Bhutan - A Dream Come True
After no wake up call and the broken watch alarm, we still made the 4:30am shuttle to the Bangkok airport to catch our flight to Bhutan. Our adventure started a few days earlier in Bangkok - the land where nothing is what it seems. We had a great time taking the boat to the floating markets, visiting the grand palace, eating fantastic foods, praying to the standing Buddha, sleeping Buddha, the sitting Buddha, and the emerald (actually jade) Buddha. We crammed the must see sites in a few short days.
Arriving in Paro Bhutan was a total trip. The flight was beautiful with clear skies and views of Everest and other majestic peaks of the Himalayas. As we approached Paro the pilot announced that the landing will be like no other landing we've experienced. Good thing he did because I was about to have a heart attack. Paro is in a valley surrounded with high ridges. The approach to Paro is through a curvy valley where the sides of the mountains are RIGHT outside the plane windows. They turn right, then left through this valley before landing on the airstrip. I giggled through the whole thing and asked Kevin to pinch me to make sure this was all real. Great way to arrive in the Kingdom of Bhutan!
We met our guide, Kunzang, who immediately started our tour of Paro. First we experienced the National Archery Competition. The competition consisted of 3 teams of 4 players each. The arrows were shot 150 yards! Teammates stood right next to the bulls-eye to encourage a good shot. Brave souls... Their precision is impeccable. We saw one guy hit the bulls-eye and and his teammates performed a little dance. I'll just say it was nothing like the NFL touchdown dance. Next we visited Drugyal Dzong. Drugyal means "Thunder Dragon" which is the ancient name of of Bhutan. Last night we drove to the capital city of Thimpu. The drive was along a windy mountain road littered with blue pines, weeping cypress and monkeys. It was a crazy drive since it’s all under construction and everyone is passing each other. Thimpu is a city with no traffic lights but lots of barking dogs. Fortunately we are staying at a nice hotel across the river so the dogs aren't so bothersome. Prayer flags hang everywhere spreading prayers down the rivers, up and over the mountains so they reach all sentient beings. Including all of you! we must go eat now, which is one of the best parts of the trip. The food is actually awesome. Lots of vegetables, cheesy potatoes, fish, and my favorite, cheese dumplings. Kevin is eating the native chili cheese dish which he can't wait to cook for you all when we get home.
On our way home killing time in Taipei... Computers were far and few between on this trip, and the 2 days we made special trips to town to write, the power was down. Some towns share power; one gets it one day and the other gets power the next. Although both towns get power after 5 pm. Brilliant idea, really... That should give you an idea of Bhutan. Once you leave Paro and Thimpu, it’s like the twilight zone. I felt like we were warped back to the medieval days, except with modern cars. Bhutan's ancient world and traditions are being bombarded by westernization - TV was introduced 10 years ago, cell phones 3 years ago and the computer somewhere in between. Since the introduction of this communication, the younger generation desires western materials and thought. Unfortunately this is creating more violence, pollution and conflicting thought. Nevertheless, people are proud of their country and their ability to have sheltered themselves from the modern world for so long. People are well taken care of with free education and medical services. Most of the HIGH tourism fees support the social programs. Of course there are a few forgotten populations, but for the most part everyone has access to education and healthcare.
I think Bhutan is like Tibet was before China massacred the Tibetan Buddhists and destroyed their monasteries and temples. Bhutan is a religious and cultural trip and people would be cheating themselves if they just went to trek. Bhutan is rich in culture, traditions, festivals celebrating local protectors and deities and of course the Buddha's, bodhivistas and their manifestations. Buddhism is much more complex than I even thought! It's not just about the 8 fold path...
Arriving in Paro Bhutan was a total trip. The flight was beautiful with clear skies and views of Everest and other majestic peaks of the Himalayas. As we approached Paro the pilot announced that the landing will be like no other landing we've experienced. Good thing he did because I was about to have a heart attack. Paro is in a valley surrounded with high ridges. The approach to Paro is through a curvy valley where the sides of the mountains are RIGHT outside the plane windows. They turn right, then left through this valley before landing on the airstrip. I giggled through the whole thing and asked Kevin to pinch me to make sure this was all real. Great way to arrive in the Kingdom of Bhutan!
