Bhutan - A journey to the unknown south | DW Documentary

The last Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. Bhutan is best known as the small, happy country at the top of the world. Lesser known is the unexplored south of the country, with its subtropical climate, dense jungle, and unique biodiversity. Amidst the pristine nature, a strong sense of community To discover the essence of life in Bhutan, we journey to places where no camera crew has ever been, where communities are intact, and people help each other in times of need. From the extended family to the neighborhood, people work together here, especially when it comes to saving animals. Bhutan thrives on people supporting each other. In subtropical southern Bhutan, 35-year-old Sonam Norzen practices Buddhism through his work. I have been working for the Jangsa Animal Rescue Association for over 18 years. We rely on donations. It's established to preserve our precious spiritual heritage by promoting the culture of bodhicitta through saving animals' lives, so as a living tradition of our Buddhist kingdom, dharma kingdom. Let's give it a good clean, so everything's ready when the new fish arrive. Do you have the oxygen bottle? Yes. How many fish are coming today? About 100 kilograms from the fish farm. I see so much suffering in my line of work. Animals feel pain, but they can't tell us because they don't speak our language. We have to understand that. Only then can we empathize with all living beings. That's our responsibility. But when Sonam and his volunteers arrive at the farm, they are in for a nasty surprise. All that's left of the fish pond is a large puddle. It normally doesn't matter if the fish are alive when they're sold, so the farmers drained the water as usual. Come on, let's go. They're not dead, are they? No, they're not. They're alive. We have to be careful. Be careful. We have to catch them quickly and give them oxygen. If we don't hurry, they'll die. Come on, let's go. We don't have time to weigh the fish now, so we made a deal with the fish farmer. 380 euros for about 2,000 fish. Sonam and his team painstakingly carry the 15 kilo sacks up the mountain. Instead of being slaughtered, the fish will now live in the monastery pond. Almost all the animals we look after have been tortured by humans. That's incredibly emotionally draining. I often wonder how people can be so brutal. It stirs anger and even hatred in me. Not giving in to these feelings is an important test of my faith. National parks cover more than half the country, and virgin forests are protected by law. Most people live as small farmers in the midst of this nature and share their habitat with wild animals. Hunting is prohibited. This little black bear lives near one of the few villages that still doesn't have electricity. Our village, Ridigong, is very remote. I run a small shop here. Living without electricity isn't easy. We've been promised electricity for so long, but it hasn't materialized yet. I have a small family with two children and a third on the way. Often, we can't even make an emergency phone call because our phone batteries are empty. Charging with solar panels takes a long time and doesn't always work. Wild animals like bears and wild boar often come at night and eat our crops. Someone from the grid operator is supposed to come tomorrow. The electricity pylon has been here for so long, but it hasn't worked yet. I don't know when we'll get electricity, but when it happens, everything will be better. I'm praying for that. We're burning paraffin with this oil lamp. It's expensive, the light is weak, and we can't see well. The kids struggle to do their homework in the dark. Here you go. With electricity, we could buy a rice cooker. It's a good thing we don't have electricity. Or a fridge to make ice cream for the kids. Providing for the rural population is also important to 34-year-old dentist Tenzin, who has been on the road for two days. Watch out. How long does it take to get to Luntse? Normally, around 10 hours. The roads are very bad because of all the rain. Yes, let's get going. Tenzin's journey to the remote east crosses the dense jungle of southern Bhutan. I founded Mountain Dentistry to help people in rural areas. Usually, they have to travel a long way to the nearest hospital for dental treatment. So my idea was to bring my practice to the people. That way I can treat them locally and also educate them about the need for regular dental hygiene. Today I'm traveling to a very remote area called Luntse. The people there usually have to travel for almost a week to get treatment. In that time, nobody can look after the cattle or the fields, so they often don't go to the dentist at all. Oh dear. We really have to watch out. On the road service's Facebook page, there are warnings about falling rocks and landslides. It makes me happy to help the people there. We can't go any further. We've come to the first roadblock. There are cars waiting. It'll take a while. Rocks keep falling. Late at night, the road is finally cleared and Dentist Tenzin can continue. For many, faith plays a decisive role in overcoming the hardships of everyday life. I follow an ancient tradition of my ancestors. When our body hurts, we take a bath with hot stones. I have consulted my astrologer. Today is a particularly blessed day for this. I'll help you. Eighty-year-old Dema lives according to the alignment of the stars and the local deities. High in the mountains, we feel the divine everywhere. Every stone, every river is alive. We bring offerings to our deities and pray that they will protect us and not harm us. I put these medicinal herbs in the water and pray for my health. I hope it's not too hot. Careful! The stars are telling me to save the soul of an animal for my karma. I own nothing, but my children and grandchildren have some savings. Soon