Weekend Market in Thimpu
The weekend market in Thimpu is open, as you can probably tell, on the weekends only. At this market, farmers come from all over Bhutan to sell their produce. The market is divided into four different sections: Fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats. The vegetables and fruits are on the first floor of the open-air building, the grains are in a separate section next to the main building, and the meats are on the second floor of the main building.
All the products sold at the market are organic and since Bhutan has three different climate zones, there is a very large variety of foods, from pineapples to potatoes, you can find most anything you could want at the weekend market. The prices are fair as well, not what you would expect when purchasing organic foods.
On the second floor, along with meats, you can find incense stores selling candles, incense, and burners. If you can't stand strong smells, be sure to warn your tour guide, as the smell from those shops can get really strong very fast. You can also find dairy products on the second floor, such as the popular dried cheese blocks, which come in two kinds, rectangular and light colored, or squarish and dark colored.
Since fishing is illegal in Bhutan, much of the fish is brought over from India, though a good portion of the other types of meats are from ranches in Bhutan.
All the products sold at the market are organic and since Bhutan has three different climate zones, there is a very large variety of foods, from pineapples to potatoes, you can find most anything you could want at the weekend market. The prices are fair as well, not what you would expect when purchasing organic foods.
On the second floor, along with meats, you can find incense stores selling candles, incense, and burners. If you can't stand strong smells, be sure to warn your tour guide, as the smell from those shops can get really strong very fast. You can also find dairy products on the second floor, such as the popular dried cheese blocks, which come in two kinds, rectangular and light colored, or squarish and dark colored.
Since fishing is illegal in Bhutan, much of the fish is brought over from India, though a good portion of the other types of meats are from ranches in Bhutan.