were originally from the east about 60 km away from Mungar, but his father is a judge and is serving here in Haa. He asked us if we had had lunch, and though we hadn’t (well actually we had a large breakfast and were not very hungry) we said we had, because it seemed clear that had we said that we hadn’t, we would have been invited for lunch at this man’s house, having only met him for two minutes. This is a fine example of the Bhutanese hospitality. It was clear, in this case, that this invitation, had it occurred, was not motivated by wanting something from us, except perhaps to hear more about our lives outside of Bhutan, give him the opportunity to practice English, and kindly share his family and life with us.

On our way back to Thimpu

Before getting on the road that leads to Paro through Chelila, we stopped at the two famous temples in Haa. The Lhakhang Karpo and the Lhakang Nagpo (white and black temples), which according to the Bhutanese tradition, were part of the temples built in the 7^th century by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo who emanated as a pigeon. (Bhutan: Himalayan Mountain Kingdom, Pommaret). As we walked up the tall wooden stairs into the courtyard of the White temple, we quickly noticed a very routy football game being held by the young monks. The ball, which hardly had any air in it, was being kicked around the uneven stone patched floor. I was really itching to join, partly because I itch to join every football game I see, and partly maybe because it seemed so cool to me to be playing football with all these monks at this monastery in Haa valley, in Bhutan. (And partly because I saw the movie The Cup only recently about the obsession of monks with football in Darmasala). I asked if I could join, and I was not only invited, but the ball was passed to me at almost every opportunity, with laughter surrounding every misstep of mine and the attention of the young and older monks directed towards me alike. I did my best to pass the ball as much as I could and not to play rough. HAA! But, unfortunately on the first possession of the ball by my team, I enthusiastically chased a ball, and lost my equilibrium, running into a young monk, who was also going for the ball. I thankfully caught the young guy, and hugged him, trying to keep both him and I from falling. I succeeded, thankfully. From there on things went much more smoothly.

After playing some football, we walked inside the monastery to visit the temple. We turned the prayer wheels, and then entered the temple, which was decorated with many statues of Buddha, and various deities, as well as two big drums, and other instruments, masks, thangkas, bowls of holy water, and two teenage monks who were watching us and answering Chimmi’s questions. Chimmi and Sonam begain salutating towards the various deities. Signe and I followed suit. A kind of prayer, going down to our knees and back up 3 times in front of each diety. As usual, we offered a modest amount of money as an offering to one of the deities, following the example of Chimmi, putting the money to our forehead (third eye?) and then kissing it and putting it in the bowl where previous offerings still lie.

One of the young monks showed us the way to the black temple, which required a short hike of about 10 minutes up a hill. Eventually the temple appeared before us, a smaller temple, built of dark (hence black temple) stones. We climbed our way up, but there seemed to be no one there to let us inside the temple. Eventually, after a few minutes of looking about, a very young monk (maybe 7 or 8) appeared and unlocked the door to the temple. Apparently, the older monks were in town buying groceries at the Sunday market. Again, many of the same rituals happened. And in one corner of the small room, there was a hole going into the ground, covered around it with wood, like a small roof, for a small house underground. In the hole, there was water, and according to Chimmi it apparently is where a mermaid resides. Chimmi asked the young monk to bring a flashlight. And then he pointed it down the hole. Sonam, asked for the flashlight and they pointed down into the water, lighting the pond, looking for the mermaid. Signe and I looked at each other with some puzzlement, and waited for our two hosts to be finished with their search. On our way back from the black temple to the car, Chimmi explained to me that back in the ancient time the mermaid would come out and appear, but not anymore, not ever since they started building with cement, she doesn’t like it.

We made our way back to Thimpu, this time heading towards Chilela, supposedly the highest point in altitude of all the roads in Bhutan. On a clear day, you have marvelous views of the high Himalayas range, but the weather was pretty miserable. Very fogy and a bit rainy and the views at Chilela were non-existent. At the pass, there were dozens upon dozens of prayer flags, all a top the mountain, in many colors, moving in the wind. We made our way down towards Paro, again passing by the usual sights, the windy roads, and the splendid views.

From Paro to Thimpu, the relief of a two way road seemed almost unnecessary. We stopped at one point, to collect some holy water. On the side of the road, from a big white rock, with some prayer wheels located on both sides, at carved in nooks, there was a fairly strong stream of water coming down. At least 5 or 6 cars at any given moment would be stopped to fill bottles, and canisters with this water. Some were washing their cars with it. Chimmi explained to me that this was holy water, from an unknown source in Tibet, but that they know it is very good, healthy water, that it gives a long life. And so, Sonam and Chimmi filled two bottles from this stream and we made our way back to Thimpu. When we arrived in Thimpu, after only being gone for 36 hours, all of a sudden, I could understand why Thimpu is the big city of Bhutan.. It is big and hectic, compared to Haa, and even to Paro. And so, Thimpu, which upon arrival seemed so small, was now, after only 36 hours in the countryside the metropolitan of Bhutan in my eyes as well.

