Bhutan in depth
Go further afield on this two week in-depth holiday covering the valleys and iconic sites of this wonderful Kingdom.
The 13 Arts & Crafts of Bhutan – Thimphu, Thimphu Bhutan, Thimphu Valley
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Think beyond the usual tourist tat here. Art and craft are hugely important in Bhutan and there are 13 arts and crafts that represent the spirit and identity of the country. Collectively this is known as ZorigChosum. The arts include painting, paper making, weaving and carpentry.
Thimphu is the best place in the country to see the arts in action. Watch artists at work and get inspired to try your hand at designing and painting your own Thanka (a traditional Buddhist painting).
You can also visit several organisations that seek to preserve the traditional arts and crafts and also promote contemporary talent: The Royal Textile Academy of Bhutan, the Textile Museum and the Weaving School. The museum displays the country's artefacts and rich textile traditions, while the school keeps the skill alive by training students in traditional weaving, yarn dyeing, contemporary design as well as business skills.
Finally, pay a visit to the Jungshi handmade paper factory, and see how authentic Bhutanese paper, known as Deh-sho, is made. Deh-sho paper was originally used by monasteries for woodblock and manuscripts and also for writing prayer books; now there are fabulous designs created for souvenir cards and gifts!
You can include this experience as part of an Experience Travel Group holiday designed exclusively with you.
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Customer Feedback
Both our guides, in Cambodia were excellent. However, I would like to nominate Channak for an award because we felt he gave an outstanding level of service, showing us things that weren't on the itinerary which we would never have found by ourselves and going out of his way to do so. His general sociability and ability to talk to local people, including more reserved tribal people, meant that we had a much greater insight into the community than we expected and we felt privileged to be there with him. He also has personal experience (from childhood) of the Khmer Rouge regime which made our visits to Toul Sleng and Choeung Ek in particular even more poignant than they would have been otherwise.
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