Have you ever felt happiness amidst silence? When did you last breathe fresh air without any toxic pollutants making a meal out of your lungs? Our cities don’t stand a chance, do they? Last fall, I had the beautiful opportunity to visit one such place, which can be truly described as pure, serene and non-chaotic. It’s the Land of the Thunder Dragon or some call it ‘The Country of Gross National Happiness’. Yes, surely so, as the people of this Kingdom surrounded by Nepal, China and India are indeed very happy in their beautifully kept Hilly Kingdom.
There are various ways to enter this Kingdom. By air, by train and by road from India. Druk Air operates flights most of the days, being their National airline. By road one can drive through West Bengal and enter via Jaigaon, the border town. Trains are also aplenty till Hasimara or Alipurduar, from where Jaigaon is a short drive. Indian Nationals do not need visas to enter the Kingdom. Passes are issued on all working days from the Local Immigration Office at Phuentsholing the border town of Bhutan. We were a group of friends who took the train route. And after spending a day at Jaigaon and exploring the place, we were on our way to Bhutan the next afternoon. Our first stop was Thimpu, the capital city of Bhutan. We stayed at Hotel 89, which was near the Town Hall. A nice cozy place with awesome food and hospitality. Bhutanese people are very soft-spoken. So much so, that they even quarrel in hush tones. An evening around the city took us to Coronation Park, which was closed at that time. So we walked along the banks of a river enjoying the soft mumble of the flowing river. The Town Hall is surrounded by numerous shops selling everything from clothes to beer.
A day trip around the City took us to the Buddha Point, which is said to the highest point of the place and the whole city is said to be visible from there. The saying goes that Lord Buddha always keeps a watchful eye on His disciples. The statue of the Golden Buddha is so peaceful and so is the temple underneath that leaving the place seemed difficult. Our next stop was the National Library which houses the Heritage of Bhutan, its language, its history all kept and nurtured in a four-story building surrounded by colorful plants. The Folk Museum was another feather in the cap. The place gives tourists a glimpse of the Bhutanese lifestyle, household objects, tools and equipment along with a rural setting of paddy fields and kitchen gardens. All the buildings in Thimpu are of the same structural pattern, as per Government directives. We also got a glimpse of the existing King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s palatial Mansion. Thimpu is home to the National Animal, The Takin, which is a cross of the Cow and the Goat. There is a whole conserve dedicated to the preservation of this species found nowhere in the world. We got to visit the Kings Memorial Chorten, a hugely visible religious structure with Tibetan architecture. It was lunchtime and we had some fried rice with pork and delicious hot soup. It was a relaxing lunch to beat the chill in the air. To our surprise, we also got the treat of watching an archery match beside the Coronation Park. Each victory is celebrated to a national dance with local tunes. It was difficult to leave the stadium, however, we had to move to Paro, which was a few hours’ drive from Thimpu. And thus we bid adieu to Thimpu.
On the way to Paro, we got a beautiful view of the meeting point of the Thimpu and Paro rivers. It paved the way for another beautiful experience, more nurturing than the previous one. We booked a Pelri Cottage atop a hill. The cottages were made entirely of wood except for the floor and were away from the hustle-bustle of the main town. Paro is another significant place in Bhutan as it houses most of the Government offices or Dzongs. We visited the various Dzongs, like Rinpung Dzong, Drukgyel Dzong, The National Museum and Dzongdrakha Temple. It’s forbidden to keep your head covered in the Dzongs or wearing goggles. These are the seats of administrative power in Bhutan. The tiring day tour paved the way for a relaxing evening in our cottage with live music from locals and buffet dinner.
Who knew, our next day trip would be a remarkable and eventful trip of our lifetime. It tested our patience and fitness to the level of athletes. The thrill in was to climb the steep hilly terrain to the Taktsang Monastery or Tiger’s Nest. It’s a 900 meters climb from the valley floor. It was a trek of a lifetime for us who are couch potatoes. We turned into German Shepherds with our tongues hanging out on the way up. The monastery houses and the sacred site of the Tibetans are a must-visit in every nation’s lifetime. It took us around 2 hours to climb up and then climb down, making it a 4-hour journey. But, the pain was worth taking as we were mesmerized by the holiness of the site, which houses various temples addressed to various deities. It is said, this is the place where Guru Rinpoche flew to on a Tiger’s back and fought with demons and later meditated on site for three months. The Buddhist monks surely, gave us fitness goals, as they climbed up and down the entire stretch which is dotted with steep slopes and trees in half the time taken by us, not once but five to six times a day, accompanied by various tourist groups. On the way down, we emptied our pockets to the knick-knacks, stone jewelry and figurines being sold by locals.
Our next day was even more spectacular, as we were taken on a three-hour drive to the highest motorable pass in Bhutan, The Chelela Pass, en route thick jungles and yaks as our friends on the way. Locals say, that bears also hound the way after evening, but we were too early to meet them.
The highest point gave us views of the snow-capped Jomolhari range and adjoining peaks. Chelela pass separates Haa and Paro valley. After a short drive downhill, we reached Haa Valley which houses massive military troops of Indian origin guarding the border between Bhutan and China. Also, we had a sumptuous lunch of Bhutanese delicacies like Sikam paa (a pork dish cooked with dry red chilies), Daichi (a buttery dal), pork momos and the likes.
Well, all things fine have to come to an end and so does our journey. We were not lucky enough to visit Punakha and Bumthang due to our tight schedules back home. They are definitely on our must-visit list next time we manage to visit the Kingdom. The memories we left with gave us the much-needed boost to engage ourselves in the daily humdrum of life for the next few months.