~~~~

Shana Tova,

Noam

Haa Valley Journey!

Finishing up my second full week of teaching at Kilu Music School and it's been terrific thus far. I'll write more about school soon enough in a separate entry. First, though, there's lots to catch up on: my weekend adventure to Haa!

I am hoping to soon post an all image chronicling of this same journey. But, first, words.

It’s approx. four hours by car to Haa Valley - the western most area in Bhutan where roads will take you. Not far from the Chumbi valley in Tibet. Only opened in 2004 for westerners. The plan was to take a taxi to Paro and from Paro to hire a driver to take us to Haa. As it turned out, when on Saturday morning I went upstairs to Chimmi to pay her rent, I told her I was heading to Haa for the weekend. She wondered how exactly we were planning to get there, and when I told her we were going to hire a driver, she said that she would be happy to drive us there. She has a sister in Haa. I was at first unsure about accepting this offer, but after I called Signe, and noticed her enthusiasm, I decided to accept. Signe says, that Bhutan is a place where this kind of magic always happens. Where somehow things always work out, unplanned adventures become magical journeys, and peoples’ constant generosity and willingness to provide the most generous hospitality tends to lead to wonderful things. Maybe I’m starting to believe her theory a little bit.

After work on Saturday afternoon, I returned to my apartment building with Signe and we loaded up the tiny Suzuki-Marutti with Chimmi and Sonam (her daughter) and began our journey to Haa.

On our way

There are two ways to get to Haa from Thimpu, one goes south first and then west, circling around and finally reaching Haa, the other goes directly over the highest pass in Bhutanese roads, Chilela Pass at approx. 3,900 meters. We planned to take the indirect route on the way there and the direct route through paro on the way back.

Here a carpenter, working in an open shop, there a monastery nestled high up on a mountain nook. And everywhere on the road cows, dogs and people. The road to Haa, is a very narrow one lane road, essentially without rails, usually no more than 3-4 seconds between curves. The bends, blind spot after blind spot, deep chasms to one or both sides, luscious trees and bushes, impressive mountain peaks, hanging in the fog, mist and clouds.

Trucks coming in the opposite directions, appearing suddenly from behind the blind bend, immediately forcing us to stop and veer to the left. Several times I could almost feel my heart drop between my feet as I felt like we were close to falling off the cliff, another meter or two, and we would be at the edge. But, what seems frightening to me, appears to be as natural as can be to Chimmi my dutiful neighbor and driver for the weekend. Her driving was cool, no matter what surprise appeared suddenly on the road, be it an Indian army truck, a cow in the middle of the road, dogs that won’t move, chickens, or families tending to their produce, merchandise or houses. I noticed that we generally didn’t drive much faster than 35-40 km per hour, on these windy roads, and the slow pace along with the consistent habit of honking our horn loudly as we approach a blind spot curve provided some measure of comfort and security, albeit not enough to put me completely at ease.

It was raining on and off yesterday during our journey, and yet people were walking on the main road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, not a village within 10 km in either direction.

On the way we passed many small villages (hamlets really), ten houses here, seven houses there, with the traditional Bhutanese houses, kids hanging outside, or from the windows, yelling “hello” and “chillups” (foreigners in Dzonghka) when we stopped long enough for them to catch a glimpse of us.

Down in the valleys, gushing rivers, terraced fields adorning the mountain slopes, incredible vistas in every direction, a fairy tale land, really.

As we made our journey through this narrowest of roads, heading in the direction of a rarely traveled part of Bhutan for westerners, when I wasn’t busy trying to lift my heart back up from the floor from the fear of the drive itself, I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t quite believe that I was here. It dawned upon me that though I had many dreams for my life, including many dreams to travel far, I never imagined I would find myself in this magical land. I never quite thought I would be traveling in this small car, on these roads, with newly made friends, and oh so generous neighbors, through terrain so beautiful and so remote, experiencing moment after moment of wonderment and awe, at the beauty of the landscape and the people we were passing by.

