Bhutan Travel ~ Outdoor Statue of Sakyamuni

The first attraction visited on the trip from Paro Airport to Thimphu is the outdoor Sakyamuni Buddha. 🍐 This huge bronze statue sits atop a hill in a nature park on the outskirts of Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, and is the largest statue in the country. 🍉 There is a hall at the base of the seated figure that can be visited but not photographed; its interior is similar to temples in Tibetan areas, with the usual yellow tones. 🍈 Compared to traditional temple statues in Tibetan regions, it lacks the sediment of time and the 🍍accumulation of treasures, appearing somewhat simple. However, it was here that my 🥥communication about Buddhist culture with my English guide Sangrey had no language barriers. The honorifics and mantras for each Buddha 🥥statue are pronounced in Tibetan, and although I don’t understand Tibetan, the transliterated 🥕pronunciations are the same, and the rituals are identical.🍆 Bhutanese call their country Druk Yul (“Land of the Dragon”). The origin of “Druk” (dragon) is 🥝related to religion. In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a branch called the Kagyu school. When its 🍒founding monk, Geared Yeshe Dirji, was building a temple in Tibet, he heard three claps of thunder, which sounded like dragon roars, symbolizing 🍍great auspiciousness. When one branch of the Kagyu school entered Bhutan in the 17th century, it grew into the most powerful sect in the region. Hence, Bhutan is known as the “Land of the 🥝Thunder Dragon.”🍆 On the first day in Bhutan, the shared cultural heritage drew us closer.🥕 They say Bhutanese men wear “skirts” all year round, so I specially put on a short skirt to interact. The dress of Bhutanese men was already 🌽introduced in the article about Tashichho Dzong. The “gho” is like an improved version of Tibetan clothing, usually knee-length, paired with long socks and leggings, and occasionally tights.🥑 Local Bhutanese food is extremely salty and spicy, which is not friendly to someone like me who prefers low salt and oil. I was prepared to rinse each meal with boiling water, go hungry 🍯every meal, and supplement with my own snacks. At the homestay on the first day, I met the first chef in my trip. 🍅 I went to the kitchen and asked if I could cook for myself, but the chef said he would try making something, so I waited to taste it. 🥦 A plate of sweet and sour, non-greasy chicken pieces was born (I was so hungry that I almost finished it before remembering to take a photo). I took my first photo with a chef during the trip!🥔 The meals in the following days were like VIP 🌶customizations. The reason for this turnaround is thanks to Mani, the person in charge of the 🍯Nepalese travel agency. This will be introduced in a special chapter later.🍅 Views taken from the homestay room. Due to the 2-hour time difference, I naturally woke up at 5 a.m. in Bhutan. The basin terrain makes it hard to see a complete sunrise, but a sunny day is 🌶already nice. #Bhutan