Eastern Bhutan
Eastern Bhutan is a region in Bhutan.
Cities
Other destinations
- 🌍 Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary
- 🌍 Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary
- 🌍 Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary
- 🌍 Singye Dzong - a sacred valley and monastery founded by Yeshi Tsogyal and visited by Guru Rinpoche on his second visit to Bhutan - a three day walk from Khoma.
Understand
The predominant ethnic group in Eastern Bhutan are Sharchops, who are generally followers of the Nyingma tradition of Buddhism and tend to be shorter and stockier than people in other parts of the country. Another characteristic of Eastern Bhutan is that the cities and towns are generally built on mountain slopes, a notable exception being Samdrup Jongkhar which is in a valley on the Indian border.
Lhuentse District is one of Bhutan's remotest and least developed districts, and the landscape in the north is dominated by the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful and intricate woven cloth. There are no shops selling it, but no doubt pieces can be bought by visiting the houses of weavers - the village of Khoma is an especially good place to look.
Talk
Sharchopkha is the predominant language of the region, though there are local variations.
Get in
- Bus from Thimphu, border crossing with India at Samdrup Jongkhar.
Get around
See
- The dzong in Mongar
- Aja-nye cave - AH is a sacred Buddhist symbol and nye means 100. The name is derived from the 100 AH symbols that miraculously appeared on the walls of the cave. Guru Rinpoche practiced meditation here, and it is a major pilgrimage site. Aja-nye is a one day walk from Yadi.
- Yongla Gompa is a famous monastery perched high above the village of Oron.
- Bhangtar, an area inhibited by many Bhutanese of Nepalese origin. The clean river and wide valley offer a good place for a picnic and swimming (though not in the rainy season).
- The Rufous-necked Hornbill (Aceros nipalensis) is a common site in the district, especially around Bangtar.
- Sherabtse College. Kanglung - the country's highest institute of education.
- Trashigang dzong, Trashigang - a traditional dzong perched on a hill top
- Chorten Kora - an impressive stupa similar to the famous Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu
Do
- Chorten Kora Tsechu (festival), 21 Feb-7 March 2008
Buy
- Woven items from the National Women's Weaving Center in Khaling
- Cane baskets and other cane products (ringshu) from Pasaphu village in Thrimshing district.
- Hand made wooden bowls (dappa) are a wonderful and practical souvenir. The halves of the bowl fit tighly together, so they can be used to carry cooked food, which is their function in Bhutan. However, they also make excellent salad or cookie bowls. Dappa are a specialty of the Trashi Yagtse region, and it is possible to purchase them directly from the workshops of dappa makers.
Eat
Drink
The local drinks (home-brewed) available are (majority)ara, singchang, bangchang
The Government's breweries in Samdrup Jongkhar (Eastern Bhutan), Gelephu (Southern Bhutan) and Samtse (Southern Bhutan)are whiskey, rum, brandy and gin.
In central Bhutan, peach and apple Brandies are available too.
The beers (made in Bhutan) are Druk 11000 and Red Panda.
Indian drinks such as Hit Beer, Dansberg beer, Figuera red wine and Spry Red wine are also available at subsidised (by Indian Government) prices.
Overall, drinks are available literally everywhere with a majority of shops being "bar-shops".
At the main hospital (JDWNRH) in Thimphu, Bhutan, 80% of the deaths are attributed to alcohol (not including collateral damages such as drunk driving, murders under the influence etc).
Stay safe
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