Bhutan

I haven't done ANY country blogs in January, but we're knocking them off at a record pace (since Asa is home for every meal, sometimes we get two in a day!) But, that means I am 15 countries behind, so I'm sorry to the next 15, but you're just not going to get your due. I gotta fly through these. 

So lets head to Asia to go to Bhutan, a small (14,824 sqare miles) country on the boarder of India and China high up in the Himalayas. It's the land of Buddhist monks, blue poppies and goats you might mistake for cows. 

First, the goats: Bhutan's national animal is the Takin. Legend says it's a goat whose head was fused to a cows body. It's really rare to see the guys, but you'll usually get to see more than one, as they live in groups. But, only in high altitudes. 

Also found in high altitudes: the blue poppy, Bhutan's national flower.  It only grows at really high altitudes (over 13,123 feet above sea-level- the same as the Takin)- where not even trees can o or insects can fly. It can grow up to 3 feet tall, but only blooms once before they die. 

Our landmark for Bhutan was the Punakha Dzong, Buhtan's most beautiful building. It sits at the junction of the 'Mo' (mother) and 'Po' (father) Rivers. (Fun story: Hayden kept calling the junction a 

'MoFo' and Calib and Peyton couldn't contain their laughter. Hayden had no idea what was amusing, however). 

Anyway, a dzong is a type of fortress architecture found mainly in Bhutan, and and Punakha Dzong is said to house some very important Tibetan Buddhism relics. It was once the seat of the government of Bhutan as well, until the capital was moved to Thimphhu. 

Paro Taktsand Dzong (more easily remembered by its other name: Tiger's Nest Monastery) is also pretty famous, that one is carved into the ede of a cliff. 

Also, check out the flag! I made it a long time ago when Peyton was learning countries and capitals, but it's still one of my favorites I ever did. Bhutanese people call their home 'Druk Yul' which means 'The Land of the Thunder Dragons' because of the crazy thunderstorms they have over their part of the Himalayan Mountain range. I draw a mean Thunder Dragon, if I do say so myself. (His name is Druk, btw). 

Bhutan is a pretty simple country. It's like Nepal's brother, with it's love of (salted butter) tea, fluttering prayer flags high in the Himalayas, and monks who can be seen towing the line between traditional and modern. 

The king of Bhutan believes strongly in gross domestic happiness, and tries to strike a balance between the ancient and spiritual and the modern and the material. As a result, Bhutan was one of the last countries to allow it's citizens access to TV and the internet. They didn't get those modern amenities until 1999, because the king feared it would corrupt their traditions. 

One more thing, if you want to visit Bhutan, save your dollars. You have to pay a 'daily dollar fee' just to be in the country. It's about $250 US dollars a DAY just to visit (more if you're only in a group of one or two, and less if you go in the 'offseason'- which in case you are wondering is December to February and June-August). It does cover accommodations, transport in Bhutan, a guide, food and entry fees, however. 

The boys made their Bhutan postcards. 

Calib's featured the king, the Himalayas, and the blue poppy. 

Peyton put the prayer flags in his (which reminded us of Nepal, and the Animal Kingdom!). 

And Hayden's featured people in the traditional Gho and Kira robes, and of course he added the cow/goat mashup of the Takin. 

The national dish of Bhutan is Ema Datshi, a spicy stew with chili peppers, onions, and yak cheese. 

One, I don't do spice, and two, I don't know where I could find yak cheese. 

So, we had a Corinne-a-nized version of Ema Datshi. I picked up a couple of sweeter/less spicy peppers. 

But, Asa did get to use his Himalayan Salt in the recipe, and that totally fits in! 

And, as a replacement to yak cheese there was a suggestion of a combo of feta, cheddar or farmer's cheese. This is the best I could come up with. 

We served the 'stew' (come on, it's just a cheese sauce with peppers, onions and tomatoes) over rice, as suggested, and had some pears and bread with it. 

This dinner earned two-ish spoons up. 

Now, I KNEW Peyton wasn't going to be fan. He took a few bites, and then ended up eating a bowl of plain rice for dinner. 

Asa really enjoyed it, and Hayden actually ate pretty much his whole bowl, which was shocking since he really doesn't care for rice. 

Calib and I ate the whole thing, and it was fine. Enjoyable, but missing something. 

So then Calib says 'It'd be really good with some chicken, or beef in it. Maybe add some tomato and lettuce, wrap it in a tortilla'. 

And I was like 'So, basically a taco? 

I mean the cheese sauce was good. But, I saw his point. It was missing something. 

Bhutan got colored in a bright blue color on the border of red India and tealish China, just to the north of dark purple Bangladesh. 

167 down, 29 to go! 

Next Up: Oman