1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #244 - - GPO Stamps, Thimphu

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #244

- GPO Stamps, Thimphu

 

(Of all the novel things we have done so far in our travels, this one is right up there amongst the Top3 - yes, having our own personal stamps done with our faces on them! And yes, they are totally legal-tender. We sent out 10 stamps on postcards at this Thimphu General Post Office, and had another set of 12 minted fresh for 300 ngultrums - about S$6. What terrific keepsakes these are! We were told it will take 6-7 days for the postcards to arrive at their destinations, and true enough, they did - after we have arrived home. Bhutanese stamps are famous globally for being bold and beautiful - just look at those King-Queen Anniversary stamps)

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #243 - Bhutanese crafts, Thimphu

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #243

- Bhutanese crafts, Thimphu

 

(Bhutanese craftsmanship is quite impressive, especially at this college, with wood-carving, clay-moulding and cotton weaving as the skills acquired in order to pass the exams here. We visited a traditional paper-making factory, with skills that simply do not exist anymore - paper being made right before our eyes, from the bark of one of the local trees. Bhutan holds the world-record for the largest published book too, which opens to 5feet x 7feet, weighing 130lbs. Only 500copies are available worldwide)

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #242 - Buddha Dordenma, Thimphu

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #242

- Buddha Dordenma, Thimphu

 

(This giant golden statue of Buddha will be one of the tallest in the world at 51m, when fully completed. Seated high atop the mountain at the southern part of Thimphu, it gleams beautifully under the mid-day sun. There will also be 100,000 8-inch tall and 25,000 12-inch replicas inside, with names of sponsors of this project inscribed on each. The surrounding views of Thimphu from this vantage point are breathtaking as well)

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #241 - Thimphu Chorten (Stupa), Thimphu

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #241

- Thimphu Chorten (Stupa), Thimphu

 

(Built as a memorial for Bhutan's 3rd King, grandfather of the current king, this stupa sits elegantly atop a hill just a few kilometres away from the city centre. Devotees would walk around it in clockwise circular motion many times a session, according to our guide, as part of their prayers. The white façade and its golden spire make it stand out from afar. It does not actually contain the mortal remains of the King, just a photo of him on the ground floor)

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #240 - Kira National Dress, Bhutan

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #240

- Kira National Dress, Bhutan

 

(The national dress of Bhutan, the kira, was way too distinctive to not try it on, and yes, buy. The lady in this shop was nice enough to give me the full treatment, with much care and patience. So with hubby's gho, we paid ours for U$65 each, and walked out along the street for our Carina Lau-Tony Leung moment, when they married in Bhutan. Feeling like a million ngultrums! Nice!)

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #239 - Children of Bhutan

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #239

- Children of Bhutan

 

(The children in Thimphu and Bhutan in general were simply adorable! There's a warmth and sense of curiosity everytime we approached them for a quick snap - they never refused a single request. Is this why they are the happiest people on earth? And inventors of the GNH, gross national happiness? If these faces were testimonies, they have achieved it in bundles. We took the opportunity to pass a bag of older clothes we brought with us to one of the school girls..hopefully, they could be of some use for her and her family)