Tashichho Dzong (Thimpu Temple) on the western bank of the Wang Chu River in Thimpu, Bhutan has been the seat of Bhutan’s civil government since the country united with the creation of a monarchy in 1907. The original Dzong (or temple) was constructed in 1216 with...
Bhutan’s National Animal, The Takin During our adventure in Bhutan, we traveled to see the Takin, the National Animal of Bhutan. Known by locals as the “Dong Gyem Tsey”, it is without a doubt one of the strangest animals I have ever photographed....
It was late winter in the Himalayan Mountains when we visited Bhutan. Unlike Bali, high altitude and a cold winter necessitate letting the fields go fallow over the winter. Although quite brown in late February, the fields were alive with women singing as they planted...
Prayer Flags by a Prayer Wheel Before I went to Bhutan I had never noticed a water powered prayer wheel before. Perhaps my awareness was low, I didn’t know what I was looking at or the places I have been visiting hadn’t had the right mix of Buddhism and free-flowing...
One of the highlights of Bhutan’s gathering of nomadic highlanders known as the Nomad Festival is the strongman competition where herders from the Himalayan frontiers and villagers near Bhutan’s Bumthang district compete (and drink Arra) to see who is the strongest....
I took early retirement not only for the travel and have some adventures, but to pursue my passions of writing and photography. I have always liked telling stories and putting a light on other people’s lives by capturing the moment and making environmental portraits....
Why Bhutan in February? One of our reasons for wanting to go to on our Bhutan trip in February was to see the annual Nomad Festival. Every year nomadic herders from Bhutan’s Himalayan frontiers and nearby gewogs (villages) gather in central Bhutan’s Bumthang...
Photo of Tsa Tsa on a Stupa in Bhutan Tsa tsa are memorials to the dead, molded by monks, that are created from ash collected from funereal cremation pyres. Tsa tsa, a word transliterated from Sanskrit to Tibetan and refers to the miniature Buddha. Tsa tsa are...
