I am not an avid traveller. I never expected a travel blog to be part of my repertoire. In fact, this is not a travel blog. But yes, it does involve travel. To one of the most magical places on Earth. Bhutan. The only item I had on my bucket list thus far.
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| A view of the 'Chortens' (Stupas) at Dochu La Pass |
It's two months today since my fellow travellers and I descended back to the reality of everyday life after our 11-day sojourn of Bhutan. I can't believe it took my this long to get this blog out. It should have been so easy considering I was writing it in my head from about 9 months ago when we first started planning for it - our trip of a lifetime. I could have so easily put together a few pictures that - however inadequately - frame the natural beauty of the country and added a few glowing descriptions before the sun set on our return. And yet this was an experience that would not be so easily condensed. That is why I have written it and rewritten it over the past 8 weeks and each time been dissatisfied with the result. If I close my eyes and concentrate I can still feel the crispness of the Himalayan air on my skin and the distant sound of prayer flags fluttering in the wind. In two months I have come to realise that that is what Bhutan has really done for me - given me a taste of what tranquillity means. Given me a lifelong pass to escape into a moment that will forever be associated with peace and the purest joy that comes from deep within. Kadheen Che, Bhutan.
If you google the phrase 'Kadheen Chhe' you would probably not get any results. The official phrase for 'Thank You' in Bhutanese according to the Internet is 'Kadrin Che' but that was not the way Ringzin said it. Ringzin, our designated driver, in his dignified black 'Gho' and gel-slicked hair, spoke very little in the first few days of our travel. Then he heard us ask Sonam, our eager-beaver guide how to say thank you in Bhutanese and was not satisfied with the way Sonam answered our query. So he took it upon himself to teach us that one phrase. Every time he held the door open for us (which, charmingly, was every time we needed to get out of his sturdy car which proudly proclaimed 'Ring's' in white on the front glass) he would enunciate the phrase 'Kadheen Chhe' till we learnt to say it to his satisfaction and in place of our mechanical 'thank you's. Kadheen Chhe for that Ringzin. Ringzin and Sonam, our companions from the moment we were picked up at the airport to the moment we waved goodbye were so much a part of our experience of Bhutan that it would seem incomplete to write about that trip without mentioning them!
Bhutan was my first experience of the Himalayas. It was my first time away with girlfriends. It was the first time I ventured out of my comfort zone to try my hand at experiences like trekking, camping and river rafting. It was the first time I was leaving behind my two children for something as non-mandatory as a vacation. It was in many ways a milestone then. A journey that was much more than travelling from Point A to Point B - a 'journey' in the infinite meanings of that term which is what made it different from all the 'trips' I have been on so far and which made me feel this was something to write about. Bhutan was a dream I had nurtured in my heart for a really long time but in that corner of my dreams reserved for those I thought would never materialise. I hadn't read a lot about it. I hadn't seen a lot of pictures or documentaries on it. So I am really unable to say why and how this dream took root in my psyche. Like it was an important marker in my life that I needed to cross at some point. Like it was just meant to be. But how do I start this story?
The natural starting point, of course, is that morning I impulsively messaged P and S with this query: I have at different times spoken to both of you about going on a trip to Bhutan. So here is my question: would you be open to getting introduced to each other and thinking about whether all of three of us could plan the trip together? Suffice to say that within a few minutes, we had a Whatsapp group 'Mission Bhutan 2017' up and running, complete with a DP of that most iconic of Bhutanese images - Tiger's Nest Monastery, precariously poised on the ridges of a sheer, black cliff. This was to be our motif for longing, aspiration and dreams coming true in the days ahead. In a couple of days, we sat around a table and had our first cup of coffee together and dedicated ourselves to the task of travelling to the Land of the Thunder Dragon, sometime during the next school summer vacation which was eight months away. P and S have been friends from different facets of my life, both younger than me but closer in age to each other, so I found they easily vibed and in fact, hit it off so well that there were aspects of the trip when they were probably happier to have each other than just me for company. I think the real starting point of this trip was the eagerness, shared in equal degree by the three of us, to not just visit an exotic destination but to be subject to the experience that the country that prides itself on its happiness quotient, has to offer. The intent. The desire. The motivation. Kadheen Che, P and S, for sharing, supporting and fully living my dream!
