A country with no traffic signals, a country whose entire population of 7 to 8 lakhs is half the population of my little town in West Bengal, A country where people speak so softly that you have to strain to listen to what the person is trying to say to you , a place where your mornings don't begin with the sounds of Hanuman ji bhajans coming from faraway, kids screaming just below your window, horns blaring. A place where the billboards do not have advertisements but every shop, restaurant and hotel have huge pictures of the Royal Family adorning the walls.... You know you have reached Bhutan. . The Himalayas here are untouched,pure....it is forbidden to climb few peaks here which they believe to be" the place where spirits dwell"...... ....
We reached Thimpu today from Phuentsholing... .. stayed at Pemaling Villa,a lovely Hotel , with good ambience and friendly staff. We opted for traditional Bhutanese cuisine for dinner , Local Red Rice, Ema Datshi , Potato Datshi and Chicken Maru. And we really really enjoyed our dinner..EMA Datshi is fiery dish made with local green and red chillies in a cheesy sauce... I would recommend it as a mustt tryy.
Day 2 ..A complete tour of Thimpu.....
Our very Friendly driver, Sacha Bhaiya arrived at 9 am to pick us up and there began our wonderfulllll day in Thimpu.
One of the first views we were shown was the TASHICHHO Dzong and the Supreme court of BHUTAN. TASHICHHO Dzong is a fortress and the head of Bhutan civil government.. We saw these buildings from across fields as to have a complete view and also that being a government house, tourists aren't allowed before 4pm in the evening.. . .. We asked where the central jail was here and the answer made us all laugh... According to Sacha Bhaiya there are hardly any criminal cases lodged anywhere in Bhutan...and the jail is mostly empty.... He says," As it is we have such few people,we don't wanna put people into jail and further reduce this number"..😂
We then drove to the National Library and Archives of BHUTAN.. under the Department of Culture. As all the other buildings in this country .. this one too was beautiful and looked like a Monastery. .
Have you ever been to a National Library where you are required to open your shoes before entering? .And also a Library where there's a place for worship in every floor.. that's how pure and spiritual this country is.
The art school of Thimpu(National Institute of Zorig Chusum) is a school where kids from all over BHUTAN are taught the traditional art and crafts to help Bhutan in continuing their ancient way of art and craft like colouful motifs all over their walls and doors, clay sculptures, Wooden masks, embroidery, weaving of traditional handlooms etc. Here you can roam around the school and watch the kids in action , someone sculpting, another carving, painting... . It is really nice to see the hands behind the sculptures, statues and pauntings we all have bought some time or the other from any curio shop ever..
Just across this was the Folk Heritage Mueseum.. ..here they have turned a 150 year old traditional Bhutanese home into a museum and you are free to roam around the house and look into the old way of life of the Bhutanese.. It is a three storied mud house .
Our next and for me... the most awaited stop was Simply Bhutan ..also called a Living Museum. This place also serves lunch if you call and book a table in the morning. They serve authentic Bhutanese cuisine in a buffet style.. where they bring the food to your table and you can eat as muchhh as you wantt. This museum provides a guided tour for an entry fee of Rs . 300 ..and if you pay another 200 you can avail the buffet. .The food was awesome... .. the people Friendly.....We also enjoyed watching the traditional dance form they performed for the guests. We then went for the guided tour.
Our last but the most enthralling visit was to The 150 ft Sitting Buddha atop a hill which overlooks the entire city of Thimpu. It also provides a breathtaking view of the Himalayas which surround Thimpu on all sides.
P.S Thimpu, A city with cars who have forgotten to use their honking horns.
Since I am not Rabindranath Tagore nor am I Ruskin Bond , I am not able to arrest and put into words the beauty , the sights , the sounds of the rumbling rolling mountain river Punakhachu ,I saw today. ..
Every next location today made me catch my breath. Bhutan is hands down the most beautiful place I have everr been to. The people of BHUTAN know how to respect and give love to the Mighty Himalayas. 70 % of Bhutan's land is covered with forests... The Himalayas here are untouched,virgin .... .....
