Bhutanese mountains have for centuries been sites for pilgrimages and home to prominent gurus. Sometimes, serving as natural barriers against marauding invaders, the mountains have always protected the Bhutanese. In turn, the Bhutanese, too, have always believed that the mountains are the abode of deities and have thus protected them....
The second oldest and the second largest Dzong in Bhutan - the Punakha Dzong - was seriously damaged by a glacial lake outburst flood in 1994. It was restored to its original splendor by 2003. However, despite the completion of the Dzong, the wooden-roofed cantilever bridge or the bazam, leading...
The oldest dzong in Bhutan is the one in Simtokha. Picture Courtesy: Jesus Gaban According to legend, the site of the Dzong is said to have been a lookout spot for a demon that disappeared into the nearby rock. Hence the name Simtokha which translates into Simmo (demoness) and do...
Perceptive, worldly-wise and brutally blunt, chef, gardener and forager Bleu Dorji sure does have a knack for dish- ing out amazing food from simple, local ingredients. Bleu Dorji refuses, as far as food is concerned, to conform to the usual fare. She never has. Not as an apprentice working for...
With a population of less than 200, the White-bellied Heron is among the 50 rarest birds in the world. They are also referred to as the gentle giants because of their mild nature. Bhutan shelters a little over 30 white-bellied herons. The Imperial Asian herons were once found across the...
