Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [149]
Accommodation here is fairly limited, but there is a variety of restaurants and you’re bound to find at least one amusing place to drink among the town’s 21 bars. Not many tourists make it to Trashigang, but there used to be many Canadian teachers working here and the people of Trashigang are used to Westerners.
Villagers come to town on holy days, which occur on the first, 10th and 15th of the Bhutanese month, to trade and sample the local arra.
Orientation
Trashigang is at the foot of a steep wooded valley with the tiny Mithidang Chhu channelled through it. The road crosses the stream on a substantial bridge near a chorten. A side road leads downhill from the chorten past a handsome collection of shops, bars and small restaurants, then through trees and bougainvillea past a chorten to the dzong.
The town’s focal point is a central plaza and parking area. A large prayer wheel sits in the centre of the square. The pedestal on the covered structure, holding the prayer wheel, is a favourite sleeping place for villagers waiting for buses. Surrounding the parking area are several hotels and restaurants, a bakery and the main liquor outlet.
The road north of here quickly branches, left to Rangjung, Radi and Phongme, or right to the upper town’s main administrative offices.
Information
Bank of Bhutan (Map; 521294; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri, to 11am Sat)
Bhutan National Bank (Map; 521129; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri,to 11am Sat) On the ground floor of the post office.
Jigme Wangmo Photo Studio (Map) Sells Kuensel as well as print film.
Kuenphen Medical Store (Map; 521175) For medical supplies.
Pelden Digital Café and Gift Corner (Map; 8am-9pm; per min Nu 3) Internet access.
Post Office (Map; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) Above the town, near the high school.
Sights
TRASHIGANG DZONG
The dzong is on a high promontory that overlooks the confluence of the Drangme Chhu and the Gamri Chhu. It was built in 1667 by Mingyur Tenpa, Bhutan’s third desi. The entire eastern region was governed from this dzong from the late 17th century until the beginning of the 20th century.
This dzong is unusual in that both the administrative and monastic bodies face onto a single dochey (courtyard). As always, the gorikha (porch) has paintings of the Four Guardian Kings. Inside the Kunrey Lhakhang is a statue of the deity Gasin-re or Yama, the wrathful aspect of Chenresig. He is a protector of the faith, the god of death and the king of law, and the one that weighs up the good and evil at the end of a person’s life. You can see him in the vestibule of most lhakhangs holding the Wheel of Life in his mouth. Many lama dances are performed in Trashigang to appease Yama, especially during the four-day tsechu in November/December.
Sleeping & Eating
An alternative to staying in Trashigang is to continue 16km east of town and overnight at the pleasant guesthouse of the Rangjung Wodsel Chholing Monastery (Click here).
Druk Deothjung Hotel (Map; 521214; fax 521269; s/d Nu 1150/1500; ) This family-run hotel near the central prayer wheel is the best in town. It’s comfortable, with satellite TV and hot-water showers, and is an authentic Bhutanese hotel unlike many of the ones that tourists get herded into, but it’s far from luxurious, with concrete grills in the walls that let in bugs and street noise. The pleasant al-fresco dining area serves up the best food in town. The owner is planning a 20-room hotel 1km west of town but has yet to gain permission to build.
Kelling Lodge (Map; 521145; s/d Nu 150/300, deluxe s/d Nu 250/450) Travellers can in theory obtain permission to stay at this slightly neglected government guesthouse. The two top-floor deluxe rooms are perfect for a group of four.
Hotel Ugyen (Map; 521140; s/d Nu 100/200) Formerly the Sonam Wangchuck, this basic place is very much a third or fourth choice. It has rooms that are similar in standard to a trekking lodge in Nepal, with basic bathrooms down the corridor.
Hotel Seldon (Map; 521362;