Continue from 1st exploration of Bhutan

[IMAGE: BBS Tower]

This is the BBS Tower. It's not an interesting place, and we can't get in there anyway. But the reason I am there to take this place is because this is the place where you can supposedly overlook the whole of the capital city, Thimphu.

[IMAGE: View at BBS Tower]

This is the view. It's actually quite spectacular, but due to the limited skill of the photographer, and the presense of many flags and tree, the magnificence of the place is not really captured.

[IMAGE: View at BBS Tower]

The flags and the flags at it again....

[IMAGE: View at BBS Tower]

Another try.

[IMAGE: To higher ground]

We tried to climb higher to have a better view. Maybe there'll be less flags and less trees blocking. However, just walking up this small section have us panting like crazy.

[IMAGE: Higher ground]

And higher grounds have a lot of flags and trees as well.

[IMAGE: View from higher ground]

But the view is nice.

[IMAGE: Group photo at BBS Tower]

So we left happy. I have to post more pictures with me inside, less I be accused of just downloading the pictures from internet.

[IMAGE: Bhutan National Zoo]

BBS Tower is very what used to be their National Zoo. I heard that 1 day the Bhutan King decided that caging animals is too cruel and against their Buddhist principal and set all the animals free. Except 2. They were supposed to be too domesticated to be released back into the wild. They'll die of hunger or something.

[IMAGE: Deer]

One of it is the deer.

[IMAGE: Takin]

The other is their national animal, Takin. It has the head of a goat and the body of a cow. If you asked me to describe, I would say, head of goat with cow horns pointing backwards, body of yak and legs of goat.

[IMAGE: Takin]

They are quite tame. 1 takin came over when we wave the leaves we plucked from nearby and eat them.

[IMAGE: Deer watching]

There this small valley kind of area at the deer enclosure. They build a bridge across it beside the fence. This way, we can stand above the fence to look at the deers and take pictures of them.

[IMAGE: Killer litter]

I wonder which idiot threw the used mineral water bottle into the deer enclosure. It's bad enough to litter it outside. Now the deers are having a hard time trying to chew it.

[IMAGE: Legend of Takin]

The origin of Takin is printed here.

[IMAGE: Temple]

We also stop by a temple on the way back. They have a lot of the spin scripture thingy there. I managed to spin every single 1. I think I'll have a sore arm the next day.

[IMAGE: Soccer Pub]

There's an EPL game, Manure vs Chel$ki that night. I asked instructions from the hotel reception and found this place. There's noone else there at first and I got the whole projector screen to myself. Towards the end of the game then I see some Bhutanese join me at the sofa.

[IMAGE: Royal Family]

There's a fund raising carnival at the Clock Tower Square. The organisation was founded by the former Queen, the current King's stepmother, and some of the royal family were at the carnival. The pretty lady in purple is his majesty's sister. The lady in blue is his aunt. The lady in white is his stepmother. Somewhere on the bottom left of the picture, is a guy in black with a white sash. He's his cousin I think.

[IMAGE: Better view]

This guy is spotted on the opposite site of the street from Clock Tower Square. Is he trying to get a better view of the Princess?

[IMAGE: Carnival]

Quite a lot of people.

[IMAGE: Hoops]

Nice hoops.

[IMAGE: Betel nuts seller]

They sell betel nuts.

[IMAGE: Dried fish]

And dried fish. Among other things.

Just had an msn conversation with a friend. Thought it's a lil bit funny.

HOT LIKE SHIT says:
is there family tree in facebbok

StupidGenius says:
duno
search lor

HOT LIKE SHIT says:
how to search

StupidGenius says:
type familiy tree in the search box....

HOT LIKE SHIT says:
they have

Continue from Introduction to Bhutan

After having only seen the hotel in the 1st few days, I decided to go out for a walk on a Saturday morning. The next day my colleagues decided to go for a walk as well. The 1st part of the walk is similar to the path I took the day before.

[IMAGE: Petrol Kiosk]

This is the only nice petrol kiosk. I saw another 1 recently, but it's quite bare.

[IMAGE: Archery]

There's an archery range beside the stadium. Archery seems to be a popular spot here. Something like soccer to us. The costume you see them wearing now is not special costume for archery. It's their normal costume.

[IMAGE: River]

Thimphu is built along this river. The area is like a valley. I am crossing to the opposite side of the river for a short walk.

[IMAGE: Ministries]

The transport and City Corporation and a few other government agencies are situated beside the river.

[IMAGE: City view]

The white thing is the bridge across the river. Behind the structure with green roof at the bottom is the river. Behind the river is the Petrol Kiosk. My hotel is to the right of the kiosk, out of sight in this picture.

