Men Wear Skirts to Bhutan's Festivals

Wanduphodrang Tsechu Festival, Bhutan

I went to Bhutan for the festivals. Sure, the country's natural Himalayan beauty and its lovely, peaceful, educated people are a major draw. But the festivals are especially gorgeous and colorful. The biggest festival of all is Thimphu Tsechu in October. My husband and I and two lifelong traveling friends scheduled our Bhutan trip around the Tsechu festival in Bhutan's capital city of Thimphu. We planned a trip through Bhutan specialist Myths and Mountains, that took us to different Dzongs (large palace/castles which house both government and religious offices). In the festival performances, monks dress in thick costumes depicting various gods, demons, heroes and animals. The dancers act out legends and stories, mostly by spinning around in circles. 

Thimphu Dzong 

Thimphu Dzong Rehearsal

The day before Tsechu's official start, the monks perform at a dress rehearsal. With smaller crowds, the rehearsals allow better access to see the dancers up close, and allow spectators to sit on the ground near the performers.

Tsechu Festival Performance at Bhutan's Dzong in the capital city, Thimphu

Spectators entering the Thimphu Dzong to see the dances. Everyone dresses up in traditional clothes which are special woven textiles that they wrap in a prescribed way, creating pleats.  Women's dresses are called Kiras and drape to the ground. Men's dresses are called Ghos and stop at their knees. 

For special occasions like festivals, men also wrap shawls around their Ghos

This is a clown who wanders through the crowd at the festival, offering the opportunity to be blessed with his phallus. (Yes really). For a small donation, the monk dressed as a clown will touch you with the wooden phallus he carries around

Globalization and Toy Guns in Bhutan

The Tsechu Festival in Bhutan is a colorful, joyful gathering, filled with costumed dancers, fairgrounds and food. So interesting and fun to witness this ancient celebration. The Bhutanese families gather on the palace grounds in their fine clothing, bringing picnics and relaxing.  But, I was stunned to see young boys and even some girls, running around with plastic guns, pretending to shoot each other, and sometimes actually shooting each other with plastic pellets. (I even got hit in the leg). The guns were available for sale all over the fairgrounds, apparently imported from India. The kids' parents shrugged and said that their kids want the guns when they see their friends playing with guns. Such a sad, bad influence.

Dwarikas Hotel: Asylum for Nepal's Wooden Masterpieces

All over Nepal, older buildings incorporate intricately carved dark wooden shutters, doors and decorations. The city of Bhaktapur was - and still is - a center where woodcarvers congregate and practice their ancient craft.

Palace in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Craftsmen operate out of shops where, if they are lucky and have commissions, they do their work. And, as sideline, they carve smaller pieces to offer for sale for tourists. The peacock is a typical design.

Peacock carving for sale on the street in Bungamati

Woodcarver in Bungamati

Original Peacock Carving on Second Floor of a Home in Kathmandu

Original Peacock Close Up 

In the 1950s, a man named Dwarika Das Shrestha began to collect carved wooden doors and windows that were damaged or cast aside in renovations. Recognizing that the wood carvings were important cultural heritage, he undertook to repair and restore them, eventually leading to his decision to incorporate the carvings into a building. He established Dwarika's Hotel, calling it an asylum or hospital for wounded wooden masterpieces. Today, it is a luxurious, special boutique hotel, with an inner courtyard, swimming pool and spa.

Dwarika's vision is engraved on a plaque in the hotel's elevator.
"Dwarika's became an asylum and hospital for the care for wounded masterpieces in wood where they are restored to their original beauty, a school for training and practice of traditional arts and skills, a laboratory to research old techniques and a living museum where people may enjoy and understand this heritage which is not only Nepali, but that of the human race. Dwarika Das Shrestha (1925-1992)".

Courtyard of Dwarika's Hotel, Kathmandu

On the Road in Nepal

The traffic is astonishing. Check out this bumper to bumper, non-stop string of traffic, snaking its way through the Himalayan mountains. It was especially congested in early October because all of Nepal was getting ready for the big holiday festival of Dasain. People travel cross country to gather with family to celebrate the holiday. My husband and I and two friends chose the date to travel to Nepal so that we could be there for festivals. It was worth it to see all the excitement, decorating, shopping; but boy, were the roads congested. It made for slow going. On the positive side, I got to take a lot of photos from the car, and I didn't worry much about blurred pictures. There was no speed factor to speak of.

The trucks and busses are a hoot. One is snazzed up more than the next. The drivers take great pride in their decorations. It's challenging to get a photo of a truck's profile because of the intense traffic congestion.

This roadside "rest stop" sign offered three categories. I had to ask our driver to explain. There is Men, Female and "Long Toilet". The driver tactfully explained that the men's is a urinal. The other one is for females and for men when they need the toilet for "long". Oh. Yuk.

The Female and Long Toilet

A Man on his way in to the Men's Side of the Toilet

Up in the mountains, we encountered this "toll booth" erected by some enterprising guys who won't let you pass by unless you give them money.  The price list is posted on the hut, which connects to the string-operated bamboo stick.

...and then there is the condition of the roads out in the countryside. This poor guy wasn't getting very far very fast on his motorcycle.