It was the on the morning of 29th April that we boarded the flight from Kolkata to Paro - the land of our dreams. As the flight took wing into mountains of clouds, we were acutely aware of the fact that any minute now we would have our first glimpse of the Himalayas. We did not have the good fortune to be seated on the left side - from where you get the best views. But even so, we were awed into silence as the mighty mountains of innumerable legends loomed on the horizon - as distant, as majestic, as perfect as you have always imagined. I felt the prick of tears in my eyes as I saw a perfect snow-capped peak rising taller than the others in that expansive range. It may have been the Kanchenjunga (which the pilot had announced we would get to see on the flight) but I can't be sure. It was the Himalayas and that was enough for me. It was an overwhelming moment - one that makes you feel like everything else in your life was simply leading you towards this day and this moment. Your first sighting of the Himalayas is no mean moment. It is a momentous occasion - like the day you get married. Or have your first child. To our right, there was nothing but walls of impenetrable white clouds and on the left, the spiny, black ridges with that one perfect snow cone in the horizon. Soon, too soon, the ranges disappeared from view and we were flying among the smaller mountains - so close that you could almost press your nose up against them! And before we knew it, we had landed on the tiny airstrip snuggled into a flat surface among tall hills - Paro airport. As we descended from the aircraft we could see that no one was hurrying towards the terminal to clear immigration or claim their baggage. Everyone was looking around in awe at the surrounding hills, hastily trying to imprint every moment on their phones or cameras and filling their hearts and lungs with every ounce of goodness in the Bhutanese air.
The greatest favour I did myself in the planning of this trip was that I had not saturated my mind with pictures of Bhutan. I was therefore happily surprised and wonder struck by everything! The country has a strict policy on architecture - everything, from hotels to monasteries and even the airport - are built in the ancient architectural style of Bhutan. So there is a visual symmetry to the country that is quite stunning! Whitewashed exteriors with intricately carved window frames, rimmed with red and black on which are golden paintings depicting the legends associated with Buddhism. No buildings are allowed to have over six stories so there is nothing that disrupts your view of the ubiquitous mountains and nothing that distracts from the sheer bounty of Nature that the country wraps itself in. The expansive, uninterrupted skies are a whole new experience, especially for us, hailing from the second most populated country on Earth and one of the most population-dense states therein. I did not want to take my eyes off the mountains for an instant if I could help it! Everything else - the ancient temples, the stately Dzongs (administrative headquarters) and Lhakhangs (temples/monasteries), the gigantic Buddha that rules the Thimphu skyline - all of it pales before the sheer blue of the sky and looming black of the mountains. From the airport in Paro, we were driven straight to the capital city of Thimphu. We would cover Paro - which is home to the Tiger's Nest monastery - in greater detail in the last few days of our trip.
If you ever get a chance to visit Bhutan but have only two days to spend there, I would strongly suggest you spend those two days in Thimphu. It is everything Bhutan has to offer, in a comfortable nutshell. There is the gigantic Buddha I mentioned before. There is the hike to the ancient Tango Monastery that offers a chiselled down version of the far more strenuous trek to Tiger's Nest. It has breathtaking views of the mountains around, lush green mountain vegetation, unexpected animal sightings, dramatic blooms and a monastery that makes you feel like you have just stepped into a long vanished past. It also has adorable dogs that accompany you on the trek for just a pat or two, taking away some of the tedium of being breathless and just a tad dizzy from the thin mountain air. On our trek, we were also fortunate to come upon a bunch of adorable puppies who were happy to be fussed over and carried around.
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| A dramatic view from the trail up to Tango Monastery |
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| Takin - the national animal of Bhutan |
Not to be missed in Thimphu is also the Takin reserve - the only enclosure in all of Bhutan where an animal is held in captivity. As Sonam explained, Bhutan being a strongly Buddhist community, the idea of a zoo is anathema but the Takin reserve is the sole exception for the simple reason that the Takin - a unique creature that looks like it is half-goat and half-cow - is the national animal with mythic origins and the only way for a visitor to have a view of one is to have a few in an enclosure. The reserve is pretty small and there are only a handful of Takin that you get to see but it is a worthwhile trip for a glimpse of the unique animal.
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| The Thimphu Dzong |
The impressive Thimphu Dzong houses the offices of the King as well as the topmost officials of the administration. The Dzongs are part offices and part monastery housing the monks who head monastic affairs, just as Zhabdrung, the founder of the modern Kingdom of Bhutan envisaged it. What he did not lay down, but which makes Bhutan the last Shangri-La on Earth are certain principles the govern the deeply Buddhist country - they are the only carbon-negative nation on Earth and their constitution decrees that 70% of the country is to remain forested for eternity. No development may be planned which transgresses this basic principle. Which is why the air we breathe and the food we eat in Bhutan is probably of a quality that you don't find anywhere else on the planet right now. The two greatest industries in Bhutan are hydropower and tourism, both done with the greatest care to retain ecological balance as far as possible.