The images of the people we passed by on the road, a man carrying a large basket of apples on his back, or a woman walking with her child, in the pouring rain, a score of kids playing with a ball in the middle of the road, on a part of the road where huge drops happened to be on both sides. The way in which these men, women and children often walked on our side of the road (the left) with their backs to us, the incoming traffic, never flinching as we came near, as if completely trusting us to carefully avoid them, even though to my eyes, we almost always passed them by a distance too close for comfort. The cows and the dogs and the chickens all had the same undying trust in our driving skill. Often Chimmi would have to navigate through a cow obstacle course, three cows on the right, two on the left, and one in the middle. But the cows, didn’t seem to mind as our car whizzed by right next to them.

In Haa

We arrived in Haa, right as dusk was nearing its end and a rainy night was about to take over the evening sky. Haa valley, with it’s river, Amu Chuu, and mountains all around it, seemed like a place from ancient Chinese fairy tales. We first got lost looking for Chimmi’s sisters’ place, and made our way through the Indian Army compound, passing the Haa Dzong (that is not in service as a Dzong, but serves the Indian army). Apparently, the Indian army has a large base in Haa, training the Bhutanese army. Aside from military facilities, we noticed colorful hindu temples, and many Indian men milling about with and without uniform . It had a distinctly non-Bhutanese feel. After a phone call to Chimmi’s sister, we made our way in the direction of the town of Haa.

We walked in the dark through several alleyways, with gaps in the pavement for the rain water to flow and not flood, careful not to trip on the slippery rocks, and not to fall into the small streams. My visit to Chimmi’s sisters’ house, was my first in a traditional Bhutanese house. This one was not a particularly large one, a small living room, with modest, light blue painted walls, though random patches of unpainted white blobs everywhere about. The floor, a wooden floor, the walls decorated with portraits of the royal family (present and past) and various Buddhist deities. We sat in colorfully decorated chairs and small backless sofas and were offered tea. Accepting a refill on our cup was a must. We were also offered Bhutanese wine, but declined the offer, only to learn that it is very much tradition to offer the guests wine, and perhaps our refusal was bordering on insult. Luckily, we were with my neighbors, who were family to our hosts, and there didn’t seem to be any problem.

We were taken to the altar room to have a look. Almost every traditional Bhutanese home, has a special altar room, where deities, colorful thangkhas, and cloth decorate the room. There is usually a candle burning, below a prayer wheel, turning the wheel with it’s smoke. The cloth in this particular altar room were made by the husband in this house, a man who also works at the traditional medicine facility in Haa.

We also declined dinner and headed searching for a hotel in town. Apparently, Chimmi’s mother has a relative who owns a nice hotel in town and we were told we would be taken there. Why not? The first striking image that caught my attention as we got close to center of Haa, where there were a few general shops and hotels, was a medium size cow gnawing on a cardboard box on the side of the road near our hotel. With stray dogs everywhere, and only a few people walking about the street at around 8:00pm, Haa delivered on the promise of being a remote and truly non-touristic location. In fact, in our entire stay in Haa and on the roads leading to and from we didn’t see one tourist.

We followed Chimmi and her sister up the stairs and found that the reception for the hotel was also a karaoke bar, where loud music and dancing was actually going on, on this Saturday night with about 15-20 people in attendance. We were taken to our room, where two single beds, with colorful bed-covers (like some of the Ghos you see), a tv, and a modern bathroom surprised me, at least.

After taking a quick stroll through town, literally two minutes up and two minutes down, we found a restaurant at a different hotel that seemed to look reasonable and had several options for food. Though certain items on the menu, were not actually available that night, we found plenty we could order, and settled in our seats to wait for our food. I have noticed that it takes a relatively long period of time to be served in restaurants here in Bhutan. I think this is because, they prepare everything fresh, the minute an order is placed. At times, I believe they have to step out into town and buy some missing groceries for a particular dish. Very little must be prepared in advance, as I don’t think they (especially in such remote locations) can count on any regular traffic of diners. The following morning, for example, for breakfast at the restaurant of our hotel, we waited at least 30 minutes for our meal of fried eggs, toast and fried rice. The tea arrived approx. 10 minutes after our order, but without milk powder, which I was told was coming right out. Within a minute or so, I noticed a young man, hurriedly walking in to the restaurant, dashing towards the kitchen, with a large milk powder bag tucked into his side. We might have been the only customers for breakfast that day. Somehow, even this, gives one a sense of being really cared for. That they go through such efforts to deliver on our requests (then again these items are on the menu).

So, after our dinner, we decided we would pay a visit to the Karaoke bar, and explore the Haa nightlife. On a small stage in front of us, various women and men (sometimes in couples) performed songs. Mostly they danced to Bhutanese pop music, with very modest and subtle movements. And a few songs were actually sung. Most of the dances we saw were performed by singular women performers, who danced in a somewhat (or appearing to be) self-conscious manner. Dressed in their half-kiras, I was wondering as I was watching these women dance to a room mostly filled with men, whether this was the Bhutanese form of seductive dance. If so, it was oh so modest compared to what one would see at an average college party in the US.

