Archery

Datse, Bhutanese archery, is played across a range of 145 metres at a wooden target not much larger than a sheet of paper. Teams sing to unsettle their opponents, dance when an arrow lands and shout elaborate insults that everyone has agreed in advance not to take seriously.

Most villages have an archery ground, and on weekends and festival days they fill with men in gho, thermoses of tea and a fierce, affectionate competitiveness. Your guide will find a match worth watching and explain who is winning, which is rarely obvious.

With a traditional bamboo bow at a shorter range you can try it yourself, usually with a village team cheering, then singing at, your efforts. Khuru, Bhutanese darts, is the louder cousin and makes for a long, happy afternoon at a farmhouse.