In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan

Tripoto
22nd Dec 2019
Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin
Day 1

Upon reaching our hotel, our Bhutanese guide Norbu, dressed in traditional attire called 'Gho' welcomed us and briefed us about how amazing our next few days were going to be.

Photo of Phuentsholing, Bhutan by Sachin

Somewhere in Kalimpong...

Photo of Bagdogra, West Bengal, India by Sachin
Day 2

We spent almost the entire next day waiting for our turn at the immigration office of Phuentsholing. While the rest of the group was getting antsy, I was hopping cafes around the immigration office searching for traditional Bhutanese buttered tea, Suja. The frustration of waiting for immigration formalities could not take over my eagerness to explore this Himalayan country.

My first hot cup of Suja in Phuentsholing!

Photo of Phuentsholing, Bhutan by Sachin
Day 3

Day 3: Exploring the capital city Thimphu

It was a sunny yet chilly morning in the capital city Thimphu. As I was fueling up for the day with poori bhaji, the view of Thimphu city from the restaurant literally looked great.

Photo of Thimphu, Bhutan by Sachin
Day 4

Day 4: World's most beautiful mountain pass, the fertility temple and a divine madman...

With 108 memorial chortens built overlooking Druk Wangyal Lhakhang, Dochula pass is inarguably the most beautiful mountain pass in the world. Situated at a height of ~3,100 m, Dochula pass offers a panoramic view of the mighty Himalayas. Being a long weekend, the complex of 108 chortens was super crowded and it was difficult to get a good shot without fellow travellers photobombing.

Photo of Dochula, Bhutan by Sachin
Photo of Dochula, Bhutan by Sachin
Photo of Dochula, Bhutan by Sachin

Souvenir shop in Chimi Lhakhang village

Photo of Chimi Lhakhang, Bhutan by Sachin
Photo of Chimi Lhakhang, Bhutan by Sachin

We started exploring Thimphu with Buddha Dordenma statue or Buddha Point as it's popularly known. Situated atop a hill in Thimphu, the gigantic golden statue of Buddha is a visual delight. The statue is visible from every corner of Thimphu city which gives a feeling of Lord Buddha watching over you wherever you go..

Buddha Dordenma Statue

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Buddha Dordenma Statue

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Clean & empty roads of Thimphu city

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Premises of Buddha Dordenma

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Entrance of Buddha Dordenma

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

We spent the rest of the day exploring the capital city. From watching Archery competition to catching a glimpse of Thimphu Dzong (Dechencholing Palace) to rambling through Takin reserve and finally ended the day with filling up on momos and suja in a cafe overlooking the clock tower of Thimphu

Dechencholing Palace,Thimphu

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Inside Takin Preserve

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Takin, the national animal of Bhutan

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Entrance of Takin Preserve

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Archery ground of Thimphu

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Clock tower of Thimphu

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

The road to Punakha from Dochula pass is one of the most scenic routes I have ever traveled. The colorful prayer flags flapping in the wind all through the route complement the color of lush green forest in the backdrop.

Punakha is famous for its fertility temple and this is the place where you find the most unique phallic graffiti on houses, streets and shops. Phallus is considered to be a sacred symbol here and is believed to drive the evil eye away.

Hiking through Chimi Lhakhang village, capturing the phallic graffiti in our cameras, we reached the fertility temple. Lined with colorful flags on both the sides, the Chimi Lhakhang temple boasts of the preaching of the divine madman, Drukpa Kunley who was one of the key monks who brought Buddhism in Bhutan from Tibet. Even the priest in this temple blesses the devotees with a 10 inch phallus made of ivory, wood and bone. Behind the temple, you can catch a glimpse of Mo chu flowing between the mountains and paddy fields.

Behind Chimi Lhakhang Temple

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Prayer wheel inside Chimi Lhakhang

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Entrance of Chimi Lhakhang temple

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin
Day 5

Day 5: The grand fortress, suspension bridge and rafting in Mo chu...

