Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan with just over 100,000 people of Bhutans 800,000 total population. Back on the crazy roads there was some excellent animal spotting : langur monkeys
More yak:
Then some other kind of monkeys:
When we arrived in Thimphu we headed for the memorial chorten which was busy with tourists, a bit of a first for us in Bhutan.
There were some great prayer wheels here and some great local characters
Next something the whole group were really looking forward to – Bhutans national animal – takin! The Royal Takin Preserve was the place to see them:
We also saw various different types of deer:
With Thimphu being the capital and takin on my mind, I hoped this might be an opportunity to find me a yak burger!! Sure enough after a bit of shopping around town and directions from our trusted guide we found the spot and I happily munched a yak burger with fries and local beer. I was in my element and it meant I could skip the buffet dinner that night and have a bit of quiet time at the really nice hotel we were staying in. I needed my strength for the next day.
The next morning bright eyed after a great sleep (which is rare for me) we set off in the bus up and up and up the mountain to Buddha point to view the fairly new giant Buddha :
After a spot of art and local handicrafts shopping we stopped by the local archery grounds and got to see a game in progress. It was very amusing to watch. The board the players are aiming for is miles away.. well 150 metres but that’s so far to shoot an arrow. It was so funny to watch them as the opposing team does a dance at the board before and after each shot
Next stop was the centenary farmers market which had all sorts of local produce
The national library was next. I do love a good library but it was a bit on the small side – seeing the Bhutanese scriptures in local language was interesting and the building was nice but it was no Trinity college!
odohertyelaine 