Bhutan - Day 12

The day started with a drive up the Tang valley to a place called the Burning Lake. 

As you can see it is not burning and it is not a lake :).  Click on the link above to understand why it is called Burning Lake.  There was a nice bridge over the river and pretty flowers.

Then we drove up the hill to the Pema Choeling Nunnery. This was one of my favorite stops.  The nuns were very nice and they included a lot of green plants inside their temples. There are around 150 nuns.

Simple way to lock the front gate

Main Temple - Nun's quarters are in the back

Prayer wheels

Central courtyard of nunnery

With a lovely kitten

Out back, lots of firewood.  Zoom in to see nuns bending rebar for buildings.

Water supply system

Afterwards, we hiked down to the Burning Lake parking lot.  

Hmm, that white mark on the post looks like a Trans-Bhutan trail marker

Yes it was, we found the marker hidden behind a building at the parking lot.

Next was a wonderful lunch with butter tea interrupted by a bunch of wild pigs running up the hill. Because Bhutanese do not kill anything, they resort to those fences we saw farmers building a few days ago to keep the pigs out of their fields. 

We then drove back into town past potato fields, beehives, and an experimental sheep farm the King is trying out to see how it works in Bhutan.

Sheep on in field under branch on left side

Next was the Wangduechhoeling Palace museum - definitely the best museum in Bhutan.  It really cleared up a lot that the guide had been telling us about the how the Kingdom was formed and what each King has done for the country.  This was the royal residence until the third king moved the capital to Thimphu between 1955-1961.

The basics of Bhutan's government were set by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in the 15-16th centuries.  The idea of coexisting religious and political aspects of government along with a system of etiquette that is still in use today.

Fast forward 200 years or so and we get to Jigme Namgyel who was a warrior who brought most of Bhutan under his control.  His son became the first King of Bhutan starting the Wangchuck dynasty. 

The museum had a lot of detail on what each King has done for Bhutan.  I feel that Bhutan has been extremely lucky to have such benevolent kings that really do want to do the best for the Bhutanese people.  For example, the 4th King transitioned Bhutan into a constitutional monarchy by spending several years traveling around Bhutan explaining why he thought it was a good idea and listening to what the people had to say. 

In addition it had information on the woodcut printing methods used by the Buddhist monks to create their writings on local daphne paper. 

They also had a cut away of a stupa so you can see all the inner relics that are stored inside each stupa.

Finally Bhutan is reviving the tradition of Manip or traveling monks who would carry a Tashi Gomang (many doors) on their backs to remote villages to teach them buddhist principles. 

Our last stop of the day was at Jambey Temple - one of the oldest temples in Bhutan. Right inside the entry door were 4 very large prayer wheels.

The wood stick on top rings a bell each time the wheel is turned.