Mongar: The Heartbeat of Eastern Bhutan

• Helloཇོ ལི ཇོ
  [jo li jo]
• Goodbyeཇོ བ བས ༢
  [jo ba bas]
• Yesཡོ
  [yo]
• Noམེད
  [me]
• Please/You're welcomeཇོ དག བ
  [jo dak ba]
• Thank youཇོ བ བ ས
  [jo ba bas]
• Excuse me/Sorryཅོ བ བ བ པ
  [cho ba ba pa]
• How are you?ཁོ བ ད ཅེ ས བ
  [kho da che sa ba]
• Fine. And you?ཆ ཏ ད ཆ ད ས བ
  [cha ta da cha da sa ba]
• Do you speak English?ང ར ད ག ཉི ས བ བ ས བ
  [nga ra da nyi sa ba bas ba]
• I don't understandང བ བ ཟ བ
  [nga ba ba za ba]

• I'd like to see the menu, pleaseང ད ལ བ ད བ འི འ ད མ
  [nga da la ba di a da ma]
• I don't eat meatང བ ད ག ཡ བ བ
  [nga ba da ga ya ba]
• Cheers!ཕ ར འ ཕ བ
  [pha ra a pha ba]
• I would like to pay, pleaseང ད ད འི ག
  [nga da da di ga]

• Help!བ ད ན འ
  [ba da na a]
• Go away!ག ད ད ན
  [ga da da na]
• Call the Police!ག ད ད འ
  [ga da da a]
• Call a doctor!ག བ ལ བ འ
  [ga ba la ba a]
• I'm lostང ཉ ཡ བ བ
  [nga nyi ya ba ba]
• I'm illང ད ད ད ག
  [nga da da da ga]

• I'd like to buy...ང ད བ བ འི མ
  [nga da ba di ma]
• I'm just lookingང བ བ འི མ ག
  [nga ba ba di ma ga]
• How much is it?མ བ བ ད བ
  [ma ba ba da ba]
• That's too expensiveད འི ད ཅི ད ད
  [da di da chi da da]
• Can you lower the price?ང ཉ བ བ ད ད བ འི ད
  [nga nyi ba ba da da ba di da]

• What time is it?ཁ བ ག མ ད ད ད ད
  [kha ba ga ma da da da da]
• It's one o'clockད ར ར ད
  [da ra ra da]
• Half past (10)བ ད ག བ མ
  [ba da ga ba ma]
• Morningད ཟ ད
  [da za da]
• Afternoonར ད
  [ra da]
• Eveningད ད ད
  [da da da]
• Yesterdayཟ བ ད
  [za ba da]
• Todayཁ ད
  [kha da]
• Tomorrowཁ ཟ ད
  [kha za da]
• 1༡
  [1]
• 2༢
  [2]
• 3༣
  [3]
• 4༤
  [4]
• 5༥
  [5]
• 6༦
  [6]
• 7༧
  [7]
• 8༨
  [8]
• 9༩
  [9]
• 10༡༠
  [10]

• Where's a/the...?མ ད ཡ བ ད
  [ma da ya ba da]
• What's the address?ཁ ད ན བ ད
  [kha da na ba da]
• Can you show me (on the map)?ང ཉ པ ས ས བ འ
  [nga nyi pa sa sa ba di]
• When's the next (bus)?ཁ ད ར ད ད
  [kha da ra da da]
• A ticket (to ....)ད ད ཏ ཀ ཅི ས
  [da da ta ka chi sa]

Mongar Dzong, one of the newest dzongs in Bhutan, was constructed in the 1930s. Unlike many other dzongs in Bhutan, which date back centuries, Mongar Dzong was built to replace the older Zhongar Dzong, which had fallen into disrepair. The new dzong was constructed under the guidance of Bhutan's third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, and it serves as the administrative and religious center of the district.

