Unveil the Wonders of Bhutan
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With its thick buttressed walls and fine woodwork, Rinpung Dzong offers an excellent example of traditional Bhutanese architecture - befitting the seat of legislative and religious authority in one of Bhutan's wealthiest regions.
Bhutan's earliest known name, Lho Mon, translates to Southern Land of Darkness. If you look at an ancient map of Asia, you may find that the corners end abruptly where Bhutan begins and that the remaining area is illustrated with dragons and mythical beings. This is how you can imagine Bhutan. Socially, spiritually and geographically, the Dragon People and our place that surround us have remained shrouded in mystery for the duration of time.
And with that, Bhutan is not a place that is ordinarily traveled. It is not meant to be, either. You do not find Bhutan.Bhutan is a place that finds you.
museumHigh above Paro's Rimpung Dzong stands the distinctive round watchtower - the design of its thick walls inspired by the whorls of a conch shell - that once housed Bhutan's National Museum. Earthquakes badly damaged this beautiful building in 2009 and 2011, and it has since been closed for restoration. Part of the collection has been transferred to a modern building behind the watchtower, which formerly housed the museum's portrait gallery.
museumIntricately patterned wild silk kiras from Lhuentse hang alongside rough nettle fiber cloth from Zhemgang in Bhutan's excellent Royal Textile Academy. The museum, housed in an impressive modern building, celebrates the country's vibrant and varied tradition of hand weaving. From the towering applique thangka that overlooks the entrance hall and the sumptuous garments on display in the Royal Gallery to mannequins dressed in simple herders' clothing from Laya, the museum offers an unparalleled chance to learn about and appreciate this unique aspect of Bhutanese culture.
museumOgyen Choeling stands on a hilltop at the end of the rough Tang Valley road. This beautiful manor's origins lie in the sixteenth-century, although the majority of the buildings were rebuilt in the early twentieth century after their predecessors were destroyed by the 1897 earthquake. The family that owns the manor converted the complex to a charming museum in 2001, and it's now possible to explore the tsuglhakhang (main chapel), utse and shagkor (servants' quarters) — and to see for yourself what life here was like in the past.