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By Root 959 0

a typically relaxed time in Bhutan. It is a social event and family get-together; however, the time spent eating may depend as much on how much is put on the table as the need for conversation. Three meals a day is typical, and it is not unusual for those three meals to all consist of rice and ema datse. At a hotel restaurant the full cutlery ensemble will be provided, but in a local café you may be limited to the option of a spoon or using your right hand and bowl of rice to mop up the meal.

One of the great Bhutanese vices is chewing doma, also known by its Indian name, paan. The centrepiece is a hard Areca catechu nut that is chewed as a digestive. The nut is mixed with lime powder (the ash, not the fruit), and the whole collection is rolled up in a heart-shaped betel leaf and chewed slowly. It’s a bittersweet, mildly intoxicating concoction and it stains the mouth bright red. When the remains are spat out, they leave a characteristic crimson stain on the pavement.

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There is an array of accoutrements associated with chewing doma that many men carry in the pouch of their gho. The ingredients are carried in ornate boxes and there are special knives designed to slice the nuts.

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EAT YOUR WORDS

Useful Phrases

Where is a …? … gâti mo?

local bar changkha

restaurant zakha

I don’t eat meat. nga sha miza

This is too spicy. di khatshi dû

I don’t like food with chillies. nga zhêgo êma dacikha miga

Is the food good? zhêgo zhim-mä ga?

This is delicious. di zhim-mä

Please give me a cup of tea. ngalu ja phôp gang nang

Do you have food now? chö dato to za-wigang in-na?

It’s enough. digi lâm-mä

Food Glossary

beer (local) bang chhang

whisky (local) ârra

tea ja

water chhu

boiled water chhu kököu

cold water chhu khöm

hot water chhu tshatom

cabbage banda kopi

cauliflower meto kopi

cheese datse

chicken (meat) bja sha

chilli êma

cooked vegetable tshöse tsotsou

corn (maize) gäza/gesasip

egg gongdo

fish ngasha

food zhêgo/to

meat ha

mushroom shamu

mustard päga

noodles bathu/thukpa

potatoes kewa

radish laphu

rice (cooked) to

salad ezay

slices pa

turnips öndo

vegetable tshöse

hot tshatom

hot (spicy) khatshi yömi

tasty zhimtoto

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Thimphu

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ORIENTATION

INFORMATION

DANGERS & ANNOYANCES

SIGHTS

ACTIVITIES

WALKING TOUR

COURSES

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

SLEEPING

EATING

DRINKING & ENTERTAINMENT

SHOPPING

GETTING THERE & AWAY

GETTING AROUND

AROUND THIMPHU

NORTH OF THIMPHU

SOUTH OF THIMPHU

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You approach Thimphu along a winding, single-lane access road, little wider than the trucks that suddenly emerge around each curve. Each blind bend promises a glimpse of your destination; however, for most of the journey all that is revealed is another curve followed by another. The steep hillsides are dotted with houses, some abandoned, their massive earthen walls slowly crumbling, and the occasional white-washed temple. Suddenly the road drops to a modern expressway on the valley floor, whisking you through paddy fields to the capital of one of the world’s most intriguing countries.

Established as the capital in 1961, Thimphu has a youthful exuberance that constantly challenges the country’s conservatism and proud tradition. The ever-present juxtaposition of old and new is just one of its appealing qualities. Crimson-robed monks, Indian labourers, gho- and kira-clad professionals and camera-wielding tourists all ply the pot-holed pavements, skirt packs of sleeping dogs, and spin the prayer wheels of Clocktower Square, and nobody, it seems, is in a hurry. Thimphu is the world’s only capital without traffic lights. A set was installed, but the residents complained that it was impersonal, and so gesticulating, white-gloved police continue to direct the ever-increasing traffic. As well as being a classic Bhutanese anachronism, it may well be the city’s most photographed spectacle.

Thimphu offers the best opportunity to do your own thing. It’s relaxed, friendly and pretty informal, and is most rewarding