After traversing over 121 countries, a travel influencer declared the 'penis village' in Sopsokha, Bhutan, adorned with phallus murals and decorations, the most unusual place he's ever seen.
Daniel Pinto, a 25-year-old traveller from Viseu, Portugal, told the Independent of the abundant presence of male member representations in this western Bhutanese village. "It's a very beautiful traditional Bhutanese village surrounded by rice fields. But the closer you get the weirder it becomes," he quipped.
"The temple itself is just as odd. A huge golden Buddha in the middle surrounded by phalluses of all shapes and sizes," shared Pinto.
Chimi Lhakhang, also known as the temple of fertility, is the village's main attraction. Many partake in the pilgrimage to this temple, where women hoping to conceive are handed a wooden penis and instructed to circle the temple three times. Moreover, many Bhutanese have these revered phallic symbols in their homes to promote fertility.
According to Pinto, "In the temple, you also find success story pictures of couples who struggled to get pregnant then went to the village and got pregnant shortly after. Unfortunately, you can't take cameras or phones into any temple in Bhutan, so there are no photos of the inside.
"I was only there for a few hours – which is enough. Walked around, saw the temple and ate lunch," he added.
Visitors can purchase penis-themed souvenirs, from sculptures to t-shirts. Pinto observed, "The most interesting thing is definitely the gift shops selling penis dolls of all shapes, sizes and colours.
"There were t-shirts, posters and literally everything you can think of in the shape of a penis.
"Many Bhutanese people will have a penis bought from this village in their home."
Speaking of home...
Canadians will recall this viral story, which circulated the internet last summer, about a well-endowed iceberg in Conception Bay (of all places). The "dickie berg" bobbed its way through social media thanks to a photo posted on Facebook by a man from Dildo, Newfoundland (this stuff quite literally writes itself).
In the end, "dickie berg" really rose to the occasion, and the photos attracted a significant girth of news coverage spanning from North America to Australia.
Talk about a sizeable story!
Sidenote: Bhutan enforces strict guidelines for tourists. Throughout his stay, Pinto was accompanied by a government representative. To boost tourism post-pandemic, Bhutan recently reduced its substantial tourism tax for longer-staying visitors. Notably, the nation has some of the steepest charges for tourists. It introduced a USD $200 nightly Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) per visitor upon its 2022 reopening after two years of Covid-related closure. This fee has now been decreased to USD $100 per person per night. With new incentives, tourists staying longer can benefit from reduced or waived daily fees.
