On our last day in Bhutan we got up before dawn to witness a unique spectacle.
The Paro Tsechu is a four-day religious festival. Hours of story-telling through music, acting, dancing and chanting ensure an engrossing and atmospheric event.
Our early start on its last day was to see the highlight: the display of the thongdrel, a huge century-old tapestry of the country's mustachioed deity, Guru Rinpoche. The mere viewing of this work-of-art is said to cleanse the viewer of their sins. (Useful!).
To music and chanting, smells of burning incense and cypress wood, people queued to worship the image and touch it to their forehead. Hundreds, if not thousands, did this before it was raised again pre-sunrise for another year.
In the cold, dawn pre-light it was a 'hairs standing-up on the back of your neck' experience and although I'm not a morning person, the early start was worth it before our flight from this beautiful and fascinating country.
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