Another fascinating part of the world is Bhutan. For nearly two decades I’ve been journeying to Bhutan, finding deeper connections each time I revisit. Since 2004 I have specifically focused on eastern Bhutan identifying artisans still making crafts and textiles by hand in the time honored ways. In this age of globalization there is often a disconnection between the artist and the finished product. How often have we purchased a beautiful textile not knowing how it was made or the woven story it portrayed through its rich motifs? The number of master craftsmen is diminishing year to year, which threatens the knowledge as the skill is passed down orally from generation to generation. Last year I spent nearly four weeks in Eastern Bhutan hiking on rugged mountain trials to meet master craftsmen in their 80s. This June I return to continue my research of these unknown heroes who are preserving the future by honoring the past
Modernization and westernization have not taken over this remote region, the poorest in the country, where ancient traditions still thrive. Villagers still gather for bon festivals (Bonism, or nature worship, was the belief system before Buddhism was introduced to Bhutan) to appease the local deities. In Drametse, a heritage village in a mountain summit, locals bow deeply to show respect. A departing guest might be given cooked red rice in a banchung (woven two-lidded basket) or ara (the national drink of Bhutan made from grain) in a palang to assure a safe journey.
Where is eastern Bhutan? If you look at a map of Bhutan, you’ll see that it’s divided into districts. Start from the west at Paro district and keep moving east past Thimphu, Punakha, Wangdueprodrong, Trongsa, and Bumthang districts until you come to Mongar, the administrative capital of the east. The space in between covers a lot of ground, about 300 miles through mountainous terrain. From Mongar, look north to Lhuntshi, which borders China, then drop down to Trashiyangtse, Pemagatsel, Trashigang, and Samdrup Jongkhar. Within this region lie the Sharchops, the people of eastern Bhutan, with ancestral ties to Tibetans, Burmese, and the people of Yunnan province in China. In addition to their village dialects, they speak Sharchopa, a completely different language from Dzongka, spoken in the rest of the country.
Previously a traveler bound for eastern Bhutan had to start in western Bhutan and drive clear across the country, a solid three-day journey through mountainous terrain. To encourage travel to the east, the government has approved tourist entry from Assam, its neighbor to the southeast. A traveler can fly from Delhi or Bangkok to Guwahati, Assam, and then journey by car four hours to the border of Bhutan at Samdrup Jongkhar. With newly constructed feeder roads linking remote villages, some recently electrified, travelers can go beyond the large towns of Mongar and Trashigang to explore rural communities previously a four hour walk from the road. Although eastern Bhutan’s infrastructure is still fragile, travelers can stay in comfortable, clean hotels with private facilities. The big moon festivals in spring like the Gomkora draw thousands of Sharchops and Merak people, dressed in their finest attire for days of sacred dances, blessings, and trading. Anyone interested in ethnology should not miss a journey to East Bhutan, 2011. Watch for our March 2011 journey featuring the Gomkora Festival, which is being led by Karchung our manager in Bhutan.
Tariffs will rise to $250 per person per day in 2012, so if you are interested in seeing a unique part of Bhutan, as yet undiscovered, join us for eastern Bhutan.
Kathleen Fung
Far Fung Places
http://www.farfungplaces.com