I will be able to put my plan into practice and practice Tse Tar, that is, save an animal from being slaughtered. Buddhists believe that animals could have been our parents in a previous life. I wish all people were vegetarian. Eating meat is wrong because we kill for it. We need to protect the animals around us and not harm them. In the Hindu villages of southern Bhutan, the connection with the afterlife is extremely important. People who are chosen ones are mainly responsible for this. It all started when I was 12 years old. I suddenly became very ill. It was so bad that I couldn't even go to school. Then I saw a man in my dreams who taught me different mantras. One night he called me to the jungle. I got up from my bed to follow him. When I woke up, I was actually in the jungle. My whole body was shaking and I performed my first ritual right there. I am probably the youngest shaman in the country and one day I might be the last. Parents no longer want their children to become shamans. They want them to get an education. When I am not performing rituals, I am helping my parents in the fields or looking after the cattle. I am proud to be a shaman, even if many people today see it as a waste of time. It feels good to be able to help people. This is my calling. People usually come to me with joint pains, fever or nausea. I can tell which deities are afflicting them by counting the rice grains. But my rituals can only help with spiritual problems. And sometimes that's not the cause. Then I advise people to see a doctor at the hospital. If I talk, I'll throw up. I once fell victim to black magic and was possessed by a disease. Some shamans use black magic because they don't want others to become more powerful and therefore more in demand. There's money in the big rituals, so there's competition. At dinner with the family, Suresh learns that an important task awaits him. Did you know the person who died? Yes, she was a distant relative. Her family is from our village. What'd she die of? Old age. The death ritual will be in a couple of weeks. She'll be cremated. Although I already perform my own rituals as a shaman, I've never done the most important one, the death ritual. So it's also a test for me and shows my guru how far I've come. In the village without electricity, there's lots of excitement this morning. This is the place where the ritual is performed. It looks like we might finally get electricity. I can see them working on the pylon now. This time it has to work. How do we spell electricity? When we have electricity, we can finally teach our kids how to use computers and work online. We've been trained in it, but it's all been in vain so far. I only went to school for a very short time, but I want my children to have good education. I want them to become doctors or engineers. You've been at it already for so long, don't tell us it won't work again. Done. Really? The light's working now? In theory, yes. First we should pray. Put your heart into it. Yes, okay. He's so happy. Where's the charger? We can charge our phones so quickly, look. Are you happy? We are very happy to finally have electricity. Our kids' faces are radiant in the light. After an arduous journey, dentist Tenzin has finally arrived at his first destination. In Bhutan, every large village has an infirmary. A paramedic works there, who knows the medical history of all the residents and can assist me as I treat them. Education is very important to me. When we go to remote villages, we usually go to the school first. Say hello to my good friend Dorji. Ready? One, two, three, say hi. My friend Dorji and I are here to look at your teeth. When do you brush your teeth? In the morning. Only in the morning? Sometimes also at night. Only sometimes? Who has a toothache? My tooth hurts. When you eat? Yes, even when I sleep. Even then? I'll show you how to brush our teeth, from very large circles to very small ones, in the front teeth like this. The others say the dentist will give us an injection. I'm scared. When our kids misbehave, we threaten to take them to the doctor. That's certainly one reason why children here are afraid of doctors and hospitals. When I see they're scared, I try to explain everything in detail. I'll clean your teeth with this water. Here, I'll show you. Give me your hand. Can you feel that? Kids get their permanent teeth between the ages of six and nine. If we don't treat decay in the primary teeth, it can linger. If I manage to educate this generation about dental hygiene, they will educate their parents at home and then the entire local community. I see children as my strongest ambassadors. Sonam returns to the monastery late at night with the rescued fish. His lama and the monks have been waiting for hours so they can perform the blessing right away. The fish won't survive any longer in the plastic bags. Finally, the moment has come. The over 2,000 small carp are released. The monastery pond is now full. This will be their new home. The following morning, another mission awaits. The time has come to make Dema's wish come true. I was contacted by a family. Their grandmother wishes to save a yak from slaughter. They have collected some money for this and asked me to come to Thimphu to help them. Here's another chance for me to save lives. Grandma, may I introduce you to the owner of the yak? He has come with his animals from the high mountains because they are to be slaughtered here. Yes, I have an appointment with the buyer and the butcher to make a deal. When are they coming? They should be here soon. These yaks are like his family. That's how I see it. He can't have them slaughtered. What can I say? It's our only source of income. My children and my wife live on this money for a whole year. There must be another option for you than killing your yaks. What about farming? My land is so small we