Bhutan Prayer Flags

The structure on my left in the image below are prayer flags called "Lungta" in Dzongkha meaning "wind horse". ("Lung" means "wind" and "ta" means "horse"). There are Buddhist prayers printed on the flags. They are called Lungta because Buddhist believe that the wind will spread the prayers to the world at the speed of horse. Lungta consists of 5 colors: blue, white, red, green and yellow in order. 

The five colors represent the elements: blue symbolizes sky, white cloud, red fire, green water, and yellow earth. Lungta is one of the most common sights in Bhutan. You can see them on the mountains, near the temples, monasteries, and even across the river and on the bridges. Wangdiphodrang (probably the most windy place in Bhutan) is the best place for lungta because it feeds the windhorse with its strong wind.

Paro, Bhutan

View of Paro Dzong and the National Museum of Bhutan at the back. More than the dzongs, I really love the traditional cantilever bridges in Bhutan. 

The photo above shows two important places in Paro, Paro Dzong and the National Museum of Bhutan behind. Another name of Paro dzong is Rinpung dzong which means “fortress of heap of Jewels.” It was built in 1644 by zhabdrung and established as the administrative and monastic center of the western region. It was founded in the 15th century by Gyelchok and Gyelzom (brothers), the descendents of Phajo Drugom zhingpo. Inside Rinpung Dzong there are 14 shrines and chapels. Some scenes in the 1993 movie “Little Buddha” were filmed in this dzong.

Ta dzong, a 7-storied watch tower fortress was built in 1949. It was established as the national museum of Bhutan in 1968 by the 3rd king of Bhutan. The cylindrical shaped building was built in 1949 by the 1st governor of Paro. It served as a watch tower to protect the Paro Rinpung Dzong from Tibetan invasions. The building design reflets the union of the sun (circular shape) and the moon (crescent shape). The tower has 6 floors and not only housed soldiers but also prisoners of war.

The weather is Paro valley is pleasant most of the time. Make sure not to miss put these places because you will regret if you don't. Your eyes will be pleased. 

Bhutan Masks

Many countries have mask dances and it has its beauty. Here are some of the masks you can see during the religious festivals in Bhutan. The religious festivals are called "Tshechu". Some of the masks are quite intimidating but once you know the story told through the mask dance, you will stop fearing them and start to have a different view about it. 

Bhutan's Buddhism

Prayers wheels are called "mani khorlo" in Dzongkha. They are found in different sizes and can be seen almost everywhere in Bhutan. The mantra "Om mani padme hung" in Sanskrit is written on the outside. Some of them are turned by wind, some by running water and most of them by people as they pray. 

전경기는 부탄말로 "마니코를로"라고 부른다. 다향모양의 마니코를로가 있고 부탄에는 어디든지 볼수 있다. 마니코를로에는 "옴마니반메훔"쓰여져 있다. 어떤 전경기는 물과 바람으로 돌고 대부분 전경가는 사람들이 직접 기도 하면서 돈다. 🇰🇷🇧🇹

Bhutan Happy New Year 2016

Here is how to wish Happy New Year in simple Dzongkha. "Losar Tashi delek"! Happy New Year 2016 everyone!!

Drinking Culture in Bhutan and South Korea

The purpose of this post is to spell out the differences in drinking culture in Bhutan and South Korea. To begin with, an employee or subordinate of a company almost cannot decline when offerred to go drinking when asked by their bosses. Although, in Bhutan, it is not big of a deal. Thus, company employees drinking together is more common in Korea than in Bhutan. 

In Korea, you need to empty your glass in order to get refill. And the refilling is usually done by someone else other than yourself. Surprisingly, it is just the contrary in Bhutan. If you empty your glass while drinking in Bhutan, it means you are calling it a day. Therefore, you or your friend will make sure to top up your glass before its empty until both/everyone agrees to bring to an end to the party/occasion. 

Bhutanese beer: Red Panda

Another interesting difference is that, in Korea, you will end up going for fourth or fifth round of drinking excluding the dinner you just had, moving from bar to bar until dawn. In between, Koreans also enjoy dropping by karaokes. People in Bhutan keeps it simple. Drinking usually happens when there is a cause for celebration, such as birthdays, wedding,  promotion and as such. It is common to drink, then have dinner, and then hit the road home. 

Korean alcohol: Soju

University students (especially freshmen) and also company workers would cram in a bar and play endless drinkin games. Drinking and playing games is considered stress relieving. Again, for Bhutanese college students, drinking takes place over a small chat for females, and debates over politics, religion and other hot topics for men (might sound a little biased). 

Drinking with family members and relatives is common in South Korea. While it is a rare thing in Bhutan. Drinking in Korea is a fun activity and they tend to keep it casual. On the other hand, Bhutanese people share their feelings and opinions openly over a drink. I think there are many amusing and beautiful customs we can learn about a country just from its drinking culture. Cheers and gun-bae (cheers in Korean) to everyone out there who enjoys drinking. 

Religion in Bhutan and Korea

This post is the show the difference in religion between South Korea and Bhutan. There are various religion in South Korea and some people choose not to have any religion. Whereas, Bhutan is a Buddhist country (with around 30% Hinduism). 

Most of fhe People in Korea would go to church on Sundays. Few would go to temples. Some people would visit temple or church just because they are beautiful, not necessarily because they believe that religion. In Korea, children can choose different religion from their parents. Some of my collegues use to say "My parents are Buddhist but I am Christian". 

While in Bhutan, if a person is born in a Buddhist family, you become Buddhist. It is safe to say that in the case of Bhutan, you are born with a religion. It is rare to see children and parents believing different religion. Bhutan's population consist of around 30% Nepali ethnic who believe in Hinduism. Most of them believe practice both hinduism and buddhism. Despite the differences, Bhutanese citizens doesn't show hostility towards any religion. 

In Korea, temples are decorated with paper lanterns occasionally. Many Koreans visit the temple to pray and some to enjoy the night scenary of the beautiful lanterns. In Seoul, we can also see many foreigners visiting temples with cameras.