The Third Bhutan Exploration – Day 1

Paro, Thimphu, Trongsa

On April 22, 2024, Venerable Pomnyun Sunim and the JTS exploration team traveled to Bhutan for the third survey of their sustainable development project. This time, the team was accompanied by four experts specializing in agriculture, forestry, and urban development.

The group departed Seoul on an evening flight and left Bangkok Airport at 7:30 AM the next morning, bound for Bhutan. After a brief layover in Dhaka, the plane traversed the gorges of the Himalayan mountains and landed at Bhutan’s Paro Airport at 10:50 AM.

As soon as they disembarked, they took a commemorative photo in front of the uniquely styled traditional airport building.
“Welcome to Bhutan!”

Upon arriving, the group joined local experts, and Venerable Pomnyun began leading the tour in earnest. Inside the airport, they were warmly welcomed by Dr. Tashi Jangmo, Secretary-General of the Bhutan Nuns Foundation, and Ms. Ji-hyun Kim, who had arrived earlier from the U.S. to assist with interpretation for the group.

“Kuzu zangpo la” (Hello)

After exchanging greetings, the group quickly retrieved their luggage, stepped outside the airport, and loaded it into the vehicle. Dr. Tashi Jangmo then politely explained to Venerable Pomnyun that she would not be able to accompany the group on this trip due to her busy schedule. Instead, Chewang, a staff member from the Nuns Foundation, would be joining them.

“Can you keep up with me? What if you fall ill trying to follow along?”

Dr. Tashi confidently replied, “This person is very strong. No matter what task you give them, they’ll handle it well.” (Laughter)

After exchanging warm greetings, the group departed Paro Airport at 11:30 AM, heading toward today’s destination, Trongsa.

Outside the window, traditional buildings that had preserved their heritage unfolded one after another. As the car made its way, Venerable Pomnyun occasionally provided explanations. The experts also felt at ease to ask questions about anything they were curious about.

“Do the locals here prefer farming? What kind of work generates income for them?”

Venerable Pomnyun replied, “It seems they mostly just grow enough to feed themselves.”

“For young people to stay in their hometowns, there needs to be some income generation.”

“There’s no surplus income here. That’s why all the young people leave for overseas, and there are hardly any left in the rural areas. I brought you all here to help address this issue. I want to create opportunities for the locals to earn even just a little, so they can afford things like shoes.” (Laughter)

“But we can’t just keep helping them forever; the goal is to help them become self-reliant. No one here is starving, but for the older and middle-aged groups, we need to find ways for them to earn enough income to afford basic necessities.

As for the younger generation, they’re unwilling to stay in rural areas with traditional farming methods. So, we need to explore solutions, like creating cooperative farms or other initiatives, to enable them to sustain a livelihood while staying in their hometowns.”

“For women, engaging in small-scale cottage industries could be an option. For instance, they seem to prefer creating traditional handicrafts for tourists. As for men, it might be beneficial for them to learn construction skills. Even in Thimphu, there’s a construction boom with many ongoing projects, but a shortage of workers means foreigners are coming in to do the jobs. We need to find ways to help them acquire the skills needed to participate in this labor market.”

The car departed from Paro and passed through the center of Thimphu.

“Thimphu is about 2,200 meters above sea level. It’s quite high here.”

As they left the city, the winding uphill road continued. The higher they climbed, the more their ears felt stuffed, and a light pressure began to build in their heads.

“Is it over 3000 meters above sea level? We’ll soon reach a scenic pass, and we’ll have lunch there.”

At 1:00 PM, they arrived at Dochula Chorten. It is said to be 3,100 meters above sea level. As they stepped out of the car, the cold air immediately greeted them.

They took a commemorative photo with the memorial stupa in the background and enjoyed their lunch together. After finishing the meal, they continued on their journey.

After driving for a while, Venerable Pomnyun pointed toward a café.

“That’s Tashi’s café. Please pull over,” he said.

At the spot he pointed to, there was an empty thatched hut. Beneath the hut was a steep cliff, and the river was flowing powerfully below.

During the previous field survey, Dr. Tashi had brought warm tea and shared it with everyone at this spot, which is why Venerable Pomnyun referred to it as “Tashi’s café.” However, today, it was a “Tashi café” without Tashi herself.