Part II of my reflections on the journey to Haa to follow in a few days. I know this must be a lot to read, but if you've made it this far, you must have enjoyed it!

yours,

Noam

First Public Performance In Bhutan!

I have just returned from my first public performance here in Bhutan. I was invited by the Director of the Department of Information and Communication, Mr. Tenzin Chhoden (in the picture below) who also happens to be the chair of the board of directors for the Kilu Music School to perform for a half an hour at a ceremony celebrating the signing of

a contract to build an IT park in Thimpu.

The event was being held at the Taj hotel, with the chief executives for the companies involved, cabinet ministers, parliament members as well as members of the press as guests.

The evening started at 18:00 at the banquet hall, my keyboard situated stage right, with chairs for the signing right in the center, and a podium for speeches stage left. The front row for the audience presented a banquet table for the ministers and dignitaries, including a chair with a decorative and colorful robe placed in the center for the guest of honor the Finance Minister. Behind this front row were round banquet style tables for the rest of the guests. With several speeches from several of the ministers (Information & Communication, Finance) as well as the company representatives (Indian company with partners in Singapore, I belive). The formal signing took place, and was followed by a speech by Tenzin who sealed the event with a series of thanks.

Most of the speeches from the Bhutanese officials spoke about the great promise of this new IT Park, and the great desire of the Royal Bhutanese Governemt to continue and encourage outside investment in the country. “A stable and thriving economy is the basis for a vibrant democracy”. The speeches and the entire event were filled with references to Gross National Happiness, the purveying philosophy of the nation, with gratitude to the foreign companies and the diligent work of the various offices of the government who were involved in making this project a reality.

The speakers spoke of the need to further develop the nation, while maintaining a philosophy of sustainability, and dealing with some of the unemployment issues, which this park should help with. The finance minister spoke of how the democratically elected government only in its second full year now, has already made great strides in implementing new plans and projects. The foreign executives lavished praise upon the government, and the people of Bhutan.

Indeed this was a formal event, with many of the kinds of characteristics that one would find in a similar event in the west. I was sitting in the back, watching the event unfold, waiting my turn to perform, sitting alongside the press corps, who were taking notes in their journals.

I was finally called to perform, as an interlude between the main event and the dinner which was going to be held outside. I performed a mixed program featuring Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, (1^st Movement), Mozart Bb Piano Sonata (1^st Movement), Heartland (original) and Nocturne no. 2 Eb by Chopin. My performance was semi formal, with people holding various conversations, drinking and mostly staying put, with a few listening. A polite applause at the end of each piece and at the end of my entire (25 minute) performance. The applause in general for the event maintained the same decibal throughtout, so I did not feel offended.

I received multiple compliments from various people about my music and my performance, and so I was happy to discover that apparently it went over quite well. Tenzin was satisfied, and so I felt good about the way it worked out.

I stayed for dinner outside at the courtyard of the Taj. The Taj, like every other building in Thimpu retains traditional Bhutanese architecture (as mandated by law). The setting was splendid, with the moon shining upon the courtyard and the mountains serving as the foil for the night. A bon fire was lit in the middle of the courtyard, and chairs were scattered all around the yard. There was a good 30 minute performance of local Bhutanese music and dance. With a trio of musicians playing the Dramnyen (lute), Zither and Chiwang (fiddle). Songs and dances were performed from a variety of geographical and ethnic styles.

Meanwhile Tenzin introduced me to the various ministers that were present (I & C, Finance, Labor) as well as multiple members of parliament. I got to speak to several of them, including the Finance minister who lives right across the street from me. I told him I was his neighbor, and we had a very warm exchange. Most interesting was the long exchange I had with Karma Lhamo, a woman in her late 20’s who is the parliament member in the lower house representing a district in the east, approx. 90 km west of Trashingang. We had a nice long chat about her work in the parliament, her election campaign, and the issues she cares about. She is primarily doing work regarding women and childre. Working to raise public awareness about education for girls, domestic violence and discrimination against women. I also met several of her colleagues, women members of parliament, including the youngest member of parliament who is 26 years old.

So there I was, having barely been here for 10 days and I’m already rubbing elbows with cabinet ministers, and being invited for dinner at parliament members’ houses. The meal itself was quite elaborate, with many delicious entrees and it was a first of a kind experience for me, to be an honored guest at the kind of event I’ve only ever seen on TV before, or played a gig for (and therefore was part of the “staff” rather than a guest). In this case, I was treated as a well respected guest, and made to feel quite welcome.

