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Progenitory implements
Hanging from the eaves of most of the houses were crosses of wood, one axis of which appeared to possess a shape that was strangely familiar. We had seen them in other villages, and one of our members asked Brian what they were. With extreme hesitation, Brian said that they were: 'Er ... um ... er ... progenitory implements.' This was greeted with confused and polite silence, until the true meaning dawned on us. 'Oh, you mean they are willies!' In fact, the Bhutanese have quite a fixation with the male sexual organ. We had seen on a great many village houses and other buildings we had passed along the way large (up to five feet long), bright and life-like paintings of them on the walls. Always pointing towards the rafters, sometimes with two lower appendages, occasionally gift-wrapped with a pretty ribbon, usually pink but at times tiger-striped, now and then captured at the point of gushing forth, these representations were becoming ten-a-penny. Local custom has it that they bring fertility to those within.
It had been arranged for us to visit the inside of a village house in Ura. We had seen early on that all Bhutanese village houses were really quite large, and we had been told that they were not made so in order to be able to accommodate large extended families. We were surprised therefore when, going through the main door, which sported a sign saying: 'Wel Come New Year 2000,' we found the insides to be quite pokey. Perhaps it was the dark wood with which the houses are built (at least, it had become dark with smoke and other usage), or perhaps it was the small size of the windows, or maybe the fact that there were inside 27 more people than usual. Nevertheless, as is the Bhutanese custom when visitors arrive, arak and snacks were offered to all. An old lady sitting in one corner weaving a carpet took us all in her stride without dropping a stitch.
Outside again it had become the later part of the afternoon, and the sun was imbuing everything and everyone with a warm glow. I know that the Bhutanese are a very friendly and happy lot, and apart from the one exception noted earlier, are very happy to have their photographs taken. But a question did occur to me: does the Bhutanese Tourism Authority train them to stand around in picturesque little groups of three or four? I think they could not have been better posed had they been transported to a professional studio.