Punakha and the Bhutan International Marathon

Last weekend we made our first journey outside of Thimpu.  We headed to the city of Punakha, site of the Bhutan International Marathon.  Punakha is about 22 miles (but about 2 hours) through the mountains from Thimpu.

 



Our first stop was Dochula Pass, 30 km from Thimpu.  This site has 108 chortens, which were built by the Queen Mother in honor of the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed when fighting Indian rebels in 2003.   The pass is at an altitude of 10,000 ft, with a 360 degree view of the Himalayas.  China (Tibet) is on the other side of the mountains.

 

A view of some of the 108 chortens:

 

 

Like everywhere else in Bhutan, there are dogs at Dochula, too.

We hired a driver for this trip.  He took us to Punakha, patiently chauffeured us around the town, spent the night there, and drove us home the next day.  Here he is:

 

 After Dochula, we stopped a small village. 

Eden did some exploring.

Hope made a friend.

Ted found the dried mud bricks they use for building.

Some other village scenes:

 

Finally we arrived in Punakha, which was quite beautiful (and warm!).  Below is the Punakha Dzong.  Dzongs are the combined religious and administrative centers of each district or region.  This one is particularly stunning.  

 

As you can see, the dzong sits right on the river.  While we were there, the monks from the dzong were bathing or playing (maybe both) in the river.  While they did so, all their maroon robes were lying on the bank of the river.  It was quite a sight. 

A 20 minute walk or so from the dzong is a 300 meter suspension bridge across the river.  It was a part of the marathon route.

This man was not a marathon participant. (At least to the best of my knowledge).

Two members of our family participated in the 1/2 marathon (while only one member of our family is really a runner...). The marathon itself will be subject of another blog post which Eden will write.  Stay tuned.