It was around this time last year that we were in Bhutan finishing up a 2 month stay. We spent that time traveling with a Buddhist study group, scouting rivers for upcoming kayak groups, running our Class II-III trip, catching what we could of the fifth king’s coronation and capping it all off with our Class III-IV+ trip. What follows is an account from that final kayaking trip. You can follow the links to these Bhutan posts to read about our other adventures there. If these trips sound interesting to you, consider joining us in the Fall of 2010 when we’ll return again to kayak Bhutan!
Mike W. getting "warmed up" on the Paro Chu, first day's paddle.
On the trip to the airport in Paro to pick up our group, Mary and I were joined by our Bhutanese crew of our driver Hari, our cultural guide Chencho, Tinley -an up and coming kayak guide, and Kali -an excellent kayak and raft guide from Nepal. Amongst the arriving 12 kayakers was a commercial pilot. He talked his way into the cockpit for the landing, and was in awe of the approach -and the skill and training of the pilots.
The approach into Paro airport is a thing of legend amongst commercial pilots.
The luggage went off to the hotel with Kali and Tinley, who would also prep the fleet of kayaks for folks to outfit later that day. The rest of us started our tour in downtown Paro to do some quick shopping (electrical adapters, postcards, maps, etc.) before making a visit the Paro Dzong. Dzongs were built as strategic fortresses in the 1600s as protection for the newly emerging country of Bhutan. Today these impressive structures serve as regional government administration offices, as well as housing an active monastery. Walking up to the Dzong from the main part of town, we stopped in at the archery range to watch a match that was taking place. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan and the National Playoffs happen in the fall. Bhutanese are very passionate about their sport!
An archer takes aim at a target over 125 meters away.
The range is 125 meters long with a target mounted on a board about the size of a man’s torso. There is one located at each end. Two teams compete and members from each team are split up and are positioned alongside the targets. In this case, there were about twelve men total. They were dressed in Ghos, the traditional Bhutanese attire, but sporting high-tech compound bows and in some cases, running shoes. The rules were pretty straight forward, hit the target as close to the dinner-plate sized circle as you could. Team members at each end of the field would take turns shooting to the opposite end while their teammates and members of the opposing team stood, what we thought was, much too close to the targets. Distracting the opponent while they take aim is freely allowed. If a teammates hits the target, little victory dances (and playful teasing) also interrupt the shooting. We’ve been told that serious tournaments can go on for weeks at a time.
We toured the Paro Dzong with Chencho who explained the significance of some of the paintings and carvings that are in abundance there. Dzongs are intricately decorated and painted with Buddhist symbolism. We received a basic course in Bhutanese Buddism during our stay in the country, and this was the beginning. After lunch we were off to the hotel to outfit our kayaks and settle in for the night. The group was jet-lagged but excited. The nights were turning cool and crisp in the late autumn in the Himalaya, great sleeping weather.
A young monk studies a tangkha painting of the Buddhist wheel of life inside the Paro Dzong.
Our first shake down paddle was 30 minutes down the road from our lodging, the Paro Chu. The section we did had a nice Class III warm-up stretch, followed by a mile of fun Class IV. On the river we split into two groups. This ensured that everyone had plenty of room to move about the river, enjoying the moves and playspots without a crowd. We ran it this way for the rest of the trip; one large family in the van, 2 smaller groups on the river. Kayaking on the cool, clear water of the Paro Chu was like floating over green glass.
Irishman Robert M. during a run on the Paro Chu.
We took out at the confluence with the Wang Chu, near the site of three of the different styles of Chortens (also called Stupas); Nepali, Tibetan and Bhutanese. Stupas are found at “auspicious” places, often at a river confluence or a mountain pass. These structures are religiously very important, and often house sacred relics.
From the take-out we traveled on to the capital city of Thimphu to catch the final day of the coronation ceremonies. Many in the group wandered over to the National Stadium where the last of the festivities were being held. Others used the time to shop. The following day we paddle a section of the Wang Chu, just outside of Thimpu. This river was similar in technicality to the day before, allowing folks to continue warming up. Then we headed east over Dochu La (10,300 ft pass) which provided us with the clearest and most stunning views of the Bhutanese Himalaya we had seen during our stay thus far.
Prayer flags and stupas at the summit of Doche La (pass) en route to Punakha.
