Paro Bhutan - people and places

 Wednesday, February 22                                                                     Bhutan

We stayed in Paro, the city of the international airport - in part, to see the Takshang Monastery (Tiger's Nest Monastery).  We toured the town on Wednesday afternoon, including touring the Dzong (fort) and having a performance of chanting and music at a monastery in town.

We walked around to look at the architecture and shop a bit - and because it was a three day holiday, there was a large event occurring in town.  An open air concert was scheduled to help raise funds for International Epilepsy Day.  There were bleacher seats in a semi circle that held about 400 spectators. I joined them in watching singing and a break dancing exhibition.

Most of Paro is rural - 700,000 people live in Bhutan.  Only 3% of the land is fit for agriculture because it is too hilly/mountainous.  Bhutan exports electricity (primarily to India) in the form of hydroelectric power and imports most of their food - especially meat.  There are no slaughter houses in the country -they primarily import meat and food from India.  The river through the center of town is very important for their agriculture, as it floods in the spring and summer. Red rice is the primary crop in the summer - their winter crops include wheat and potatoes.

Dzong (fort/monastery) in Paro with covered bridge and watch tower on hilltop

Buddhist temple with gold parasol on top

Monks and stupa - stupas are called chortens in Bhutan

Stupa is a funerary memorial with enclosed personal remains - this one is in Tibetan tile

Boys playing games

Monks start training as young as 6 years old

Large prayer wheel

Paro temple

Large community festival to raise money for epilepsy cures and research

Community break dancing exhibition

Paro Chhu River - in Western Bhutan, is an important water source for agriculture

Bhutan chorten - a specific type of stupa in Bhutan, holding funerary urns

Walking clockwise around the chorten with a prayer wheel as a form of meditation/prayer

Love those tractors!

Flags (108) on hillside commemorate death of relative and are kept in place for 1 year