Wall art (Parental Guidance is suggested)

One of the cool things about Bhutan is the architecture. The government has made it a rule that all buildings must follow traditional architectural styles, in an attempt to avoid the cement-box style of buildings that plague the rest of South Asia. The result is that all buildings have at least some flair, and most have quite a bit of art worked into them.

Bhutan also has a unique style of wall art that I immediately shared a sense of camaraderie with. Namely, it’s penis art. Yes, penis art. Bhutanese people draw these on the outside of their homes for a number of reasons, some say it’s a sign of fertility (duh!) and others say it harkens to a somewhat crazy monk whose main lesson was for people not to take life too seriously (one of his more famous methods was to go around hitting people on the head with a wooden phallus, another tradition that continues at some festivals to this day).

This one is from Phobjika valley, and was on a hotel. Still not sure why it is on a cup.

This second one was from Trongsa, and features some truly fuzzy balls.

Something tells me this bar might not be the safest place to go by oneself...

This last one is my favorite, its here in Thimphu, and is probably the most commonly photographed wall art in the country. I mean, who doesn't want a penis fighting a dragon on the side of their house.

I’m sure I’ll be posting more of these as I travel (there aren’t too many in Thimphu, which is too modern, but you see more when you’re in rural Bhutan) so stay tuned!