Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Life in Thimphu
After two weeks our lives are getting more settled, more regular. Weekdays I go to work and then in the afternoons we walk to town and look into shops, stores, and visit the Ambient Cafe for coffee. After that we eat dinner at one of the many local restaurants, like Chopstick, Seasons, or Plums.
This week was the Thimphu Tsechu, the big annual festival. Tuesday was a holiday and we went to the dances in the courtyard of the dzong, the huge fort like structure that holds government offices and a monastery. The place was packed, everyone was wearing their best clothes, and the colorful masked dancers were amazing.
This weekend was a three day holiday with dances daily in the large outdoor space next to the dzong. On Saturday we went hiking above town to visit two monasteries, the latter was directly above the dzong and we could see and hear the dances clearly. The hike up to the first monastery was steep and exposed and since it was a sunny day it was hot, but from there on it was downhill and easier.
Sunday we went to the dances, us and thousands of locals. We were packed like sardines. The dances were great, the costumes beautiful, and the masks terrifying., but we were a long way from the dancers, it was very hot, and we were constantly pushed by crowds of people. After a couple of hours we worked our way to the exit and walked downtown where the streets were closed and there were small booths everywhere, like a state fair at home. There were games of skill, such as archery, darts, and ball throwing, and stalls selling shoes, clothes, and handicrafts.
Monday Ugyen took us to Dochula pass where there are 108 stuppas, and from there we hiked two hours uphill through dense forests of fir and rhododendron trees to Lungchuzekhs Goenpa, a monastery with incredible views - except that the views were obscured by clouds everywhere. Still it was a great hike, the monastery was interesting, and the monk who showed us the temple also invited us to his room for tea, which was delicious. His room was about 9x12 feet and very simple. We sat on a thin mattress next to a yak skin and he served us tea from an electric pot. The stone walls two feet thick and the view from his window were to die for. What a place to meditate.
This week was the Thimphu Tsechu, the big annual festival. Tuesday was a holiday and we went to the dances in the courtyard of the dzong, the huge fort like structure that holds government offices and a monastery. The place was packed, everyone was wearing their best clothes, and the colorful masked dancers were amazing.
This weekend was a three day holiday with dances daily in the large outdoor space next to the dzong. On Saturday we went hiking above town to visit two monasteries, the latter was directly above the dzong and we could see and hear the dances clearly. The hike up to the first monastery was steep and exposed and since it was a sunny day it was hot, but from there on it was downhill and easier.
Sunday we went to the dances, us and thousands of locals. We were packed like sardines. The dances were great, the costumes beautiful, and the masks terrifying., but we were a long way from the dancers, it was very hot, and we were constantly pushed by crowds of people. After a couple of hours we worked our way to the exit and walked downtown where the streets were closed and there were small booths everywhere, like a state fair at home. There were games of skill, such as archery, darts, and ball throwing, and stalls selling shoes, clothes, and handicrafts.
Monday Ugyen took us to Dochula pass where there are 108 stuppas, and from there we hiked two hours uphill through dense forests of fir and rhododendron trees to Lungchuzekhs Goenpa, a monastery with incredible views - except that the views were obscured by clouds everywhere. Still it was a great hike, the monastery was interesting, and the monk who showed us the temple also invited us to his room for tea, which was delicious. His room was about 9x12 feet and very simple. We sat on a thin mattress next to a yak skin and he served us tea from an electric pot. The stone walls two feet thick and the view from his window were to die for. What a place to meditate.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital
JGWNRH, where I am working, is the largest and finest hospital in Bhutan - anyone needing a higher level of care than what can be provided there is referred to India. It is a very large six story building that resembles a monastery on the outside, but inside it is all hospital, with long corridors and lots of signs. Everything is concrete, tile, aluminum, and glass - very functional. The walls are painted white or various pale colors and are in need of a touchup. Electric wires, pipes, and tubes all are on the outside of the walls, as are the various bugs that crawl along disrupting my train of thought.
Light is provided by neon tubes or recessed long life bulbs, but are usually switched off to conserve electricity. The internal medicine ward has six rooms with six beds each. There are no sinks or running water in the patient rooms. Each morning the attending doctor, two interns, myself, and some of the nurses round on all the patients, most of whom have been in the hospital for several days or weeks - the average stay is about two weeks with some patients staying for months.
The patients problems are quite varied and sometimes fascinating. In one bed is a man with tetanus. the next patient is a woman with seizures and cysts in her brain on MRI scan, next is a young woman with kidney failure after a transplant in India. Other patients have heart diseases, strokes, electrolyte disorders, and various infectious diseases. The hospital provides food for the patients, but it is “not good,” so anyone with family in the area has their food brought in.
The hospital has a CT scanner and a MRI scanner, but only basic lab tests. Often the lab report says “no reagent.” But there seems to be an adequate supply of medications and overall the patients improve and go home.
It is a fascinating place to work for a month.
Light is provided by neon tubes or recessed long life bulbs, but are usually switched off to conserve electricity. The internal medicine ward has six rooms with six beds each. There are no sinks or running water in the patient rooms. Each morning the attending doctor, two interns, myself, and some of the nurses round on all the patients, most of whom have been in the hospital for several days or weeks - the average stay is about two weeks with some patients staying for months.
