Magical Bhutan in Tashi Delek magazine

It's been a great start to the new year. My Bhutan article got published. Thought I'd share my Druk Air magazine article with all of you.

India-wards to Phuentsholing

As my time in the land of happiness was coming to an end, I headed towards Phuentsholing on the Indo - Bhutan border. I took an early morning bus from Thimpu and reached Phuentsholing 7 hours later. It was hot, dusty, dirty and a traffic jam ensued right outside the bus station. A stark contrast from the otherwise serene Bhutanese countryside I was used to. I hailed a cab and went looking for a budget hotel.

The cab driver took me to a few hotels, most of which were shady. I finally decided on one budget hotel called Everest, where some families were staying. The room was clean, airy and had a view of the high grill separating India and Bhutan on on side and mountains on the other. If I walked about 200 steps, I would be in India, half an hour ahead of Bhutan local time.

                   View from my room

Chicken Ema Datshi

Exhausted from all the travel, I slept through the afternoon. In the evening, I crossed over to India to turn on my Indian SIM card and call home. I felt like a time traveller when I crossed into India and back to the hotel, saving and losing time. My mother had asked for some Bhutanese tea cups and I went all over looking for them. Sadly, I could only find Chinese tea cups.

Entry to Bhutan from Jaigaon - India side

It suddenly dawned on me that I needed to get a stamp before exiting Bhutan. I went down to the immigration office where scores of fellow Indians had lined up to get a visa. It didn't take me much time to get the formalities done. I was told by a Bhutanese friend that I would not be able to enter Bhutan again in case my passport didn't have this stamp. I really didn't want to risk that as I am yet to explore Central and Eastern Bhutan on my next trip there.

I ordered Maroo chicken and rice for dinner, sipped on Takin wine while watching a documentary on Buddhism. I turned in for the night fairly early in order to catch my early morning bus to Darjeeling.

  

Punakha - A Riverside Retreat

Punakha Dzong

Confusion ensued early morning when the driver called to inform me that he won't be able to take me to Punakha due to some official work that had unexpectedly cropped up. For the next half hour, I tried negotiating a good rate with other taxis and finally managed to strike a good deal. This last minute confusion delayed my departure by an hour. All's well that ends well, I thought.

The three hour drive was extremely bumpy and dusty due to massive potholes on the road or whatever was left of it. Shortly after the immigration check point, we reached DoChula Pass (3,100 mt) offering sweeping, panoramic views of the Eastern Himalayas. 108 chortens built by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, the eldest Queen Mother provided the perfect backdrop for many photographs. Being a clear day, I even caught a glimpse of the mighty Gangkar Puensum peak (7570 mts), the highest mountain in Bhutan and incidentally, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. 

A two hour bumpy ride later, we reached Lobesa valley. We visited Chimi Lhakhang, a well known fertility temple, popular amongst childless Bhutanes couples. On your way to the temple, we passed some houses and shops which had huge phallus paintings on them, in all shapes and sizes. I posed for a couple of photographs, much to the amusement of my guide. It was completely bizarre and nothing like I had ever seen before. 

Phallus paintings

Welcome sign outside a shop

The temple was on a hillock, with great views of Punakha valley. On our way back to the car, I even got to sample some freshly brewed home wine right out of the pot. It was lukewarm, with a kick.
Half an hour later, we reached Khuruthang (Punakha) where I checked into Damchen Resort. It was a lovely riverside resort owned by the King's maternal grandfather. Luckily, I got upgraded to a river view room. I was tired, sweaty, full of dust and desperately needed a shower. After freshening up, I ordered some chicken chowmein and hogged on it. The taxi driver was waiting to take me to Punakha Dzong – Bhutan’s oldest; built on a confluence of two rivers. 

Outside Punakha Dzong

Steeped in history and structural beauty, it is undoubtedly the most beautiful Dzong in Bhutan. It is the main sight to see in Punakha. I spent about an hour wandering around inside, watching monks go by their daily lives. In the evening, I sat at the river bank, observing ripples on water. I felt much at peace and happy, being one with nature. 