[IMAGE: Road sign]

I wonder what this means.

[IMAGE: City view]

This is the side of the city where my hotel is in. I can't make out where is it though.

[IMAGE: Cherry Blossoms, Sakura]

I was told Cherry Blossoms are in season in Bhutan now. As they have a very short span, I wanted to take a picture of it before they drop. There were really quite a number of them around. Another plant that is quite common here is marijuana. But I don't really know what it look like. The people here don't smoke marijuana.

This is a closeup of the Cherry Blossoms.

[IMAGE: Ministries]

This looks like some outpost. It's a ministry building as well I think.

[IMAGE: Games]

They were playing some dart projectile game. There were 2 teams. The dart thingy is about the size of a palm. They took turns throwing the dart at each other. I think there's a target, but I can't really see it. And they were singing and dancing as well.

[IMAGE: School]

This is the entrance to a school.

[IMAGE: Road sign]

Another unfamiliar road sign.

[IMAGE: House]

It looks tiring to be living there.

[IMAGE: Riverview Hotel]

This hotel looks nice from across the river, so I decided to come take a look. It looks quite empty, but the view is quite good.

[IMAGE: Riverview Hotel view]

Tell me that this is not nice?

[IMAGE: Riverview Hotel view]

Or this?

[IMAGE: 4 friends]

This is what people called the four friends. It signify harmony. The 4 friends are working with each other to get the fruits from the tree. This picture is taken on the entrance to Riverview hotel, but you can see it everywhere in Bhutan.

[IMAGE: Riverview Hotel back gate]

This is the back gate to Riverview Hotel. There's nothing much to it. I am just curious why is there a big stone lying on the floor in front of the gate.

[IMAGE: Mountains]

And we go on.

[IMAGE: Another resort]

There's a resort up there, and there's a small road leading up to it. Looks scary. But the view should be nice.

[IMAGE: Another city view]

Another city view.

[IMAGE: Bridge]

This bridge brings us back to the city side of Thimphu. The other end of the bridge is their market place. It's under construction, and most of the vegetable sellers have moved to an open space on the other side of the first bridge. The 1 with the ministry beside it. There are still a lot of meat merchants/stores near this bridge.

[IMAGE: Washing clothes]

There are quite a number of people waching their clothes by the river.

[IMAGE: Sunbathing]

And even sunbathing.

[IMAGE: Construction truck]

I've see such trucks on the road a few times already.

[IMAGE: And we walk on]

And we walk on. The red structure at the back is their main government offices. Even the King's office is in there. It's called Dzong, or fortress.

[IMAGE: City view again]

I know I have a lot of city view pics. I hope you are not sick of them already.

[IMAGE: Bridge]

This is where we decide to turn around.

[IMAGE: River]

This part of the river is so beautiful. Especially, the left bank. Well, that's His Majesty's garden.

[IMAGE: Dzong]

That's a closer view of the Dzong. Nice?

[IMAGE: Road sign]

This picture looks like no horning. They can't have people disturbing His Majesty, I suppose. If you tilt your head to the right, it looks like no standing. :P

[IMAGE: Nice driveway]

This driveway looks nice, though it's under construction.

[IMAGE: Archery]

This is another group of people doing archery. It's quite interesting they way they do. They have 2 targets on each end of the field. They stand on 1 end and shoot at the other end. When they finished, they walk to the other end and shoot back. What's interesting is that before the last guy finish shooting, the others start walking back. Right beside where his arrow is going to fly! Without protection! Such trust in the shooter's skills. I hope he don't sneeze or something. I've asked, arrow wounds could be deadly.

[IMAGE: Library]

The picture says it all.

[IMAGE: Huts]

Though Thimphu isn't the most developed city, huts like this is still out of place in it.

[IMAGE: Warning]

I can't believe there's actually a need to put up such warnings in the city...

[IMAGE: Special building]

This building looks different? That's because of it's 2nd floor windows. In Bhutan, all windows looks like those on the 3rd floor and above.

[IMAGE: Branded]

They do have branded stuff. There's even a bowling alley in the basement. 6 lanes.

[IMAGE: Plum Cafe]

This Plum Cafe is opened by a Singaporean woman, Sarah, and her Bhutanese husband. She has been here more than 10 years.

[IMAGE: Mobile shop]

iPhone sold here. 2nd hand though.

[IMAGE: Sony]

They have a HP licensed distributor as well, but I did not take their picture. Sony is nearer to our hotel.

[IMAGE: Clock Tower Square]

Finally we are back. Yes, the name of this square is the Clock Tower Square.

Till next time.