My day was rescued in part by finally gaining the throne in the war campaign of Stronghold2, but mostly by a visit to the handicraft fair in the late afternoon. I’d been watching stalls being erected in the Clock Tower Square for the past week with no knowledge of what they were for. It was a guest at our dinner the night before that told us of the fair and how wonderful it was.
We rugged up against the cold drizzle and wandered down at around 4 o’clock to find a crowd gathered in the amphitheatre waiting for a show. While they waited, we checked out the stalls displaying local crafts from all over the country. Much of it I hadn’t seen before. Marie pointed out a thick felt that the villagers from Mirek wear to stay warm. The Tarayana foundation was sponsoring a group of villagers to make scented candles, supplying all the raw materials and letting the villagers take all the profits. One stall was selling a range of foods and I tried a traditional Bhutanese momo (meat dumpling) that seemed to be made from a stringy plant with a spinachy flavour. Apparently the momos we normally eat are Tibetan.
The show, when we eventually settled in to watch it, standing to the side of the stage, was traditional dancing and music by the Royal Academy of Performing Arts. We’ve seen them before, but this time they performed the dances in the local costumes of the areas they come from. Since I hadn’t seen most of the costumes being worn, that alone was enough to make my day. But then the clouds cleared and beyond the stage, beyond the buildings of Thimphu, beyond the nearest mountains, was evidence that the rain down at 2000m was snow at 4000m – the first of the year. It was one of those moments that you want to bottle and take with you to share with the world. Unfortunately, my camera was at home. I tried to borrow a friend’s (who was sitting in a coffee shop), but I couldn’t work out how to use his professional model. As soon as they come out, I’ll update this entry whether the photos worth it or not.
While I’m waiting for that photo, here’s one I took the following day when skies were blue again. There’s another just before it in the album that shows the first snows, but the thumbnail version isn’t so pretty.