After finishing my first semester lecturing at the Royal Thimphu College, I took the opportunity to explore some of the hills in the Thimphu Valley. A two and a half hour hike brought me to Phajoding Monastery. The scenery was spectacular as the Himalayas served as a backdrop to the rolling forested hills which are a prize of Bhutan. In addition, Phajoding is a gateway to hidden alpine lakes, Rhododendron fields, and the Druk Path Trek which leads travellers to the Paro Valley.
In its past, Phajoding was a thriving facility serving the people of the valley, however it declined due to various reasons such as road access linking other monasteries to urban areas and a lack of funding. However, a dedicated group of individuals have united to improve the educational and living standards of the monk body through the Phajoding Monastery Project (for more information see http://phajodingmonastery.com). Currently there are 40 monks serving at the facility and government funded restoration plans are in place for a number of the buildings on the property.