Tour of Bhutan 2024 | Day 13 | Bumthang | 85.1 kms

Woke up around 8 am, brushed my teeth, took a hot shower bath, washed my clothes. IT was bright and sunny outside as the sun was up from behind the mountains. The temperature was around 12 degrees. By 8:45 a.m., I am down for breakfast with Phub. We have butter tea (Suja) along with Rice, Chili paste, Pork and Omelet. We have a heavy breakfast after that, I go into my room to pack for today’s trip. We leave around 9:45 a.m.

Our 1st stop is the Tamshing Monastery, which is just 2 kms. On our way, we see many people engrossed in the game of archery. They signal us to cross as the road passes through the archery ground. The distance must be around 100 mtrs. We arrive at the temple but cannot se anyone inside who can explain me about the monastery. Phub is not wearing the traditional ‘Gho’ so, he is barred from entering. We decided to check on it later in the late afternoon. Our next place is the Red Panda Beer Factory, few mtrs ahead. I am excited to see how the beer is made. But, luck is not on our side as the manager responsible for the tour is not available as he has gone to Thimphu and only he is authorized for giving the tour to the tourists. We decide to leave the place and visit the adjacent Swiss Cheese making factory, apparently, run by the same Swiss gentleman who owns the beer making factory. We hear that a Swiss guy settled here in the late 90’s and married a Bhutanese girl and started all these in the town. The entry fee for visiting the cheese factory is 400rs.

One of the co-workers takes us through the process minus the action as this being off-season for tourists, they are not producing cheese. He explains the cheese making process to us, all items being imported from Germany and fully automatic. We also see the cheese cellar where cheese are kept for aging under controlled temperature. They daily need a salt bath. They make 2 varieties, Dutch cheese called Gouda and Swiss cheese called Emmental. At the end of the tour, we taste the Gouda one. I buy some of that before we leave.

Next, we head to the Burning lake up in the nearby mountains. It’s a 20 min ride. When we arrive at the parking lot, there are other locals who have also come to take the blessings. It is said that many people on this route stop for a while to take the blessings of Pema Lingpa before proceeding ahead.

The burning lake is attributed to him and there is a story saying that he emerged out from the latke with a burning lamp in his hand. We need to hike down for 5 mins to see the water body. Actually, it’s a big water stream flowing down from the top to meet the river below. We pay our respects to him at his temple which is made near the bridge leading to the sacred water body. We take some photos before heading to our next destination which is the Ogyen Choling Museum located in the Tang Valley around 25 kms from the current place.

It’s almost an hour’s ride. The roads are small and often having broken patches. We pass through 2-3 villages along the way. We climb and descend 3 hills adjacent to each other. Getting down from one of the hills, my rear brake locks up. The vehicle is not moving forward. I guess, there is some problem with the brake. The brakes are not releasing. The disc’s hot. We pour some water over and let it cool down. fter few minuted, it’s all good to go. I decide not to use the rear brakes. We reach Tang village with our google maps ON but it leads us to the foot of the mountain. Thinking it’s there, we ask the locals and they say that it’s actually on top of the mountain and there is an off road which leads to the top. We find the toad and manage to reach the top with me almost falling once due to the loose gravels. There is a village at the top when we arrive. It’s biting cold with wind blasting us from all around. Archery map is in progress and we cut them and head towards the museum’s entrance door through the main door. The door is locked. There is an old lady there who calls one girl to attend to us. It seems she has the key to the museum. The entry ticket is 400 Rs for me.

The museum is made into 4 levels. It was the house of the Ogyen Choling family in the early days. It is not converted into museum. Each level showcases the traditional and cultural aspect of Bhutan. Anyone visiting this would get to know the history of Bhutan very well. The museum displays the traditional attire of the people and how it was made. The kitchen system of the early time, daily household item used, storage items, carpentry items, metal craft items, bamboo items, weaponry, prayer hall, office hall, printing press, dancing and music room, room showcasing various food grains cultivated, items traded with Tibet etc. There’s so much to see that almost 2 hrs are went by and we exit around 5 p.m. Before leaving, we submit my photo to the museum caretaker so that she will print and paste it on the photo wall of tourists visited the museum located on the last level. The lady promises us that she will print and paste it. We have some refreshments before making our return journey.

It’s a really painful one going back as the cold is too much to bear. My hands and feet are dead numb. I am desparate to return back to base. On the way, we stop to take one photo as the sun is about to go down and the valley is all flooded with clouds making a surreal picture. Braving the cold, we gather our strengths to click photo with bare hands. With that completed, it’s a non-stop ride to town.

We stop at the bridge of the old own to look for some handicraft items. We find one shop but it’s closed. Luckily, the shop in front is the owner to the handicraft shop also and she let’s me take a look inside. Spending some time, I manage to buy few of the stuff. I pack it and then we head off to our homestay. We are served hot tea first. After the tea, we retire to our own rooms. We meet again for dinner after 45 mins. Dinner consist of Rice, Noodles, Chili paste, Chicken, Buckwheat pancake with local butter. We eat till our stomachs are full. We then have 3 rounds of ‘cordyceps’ infused ‘Ara’ shots before saying goodbye to the lovely family and retiring to our beds for a comfortable sleep.