Before the construction of Mongar Dzong, the region was dominated by Zhongar Dzong, which dates back to the 17th century. Located on a ridge overlooking the Kurichu River, Zhongar Dzong was an important fortress and administrative center. Its ruins still stand today and are a testament to the region's historical significance. The dzong was known for its strategic location and architectural beauty, and it played a crucial role in the defense and governance of eastern Bhutan.

Mongar has seen significant development over the past few decades, particularly under the reign of Bhutan's fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The construction of the East-West Highway, which passes through Mongar, has brought increased connectivity and economic opportunities to the region. This development has helped Mongar transform from a remote outpost into a bustling town, serving as a gateway to eastern Bhutan.

Mongar is known for its vibrant culture and traditions. The annual Mongar Tshechu, a religious festival held at Mongar Dzong, is one of the district's most important cultural events. The festival features colorful mask dances, religious rituals, and community gatherings, attracting visitors from all over Bhutan. Mongar is also renowned for its weaving, with local artisans producing some of the finest textiles in the country. The region's cultural heritage is deeply intertwined with its religious and community life, offering a rich tapestry of experiences for visitors.

Mongar is blessed with stunning natural landscapes, ranging from lush forests to rolling hills and pristine rivers. The region is part of the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The Kurichu Hydropower Plant, located near Mongar, is an example of how the region balances development with environmental conservation. The plant, which harnesses the power of the Kurichu River, provides electricity to the region while also ensuring the protection of the surrounding natural habitat.

Mongar is located in eastern Bhutan and is accessible by both air and road. The nearest airport is Yongphula Airport in Trashigang, approximately 3 hours away by road. Alternatively, you can fly into Paro International Airport and then take a domestic flight to Bumthang, followed by a scenic drive to Mongar. Road travel is also an option, with buses and taxis available from major cities like Thimphu and Paro. The journey by road offers stunning views of Bhutan’s rugged landscape.

Within Mongar, local taxis and private vehicles are the primary modes of transportation. There are also bus services connecting Mongar to nearby towns and villages. For more flexibility, consider renting a car. Walking is feasible for short distances, allowing you to explore the town’s local markets and attractions at your own pace.

The official currency in Bhutan is the Ngultrum (BTN), which is pegged to the Indian Rupee (INR). Credit cards are accepted in some hotels and larger shops, but it is advisable to carry cash, especially in smaller establishments. ATMs are available in Mongar, but it is wise to withdraw sufficient cash beforehand if you're planning to visit remote areas.

Mongar is generally safe for tourists, with low crime rates. However, it is always advisable to take standard precautions. Avoid walking alone at night in unfamiliar areas and keep an eye on your belongings in crowded places. There are no specific high-crime areas targeting tourists, but remain vigilant and aware of your surroundings.

In case of an emergency, you can dial 113 for police assistance or 112 for medical emergencies. Mongar has a district hospital equipped to handle most medical issues. It's recommended to have travel insurance that covers medical emergencies. Pharmacies are available in town for minor health concerns and over-the-counter medications.

Fashion: Do dress modestly, especially when visiting religious sites. Avoid wearing revealing clothing. Religion: Do respect local customs and traditions. Always remove your shoes and cover your head when entering temples and monasteries. Public Transport: Do be respectful and give up your seat to elderly passengers. Don’t eat or drink on public transport. Greetings: Do greet people with a slight bow or a handshake. Avoid hugging or kissing in public. Eating & Drinking: Do try local delicacies and accept food offerings graciously. Don’t refuse hospitality, as it is considered impolite.

To experience Mongar like a local, visit the weekend market where you can buy fresh produce and traditional Bhutanese goods. Engage with locals, as they are often friendly and willing to share stories about the town’s history and culture. Don’t miss visiting the Mongar Dzong, a fortress that offers a glimpse into Bhutanese architecture and spirituality. For a unique experience, participate in a local festival, known as 'Tshechu,' which features traditional dances and religious rituals.