Royal stables Punakha

If you go to the royal stables, make sure you wear long track pants, better if they're the type that the seeds of plants can't stick to because my pants and socks and shoes had hundreds (i'm not exaggerating) of that damn weed (don't know what it's called)'s seeds and they made my skin soooo itchy!!!!

Sheep!

horses ponies and cows grazing peacefully. The walk's quite nice and scenic and not tough. Good way to work off a heavy lunch.

You can really feel the respect and love that Bhutanese people have for the royal family when you listen to them speak about the kings. When I hear of all the great deeds the royal family has done, even I feel huge respect for them. It's amazing how much can be done when a country has great leaders.

The past king's house wasn't very luxurious and grand, but was just a simple farm house. As Buddhists they don't attach so much importance to money and luxury items. And I was also amazed at how much Buddhism there is in how the country is governed. There's no killing so there's no farming animals to have them killed. Instead, they import meat. Fishing is also not allowed, unless you have a special licence. But even then you have to let any fish you catch free.

There's so many more amazing things about Bhutan that I can't list them all here.

Punakha Dzong

We heard that in certain parts of Bhutan, Sunday's a no car day (except for tourist buses) and the community also goes out to clean up their neighborhoods sometimes - schools have clean ups, offices have clean ups, everyone works together to keep the town clean. I think that's great

We visited Punakha Dzong - a fortress. It's really beautiful, can you imagine how much nicer the photos below would have looked if i'd have been a better photographer n the weather'd been nicer?

Apparently bees like to take up residence above the windows

I'm guessing the windows don't get opened much

The buildings are really majestic and everywhere u look it's just wow wow & wow

View from the Dzong

We then took a walk, this is how the Dzong looks like from the outside, another angle

 This is the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan

Poh Chhu river

The walk isn't so scary because it's not so high up so even if u get vertigo i recommend going for it. Things do look different from the other side, hahaha...

Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten

It looked really far and high up to get to so we were all thinking 'omg can we really make it there'

The walk ended up being not toooo tough. It was scenic and the weather was nice and cool too anyway so..

The inside was also very beautiful, the paintings on the wall were so intricate.

This is the view from the top, so beautiful- it's quite chilly though

Locals playing darts - we actually watched them play for like 10 minutes. It was amazing how far they actually throw the darts from!

We bought some nice vegetables from the market near Punakha Dzong. All the vegetables look so fresh and nice! We got the hotel to cook the vegetables and they were really yummy.

Chimi Lhakhang

There is a monastery called Chimi Lhakhang in Bhutan. It is also known as a fertility temple where you can pray for children. It is very famous and there are many stories about couples who after years of trying for children, after praying at the temple are able to conceive. Chimi Lhakhang actually means 'no dog temple'. Intrigued? Click on the link to read the story! Also this mention in the New York Times here.

To get to Chimi Lhakhang, you have to walk across a field. The beginning of the path presented a goat to us.

The path wasn't so difficult but it's a little far and it was quite hot! But the view is BEAUTIFUL. Bhutan is just beautiful. So we weren't bored.

I can't forget how picturesque Bhutan is. Can't you imagine this photo as a painting?

When we got there, it was time for the monks to practice their musical instruments for ceremonies.

It was actually really hot, the heat was quite intense so we were quite glad to have our umbrellas. The wind was quite strong though...

There are loads of stray dogs in Bhutan. If you stay in town you'll hear alot of them howling apparently. Luckily, where we stayed it was really peaceful and quite at night.

Sightseeing in green Punakha

The jeeps that bring us to and from the hotel. Can you believe the views Bhutanese people see every day?

 Bhutanese buildings and designs are so intricate

We visited a nunnery - Sanchhen Dorji Lhuendrup. The eyes at the top seem to be saying 'I've got my eyes on you' don't they? Not amused, untrusting eyes as of those of a strict adult looking at a mischievous child.

This is where the nuns have their studies. We saw a group of them having a Buddhist class inside. They also have to clean the place and cook and do all the housework.

Just couldn't stop taking pictures of the view

Going around Bhutan, you'll see lots of paintings of men's private parts on the buildings. You can even see small wooden phalluses necklaces. Apparently they're a sign for protection, there's a story about how a famous Buddhist master used his thing to subdue a demoness. This is how it came about that there are phalluses everywhere.