watching weaving

Having been in Laos for a while, a place where textiles are such an important part of the culture, I've adapted a new found love for textiles and weaving.  Conceptually, it still blows me away. It's something that's been around for AGES, and is a part of every culture. Furthermore, when you start to see similar patterns and styles between Himalayan, SE Asian and even South American weavings, you can't help but feel this cultural connectedness in the world (as well as believe in the Beringia theory of how people came to the Americas).  I love watching weaving, because as simple as it is, I still never fully understand it.  I also love how you take a few strands of string and make something beautiful from it. Something from nothing.

I went to this weaving workshop in Thimphu, but sadly no one spoke any English to explain anything to me.  Take a look at some of these patterns and designs.  I tried to capture the weavers in the midsts of their intricate details work.  Also the colors and fine details were truly just dazzling.

perverted bhutan, or maybe just me

The phallus is a holy symbol in many countries, Bhutan being one of them. So just like many people want a Ganesh statue or a Christ one, well.... some people want to pray to penis.  So you have stores selling wooden phalluses.  It's not really perverted, but westerners like to think it is.  Westerners (or maybe just me) also always giggle at the signs saying "restaurant cum bar" or "snooker cum bar."  I was told cum means something like "and" in Indian. I'm not sure, but until I know for a fact I have no urge to enter a cum bar.

making a tsa-tsa

Tsa-tsa, a word transliterated from Sanskrit to Tibetan (and Dzongkha), refers to the miniature Buddha and stupas molded with clay in Tibet and Bhutan. This special Buddhist art form resulted from the prosperous development of Buddhist culture, and was transmitted to Tibet and Bhutan by pilgrims from India.

Tsa-tsas are mainly used as holy oblation in Bhutanese Buddhism, and certain small ones can be used as amulets. Bhutanese people believe that making tsa-tsas is a process of accumulating merits and virtues. Tsa-tsas are believed to have the power to prevent disasters, cure illness, and provide atonement. After being empowered by a dignitary, they can be holy objects. These holy objects are always put in places that are believed to have a nimbus. Thus many tsa-tsas can be found inside stupas, Buddha statues, monastery altars, holy caves or beside holy mountains, holy lakes and other holy sites.

I got the chance to make a tsa-tsa one evening while in Gangtey. I do have to say, I was not so great with it and one of the staff ended up helping. After it was molded we placed a hole in the bottom and put in some grains.  They were blessed by a monk and the next day after drying we were given our tsa-tsa to place in a spot of our choosing.  I put mine on top of a special stupa. Usually they are placed with many other ones, and I guess I thought that there would be more in this spot, but there wasn't and mine was alone.  If you look in the third picture you'll see a small stupa like object on the ledge of the bigger stupa.  This stupa is part of a set of 108 stupas in one area on top of a mountain road pass.

PoTD - Think your job is bad?

You think your job is hard? Imagine being a migrant worker and being forced to hammer at stone to work on breaking it apart in order to make a "better" road.  You live in make shift tents by the side of the roads and are paid very little. Yet, you still smile a lot.  Something to think about the next time you're upset at work. :)

Visiting a Fertility Temple

On the way to Gangtey from Punakha I swung by the local fertility temple.  I was hesitant at first because I have no urge to knock up any girl for a long long time, so why ask to be more fertile, but I don't really believe in the juju anyways so I decided to take a look. It was about a 20min hike through paddy fields to get there and not the most amazing temple inside. But they did have a lot of phallic type objects inside and so I got to play with my driver a little bit (who spoke no english) and push at him with various wooden and ivory dildo type objects.  Let's hope my swimmers aren't more potent after the visit.