Red dried chilies must for Bhutanese dishes

The sun dried red chilies are a must have ingredient in many Bhutanese dishes but with their price soaring through the roof of the centenary farmers market, it may have to saved only for rare and special occasions.

A kilogram of red chilies costs Nu.800 to Nu.1000.

Karma Wangmo, a customer, came all the way from Soe Naro in Paro to buy red chilies at the centenary farmers market. She went home without buying a single kilogram. It is simply beyond her meager means.

“There is a huge difference between last year and this year. Last year, a kilogram cost Nu.400. Now it is double,” she said.

Yeshey Namgay, a teacher, cannot do without chilies. “For the Bhutanese, chili is a must. The price has increased but we have no choice,” he said.

Aum Singey Bidha has been selling chilies at the Centennial Farmer’s Market in Thimphu for almost 11 years now. She has never seen the price of dried chilies rise so high.

“The chili yield was poor. I bought at Nu.700 from the wholesale dealer and sell for Nu.800.”

With the Monsoon around the corner, farmers in chili growing areas are already preparing their fields for chili cultivation. The harvest will be dried and sold next year. One can only pray that this year, the rains will come on time and the harvest will be bountiful.

His Majesty the King announced that his married to Jetsun Pema

The 7^th session of the parliament today will be remembered for a long time by the Bhutanese people. It was on this auspicious occasion that His Majesty the King announced that he would be getting married to Jetsun Pema in October this year.

Jetsun Pema was born on the 4^th of June 1990 to Dhondup Gyaltshen and Sonam Chuki. Her father is the grandson of Tashigang Dzongpon Dopola. Her mother is comes from the family of Bumthang Pangtey. Jetsun has two brothers and two sisters. She is the second eldest.

She began her schooling at Changangkha Lower Secondary School and the St. Joseph’s Convent in Kalimpong, India, and continued her studies at Lungtenzampa Middle Secondary School, the Lawrence School, and the Regents College in London, UK.

Her hobbies include the fine arts, painting, and basketball. In recent times, she accompanied His Majesty on royal tours around the country.

Speaking about the would-be-queen, His Majesty said many people will have their own expectations –that “she should be uniquely beautiful, intelligent and graceful.”

“What is most important is that at all times, as an individual she must be a good human being, and as queen, she must be unwavering in her commitment to serve the people and the country.”

His Majesty said while she is young, she is warm and kind in heart and character. “These qualities together with the wisdom that will come with age and experience will make her a great servant to the nation.”

His Majesty said the wedding will be in accordance with age-old tradition and asked the government not to make any plans for a grand celebration saying “the happiness of my beloved father and the blessings of our people will give me the greatest joy and happiness.”

Source: BBS

Air services between Bhutan and Bangladesh can be significantly increased

Air services between Bhutan and Bangladesh can be significantly increased under a new agreement signed this week.

The updated agreement allows daily flights between Bhutan and Bangladesh. It also allows the use of any airport situated in either country by airlines belonging to both countries. The new air agreement also allows national airline Drukair to connect Bangladesh with other countries besides Thailand.

Currently, Drukair operates three flights to the capital city, Dhaka, with two of these flights also connecting Dhaka to Bangkok, Thailand.

Drukair CEO Tandin Jamso said that, “as of now”, the airline would not be adding more flights to Dhaka. But he pointed out that, with increasing passenger traffic between Bhutan and Bangladesh, the airline is studying the financial viability of increasing flight frequency. He said that tourist arrivals from Bangladesh have been increasing. He also said that the airline will be studying potential routes that could be operated from Dhaka.

Passenger traffic between Paro and Dhaka increased by more than 100 percent in 2010, when compared to 2009. The airline carried 5,840 passengers in 2010, and 2,897 in 2009 between Paro and Dhaka. The airline has already flown more than a thousand passengers on the route this year.

Drukair will have the option of flying to any airport in Bangladesh. The country has three international and seven domestic airports.

The updated air services agreement comes a week after Bhutan and Maldives also signed an air agreement, allowing flights between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Drukair’s pilot project of operating between Paro-Mumbai, India, commenced with 100 Indian tourists arriving in Paro yesterday. The national airline will fly charters to Mumbai once a week until the end of June. It will also operate a weekly charter to Delhi as part of the project.

India’s largest online travel agency, “http://makemytrip.com/”makemytrip.com, is a partner in the project. The tourists are paying between Nu 40,000–50,000 for a weeklong stay in Bhutan.

While Drukair is looking to explore and expand its market in India, “http://makemytrip.com/”makemytrip.com officials said that more work would have to be done by both the company and the tourism council of Bhutan in India to attract more Indian tourists to Bhutan. Drukair’s passenger traffic on its India sectors increased 26 percent in 2010, compared to the previous year.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan: The monal pheasant is a rare and highly endangered bird species

The monal pheasant is a rare and highly endangered bird species. Its existence has come under even greater threat because of the national sport, archery.

In traditional archery contests, archers use bamboo bows and arrows. The monal pheasant feathers are highly sought after for making the traditional bamboo arrows.

According to the Bhutan Indigenous Games and Sports Association, it is mandatory to use bird feathers for making the traditional bamboo arrows. Archers cannot use alternative feathers like the flexible plastic feathers. While many bird feathers can be used, most archers, if they can help it, want the monal pheasant feathers.

The monal pheasants are found between 2800 and 4200 meters above the sea level. Otherwise seen in large groups, the bird is slowly disappearing.

Hishey Tshering is an avid bird watcher and a keen archer. He is also a tour operator and often takes tourists on bird watching excursions.

“Just four to five years ago, on any mountain pass, if we arrive on time, we could see 20-30 birds at a time but of late it has become extremely stressful taking people there.”

The Indigenous Games and Sports Association also agree alternatives have to be found.

Jurmin Wangdi, the Assistant General Secretary of the Bhutan Indigenous Games Sports Association said “as an individual I feel sad because making a pair of arrows costs the life of a bird. We should give it a thought. Bhutan is a biological hotspot for bird watching. If monal pheasants are vanishing, we should see how we can bring about a good change.”

Arrows made with monal pheasant feathers cost around Nu.1200 a pair. Arrows made with feathers from less exalted birds cost around Nu.300.

Source: BBS

The monal pheasant is a rare and highly endangered bird species. Its existence has come under even greater threat because of the national sport, archery.

In traditional archery contests, archers use bamboo bows and arrows. The monal pheasant feathers are highly sought after for making the traditional bamboo arrows.

According to the Bhutan Indigenous Games and Sports Association, it is mandatory to use bird feathers for making the traditional bamboo arrows. Archers cannot use alternative feathers like the flexible plastic feathers. While many bird feathers can be used, most archers, if they can help it, want the monal pheasant feathers.

The monal pheasants are found between 2800 and 4200 meters above the sea level. Otherwise seen in large groups, the bird is slowly disappearing.

Hishey Tshering is an avid bird watcher and a keen archer. He is also a tour operator and often takes tourists on bird watching excursions.

“Just four to five years ago, on any mountain pass, if we arrive on time, we could see 20-30 birds at a time but of late it has become extremely stressful taking people there.”

The Indigenous Games and Sports Association also agree alternatives have to be found.

Jurmin Wangdi, the Assistant General Secretary of the Bhutan Indigenous Games Sports Association said “as an individual I feel sad because making a pair of arrows costs the life of a bird. We should give it a thought. Bhutan is a biological hotspot for bird watching. If monal pheasants are vanishing, we should see how we can bring about a good change.”

Arrows made with monal pheasant feathers cost around Nu.1200 a pair. Arrows made with feathers from less exalted birds cost around Nu.300.

Source: BBS