Takin Preserve

We drove up to the Takin preserve to see the National animal-the takin (pronounced t-/short o/-kin. The legend says that a great Master performed the miracle of combining the two animals-goat and deer to demonstrate his powers. We walked up a trail to see the takin late in the afternoon -during feeding time. The takin were originally in a "zoo" but then released because Bhutan did not want to keep the animals in captivity. But the takin still stick around and are able to be viewed at certain times of day. The road leading to the preserve goes up a large "hill" or mountain (since Thimphu is close to 8,000 ft) past a 15th century monastery and the valley where the Ministers of govrnment and Royal family reside. On the way up, we passed several Bhutanese mountain bikers. The road is just up at a steep grade-it's like Bhutan's version of a Tour de France climb. Luckily we were in a vehicle and able to drive to the top where the BBS (Bhutan broadcasting service) broadcasts from. The pinnacle is covered in prayer flags. We parked at the takin trail head and walked through a very green forest with a grassy floor and tall pines looming. Three extremely large deer were grazing (about the size of elk) and off in the distance we could see takin. From our perspective, the takin move like bears. One mama takin had a baby following closely behind, trying to nurse every chance he or she could get. There were about 10 to 12 in the group with only a couple of young takin close enough to see the "goat head" and deer body. We didn't hear any sounds from the animals. We also saw very small deer with antelope like antlers. On the way back to the car, we saw a group of children playing "world cup" soccer. Each child was rooting for a particular country wearing respective jerseys. They were all smiles and practicing a few english phrases with use-mainly "you're welcome." The view from the mountain was vast with the surrounding himalayan foothills and the city of Thimphu below. On a nearby hilltop is the giant Buddha in construction (engineered by the Japanese). Even though scaffolding surrounds the body, the statue glows in the sunlight.

Got our visa extensions today-yay!