We ate a hot lunch very near the pass, which gave us more time to enjoy the view. From there we drove down, down, down to the Punakha Valley and our base camp for the next two nights.
Prayer flags fly over the Himalaya on a clear day.
In Punakha we paddled stretches of the Mo (mother) and Po (father) rivers. The volume of these rivers is much greater than our previous days runs. We had paddled these same rivers on our Class II-III trip, but now we put-in further up the drainages to access sections that were steeper and more technical, with more challenging rapids.
Put in of the Mo Chu.
Kali sets a beautiful line in a rapid on the Mo Chu.
The upper runs on the Mo and Po are similar to each other in that they start off with a scout or a portage of a stout rapid not to far downstream of the put-in. With these behind us, we paddled many wonderful pool-drop rapids through a remote and thickly forested valley. Toward the end of the run, the rivers mellowed out and the forest gave way to rice fields from which curious Bhutanese laughed and waved, seeming to enjoy the excuse to take a break from their work in the fields.
Taking a break from riding on the bus on the way to the put in for the Po Chu.
After paddling there was always time to relax, hike, or see some more sites. Not far from base camp we did a hike up to a temple that over looks the Mo Chu valley. The rice harvest was in full swing and the green fields of the weeks before were now giving way to the golden hue of drying rice.
Smiling while working late. A woman stacking rice during the harvest.
People were busily harvesting and threshing the crops before the rains could damage them. It is a very important time for them and much of their survival for the upcoming winter depends on their success. Bhutanese throughout the country put in long hours of work each day during the harvest.
Green fields of rice give way to gold and brown during the harvest.
Leaving the Punakha valley, we continued East over the Pele La (11,220 ft pass) and descended to Trongsa, the former center of government in the early twentieth century. Just outside the town, overlooking the Mangde Chu, we made camp in the football pitch (soccer field) of the local elementary school. The kids there were curious and polite. The school principal, Sonam, and his wife (also Sonam) joined us for dinner that night. The following morning they invited the group to the school for their daily assembly, an opportunity in which everyone in the group eagerly participated.
Earning his turns, Lance P. makes his way down to the put in for the Upper Mangde Chu.
Our camp put us within a short drive and a steep hike down to our next run -the Upper Mangde Chu. This stretch of river contained straight forward Class IV- rapids in an extremely remote and intimate setting.
Once off the river we toured the Trongsa Dzong and then drove south towards Endocholing, the former winter palace of the first king. We spent three nights here, giving us a chance to run the Ema Datsi canyon section of the Mangde Chu (Ema Datsi is the national dish of Bhutan and can be very spicey). The group was really boating well together and this was the pinnacle of our kayaking in Bhutan. Kali, who had done this section on two other occasions, said the river was the highest he had seen it. Mary and I had last run this section in 2006, also at a lower flow. With an early start and a conservative approach we took our time and had a GREAT run! Kali’s memory for rapids was spot on and the day was a peak experience for all. Everyone was very excited and most were eager to get back on the following day.
Some of the group after a successful run on the Ema Datsi section of the Mangde Chu river.
That night the monks of Endocholing and the village locals put on an incredible feast and dance performance for the group. The masked dances, performed by men, are amazingly physical and lasted for upwards of half an hour. The women’s dance was very subtle and beautiful -in elegant contrast to the men’s athletic marathons.
Masked dancers of Endocholing prepare for a night performance
Leaving Endocholing we traveled back west to the small village of Wangdue. Here we ran our last river- the Wangdi Chu. This was an awesome river. We did a short, super technical, low water stretch sprinkled with lots of eddies. We found the river to be super fun, yet challenging. For those that wanted (and everyone did) we had time for a second lap. What a great way to finish off our kayaking in Bhutan.
Our last full day of the trip we left Wangdue early to drive back to Paro and hike up to the Taktshang Goemba or Tiger’s Nest Monastery. This is the most famous Dzong in Bhutan and is perched on a cliff face 3,000 feet above the valley floor at an overall elevation of around 9,000 feet. It is an impressive site to behold and even more impressive to imagine what it must have taken to construct it back in the 17th century. That night we celebrated with our Bhtanese crew at a farewell dinner.
Tiger's Nest Monastery as viewed from the trail.
We all flew out the next day to our respective destinations; Bangkok, Katmandu and Calcutta. Our kayaking pilot talked his way into the cockpit again. Hmmm, what does it mean when a pilot’s eyes get big?
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