Le Morne: Challenging Mountain Climb with a Tragic History

Le Morne Brabant mountain dominates the skyline of the island nation of Mauritius. It anchors the southwest corner of the land, dropping sharply, jutting into the Indian Ocean. Le Morne was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 not only because of its dramatic rock formation - but more importantly, because of its exceptional history of the resistance to slavery. It was used as a fortress by fugitive, escaped slaves, who were known as "maroons". The mountain's isolated, wooded, and almost inaccessible cliffs allowed escaped slaves to settle in caves on the summit. From the 1700s through the early 1800s, Mauritius was a stopover in the slave trade among Madagascar, India and Southeast Asia. Numbers of slaves who escaped and lived on Le Morne Mountain led to its nickname of the "Maroon Republic". UNESCO's selection of Le Morne as a World Heritage Site referred to the oral tradition and testimony as a symbol of the slaves' fight for freedom. 

As if the suffering of slavery and the fear of hiding on the mountain as fugitives wasn't bad enough, the end of the story is even more heartbreaking. My son and I were told the story by a taxi driver and by a guide; and it is reported in Wikipedia as well. (My attempt at corroborating the oral history). The story is that Mauritius abolished slavery on February 1, 1835. A police expedition to notify slaves of their freedom was dispatched to Le Morne because it was widely known that many slaves feared recapture and were hiding up on the craggy mountaintop. Tragically, the slaves up on the mountain saw the police advancing and did not understand why. Frightened that they were cornered, the slaves leapt to their deaths from the rock. The date February 1 is observed in Mauritius as the Annual Commemoration of the Abolition of Slavery. 

Besides just looking at the imposing mountain peak as a historical monument, one can climb it as well. In fact, Le Morne is an important tourist attraction. 

My son and I had followed the advice to arrange for a guide, which we did. Unfortunately, our taxi driver missed the connection with the guide, so we arrived at the base of the mountain finding nobody there. We read the signs on the trailhead (including a photo of a frayed rope in a cleat, warning not to go all the way to the top because the ropes need replacing). Concluding that we had enough water and that the trail was clearly marked, we decided that we would go as far as we felt comfortable, and could turn back whenever we decided to). We arranged for the taxi driver to pick us up in several hours. The paths were clear and the views of the ocean and panoramas got better and better as we ascended. 

But as we approached the sheer face, I found the rock scrambling to be much more difficult and decided that I should stop. I went as far as a metal fence that appeared near the top. 

My son continued another hour or so all the way up to the summit. Fortunately for him (and for my peace of mind), he met up with two young German climbers - he a fitness trainer, she a physical therapist. He described them as goat-like in their ease clambering up the bald rock mountain. 

They accompanied him all the way down (frayed ropes and all), waited as he carefully picked his way down, and shared their water after his was gone.  So, he did it! (I quit; but I'm ok with that). He treated them to lunch as a thank you, and we learned from them that climbing Le Morne was a bucket list item for them - and the key reason they flew all the way to Mauritius.  Learning that fact from those fit Germans who climb mountains all the time made our accomplishment feel even better. 

4 Waterfalls in One Day is Plenty: Les 7 Cascades, Mauritius

Climbers Walking Across the Top

On the beautiful lush island country of Mauritius, there is a volcanic crater that has filled in with trees and a string of seven waterfalls that snake from the top down to the bottom of the deep canyon. Known as "Les 7 Cascades", the waterfalls are a tourist attraction for the brave traveler who likes to hike and scramble on rocks.  It is recommended that visitors hire a guide because the jungle paths can get confusing and because it's quite steep and frankly, scary, if you don't know what you are doing or where you are going. Plus, walking on the wet rocks at the edge of a steep plunge would be terrifying without someone to reassure you that you are going the right way and will be fine.  

Sitting on the top edge; Looking down

We started out the day having signed up with a guide for the full 7 waterfall hike. But, after I did a few of the scrambles up hills like this, I doubted that I had 5 hours of stamina to get down into the basin of the crater and back up again, all while navigating rocks, pulling myself up on vines. So, we switched over to a guide who would take us on the abbreviated 4 waterfall hike. Raja was our man. Great guide. Great day.

Guide Raja. Note how STEEP it is to climb each step of the way.

Actually, I didn't go in the water. I found it too cold.

More fun to watch other people jump in

My son and I smiling because we have our feet planted on solid rock

Poor Extinct Dodo

The island nation of Mauritius celebrates the dodo bird as its symbol. Which is a little weird because the bird is extinct. The poor, long gone bird is just a memory, a wisp of imagination. The dodo is honored on the currency, plastered on tourist souvenirs, and painted on buildings. 


Until 1638, no human beings lived on the island of Mauritius. It was densely populated by dodo birds. The dodo population thrived until humans arrived, ate them, and brought rats and cats who finished them off by eating their eggs until the whole species became extinct. 

Dodo on Restaurant Steps Painted Like the Flag of Mauritius

Dodo Totes, Of Course

Dodo Square

Le Dodo Sportif - On the Side of a Mobile Sports Equipment Rental Business

Country's name: Ile Maurice (with Dodos, of course)