Dangbo Dingbo: Bhutan’s Postage Stamps: The Early Days IV

One of the sentences in an article appearing in the Kuensel about 4 years back on Bhutan’s postal history goes as follows:

'One envelope with the date stamp of Lingzhi Dzong shows that it was carried by a mail runner from Hotel Jumolhari in Thimphu to Lingzhi.'

The mention that the date stamp on the envelope is that of Lingzhi Dzong should be correct – since the postal runner between Thimphu and Lingzhi was recruited in 1976 - proving that there was mail service established by then, between Thimphu and Lingzhi. The mail runner was one Ugyen Tenzin, a local lad from Lingzhi. He took up the postal runner’s job on January of 1976. It is recorded that his journeys to and from Lingzhi Dzong was through the Dodena-Barshong-Shodu-Lingzhi route.

The mention of Hotel Jumolhari - no contest there either - since the hotel came into being in 1984.  What  CANNOT BE CORRECT is the statement that:

'…… it was carried by a mail runner from Hotel Jumolhari in Thimphu …….'

Hotel Jumolhari did not run a postal runner service – it was in the hospitality business. What would be correct would be that the mail would have originated from one of the guests staying at the Hotel Jumolhari – but it would have been the General Post Office, Thimphu that sent the mail to Lingzhi, through their postal runner Bjop Ugyen Tenzin.

Sometimes an unintended but inappropriate use of wordings can convey a completely different meaning.

But what intrigues me even more is: Hotel Jumolhari is an upscale star-rated tourist class hotel - meaning only chilips would stay there. Now, what and why would a chilip send mail to a desolate and total wilderness location like Lingzhi?

Another 'made for collectors item'?