The drive down to Punakha from the capital city of Thimpu was a dream come true, Long Long stretches of the mountains were covered by Thick Lush Green Evergreen Forests . Reached Dochula Pass after an hour or so . Dochula Pass is probably the highest point in the journey from where the Mighty Peaks of the Himalayas are waiting for us to honour them. Most of the peaks were covered in white pristine snow ,ranges of peaks .....The mother queen of the present king had planned the 108 stupas on the Dochula Pass to pay respect to the Bhutanese soldiers, the Enemy soldiers and the myriads of animals killed in the war when invaders had invaded Bhutan. We took our breakfast at a restaurant The Dochula Eco Treat . They had a binoculars installed there to look closely at the Peaks which we thoroughly enjoyed
Then began our drive down to Punakha , a picture postcard , agricultural village .... situated on the banks of a mountain river. The beauty is inexpressible, small huts dotting the landscape, small shops , small eateries ... surrounded by Farming Lands ...
The Punakha Fort is the Largest and the most beautiful of all Forts of Bhutan, the Coronation as well as Marriage ceremonies of all the Kings of Bhutan are held there .. There is intricate designings on the walls ,roofs ,doors , windows,pillars ......The fort was absolutely captivating.....
Then began our walk to the Suspension Bridge over the River which is equally stunning , what with the background landscape of villages , their farming lands and the Majestic Himalayas just behind them , my Heart told me to come visit the place again and again and again.....
Today was a holiday in a holiday. We drove down to Paro from Punakha after a hearty breakfast by the river at our resort in Punakha .
Bhutan is a land of myths and stories...and if you love stories , there can't be a better place than this. . Just try not to spoil the stories with something as ordinary as logic..... If logic made things work here , cars wouldn't stop on empty roads just to let you cross the road, you wouldn't be visiting museums and schools where boards tell you to buy tickets but nobody checks whether you have one or not, where no person collects the change at pay and use toilets .. instead they place a box which reads," Please pay Rs. 5 for every use.. thank you"... Logic surely wouldn't work this way.. would it??.
Being constrained for time,we visited just 2 places today...The National Museum and the Paro fort. . The Museum has a collection of all the masks used during the mask dance held during the annual festival here, it tells you about the flora, fauna and the topographical variations found over the entire country.
We retired to our rooms quite early today to rest, recover and prepare ourselves for the show stopper tomorrow.....Trek to the Tiger's Nest.
What did I do today??.... Today I really enjoyed myself... right from the beginning....
It was a long lived dream of mine to visit The Tiger's Nest. Perched atop a rocky cliff, clinging by its side, 900 feet above the ground, hangs this beautiful tale of how Guru Padmasambhava rode the back of a tigress and came up to this place. The monastery has become the national symbol of Bhutan..
We started the trek around 9 o clock in the morning....On the way we met many fellow travellers, ages ranging from 3 to 83. . It was wonderful to see the aged people going all the way without turning back . It is a mud trail all along, not very steep,not very difficult, a little patience,a little will power and a strong urge to reach the top would take you to the Tiger's Nest in less than 3 hours...even less.. On the way we were greeted with the beautiful sites Bhutan always has to offer. . Oaks, pines, spruce, we also sighted lichen on the trees.... lichens are supposed to be bio indicators only growing at places where pollution tends to zero. . .. All you need to get to the top is a little patience..It is something one shouldn't miss when in Bhutan.
Ever heard of A Hot Stone Bath??.. It is an ancient Bhutanese therapeutic bath believed to cure various skin ailments, pain fatigue. Guess what??... You can do it too... After the long and tiring trek during the day , we were greeted with a chilly evening, what better way to relax than dipping your tired body in a hot herb infused wooden bath...and the source of the heat..??. Hot stones .. stones brought from the river bed and heated in a wood fire... 45 mins of that bliss and we were relieved of all the fatigue and all the odd pains of the day . With the complimentary bowl of butter tea/suja at the end, my heart ached at the thought of leaving this country the next day.