I am happy that I was able to perform on behalf of Kilu, and have my payment go directly to the school account, happy to be able to contribute financially so quickly and happy to be able to perform publicly so soon, and excited that I got to meet some of the people that are crafting policy and making decisions for Bhutan.

So, tomorrow i'm off for a two day road trip to Paro and the Haa Valley (western Bhutan) with my new Danish friend, Signe.

Tashi Delek,

Noam

Welcome to Thimpu!

Memorial Chorten

I have now been here in Thimpu over a week, still without regular internet, hoping to take care of that this week. I know there has been a gap between my last posting from Dusseldorf airport and now. I plan on doing a little catch up with my next few postings.

Stream of consciousness follows:

I am here, and this place is breathtakingly beautiful. I had a very long, and exhausting journey, but got to spend a day in Bangkok which was very interesting and unlike anything i'd ever seen. Well, Bhutan, is also unlike anything i've ever seen. My journey was relatively smooth and I was lucky to be treated with great generosity by the airline companies, and didn't have to pay any money for the excess luggage. The drive from Paro (the airport) to Thimpu was absolutely amazing, tall, luscious mountains, with misty clouds hovering all around them, gushing rivers, and narrow windy roads, driving on the left side, cars seem to be coming straight at you only to move away at the last second...no rails, deep gorges, and fresh, fresh air.

In Thimpu, I arrived at my apartment, which is modest, but nice, with breathtaking views, and oh so kind neighbors. I am still very much learning my way, and I had a few days to get adjusted before I began to work at the school. In the first few days I had two waves of intense home-sickness and the kind of question: "what the hell am I doing here?" arose . I am trying to sit with these feelings and remind myself why I chose to come here, and know that they will pass. In the days since, things have stabilized quite a bit, but I am still going through all sorts of ups and downs as I get used to life here.

There are dogs roaming all over town. Some strays and some non-strays. When we drove towards my apartment on the first day, the first thing Rinchen (the school administrator) and Masayuki (the Japanese music teacher at the school) said when we were getting close, was that this is a neighborhood that has so many dogs and dangerous dogs for that matter. That was pretty much the last thing I wanted to hear as I was already a bit apprehensive about the dog situation.

Interestingly enough my neighbors all confirmed the dog reports. If my neighbors, who one would imagine are used to dogs and know the area well, suggest not to walk through a certain part of the neighborhood, I intend to listen carefully. Thankfully, they showed me a safe shortcut towards town that avoids the part of the neighborhood where the “big, dangerous” dogs reside.

Dogs aside, Thimpu is very safe. As long as you watch where you walk on the uneven pavement/rocks and watch for cars.

Walking in the streets of Thimpu, is quite a feast for the eyes. Most people are dressed in their traditional clothes. Men wear a gho, a long robe, hoisted to knee length, and the women wear a long floor length dress called a kira. These ghos and kiras come in many different colors and designs and so the streets are filled with color and yet a kind of uniformity.

My apartment is located just above the Memorial Chorten which was built in honor of the 3^rd king of Bhutan after his death by his wife in 1974. From the lonely planet guide: “a chorten is literally a receptacle for offerings, and in Bhutan all chortens contain religious relics”. Last week there was a Big Puja (religious service) happening at the Chorten. And the most important religious leader of Bhutan the Ja Khempo was here to lead the event. The event lasted an entire week and people from all around Thimpu came, some for a few hours, some for a day, some for the entire week. Sonam, one of my neighbors took me inside the gates of the Chorten, where everybody is allowed and gave me a tour of the Chorten. Right as we entered up in front of us is the Chorten with it’s golden upward spiral (stupa). On the left one could see big prayer wheels, with many women and men sitting around them, turning the wheels. The faithful were circumambulating and Sonam naturally led me to join the crowd. As we circled around the Chorten, walking to the left, in clockwise motion, everyone around me was reciting mantras. They were all reciting the same mantra (although in quite personal ways). The mantra was recited for the well-being of the nation. OM AH HUM BAAZA GURU PADMA SIDHI HUNG

Every morning last week while the Puja was happening I heard singing and trumpets playing quite beautiful dronal music, which along with the pounding from upstairs created a great collage of sound. I learned today what this pounding that I’ve been hearing is for. It’s for weaving. Chimmi showed me their weaving work upstairs. Dechen is working in one of the apartments on a Gho and Sonam is working on a Kira for Pema’s wife.

I hope to have internet at home soon, so I’ll be able to post entries more frequently.

For now,

Noam

Inside the Memorial Chorten Grounds

During Puja