entrance to the Gontse Gaden Rabgye Ling monastery in Bomdilla
Bomdilla is a bit like Dirang. Quite some tourist infrastructure, in the form of hotels, homestays, and restaurants – which, confusingly are also called hotels, but for ‘fooding’ only. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be a lot to do in town. There is the market, in Bomdilla’s case the old market and the new market, i.e. no less two commercial streets. A rather modern monastery, the Gontse Gaden Rabgye Ling, is even less impressive than the one in Dirang, although a second Buddhist temple in town, Thubchog Gatsel Ling, looks a little nicer.
In fact, for us Bomdilla is mostly remembered for the cold: it is at around 2800 m, and a freezing wind was driving through town, most of the time. And although sometimes our homestays have electric heaters in the rooms, they don’t work when there is a power cut. There were a lot of power cuts.
next: the road to Ziro
villages are almost entirely from corrugated iron, these days
on the road to Bomdilla, lots of small villages deep down in the valleys
the centre of Bomdilla, not different from other towns in the region
the usual general store in the new market – I think
confusingly, hotels here are often restaurants, which means no lodging, ‘fooding only’
and this is in the old market
and lost of metal spoons for sale!
the Gontse Gaden Rabgye Ling, the main monastery in Bomdilla
lots of golden structures, too
impressive, albeit modern, entrance
the monastery kids, the youngest monks, are practicing
although not all of them are equally active
and this is the other monastery in Bomdilla, Thubchog Gatsel Ling
