Bhutan an unexplored paradise!
Bhutan, exclaimed my friend as I gave him the news of our next travel destination. His surprise was fully justified as Bhutan has always remained out of news and is known as a small Himalayan kingdom masked in mystery.
Bhutan has followed a strict approach in an attempt to protect its rich heritage, natural environment and unique way of life. And it wouldn’t surprise anyone when I say that Bhutan is one of the least explored countries in the globe.
Here was an unexplored paradise waiting to be explored!
The excitement was beginning to build even when we were miles away from our destination airport in Paro, Bhutan. Paro airport, the only airport in the whole country is at an altitude of about 7000 feet.
As the plane began its descent one couldn’t miss out women working in tiny rice and paddy fields clad in their traditional dress, Kiras. As we descend further, an encounter with sharp embankments seem to be shaping up as they stand at a shouting distance from the flight’s wings. I could witness children on mountain roads stopping to wave at us excitedly as our flight touched land of Bhutan.
The airport is filled with mountains and a river called Paro flows beside it and is a breathtaking sight. As a tourist the sweet, unassuming silence and mysterious culture that prevails in the part of the world catches your attention. I and my friend were greeted at the airport by a local man holding up a signboard with our names on it. Dressed in a colorful knee length bathrobe with rolled up sleeves (local Bhutanese attire called gho), he introduced himself as “Gurung” and he was to be our local guide.
As we walked to wards the airport parking, there were in all 9 cars waiting to help us reach our destination. Gurung introduced us to a taxi driver whose name was Bibek. Being an Indian, pronouncing their names was not taking much of an effort and I was particularly impressed by Gurung’s English (though broken at times) and his impeccable command in Hindi. It came as no surprise when he disclosed that he had worked in India for sometime. We were soon to find out that the airport landing strip was the only flattest lined stretch in the country as the roads in this country would test the best of drivers and I must commend the effort ( read pain) taken by Bibek to drive on such roads.
We were booked at Hotel Riverview, which to my best knowledge is the only hotel situated on the bank of river Wang- Chu.
After a brief rest at the hotel, our first place of visit was Tashichhodzong, a beautiful monastery built way back in 1641 and reconstructed in 1961 in traditional Bhutanese style. Tashichhodzong houses the main building of the secretariat. We got the opportunity to visit the National Library which has a host of invaluable Buddhist manuscripts. There is also a medicine institute, where one would witness the age old method of healing such as acupuncture being practiced.
Tashichhodzong is Thimphu’s most striking visual landmark, remarked Gurung and we had no second thoughts to his statement. The car drove us to the west of Thimphu which is overlooked by the Phajoding monastery at an altitude of about 10000 feet. As one drove, we encountered twists and turns that only got steeper as we went ahead. We also went to Dontsho La Pass for an imposing overview of snowy peaks, streams, alpine flowers and lakes. Time just raced away and in moments it was 6:30 in the evening. We drove back to our hotel. One thing that was striking about the hotel was the hospitality and friendly ambience that we were privileged to have.
The next morning began with a brief visit to the Royal Thimphu Golf Course. Gurung set me up with a bunch of players who were a great fun to play with. Set in a valley surrounded by mountains, this golf course has Bhutan’s White House set right next to it. By noon, we were done and had our lunch at the restaurant.
Post lunch, was a time to visit the second biggest city in Bhutan, Paro. The air exuded a sense of peace as we drove through willow glades, patchwork fields, and trout filled streams to reach Paro, Bhutan’s most attractive valleys.
Padma Sambhava who is better known as Guru Rimpoche, brought the message of Lord Buddha is the 8th century, pointed out Gurung who kept us busy giving the innermost details about each and every place. The set of attractions that make Paro one of the high points of any holiday in Bhutan are the exquisite monastery of Taktsang, the serene beauty of Mount Jhomolhari, ruins of Drukgyel Dzong which is the fortress of the victorious Drupas and the National Museum which is being housed in an ancient watch tower.
Our next destination left us with awe. Just below the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong and across a medieval bridge lies an architectural marvel that was awaiting our arrival was Uggen Palri, the Bhutan Royal Palace which clearly showcases Bhutan’s architectural prowess. Kytchu-Lakhang, the most sacrosanct shrine in Bhutan was the next place of visit which lies at 6.5 KM North of Dzong. Built way back in the 7th century, this shrine, clearly tells us the years of weakness by the pious monks.
A place of interest for all the visitors coming to this country is the meeting place of the rivers Para Chu and Wang Chu, said Gurung as we headed to our next place of visit which is called Vhunzom. This place is an amazing sight as both the rivers lead towards the Ha and Paro valleys. This place used to be strategic station in the country’s once thriving trade with Tibet.
The next day began to what is called the Taktsang, few miles down the road, along the river valley beyond Paro. Taktsang means the tiger’s nest, the name has been kept after the legend Padma Sambhava who is credited for bringing Buddhism to this country, flew to this place from Tibet on the back of a tiger. The monks greeted us and were more than willing to be our guides and even showed us the place around. They took us to a nearby monastery, the Sang-Tog Peri monastery which is about 15 minutes away.
The old capital of Bhutan, Punakha was our next halt. Punakha is another shining example of excellence of Bhutanese architecture. One could not ignore the majestic Punakha Dzong that stood on the bank of the river Punakha. While we were witnessing all these majestic places of interest, a session of trekking and mountaineering was always on the cards. Bhutan, over the years has been home to trekkers and mountaineers. This country offers a variety of trekking experience for the tourists ranging from low altitude treks such as Lhuntse trek situated in eastern Bhutan to the Chomolhari trek that offers a great variety of this country’s landscapes. But the one that would rank amongst the best in terms of adventure is at Laya. The route from Chomolhari to Laya offers a variety of topography ranging from farmland to forest, from passes to pasteurland. Along the route one would encounter isolated Dzongs and scattered settlements and this trekking trip would remain in our memory for a long time.
Our last place of visit was the Manas Sanctuary which houses an array of wildlife ranging from Tigers, Rhinoceros, elephants, leopards, buffalos, deers and not to forget the Golden Langur which is a native of this country.
As the trip came to an end, we bid adieu to Gurung, who was a helpful hand in the whole trip and boarded our flight to Delhi. As the flight took off, the sharp embankments, women working in rice and paddy fields slowly began to become tinier and faded away but the memories of such a wonderful trip and the serene environment would always in my memory for the rest of my life!
