{"id":8953,"date":"2013-08-16T11:07:52","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T05:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travel.paintedstork.com\/blog\/?p=8953"},"modified":"2013-08-17T06:58:34","modified_gmt":"2013-08-17T01:28:34","slug":"travelling-in-bhutan-experiences-to-cherish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.paintedstork.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/travelling-in-bhutan-experiences-to-cherish.html","title":{"rendered":"Travelling in Bhutan – Experiences to Cherish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since I visited Bhutan for the first time in the summer of 2012, I have always looked forward to going back. I returned again in September ’12 and am looking forward to another visit in October 2013. There is a certain charm about Bhutan that makes me look forward to these trips. The country’s lush green Himalayan slopes, its high mountains,\u00a0predominantly rural and agrarian\u00a0population, a very laid back and careless nature of its\u00a0people and an endearing Buddhist tradition and culture have filled my senses and have never failed to bring me\u00a0peace from within. Here is a quick look at\u00a0places and experiences that I look forward to, during my trips to Bhutan.<\/p>\n

Hiking\u00a0Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest Monastery),\u00a0Paro Valley<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s begin with the most well-known and most-visited\u00a0place in Bhutan. Despite the effort of climbing,\u00a0Paro Taktsang is visited by almost every\u00a0person who makes it to Bhutan. The monastery is known for its magnificent setting, located half-way down a vertical cliff at an altitude of 10,000 feet. It is also one of the most sacred Buddhist sites of pilgrimage\u00a0in the country. Legend has it that Guru\u00a0Padmasambhava, wh0 brought Buddhism to Bhutan, flew here on the back of a tiger and meditated for many months. A temple was first built here in the 17th century, but the current building is as recent as 1998, rebuilt after a fire destroyed the older structure.<\/p>\n

\"Tiger's<\/p>\n

It takes a climb of three to four hours to reach the monastery through a thick coniferous forest on a well-defined\u00a0path tread by tourists as well as many locals on a\u00a0pilgrimage. Rhododendrons and\u00a0pine trees keep your company all through the climb. Somewhere half-way up on the way is a restaurant run by Bhutan Tourism, which offers tea and snacks through the day and a buffet lunch during the afternoon hours. The strategically located restaurant also offers excellent views of the monastery. The steep climb, especially after a heavy lunch, can be very tiring. No wonder it’s a cliche among travel writers that it would be easier to fly there on a tiger.<\/p>\n

A life dedicated to Buddha in Kyichu (Kichu) Lhakhang,\u00a0Paro Valley<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kyichu (Kichu) Lhakhang is one of the oldest Buddhist Temples in the country and a\u00a0place believed to have been visited to Guru\u00a0Padmasambhava. An ancient cypress tree in the temple\u00a0premise is known to have sprouted from the Guru’s walking stick.<\/p>\n

\"Kyichu<\/p>\n

The best thing about the temple is its\u00a0people – visitors and residents. Mornings are a time when a score of little lamas in ochre robes gather in the temple to chant and learn from their teacher. While the boys chant in a high\u00a0pitched chorus inside, a small bunch of old men and women sit outside and religiously turn prayer wheels or shifting prayer beads.\u00a0\u00a0In Bhutan, it is a tradition to retire from everyday life after a certain age and spend rest of the life wearing a monk’s robe in a spiritual quest. A small group of elderly men and women usually congregate in the temple every day, spending their time turning the prayer wheels. Visitors keep dropping in regularly, circumambulating the temple\u00a0and rotating the long line of\u00a0prayer wheels on the wall.<\/p>\n

Landing at\u00a0Paro Airport (and watching the flights take off)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>The best views of\u00a0Paro Valley are from a flight. I am told that you can also get excellent views of Jhomalhari\u00a0Peak from the aircraft, but the weather was never clear enough during all my landings and take-offs so far. Hopefully things will turn out in my favour during the next visit. The aircraft swoops down very close to the hills of\u00a0Paro before landing. The\u00a0pilot aligns the plane\u00a0along the valley and flies very low, between the mountains and just above the\u00a0Paro River before landing. You feel as if you can reach your hands out of the window and\u00a0pick a few twigs from the nearest\u00a0pine tree. Apparently it is one of the scariest landings in the world, but I found it more appealing than frightening.\u00a0Perhaps the\u00a0pilots are trained well enough to make the landing seem smooth to the passengers sitting inside.<\/p>\n

\"Paro<\/p>\n

During take-offs, flights make a steep ascent to get above the mountains as soon as\u00a0possible. Its a\u00a0pleasure to watch the entire vista of the airport and the flight taking off right next to you, standing on the hills on the right bank of\u00a0Paro River. If you are out buying something at the weekend market in\u00a0Paro during a takeoff, you will hear a deafening sound of the aircraft taking off right over your head.<\/p>\n

Traffic Square (without any significant traffic) and a walk in Norzin Lam, Thimphu<\/strong><\/p>\n

It may seem odd to you, but policemen managing the traffic at a junction in Norzin Lam are now one of the\u00a0prime attractions for visitors in Thimphu. They direct the (very disciplined)\u00a0traffic by continuously moving both hands back and forth, which almost looks like a dancing ritual without moving the feet. The government tried to replace them with traffic lights. But\u00a0people did not like the automated system and the men had to be brought back to duty. Incidentally, this is the only junction in the entire country that requires traffic management. The red-yellow-green lights that we are so familiar with in our cities is simply non-existent in Bhutan. Watch the video below.<\/p>\n