The patients problems are quite varied and sometimes fascinating. In one bed is a man with tetanus. the next patient is a woman with seizures and cysts in her brain on MRI scan, next is a young woman with kidney failure after a transplant in India. Other patients have heart diseases, strokes, electrolyte disorders, and various infectious diseases. The hospital provides food for the patients, but it is “not good,” so anyone with family in the area has their food brought in.
The hospital has a CT scanner and a MRI scanner, but only basic lab tests. Often the lab report says “no reagent.” But there seems to be an adequate supply of medications and overall the patients improve and go home.
It is a fascinating place to work for a month.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
First Impressions of Bhutan
Nonnie and I arrived at the Bangkok airport at 4:30am, checked in, and went to the AirFrance lounge for coffee and croissants before boarding our flight to Paro on DrukAir. The flight was very comfortable; the food was good, and the attendants in their traditional dress were lovely.
On the way we stopped at a military base in some sleepy little town in Darjeeling (India) to let a few passengers off and then thirty minutes later after flying over some spectacular mountains we dropped down into the Paro valley and landed. As we came down I could see tree covered mountains out of every window.
The drive from Paro to Thimphu took about an hour - the hospital sent a very functional vehicle to meet us and the young driver was calm and careful. The road was in good condition and followed a river most of the way, All of the buildings were made of concrete and looked solid, built to last. Most of the buildings are decorated with interesting painted symbols along with shutters and small architectural details.
Thimphu is the capital city of Bhutan and is proud of the fact that it lacks traffic lights, although I couldn’t see where they would put one. In the center of town there is a policeman in a booth, but maybe more for photos than for traffic, in any case he is a handy landmark. There were lots of shops selling souvenirs and handicrafts, but I saw very few foreigners on the streets.
Nonnie went into a five star hotel to rest in the lobby and use the lady’s restroom. The cost of a room there is $450 per night. Last night we went to dinner at a local restaurant and the total cost for three of us total was about equal to seven dollars. Obviously there are two economies at work here and tourists who pay $250 per day see the fancier one.
The hospital where I am working is huge and looks like a monastery. It too is concrete with wood trim and lots of exterior pipes and wires. There are six floors and the medicine ward is on the fifth floor - the elevators are only for patients who can’t walk. In the wards there are six beds in each room with both men and women are in the same rooms. The medicine team rounds on all 36 patients, many of whom are very complicated. The overall feeling of the hospital is best described as orderly chaos, but the people are very friendly and helpful.
We share our apartment with another doctor, a family practitioner from Alaska. The apartment has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a decent sized kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. Below there is a nice wood floor - above there are horrible neon tube lights. Last night I counted six dogs sleeping on the stairs leading to our third floor apartment. As I look out our window now I see cloudy skies, corrugated rusty metal roofs, rather dingy looking apartments, and on the unpaved road leading up to our building a dozen dogs are sleeping. So far they seem to sleep all day and bark all night.
So far Bhutan is interesting but not paradise. That part of Bhutan is somewhere else.
On the way we stopped at a military base in some sleepy little town in Darjeeling (India) to let a few passengers off and then thirty minutes later after flying over some spectacular mountains we dropped down into the Paro valley and landed. As we came down I could see tree covered mountains out of every window.
The drive from Paro to Thimphu took about an hour - the hospital sent a very functional vehicle to meet us and the young driver was calm and careful. The road was in good condition and followed a river most of the way, All of the buildings were made of concrete and looked solid, built to last. Most of the buildings are decorated with interesting painted symbols along with shutters and small architectural details.
Thimphu is the capital city of Bhutan and is proud of the fact that it lacks traffic lights, although I couldn’t see where they would put one. In the center of town there is a policeman in a booth, but maybe more for photos than for traffic, in any case he is a handy landmark. There were lots of shops selling souvenirs and handicrafts, but I saw very few foreigners on the streets.
Nonnie went into a five star hotel to rest in the lobby and use the lady’s restroom. The cost of a room there is $450 per night. Last night we went to dinner at a local restaurant and the total cost for three of us total was about equal to seven dollars. Obviously there are two economies at work here and tourists who pay $250 per day see the fancier one.
The hospital where I am working is huge and looks like a monastery. It too is concrete with wood trim and lots of exterior pipes and wires. There are six floors and the medicine ward is on the fifth floor - the elevators are only for patients who can’t walk. In the wards there are six beds in each room with both men and women are in the same rooms. The medicine team rounds on all 36 patients, many of whom are very complicated. The overall feeling of the hospital is best described as orderly chaos, but the people are very friendly and helpful.
We share our apartment with another doctor, a family practitioner from Alaska. The apartment has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a decent sized kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. Below there is a nice wood floor - above there are horrible neon tube lights. Last night I counted six dogs sleeping on the stairs leading to our third floor apartment. As I look out our window now I see cloudy skies, corrugated rusty metal roofs, rather dingy looking apartments, and on the unpaved road leading up to our building a dozen dogs are sleeping. So far they seem to sleep all day and bark all night.
So far Bhutan is interesting but not paradise. That part of Bhutan is somewhere else.
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