We met our guide, Kunzang, who immediately started our tour of Paro. First we experienced the National Archery Competition. The competition consisted of 3 teams of 4 players each. The arrows were shot 150 yards! Teammates stood right next to the bulls-eye to encourage a good shot. Brave souls... Their precision is impeccable. We saw one guy hit the bulls-eye and and his teammates performed a little dance. I'll just say it was nothing like the NFL touchdown dance. Next we visited Drugyal Dzong. Drugyal means "Thunder Dragon" which is the ancient name of of Bhutan. Last night we drove to the capital city of Thimpu. The drive was along a windy mountain road littered with blue pines, weeping cypress and monkeys. It was a crazy drive since it’s all under construction and everyone is passing each other. Thimpu is a city with no traffic lights but lots of barking dogs. Fortunately we are staying at a nice hotel across the river so the dogs aren't so bothersome. Prayer flags hang everywhere spreading prayers down the rivers, up and over the mountains so they reach all sentient beings. Including all of you! we must go eat now, which is one of the best parts of the trip. The food is actually awesome. Lots of vegetables, cheesy potatoes, fish, and my favorite, cheese dumplings. Kevin is eating the native chili cheese dish which he can't wait to cook for you all when we get home.
On our way home killing time in Taipei... Computers were far and few between on this trip, and the 2 days we made special trips to town to write, the power was down. Some towns share power; one gets it one day and the other gets power the next. Although both towns get power after 5 pm. Brilliant idea, really... That should give you an idea of Bhutan. Once you leave Paro and Thimpu, it’s like the twilight zone. I felt like we were warped back to the medieval days, except with modern cars. Bhutan's ancient world and traditions are being bombarded by westernization - TV was introduced 10 years ago, cell phones 3 years ago and the computer somewhere in between. Since the introduction of this communication, the younger generation desires western materials and thought. Unfortunately this is creating more violence, pollution and conflicting thought. Nevertheless, people are proud of their country and their ability to have sheltered themselves from the modern world for so long. People are well taken care of with free education and medical services. Most of the HIGH tourism fees support the social programs. Of course there are a few forgotten populations, but for the most part everyone has access to education and healthcare.
I think Bhutan is like Tibet was before China massacred the Tibetan Buddhists and destroyed their monasteries and temples. Bhutan is a religious and cultural trip and people would be cheating themselves if they just went to trek. Bhutan is rich in culture, traditions, festivals celebrating local protectors and deities and of course the Buddha's, bodhivistas and their manifestations. Buddhism is much more complex than I even thought! It's not just about the 8 fold path...
The trek was amazing. We had phenomenal views of the Himalayan peaks bordering TIbet and India. The highest we hiked was 15,600 ft for lunch and camped at about 14,500 ft. The trekking is vertical; lots of up and down. Unfortunately our guide was sick with a head cold, which got Kevin sick, but nothing too debilitating. It was great to breathe the fresh air, camp in the high altitudes, hike the high passes above tree line and in. The landscape above tree line looks like high desert. We started in blue pines, bamboo, oaks and Rhododendrons which gave away to silver firs, junipers, more species of rhodedendrons, Laurels and other species our guide unfortunately didn't know. Nevertheless, we did a pretty good idea of guessing since some plants seemed similar to home. Trees were draped with spanish moss which made for an enchanted forest feel.
After crapping in the woods for 5 days and freezing our butts off at night, we were taken to a luxurious (for Paro standards) resort where I soaked in a hot bath in our upgraded junior suite (I love traveling with Myths and Mountains!). We were able to hike up to Tigers Nest the following day which is one of the most sacred temples in Bhutan. It's located on the side of a cliff, literally. Not so sure how the temple doesn't fall off because it’s literally hanging on the side of sheer cliff. It was amazing... I will have to share pics of this when we return to give you an idea. We left Paro yesterday and have had a string of good luck. We were upgraded to business class on the Kolkata-Bangkok flight for being such nice folks. Not really sure why, but it was damn nice. Table cloths, wine, and a fine meal. I love Bhutan Royal Airlines! They also have some damn good pilots...
KT and Kevin Hickey
KT and Kevin Hickey
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