Thimpu: Modern Bhutan

Buddha Dornema Statue

The capital city of Thimpu is a 4 hour local bus ride or 2 hours by taxi away from Paro. I opted for the 70 BTN bus ride, where I had some college going girls for company. The journey took us through lush green valleys, with mighty mountains in the backdrop; intricately designed Bhutanese homes, chortens and prayer wheels. My eyes were peeled outside throughout the journey, with my favourite songs playing in the background.

A huge billboard of the King & the Queen welcomed us to the vibrant city of Thimpu. This was the only place in Bhutan where I encountered plenty of people and traffic. I stayed at IMTRAT, the Indian army quarters bang in the centre of the city. After freshening up, I hired a cab and started my sightseeing tour. The City Palace, Buddha Dornema Statue, Tashichho Dzong and Takin Zoo were some of the places I visited on the first day. I could have gazed at the world’s largest Buddha statue for hours. Tashichho Dzong was enchanting, the largest Dzong I visited there. Takin – Bhutan’s national animal, a goat-cow hybrid is indeed a unique beast; unlike any other mammal I had ever seen. 

Dzong Courtyard

Takin

The next day I took a stroll around the city, visiting the National Archives library and the nearby Folk Heritage museum, offering an insight into rural Bhutan. I wandered around for a bit, trying to find my way to Little Bhutan museum. After walking around in circles, I finally got there. I was famished and decided to have a quick bite at their café. This museum was definitely worth the effort; I got to wear the national dress and try my hand at Bhutan’s national sport – Archery. 

Trying my hand at Archery

I even visited Junghi Handmade Paper factory and got a chance to learn about how paper is made. You can buy intricately designed diaries, cards and handmade paintings at subsidized rates here. I picked up a beautiful card on which the Bhutanese flag had been painted. My shopping didn’t end there; I bought some traditional crafts and souvenirs at the Handicrafts Market. Ambient café in the city centre was the perfect place to unwind after a tiring day, with some Bhutanese pasta and Italian coffee!

The helpful staff at IMTRAT had arranged for my Punakha permit saving me a lot of trouble. Back at the room, I quickly penned down events from the day, packed my bags, read a little and then called it a night.

Takhtang Monastery (Tiger's Nest): Into Misty Mountains

 Day 2

Trek up to Takhtang Monastery

I saw a picture of Tiger's Nest a few years ago; it beckoned me ever since.

I woke up early and called the hotel reception to check if any group was headed to Tiger's Nest, that I could take a lift with. Taxi was quoting 600, which for one person was steep, especially since I was on a budget. In the end, I had to take a taxi alone.

It was one of the most scenic, quiet and clean drives I had taken in a long time. With the river on one side and the rolling countryside (or should I say mountain side) on the other hand, we passed several chortens and houses with colourful dragons/ other deities painted on their walls.

Slowly, we started climbing up a winding road. As we passed through a thick forest, I spotted a huge, golden prayer wheel in a green field adjoining a small monastery. The driver dropped me off at the starting point and I starting walking in the same direction as other tourists. I met an Indian gentleman from Delhi, exchanged pleasantries and kept trotting on.

We passed a stream rivulet where people were posing for pictures; I stopped to take a selfie. On the trek up, I encountered a dozen horses, oodles of fresh horse-shit and their upbeat masters dressed in gho’s (their national dress). I took a few breaks along the way to sip water and rest my legs. As I hadn’t been exercising much prior to the trip, I could feel the strain in my calve muscles and even pulled a thigh muscle which started to hurt every time I took a step.

The last mile was particularly taxing. I had to climb up and down 700 steps, passing a lovely waterfall to reach up to the monastery. The muscle pain in my right thigh was really beginning to hurt; I had no choice but to carry on. Finally, I was there. Exhausted, I went to the locker room to store my handbag. The staff was pleasantly surprised to meet an Indian girl travelling alone, that too without a guide. A rare sight in Bhutan. 

There were deeply cut steps made out of stone leading up to the door of the monastery. I slowly hobbled my way up. As soon I walked in and turned right, I saw eople standing in a line and walking to a hole in a rock with their eyes shut. The Buddhist believe that whoever manages to place their finger inside the hole will get the same set of parents in their next life. I tried my luck but to no avail. I would still like to have the same set of parents in my next life though, anyone up there listening?