can barely fit our house on it. And very little grows so high up. How much do you want for the yaks? I sell them by weight. The bigger one costs 1,400 euros. We can't afford that. The smaller one costs about 1,000 euros. You are responsible for these yaks and we have come to save them. I have collected money from my whole family. Please give us a chance. If I lower the price too much I won't get enough money. Then I'll just have to come back to slaughter another one. If the two are too expensive, then choose one. The other one goes to the butcher. I would love to save both. It's incredibly sad, but we can barely afford one. Two are out of the question. I just pray that someone, somewhere will take heart to save the other one and we won't have to separate them. While the traveling monk begins the ceremony, Sonam tries to find a last-minute buyer for the second yak. Okay, I'll send you a video of the yaks. Thank you. Here's the money. I'll pray for you. The day has come. It's time for shaman Suresh to demonstrate his skills in the death ritual. In our caste, it is customary for shamans to look after the spirit of the deceased. Without a ritual, the spirit cannot find peace and makes life difficult for the bereaved. The shaman serves as a medium to deal with unresolved issues and helps the relatives to come to terms with the death. After a long walk, Suresh and his guru arrive late at night. The family of the deceased has gathered. The departed woman's ring will help capture her soul. Are you ready? We should start now. Getting in touch with the spirits of the deceased can be risky. I have to communicate with the spirit even if it speaks a local dialect that I don't understand. I don't understand so well, and the elders sometimes don't take me seriously. Because I am so young, they have doubts about my abilities as a shaman. But I'm not worried, because my guru is here to help and protect me. Now the guru is trying to connect with the dead woman's spirit. We tried to take your mother's soul to her destined place. She did not want to leave you and accept that she is dead. But don't be sad. Her death on that day was predestined, and everything turned out the way it was supposed to. Now the guru and I can accompany her soul to a place where she will find peace. Go on alone now. You've done a good job. I'll teach you everything I know until you have enough experience to become a guru yourself. My guru has told me that I'll soon be able to perform the death ritual on my own, but I still have a lot to learn. I'll do my best. With heavy equipment on his back, dentist Tenzin hikes up to the remote mountain villages. I worked in a public hospital for six years. I gave that up because I much prefer traveling to help people. Friends and family help pay for my equipment. These places are the real Bhutan for me. The sense of community is strongest here. We've just arrived and people are showing up already. I wasn't expecting anyone tonight, but I'm glad they're here. Farmers here are in the middle of the rice harvest, so they don't have time during the day. I'm a bit exhausted from the long journey, but I'll treat everyone who's come in today. This morning I set up my practice outside. The air is good, the light is better than inside, and the view is priceless. Good morning. I can treat most things with this equipment, but I can't operate. If that's needed, I refer patients to the nearest hospital and register them there. But I try to do everything that's possible here. Do you speak Dzongkha? Yes, but her hearing isn't good. Okay, I'll speak louder. Do you understand me? I went to the hospital with a bad toothache. I should take medication until the next treatment, but I can't make the long journey again. No, this one, please. Her molar is infected down to the root. Unfortunately, I have to pull it out. I'll grind off a sharp edge at the bottom so that the tooth no longer hurts her tongue. Please close. Now bite on my finger and open again. Open up, mom. I'm so thankful. Thank you very much. In the countryside, most people have hardly any teeth left at 40 or 50, and that's considered normal. Nobody educates them or looks after them. They're used to this kind of suffering. I want them to realize that things can be different and that their health is in their hands. Life for shop owner Rinzin and her family has changed in many ways. How does that work? You better be careful. Now we can cook food with it. Never touch that. Exactly. That's dangerous. Dinner is ready. After the electricity was connected, we bought a fridge so we can offer the farmers cold drinks after their work in the heat. And the kids come by after school because we make ice cream now. Our customers stay longer, sometimes even until 11 or 12 o'clock at night. As a result, we have a higher income and fewer worries. If a person isn't happy on the inside, even electricity won't make their life better. I found happiness with my family a long time ago. But everything looks a bit nicer with light. While the rescued yak is waiting to travel to a reserve, Deima is still praying for the animal they left behind. I just got a call back from our organization. A couple of members have agreed to pay for the other yak. Oh, that's wonderful news. Thank you for saving the soul of this yak. I'll pray that you and your families have a happy and fulfilling life. Even if we can never save all the animals, I am very happy that both yaks can live on. So many people came together at the right time for this to happen. It's also a special practice for me, the journey of compassion, the journey to benefit oneself and others. Dedicate yourself to the animals for the rest of your life. When you have this mentality, it's an interesting feeling. Even such ordinary things like eating and sleeping become the journey to save animals. That's a very good thing. Thank you.