Having the luxury of 11 days before us, we probably spent more time in Thimphu than an average tourist would and so got the chance to experience the charms of the very simple but very cosmopolitan city. There are cafes with excellent pastries and coffee. We spent a few hours in a public square with very few people but with an outburst of overhanging yellow flowers and the whirr of prayer wheels. You could just sit there with a coffee and a book and be willingly suspended from all reality of everyday life! Our visit was in the beginning of the Monsoon in Bhutan but we were fortunate to have sunny skies and pleasant weather most days. Nights tend to get a bit chillier than the average South Indian is used to but Thimphu was also the best of our stops, weather wise. The day we arrived the mountains in the distance were dark and plain. The next morning there was a smattering of powdery snow on them. The changing vistas were as magical as you could imagine! There are a good number of pubs as well and on our night out with our hosts (the owners of the travel agency through which we booked our trip who happen to be friends of a good friend) we saw people let their hair down and have a good time to the music of young, local bands. We were quite charmed when our hosts opted to take a longer route than follow a stately black car which they told us belonged to the Queen who was probably out on a night time drive with her infant son. The Bhutanese practically worship their young King and Queen whose pictures greet you from every shop front and every public square and it was with the affection bestowed on a beloved family member that they decided to let the Queen and the little Prince have their privacy on the lonely highway. All too soon it was time to leave the cosy confines of Thimphu and move on to the whimsical valley of Punakha where the jacarandas bloomed and the glacial waters of the gentle River Mo Chhu beckoned us to step into its playful, icy waters.
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| The Stately Punakha Dzong |
Punakha offered new images to soothe our mountain-addled brains. There were vast fields and ridges being readied for cultivation. The trek to the Temple of Fertility was more flat ground than we had seen so far in Bhutan. This quaint little temple with a wooden penis as its motif challenged and provoked Bhutanese morality at one point in history but now the penis is happily etched on walls and fences and penis shaped keychains and other collectibles are widely seen in all souvenir shops. The Punakha Dzong on the banks of the Mo Chhu is almost like a whole other world. While we were inside, preparations were on for a festival the next day and monks were busily decorating the rooftops with colourful cloth streamers. At one point a music started to play - I can't name the instruments and I can't describe the sound. Let's just say every person within the monastery stood transfixed as that haunting music whose source we could not see played as a background to the arrival of some high priest. It stopped as abruptly as it began but it took several moments for everyone to get back to whatever they were doing. P and S were busily trying to download that music back in our hotel room that night - it was that rivetting! But I doubt if it would have the same effect playing out over earphones as it would standing in a 17th century Buddhist Dzong, with monks milling around and prayer flags and cloth streamers fluttering in the wind. Bhutan to me has it own sound signature - you hear it everywhere - wherever you are in, in varying degrees. The population is too small and the country too overwhelmed by the hills and the winds for us to hear any of the din we are familiar with - human voices, traffic et al. In Bhutan the wind is the dominant force. And as human kind's tiny attempt to harness those unbridled forces of nature, everywhere you look you see prayer flags. Then there are the prayer wheels - at the end of each rotation, a pole on top of the wheel strikes a tiny little bell to indicate that it has completed a turn. The rhythmic striking of the bells, the flutter of the flags and the roar of the wind is Bhutan in a sound clip. It is what happiness sounds like.
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| On the trek to Khumsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten |
Our third trek was again in Punakha - this one to a tranquil temple built in modern times atop a hill. The trek was through some dramatic landscapes and this one in addition to our treks to Tango and the Temple of Fertility truly prepared us for what was to be the highlight of the trip - the trek to Tatkshang - Tiger's Nest monastery. But that was to be only on the last day of the trip. Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten offered some fantastic photo opportunities from atop the temple - there were snow capped peaks to one side and the river flowing through the valley on the other. After the trek we went rafting down the Mo-Chhu. For someone as inexperienced with anything to do with water as me, the Mo-Chhu was a comforting first time. The water was mostly gentle and knee deep - you could see the rrock-strewn bottom through the crystal clear waters - and there were only a few gentle rapids on the one and a half hour trip. Sonam told us once the summer started and the glaciers started melting there would be far more water and far more rapids than what we saw. For the more experienced and adventurous rafters, there is the 'male' river - the Pho-Chhu - which would join the Mo-Chhu before flowing as one before the magnificent Punakha Dzong. That night we camped on the banks of the Mo-Chhu just a short distance from the Dzong. It was a cloudy night with a light drizzle so my dream of counting the stars on a bright night by the riverside was not quite realised. But I can't complain, really There was so just so much magic on offer that one cloudy night could not cast a shadow on the grand spectacle that Bhutan laid out before us!
