Gallery

Bhutan family laundry.

Family wash day is a chance for children to play (beneath prayer flags strung across the river).

Bhutan Immigration Bureau.

Travellers to Bhutan are thankfully few and far between and this bureau at one of the two or three border crossings from India was blissfully devoid of the crush which characterises some of our European ports of entry.

Officialdom is tastefully housed in this functional office with a single male tour guide (in local attire) arranding to have passports decorated with the coveted Bhutanese stamp.

Bhutan Paro Dzong

The total population of Bhutan is only 650,000 souls, many of whom live spread around remote villages traversed to and from on foot or by horse and mule.

The two major cities of Thimpu and Paro are dominated by massive monastic fortresses housing monks of all ages (upwards of around eight years old). Both fortresses having been designed centuries ago by guru monks and built by an eager faithful.

The Dzongs (monastic fortresses) are repositories of religious and temporal learning, seats of justice and centres of local political life.

Bhutan roadside market

Roadside markets are a common sight in Bhutan with families selling their produce to eager travellers.

This particular market, beside a major immigration office, appears to be run by immigrants on temporary visas judging by their attire (residency is only granted to those who have been with "temporary" visitor status for 30 years).

Bhutanese young monks.

Approximately a fifth of the Bhutanese male population serve the community as monks.

Young lads as young as eight years old commence their schooling in monasteries where discipline appears to be very relaxed.

The young group pictured here were returning from an excursion to the Tiger's Lair monastery, three hours walk from this "base" and were awaiting the arrival of motorised transport back to Paro Dzong (the Paro monastic fortress).