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Thimphu,
perhaps the most unusual capital city in the world,
is a bustling town on the banks of its own river and
set gloriously in the hills of its own valley. A regal
town,Thimphu is home to the revered Bhutanese Royal
Family and to several foreign missions and development
projects.
 Thimphu,
the capital, lies in a beautiful, wooded valley, sprawling
up a hillside on the bank of the Thimphu Chhu (river).
This is the only world capital without traffic lights.
One was installed several years ago but residents complained
about its impersonalness and it was removed within days.
Despite recent development, Thimphu retains its charm
and is awash with brightly painted, elaborately decorated
facades which give the town a captivating, medieval
feel.
Thimphu
is a cornucopia of Bhutanese culture brimming with things
to see and do. Dominating the horizon, on a hill just
above the town, the imposing Trashi Chhoe Dzong (fortress
of the Glorious Religion) was completely renovated in
the 1960s to become the symbol of the capital. It now
houses the offices of the king and the central monk
body. Most tour operators arrange a visit to the School
of Arts & Crafts below the dzong. The school teaches
traditional skills to talented children from throughout
Bhutan, and a small shop sells some of the students'
stunning works at reasonable prices.
Back in town, the most visible religious structure is
the Memorial Chorten, containing numerous sacred religious
paintings and tantric statues. For many, this is the
focus of their daily worship and people circumambulate
the chorten throughout the day. The Weekend Market,
in the center of Thimphu, is an ideal spot to experience
an urban and rural blend as villagers jostle with well-heeled
Thimphu residents for the best bargains. Nearby, the
Changlimithang Stadium is the national archery ground
where you can see competitors participating in the kingdom's
national sport, complete with traditional garb, colourful
behavior and entertaining rituals. The National Institute
of Traditional Medicine is an interesting facility which
uses over 300 different plants to make medicines distributed
throughout the kingdom.
You
will probably be booked into one of the town's top-end
hotels unless you have scheduled your trip during the
Thimphu tsechu, in autumn, when all the hotels are completely
booked. In that case you may end up in a guesthouse,
someone's home, or even a tent - best to just accept
what you get, it's part of the ride. Also, you may have
to revise your idea of 'top-end': many of Bhutan's hotels
are only at the standard that India's were, say, 20
years ago, but the service and facilities are generally
good. However simple your accommodation, your room is
likely to be ornately decorated in Bhutanese style and
you may, at first, think you are being led into a monastery
rather than your boudoir.
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