The one night in Bhutan that we did not really cherish was the one in Gangtey. A five-hour drive along treacherous mountain roads still under construction was a deviation from our otherwise idyllic sojourns. The area itself was a Swiss-village-like setting high up in the mountains but by the time we got there we were so tired that the cold, wet, misty and depressing landscape did nothing to brighten our spirits. Bang opposite the modest lodgings we were put up at was an ancient monastery. This one was slightly different from the temples and monasteries we had seen on our trip so far. It houses stockpiles of weapons from ancient marauding/war/hunting days. It had the dankness of an unpleasant history swirling within its dark and gloomy interiors. The icing on the cake was when our guide pointed out a life-size effigy and claimed it was the actual mortal remains of a witch killed by one of the high priests of the temple centuries ago. In our cold hotel rooms that night, seemingly cut off from civilisation and surrounded by foggy mountains and a corpse, we found it difficult to sleep. Adding to the misery was our fear that the power would go off and not return. The huge candles in the rooms were our first indication that this was a place where power cuts were a regular occurrence. Around 7.30 pm there was a knock on my door and a pale and unsmiling face at the door said: Please come for dinner. 'But it's too early for dinner,' I protested, ' we would like to eat by 8.30 if that is ok with you.' 'Power go. No surety. Please have dinner now' the face said without a flicker of expression. In my mind, this visual has the lady holding up a flickering candle that throws a ghostly glimmer on to her face. I know this can't be true because in fact the power stayed put during our stay and there was no need to light a candle. But somehow the picture seems more apt with the candles and the shadows. I wearily informed P and S that we needed to head down for an early dinner. That night the three of us talked late into the night, huddled up in one room until we realised we were all a bit spooked by the whole thing and were somehow reluctant to go back to our own rooms. The realisation made us laugh and finally, we decided to call it a night. Sonam said we needed to leave by 7 in the morning. We asked him to make it 6.30. Morning dawned on a pristine valley full of rhododendrons and thin veils of mist. As we drove away from Gangtey we realised that the reason this place was on our itinerary was that it was so stunningly beautiful. We stopped for a few pictures of the rhododendrons and a yak we spotted on a hill. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the sheer length of the drive or the fact that it was colder than we had experienced in Bhutan thus far. Gangtey left us with a bitter taste in our mouths that place itself does not deserve at all! Maybe another time, another day would have made quite a different impression.
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| A view of the Jomolhari Peak from Chele La Pass |
After Gangtey we went back to Paro for the final leg of our trip. Paro offered two of the most unforgettable destinations - Chele La Pass and Tiger's Nest. Chele La offers the most stunning views of the Himalayas that you get to see in Bhutan. You see the glimmering snow capped Jomolhari - the tallest peak situated within Bhutan along with a few others among the 8000+ meter peaks of the Himalayas. The day we went, the skies were a stunning blue and the sunlight danced off the distant row of peaks. Chele La is the highest motorable road in all of Bhutan. The winds tend to be really chilly. Get yourself a cup of tea from the roadside stall and take a few minutes to wander off by yourself. Standing there among the tall white flags fluttering in the wind, watching the endless Himalayan peaks on the horizon is the closest I have experienced to a Zen moment. It is the nearest I have come to meditation. You don't need to consciously purge yourself of thoughts. It is a moment where the silence that fills you on the inside holds all the words you will ever need. The vastness of the Universe and your place in it all. The skies. The mountains. And tiny, tiny you.
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| Taktsang or Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro |
In preparing for our trip to Bhutan, the biggest hurdle in my mind was the trek to Tiger's Nest Monastery. This was the image that represented Bhutan to me. So there was no question of not attempting it. And yet, everything I had read about that particular trek was intimidating, especially to someone so unused to physical activity in all my living life. I have never played a sport or run a mile. My only advantage was that I had always enjoyed walking long distances. I was travelling with two women much younger and fitter than me and it was a personal challenge to not let my fitness levels be a stumbling block or even a speed breaker for my fellow companions. I set a challenge for myself - I would lose 4 kilos off my excess weight and be perfectly fit for this climb. I have never worked so hard and so systematically on something since I crossed the age for competitive exams. I started walking in the mornings, gradually increasing my capacity from 2 kilometres in half in hour to 6 kilometres in 45 minutes. I downloaded a health app and started tracking my calories. I learned to increase my intake of protein and fibre and cut down on the carbs and fats. I started attending an aerobics class. This was from about 4 months before our trip. When the day of our trip dawned, the weighing scale showed only a loss of two kilos but my body told me a different story. I felt more energetic than I had in a really long time. I was ready.
