Home » Bhutan » Punakha, Saturday the 6th of August

I wake to the sounds of water and the smell of wood smoke. After a couple of nights here, I no longer feel cut off from the world but protected from it and not particularly anxious to move away.<br/><br/>

After a short breakfast we made our way to the Â“sports areaÂ” of the city to see an archery match. Archery is taken terribly seriously here, so seriously that it is the national sport and every village, no matter how small, has an archery range.
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Punakha, Saturday the 6th of August

Degrubenc
2005-12-09 17:52:26

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of large penises painted on the walls of the nearby houses. The monastery is reached by taking a small path zigzagging through the rice fields. The afternoon prayer is already taking place and the prayer room is full of women having made the trip supposedly in the hope of being given a new chance at having children. The head monk walks around and touches every woman with a giant stone phallus. I donÂ’t know if the system has been medically proven to work but all those women certainly seemed convinced, as they rushed off home to their husbands. As we leave the temple, our paths crosses the path of a Yak caravan going from somewhere to elsewhere. I have been keen to ride a yak for a long time and so ask them politely if I may jump on. They are happy to oblige and help me up. The ride is fun if a bit monotonous. They really are smelly creatures. During that time, I reflect on the relationship between the animal and the owner: in exchange for a few blades of grass every few days, the Yak gives in return a mode of transport, large amount of foods, a heavy fur to be used as coat or blanket and hair to make the tents and houses in which tpeasantsnts live. Also, fat to be used in copious amounts at religious gathering, for lighting the house and to give strength in the meals and tea. The Yak also supplies endless amounts of milk, to be turned into cheese and other by-products to feed tfamilylly. Its droppings are used for heat and cooking food. After it death, even its bones are used as musical instruments, transformed into artifacts or toys for the kids. Its head is hung proudly above the door. Seems like men have more use for the Yak then the other way round.

After the visit, we headed north to see the famous black-necked cranes. This is a species of bird extinct in most places but Bhutan; barely a few hundred have survived. Their extinction is due in greater part to ever increasing amount of land being turned into rice fields and other arable ...