Tour of Bhutan 2024 | Day 9 | Punakha | 59 kms

I get up around 8:15am. l open the window shades. The sun has just come up from behind the mountains. It’s a beautiful sight to see I have my morning coffee watching the sun come up and let its sunshine warm me. I start to get ready immediately. I backup my previous 2 days videos into my hard disk. After changing into my fresh clothes, I go down to have a breakfast. Breakfast consists of Indian style Puri and bhaji. We also have the option, cornflakes with milk and bread.

I first feast on Puri bhaji and then have my coffee with butter toast. Phub calls me and tells me that he is going to be late by 30 mins. I wait for him in the lobby as there is nothing else to do. We finally leave the hotel around 10:25am. Our first stop is the majestic Punakha Dzong at a distance of 4 kms. We reach there in a matter of 10 mins. Before reaching, we stop at a checkpoint, from where we get the beautiful view of the Dzong.

We park our bikes in the parking lot. It’s still early in the morning as we don’t see much tourist vehicles around. The entry ticket is 500 Rs as we enter the Dzong via an arched wooden bridge. The ‘male’ river runs underneath and we can even see the fishes. The Dzong was built in the 16th century by the great unifier Shabdrung, who is believed to hove brought Buddhism into the country. My guide Phub keeps on giving me information at regular intervals. He even tells me that the intact body of the saint is still preserved inside the chamber in the Dzong but unfortunately, no one is allowed to visit it. Only the chief abbot and the King have the authority. We enter inside the main Dzong climbing a set of steep inclined stairs. There are lines of 3 parallel stairs. The left and the right ones are to be used by the normal people while the centre one is reserved only for the Royal family.

We visit the only temple which is allowed. There are numerous wall paintings done on the walls and Phub tries his best to explain them to me. Some of them are really interesting. The main highlight of the painting done inside the main temple is the painting done which highlights the journey of Buddha from Birth to the point where he attains Nirvana. The story is beautifully described. We pay our respects in the temple before moving out. There is a big peepul tree inside the dzong. It is said that it was gifted by the 1st PM of India, Mr. Nehru.

Our next point of exploration is the suspension bridge over the same river. It is the longest in the country. As we are on our way, we pass through a large open ground. We see many families picnicking on the open ground with their car parked besides them. Its the new year and everyone is enjoying. Its a holiday today for all. Next up ahead, we see a group of people engaged in Bhutan’s national sport, Archery. It’s the first time I am witnessing an archery event live. There is a competition between 2 groups of 11 people each. They are having targets placed at both ends with the distance being around 140 mtrs.

It’s soo for that I can’t even see the circular ring target with my eyes. People are using professionally made bows and arrows, with a pair of arrows costing around 2000 Rs. The arrow in flight is hard to notice and you can only see when it’s about to hit the target. I am lucky to see some arrows hit the target and immediately after that, the rest of the people engage in some kind of victory call with all of them dancing in sync and calling out loud. I stay and watch for a while before moving out to see the sport of ‘ Degor’ which is being played just adjacent to the archery game. People wait in line with flat round stones in one hand. There is a fixed marker on the ground at a certain distance and you have to throw it with one hand. It has to land near to the target as close as possible. I give it a try and my stone falls near the target on my 2nd attempt. I thank the participants for involving me and then we move ahead where a game called ‘Khuru’ is being played.

Basically, the English version of it is called dart throwing. The distance is around 30 mtrs and the follows the same rule of game just like archery. We find a women selling ‘pani puri’. We approach her and try our hands on the Bhutanese style ‘Pari Puri’. It’s tastes good and completely different from what you get in India. We leave from the place and I consider myself lucky for witnessing the local sports of Bhutan today.

We pass over an Iron bridge and cross onto the other side. The suspension bridge is near by around 3-4 kms. We reach there in no time and have to go walking the last few mtrs and the path is rocky and narrow. It really seems like a long one and we can see some people, both local and tourists crossing the bridge. The bridge is all covered in the prayer flags and they flutter when a strong wind blows. We both stop to get ourselves clicked and then move over to the other end.

We take a small break at a hotel. I order ginger lemon honey tea just to refresh myself before we go back the same way towards our bike. We then move towards our next destination which is the Temple of Fertility. It’s a little far from our current location and takes around 25 mins to reach. Here also, I have to pay the entry ticket of 500 Rs. It’s a 10 min hike towards the temple. As with most of the temples, videography and photography is prohibited inside the temple but Phub explains me about the sacred story behind this ‘Temple of Fertility’ and how it came into being. He also tells me about the temple’s super natural powers. For the couples who are trying hard to conceive a child, their wishes are granted if they visit this temple and I can see the living proofs in a thick photograph album which is kept inside for the general public to see.

It has all the photographic evidence and the thank you notes left/given by the couples after their baby was successfully. The stories are from all around the world and even some Indian stories can be found. We leave the temple and time is around 3:45pm. The Temple closes around 4pm. Before leaving the village where the temple is located, I buy some souvenirs related to the ‘Temple of Fertility’ before we move on towards Phub’s parents house, up on the adjacent mountain. It’s a 30 min drive to the top of the mountain and the town where I am staying is right down below the valley. The road is all snaky to the top. It’s broken for most of the part and the last 2 kms are completely off road. Phub had hinted me in the morning about the visit to his house for lunch but as it was well past 4 pm, I thought that we were just taking a different route back to our town.

I had this doubt as there were no any other settlements which could be seen. Phub’s house was the only one standing tall. Reality dawned on me when Phub motioned me to take the final turn indicating his house which could be seen now. We are welcomed by his parents, brother and his grandmother. We are served hot tea instantly and after some time, we are treated to local Bhutanese menu consisting of Rice, Pork, Chicken and Cheese. Everything taste’s just so much better. We are even served homemade chili pickle. We eat till our stomachs are full and I have no words left to praise Phub’s mom for having prepared such a tasty dinner in such an odd time and really quick. It’s close to 6pm now and almost about to get dark. It’s starting to get cold as we leave the place, bidding adieu to all of the family members. It’s entirely ride in the dark for us as we reach the hotel around 6:45pm.

To warm ourselves, we are served coffee by the hotel staff before I move into my room. Phub leaves for his house. I get fresh and head towards the Dzong with my DSLR to get the night view of the Dzong captured. After Clicking some great shots, I head out to the riverside cafe ‘Garuda’, to spend the remainder of the evening. I write my diary and have informed the hotel to not make dinner for me. Around 10:30, I leave the cafe for a comfortable night’s sleep. We towards Phobjika valley tomorrow.