The trek to Tiger's Nest had specifically been pencilled in for the last day of our trip, knowing we would probably not have the energy for anything more after that. We set out nice and early. From the starting point, the monastery high up in the hills looked almost impossible to reach. It was a chilly day and I was wearing a jacket. In about five minutes the jacket came off - such was the heat of the effort. We encountered several people who had given up half way. We saw some go up on horseback - which you can do only until what is generally considered a half way point but which from our experience is more like one third of the way - the only cafe on the route. We sat at the cafe and looked up at the gleaming cliff ahead of us. No way we were turning back! We stuck to it and steamrolled our way ahead. Past the boulders and mud trails. Past the impossible inclines and the few blessed stretches of flat ground. Past the seemingly unending flight of stairs at the very end of the trail. Past the ice cold waterfall just before the entrance to the monastery. And up the final flight of stairs into the very chamber where Guru Padmasambhava flew in to meditate atop his tigress consort. As we breathed in the trapped air from medieval days in a chamber hewn out of the black rocks, we stopped for an instant to contemplate on what this trip had meant to each of us. S chose to seat herself in one of the many meditation chambers for a while. P and I sat on a stone bench outside the temple, looking at the mountains around us and the valley below in absolute, companionable silence. We had done it. Climbed up Tiger's Nest. And our sojourn of Bhutan was at its glorious end. We did not feel the ache in our limbs or the hunger in our stomachs as we descended from our 8 hour trek (not everyone takes 8 hours - we just decided to take our own time with the climb as well as within the temple). As we sat together with Sonam and Ringzin for a final cup of coffee together at a Paro cafe, we knew we had seen as much as our eyes could take in and experienced as much as our souls could assimilate. We had truly, truly tasted the happiness that Bhutan represents for one and all.
For a woman with two small children aged 8 and 3 to up and leave for 12 days is not an easy task. For a woman to want to break free from it all and just immerse herself in the pursuit of her own little piece of the sky is a dream that all women nurture, I discovered on my return. All it took was a picture or two on Facebook for several of my women friends to reach out and say (1) how much they envied me for being able to take that step (2) how much they would have liked to do the same and (3) to be sure to let them know if I ever planned on such a trip again. So let me first answer that question that several people had on their minds when they heard about this - how did the kids manage? The answer is: remarkably well. For two kids whose days start with a good morning kiss from their mother and end with cuddling to sleep with her, yes, sure, they missed me. But they did not break down. Did not feel betrayed/abandoned/unhappy. They adjusted to getting their morning kisses from their dad and cuddling to sleep with their grandmother (which they often do when I am home as well). Yes, I was lucky to have a supportive husband and mother and a well-established support system in place when I embarked on this trip. But I think the important thing is to allow yourself to believe that the children are not going to be damaged by your absence. Just as they learn to adapt when you travel on work or other emergencies, just as they learn to adapt to their father's absences for work, they will also adapt to this and there will be no lasting effects on their emotional makeup. As long as they know for a fact that you are coming back and will continue to love them just as much as you always did. Did I miss them? Of course, to the point that my eyes misted over when I witnessed a surprise birthday party for a little girl on holiday with her family at breakfast in the hotel one day. But did it cloud my experience of enjoying the trip I had wanted for so long? Judge me if you will, but the answer is not at all. So Kadheen Che, my beautiful children and my understanding family for letting me be. Oh, and in case you are wondering, the promise of gifts works beautifully on keeping the children happy in your absence.
So at the end of the day, what did travelling to Bhutan really leave me with, other than an enviable treasure trove of memories of glorious landscapes? It reinforced the belief that I am in control of my own time and aspirations. It gave me an uncluttered space within my mind where I can escape to, wherein I hold the bliss of a Bhutanese mountainside trapped for eternity. And most importantly, it told me I can still challenge myself, push myself to go beyond my self-styled limitations and feel the rush of achieving something I have worked hard for.
Bhutan to me will always be what Serenity looks, feels and sounds like. It has the emerald texture of a tiny pristine landscape sandwiched between the mountains. It feels like the icy touch of a drop of dew on a misty morning. And it sounds like Himalayan winds rustling prayer flags with the rhythmic sounding of bells from prayer wheels.
