My trip in Bhutan during Paro's festival

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Bhutan ON THE OCCASION OF THE FEAST OF PARO

What a great country, Bhutan!
Two years were missing from this land with its beautiful nature reserve that a surprise behind every natural curve, but people with a somewhat strange ... Before leaving I read the Kuensel, the Bhutanese national newspaper, which across the country came into force, the anti-smoking law, one reads a little confused in 'application. A few days before the King, in an 'interview with Indian journalists, had admitted to smoking, and even a lot, but had claimed to have imposed this ban for the sake of future generations. Democratic country, Bhutan! The new legislation is that every visitor can take with him a stick of cigarette for free, with the prohibition of selling them in the country. Ma .. gave us a beautiful stanga arrival! We were eight people, seven wonderful and kind gentleman and myself. Five out of eight were smokers, so everyone brought in a suitcase that had the cigarettes meet the needs for the 9 days of stay in Bhutan, as and 'prohibited the sale of cigarettes. Filled the forms and paid $ 20 for the visa, two men in traditional dress,-the "RI", as in a typical color Bhutanese down to the knees and socks that go up to the knees-up, red lips and teeth for the continued chewing of betel [famous for its carcinogenic effects ...]- approaching with his face distorted by greed, with the smile of cunning: "now there frigate. They are officers of the customs. It is foolhardy on my bags and customers with great pleasure pull out cigarettes, saying: "You pay $ 28 for each rod. It is not permitted the import of a single cigarette; in our country do not smoke." Allow me, loudly, to protest, but ears are from merchant: receive and give receipts! This was our welcome to Bhutan. " The eye, smokers! We are also persecuted in Buddhist countries ... In the first tour stop was Paro, where the festival took place annually. Though the festival is interesting for us organizers are becoming a nightmare because of the lack of hotel accommodation. Indeed it seems that the whole world is concentrated in this small country occupying all the rooms in all hotels, and who first arrived more houses. Bhutanese agencies, which charge a fixed fee of $ 200 per day, gives you the hotels they want, without taking into account the requests made earlier. I swore that there would never be gone .... The inauguration of the festival of Paro is in a beautiful place, even if you get a little faticosetto not get the machines and you walk 30 minutes on a path that is climbs under a rocky ridge on which is perched the Dzong of Dzongdhaka, whose monastery date of the thirteenth century. The atmosphere is nice and the dances are held in the courtyard of the Dzong, and all around there are all sorts of stand, where it sells everything. People happy with his salt picnic to spend the day in the sun,-one of the few with the sun - The next day we go to attend the beginning of the festival itself in the Paro Dzong. Upon a police officer requires the participants to remove the hat as a sign of respect, despite the hot sun and fierce. I note that a lady of the group suffers from a disease in the head and can not remove the cap. Answer: "O the remains or goes away." It takes away!
Also here is an orderly crowd lie around the sides of the courtyard. The clowns, the Azzara, monitor nicely that you do not care where all the open space should be dancing. The show lasts much, and few can resist to the end, after seeing the first dancers with beautiful brocade clothes and listened to the music of drums and radung, you are satisfied and go away .. While strolling among the stalls I see a green tent and a big surprise ... written invites visitors to obtain free condoms. Bhutan is famous for its dzong, imposing fortresses-monasteries arose in places of strategic importance for defense against possible invasion Tibetan, all constructed around the seventeenth century by Shabdrung Ngawang Namghiel. Indeed majestic and are afraid of, the interior [the little that you do visit] gives a feeling of warmth, because everything is built in wood. The dzong contain government offices / administrative and monasteries, and then you see inside employees, strictly in traditional clothes, going home to work fine, few fine hall of the monastery with stunning frescoes, and Monachello playing in the courtyards. From Jakar, Bumthang with capital of several temples and monasteries, we went to visit the small village of Ura. The landscape has changed: the tropical forests give way to green fields and well cultivated. The Bumthang consists of five broad valleys dotted with houses typical of Bhutan who remember the Swiss chalet. Typically, the Bhutanese people are friendly and smiling, people are willing to be photographed and to talk-when you understand. " Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, takes us back to our world. It changed a lot since the last time I visited, where well-stocked supermarkets and nightclubs. But the weekly market on Saturday was very nice. The stalls are often no more than a carpet laid on the floor, the smell of dried fish is a bit invasive, there are fresh Nutmeg used in the composition of betel [betel nut], vegetables and various items for daily use premises. A Thimphu is still a lack of traffic lights, and even to alert the center when the crossings dancing warns motorists,-few-that may continue or stop. But nature, which varies from tropical to cold Himalayan, is what strikes most in this country! Along the road leading into central Bumthang and then continues to the border with Assam, area-in this time-not for tourists, is a succession of lush forests, the monkeys that come to the edge of the road almost to admire their beauty, small deer walking quietly to the edge of the road. And the flowers! How many flowers are there! The forest is dotted with huge rhododendrons in bloom, magnolias gigantic arise almost anywhere a bit to form a forest in the forest. Every moment there is something beautiful to see and photograph. The evening was cold but we were warmed by wood stoves placed in the dining room. Leave a pity, because in a room is cold. To get you in Bumthang crossing three steps between 3000 mei 3400 m. On the pass-the Dochu were erected 108 drug users, on the other it enjoys an excellent overview of the mountains intorno.Puntsoling us with a very wet and rainy .. A border town that does not offer much. A mixed population of Indians, Bhutanese and Nepalese go to the streets not very clean or make purchases in supermarkets, well-supplied. Leaving the hotel you can easily cross the arch that marks the border between Bhutan and India. I do so often because in India you can call at a lower cost of Bhutan. I do return to the chaos because warm and friendly Indian landscape contrasts with the orderly and tidy, almost Swiss Bhutan. Today cross the border all together to put in the small house of the Immigration and continue our journey on crowded streets, horns roaring and confusion. India.
Franco Pizzi, April 2005