It's been a LONG time! Several reasons for the absence - main one being that life and work caught up and the blog was forgotten! Anyways GLAD to be back and share more about our little Bhutan! Great thing about the internet - you can always find your way back. Happy that our blog is still here and very happy to start posting! So get that coffee, it's raining here!
Stay tuned to hear more from us!

Bhutanese Textiles - The Kira

I love the Bhutanese textile, purely for the reason that they are all handwoven. A good piece can, believe it or not, take more than a year to complete!! There is a variety out there and I am a big supporter/aficionado of the kira. The kira is worn by women and can range from plain ones for daily wear to really fantastic colorful ones for weddings and special occasions. As they are handwoven, it's extremely difficult to copy or imitate. Some Kiras are woven with gold and silver threads as well. This can also be a painful task for the weaver, as the yarn can break. One can rest assured that the kira they have is completely unique. Most families will own traditional, unique kiras handed down over generations. The Kiras of Bhutan, truly an art and a pride to wear.

thimphu town, my town

the memorial chorten, during a ceremony.

entrance, memorial chorten

all the buildings that have been sprouting up lately

art & architecture

some pieces of traditional bhutanese art & architecture. i love the intricate wood carvings on our doors and windows. it's just amazing how much detail goes into them. i'm sure there's a story out there but i don't know it yet!

this one is a red ornate door in the trongsa dzong, i fell in love with it.

this door is from my mom's kitchen.

this one is of ceiling beams in a traditional bhutanese house, the beams in this one have been painted with elaborate patterns.

a carving on the balcony of the tango monastery.

the traditional windows in tango monastery - note the fire extinguishers!

butter lamps in the memoral chorten.

wood carvings of the 4 friends, the 4 protective deities and the 8 auspicious/lucky signs. these are painted or carved in most traditional homes.

elaborate paintings

mandala on the wall in semtokha dzong

painting of lord buddha on the rock surface, these are very typical and you will see quite a few while driving in and around bhutan. if i am not mistaken, the two below were made during the filming of dzongsar khyentse's movie "travellers & magicians". painting of guru rimpoche, beside lord buddha!


prayers on the wall

dancing dakinis, also seen on walls of monasteries

sights & scenes

some of the 108 chortens in dochula, about an hours drive from thimphu. these chortens were built to commemorate the reign of the 4th King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. if you're ever here, it's a great place to visit. on a clear day you can get a great view of the himalayan range.
alot of us go there for a short drive, families take their children for picnics, friends for a ride, tourists for the view and so on. it's now one of the few places where the snow sets as thimphu unfortunately does not get much snow now like before.



frosty prayer flags in dochula during winter. yes, dochula is filled with prayer flags which make for awesome pictures even with the most basic of cameras!