I went inside various prayer rooms, painted with colourful deities and golden statues of various gods. I didn’t have a guide so didn’t get into the depth of what each deity signified. There were lots of prayer rooms with large steps leading to them, I went to only 4 – 5 as I was lacking the energy to do so. In between various selfies and getting pictures taken by other people, I made my way down in good time. I stopped to use the restroom at the only café, en route Tiger’ nest. It started to drizzle, drizzle turned to rain shortly afterwards and didn’t stop. As I had forgotten to carry my umbrella, I got drenched. It was quite an experience, something I wouldn’t want to repeat. Funnily enough, on all the days that I did remember to carry my umbrella, it never rained.

The other trekkers seemed well prepared with their waterproof cover whereas I huddled under my scarf, trying not to fall on the slippery, muddy path. Once I reached the car, I just wanted to get back to the hotel, get into dry clothes and snuggle up in my warm bed. 

In the Land of Happiness: Bhutan Diaries

Day 1

I had been wanting to go to Bhutan since a while now. Had heard innumerable tales from people about the hermit kingdom’s untouched beauty. Luckily, Bhutanese laws allow Indians a free visa on arrival without a minimum daily tariff (which is $250 for foreigners). After getting my work leave sanctioned, booking flights and preparing a rough travel itinerary, I decided to book hotels. For the first time I found it difficult to find much if any information about hotels there. It was not possible to book anything online as no website had such an option. I spent a lot of time trying to find hotels there, but could barely find much information. To top it all, you couldn’t book anything online. The only way to contact a hotel was by calling them or sending an email, most of which bounced back. I booked Sonam Trophel Hotel in Paro after getting a response via email, albeit over budget. I didn’t want to land in a foreign country and then go hotel hopping to find an appropriate one.

View from the cockpit

The flight from Delhi to Paro is a little under two hours. It is definitely one of the most scenic flights you will ever take in your lifetime. You get an eagle’s eye view of the world’s three highest mountains - K2, Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest. Lucky for me, I got a great shot of Mount Everest from the cockpit! 

Up close with Mount Everest

                  Hello Kanchenjunga!

Paro Valley

Needless to say the holiday got off to a great start; having entered Bhutan’s airspace we were flying low over thickly forested misty mountains, deep valleys and houses dotted all over lush green fields. 

The plane descended low into a narrow valley, took a U turn; the wings of the plane dangerously close to the mountain on my side. I made a silent prayer, hoping we would make a safe landing. I think I was paranoid as my father and brother had told me that it is one of the most difficult aircraft landings in the world. Dad being a passionate flier, had seen videos about most dangerous landings in the world - Paro being one of them. It was a small airport with a grand entrance with colourful, Buddhist deities welcoming us to Bhutan. A large billboard of the smiling royal couple welcomed us as well.

After completing legalities, I got myself a local SIM so that I could keep in touch with family back home. Once I walked out of the airport, the quietness around me overwhelming - No horns, traffic, barely any people; quite a pleasant change from my home in Gurgaon, India. 

When you are in Bhutan, you automatically feel calmer, much more at peace and happy. It is true that Bhutan is one of the happiest countries on earth, you will feel it once there. It is one of the poorest countries, yet, people are happy. In fact, I asked almost every local I met about whether they were happy living there. I got a resounding ‘Yes’ every time.

  

                            

Paro Tso 

Paro is a very small, picturesque town (city, according to the Bhutanese). There is one main road with lots of overly priced souvenir shops, convenience stores, cafes and hotels. It took a little over an hour to go through wander through the market. I bought presents for friends and family, Bhutanese snacks for workmates and some wine to indulge myself with. I had Chicken Chowmein for dinner as I wasn’t feeling particularly adventurous to try out Bhutanese dishes. I was in bed by 9 30 pm as everything shuts early there, besides a few dance bars, one of which was in the adjoining building. The music beat resonated through the thin walls of the hotel. The Simpsons movie was on and I enjoyed watching it till I fell asleep. 

I was planning to trek up to Takhtang Monastry, also known as Tiger’s Nest, the next day.