After having a snack and getting some fresh air, they got back into the car. They seemed to be descending the mountain, but after crossing a valley, the road continued upward toward even higher elevations.

“This time, we’re heading to a higher place. We’ll reach 3,400 meters above sea level.”

Through the car window, they frequently saw residents living on steep mountainsides, cultivating fields to sustain themselves. Venerable Pomnyun continued his explanation.

“Looking closely, you can see people farming and living scattered across the mountain. They have to farm on such steep slopes, so what more can they do besides grow food for themselves? At first, I just thought the scenery was beautiful, but after coming here once, twice, and more often, I began to notice more and more people farming on the mountainsides.”

Indeed, fields were carved into what seemed like sheer cliffs. There was no flat land near the valley for farming, so the people of Bhutan had no choice but to ascend the mountain slopes, gradually moving higher in search of usable land. This was the reality of life for the Bhutanese people.

As the altitude gradually increased, yaks began to appear more frequently.

Venerable Pomnyun and the JTS team finally arrived at a pass 3,400 meters above sea level.

“We’ll take a quick five-minute break to enjoy the view before continuing.”

The car began descending again, and this time, a vast pasture stretched out before them.

“There’s such a wide pasture at this high altitude. It’s hard to find flat land anywhere, so this is a truly rare sight in Bhutan.”

At 5 p.m., they arrived at Chendebji Chorten and met Mr. Linchen and Mr. Ishii from the Cabinet Secretariat.

“After getting scolded like that last time, you came back again?” he teased.

“Yes, I came back to learn even more,” Mr. Ishii replied, laughing.

During the previous trip, Venerable Pomnyun had shared insights with Mr. Ishii about the mindset that civil servants should have. Mr. Ishii found the teachings very meaningful and joined this trip with joy and enthusiasm.

This place is home to a lama and a group of young monks. On the previous visit, Venerable Pomnyun had encouraged the young monks, and this time, while drinking tea prepared by the lama, he emphasized the importance of education for the young monks.

“How many young monks live here?”
“There are 22.”
“Do they all attend school? Or do they study here?”
“They study here. Up to the 8th grade, two senior monks teach the young monks. After the 8th grade, they receive monastic education.”

“Even though one has become a monk, until the 10th grade, they should be taught general knowledge such as science, math, social studies, and history, in addition to monastic education. In the past, ordinary people didn’t study, but now everyone is required to complete education up to the 10th grade. If monks are not sent to school, they will find it difficult to guide the general public.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“If you research what methods are possible, I will also provide support. Before being a monk, you are a person. Monks are also citizens of Bhutan. Since the Bhutan government’s policy mandates education up to the 10th grade, monks should also receive education.”

Venerable Pomnyun once again emphasized the importance of school education for the monks and then handed over an offering to the lama.

They got back into the car and continued down the mountain road. By the time it was past 6 p.m., the sun had set. Driving along a dark mountain road with no lights in sight, they finally arrived in Trongsa at 7:30 p.m.

They decided to unload the luggage later and began with a meeting first. The participants, including Linchen from the Cabinet Secretariat and government officials from the Trongsa Dzongkha, took time to introduce themselves.

Linchen introduced the Bhutanese government officials, while Venerable Pomnyun introduced four experts from Korea.

Professor Park Jin-do is a professor emeritus at Chungnam National University, and he has dedicated his life to researching rural development. Mr. Joo Hyung-ro is an expert in environmentally friendly agriculture, with a lifetime of experience in the field. Mr. Noh Gi-seon is an expert in water supply and sewage systems, which will be crucial as Bhutan moves forward with urban development. Mr. Choi Won-gyu is a forestry expert who has spent his life researching forest management.

“Welcome to Bhutan!”

“Even though you’ll be visiting the site this time, a solution may not come to you immediately. However, seeing the site firsthand will allow you to continue your research.”

Finally, after discussing the schedule for tomorrow, the meeting was concluded.

Everyone was tired after traveling such long distances yesterday and today, so after having dinner, they went to bed early.

Tomorrow, the plan is to spend the entire day visiting Nabji Chiwog and Kolpu Chiwog to examine issues related to agriculture, forestry, and water supply and sewage systems. In the evening, a meeting will be held with the officials of Gewog.

*This text was written and edited based on an article provided by the Monk’s Day Team