Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [77]
Bank of Bhutan (Map; 322266; Norzin Lam; 9am-1pm Mon-Fri, to 11am Sat) The main branch; it tends to be busy.
Bank of Bhutan (Map; Wogzin Lam; noon-2pm Mon, to 4pm Wed-Sat) Smaller city branch only two blocks away from main branch.
Bhutan National Bank (Map; 322767; Chang Lam; 9am-3pm Mon-Fri, to 11am Sat) In the same building as the main post office. Money-changing is straightforward at this branch.
Post
Many hotels and shops sell stamps. Be assured that it is safe to simply drop cards and letters into post boxes here.
Post office (Map; 322381; Chang Lam; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat) This main office is a well-organised facility with a postcard and philatelic shop.
Telephone
Dotted throughout the city there are public call offices (PCOs) that have direct international dialling. You can also make cheaper internet calls at most internet cafés (Click here). For details on making calls Click here.
Tourist Information
You will find most of your information needs are met by your Bhutanese tour company and guide. There is no visitor information centre in Thimphu, however, English-language newspapers, handicraft shops and your hotel staff are all useful sources for up-to-date, what’s-on information.
In the event of a problem with your Bhutanese tour company, the Department of Tourism (DOT; Map; 323251; fax 323695; www.tourism.gov.bt; Doebum Lam) can provide advice and assistance.
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DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
There’s almost nothing in Thimphu to cause concern. Extraordinary numbers of stray dogs roam at will and bark across town at each other all night, but earplugs solve that problem quite easily. Beware of steep/missing/broken steps and open drains on the pavements. Be careful crossing roads and don’t trust cars to stop when you are on a pedestrian crosswalk.
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SIGHTS
Thimphu’s attractions are clustered to the north of the city (where you will find the dzong (fort-monastery), library, painting school and folk museum), in the hilly suburb of Motithang overlooking the town, and of course in the city’s central district.
Trashi Chhoe Dzong
This large dzong, north of the city on the west bank of the Wang Chhu, manages not to impose on the valley or the city as a dominating, impenetrable fortress; rather, its splendid proportions and modest setting bestow a subtle, monastic magnificence. The whitewashed outer structure is two storeys high with three-storey towers at the four corners projecting out over the walls and capped by red-and-gold, triple-tiered roofs. The outer walls are built of trimmed, neatly fitted granite blocks, unlike other dzongs, which were made of roughly dressed stones. Similarly, the dochey (courtyard) is paved with rectangular stone slabs. The dzong housed the original National Assembly and now houses the secretariat, the throne room and offices of the king and the ministries of home affairs and finance.
Trashi Chhoe has two main entrances on its eastern side. One leads to the administrative section towards the south, and another, towards the north, leads to the monastic quarter, the summer residence of the dratshang (central monk body), and where the dances of the annual tsechu festival (Click here and Click here) are performed. The dzong’s Sangay Tsokhorsum Thondrol (the immense thangka – painted or embroidered religious picture – that is unfurled at the climax of the tsechu) depicts the Buddha Sakyamuni and his two disciples.
Entering the dzong you are greeted by lively sculptures of the Guardians of the Four Directions (Click here), the wrathful gatekeepers Chana Dorje and Hayagriva, and the popular ‘Divine Madman’, Drukpa Kunley (Click here). Look for the mural of the Four Friends (Click here), depicting a much-loved Bhutanese fable. Upon entering the courtyard you are taken by the splendid proportions of the architecture and the vast courtyard; the enclosed