Hello Bhutan, It Is Really Nice to Meet You
Our first day in Bhutan started with our arrival at Paro International Airport where we met our host and longtime friend of ALIVE Outdoors Karma, our guide Namgay, and our driver – another Karma. Karma and Namgay welcomed each of us in the traditional Bhutanese way of an individual message and the presentation of a Kadha (white silk scarf). We then set out on the hour-and-a-half drive to the capital city of Thimphu where we would spend the night.
Our time in Thimphu included several excellent meals of both traditional Bhutanese cuisine, some Indian dishes and a couple of Western-style comforts. Food is a big part of life in Bhutan, meals are big, flavourful, and punctuated with laughter, tea, and chillies. Students got their first taste of ema datshi a common dish in Bhutan of chillies stewed with yak cheese that can be put on everything.
We spent the afternoon exploring parts of the capital city. Namgay shared with us Bhutan’s view of food as we toured the Centenary Market (the largest farmer’s market in the country). Bhutan has over 200 varieties of rice and grows all its vegetables without the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. There is a simple realization amongst the population that good clean food is not a luxury but a starting place for everyone to have access to. Healthy food makes healthy people. What we would call organic, or pesticide-free back at home is just food here.
During our exploration of the market, a group of local children playing nearby approached our group to practice their English and meet the not-so-common tourists (other students) visiting their country. Most tourists visiting Bhutan are 50 plus, so it is rare that a group of high school students from Canada were willing to play games and just laugh and have fun. It took only 30 seconds for the laughter, smiles, and running free play to take over a corner of the market.
We finished our day early with a buffet dinner back at our hotel and early to bed as everyone was feeling the slight effects of the altitude and the weariness from the last few days of travel to get here.