Starting the day with rafting in Mo chu or male river, it was time to witness the grandeur of the amazing fortress of Bhutan, the Punakha Dzong which is situated on confluence of rivers Mo chu and Pho chu.

Photo of Punakha, Bhutan by Sachin
Photo of Punakha, Bhutan by Sachin

Punakha Dzong situated at the confluence of Mo Chu & Pho Chu

Photo of Punakha, Bhutan by Sachin

Inside Punakha Dzong

Photo of Punakha, Bhutan by Sachin

Inside Punakha Dzong

Photo of Punakha, Bhutan by Sachin

Punakha Dzong

Photo of Punakha, Bhutan by Sachin

Rafting at Mo chu

Photo of Punakha, Bhutan by Sachin
Day 6

Day 6: Hiking to Tiger's nest...

It had been two years since my last trek, as I had been dealing with ankle problems and, frankly, I was not confident enough to trek all the way to Paro Takhtasang monastery or as we fondly call it the Tiger's nest. Perched at a cliff approximately 900 m off of the ground, Tiger's nest monastery is the highlight of every Bhutan trip. Muddy trail with prayer flags all along, the trek to tiger's nest is indeed a bit difficult, but the encouraging words by fellow trekkers make it easy to keep you going.

Prayer flags fluttering in the wind enroute Tiger's nest

Photo of Paro, Bhutan by Sachin

A glimpse of Paro Takhtasang Monastery

Photo of Paro, Bhutan by Sachin
Photo of Paro, Bhutan by Sachin
Day 7

Day 7 : Paro to Phuentsholing

We spent a day shopping at Paro market and clicking pictures of Paro airport from the viewing point and embarked upon our return journey to Phuentsholing.

Paro Dzong

Photo of Paro, Bhutan by Sachin

Paro Airport

Photo of Paro, Bhutan by Sachin

Somewhere enroute Phuentsholing

Photo of Paro, Bhutan by Sachin

Bhutan Gate - Bidding Goodbye to The Land of Happiness

Photo of Paro, Bhutan by Sachin

A short hike behind the fortress lies the longest suspension bridge of Bhutan. Adorned by colorful prayer flags, this suspension bridge offers spectacular views of river and the valley. After having a traditional Bhutanese lunch at Chimi Lhakhang cafe and a short stride through the village it was now time to proceed to yet another stunning destination, Paro.

Suspension bridge of Punakha

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

Almost midway through the trek lies Takhtasang cafeteria where everybody decided to take a pitstop for coffee and biscuits. For those who want to break for lunch, the cafeteria is the only option available. After a short hike uphill from cafeteria lies the view point of the monastery. Most of the travelers decide not to hike beyond this point since this is the only point that offers the best view of the monastery and the valley. After hiking for a while , the moment you climb down the stairs, the breathtaking view of the partly frozen waterfall makes up for the effort taken to reach there. The trek doesn't however end at this point. From the waterfall, we need to climb up the stairs to the monastery.

Partly frozen waterfall at the foot of Tiger's nest

Photo of In the Land of Happiness… Bhutan by Sachin

After paying respect to various deities in five temples, it was now time to hike back to Paro. As I was inching closer to the base of the trek a feeling of accomplishment was taking over the exhaustion.we bought different types of key chains , magnets and Bhutanese Handicrafts to give as a gift to friends.

After all, I had resumed trekking after a long time and I believe Tiger's nest was the best trek to do that.

I had gotten back to Mumbai but as I stated earlier, I had physically left the land of happiness but mentally I am still there.

Day 1

"I must admit, I have not been myself since I have gotten back from Bhutan", I said to my friend. "Why? What happened there? Is everything alright?, he said. Taking a deep breath I replied, I surely am back to Mumbai but I refuses to cross the Bhutan gate. The green cover of forests, the twists and turns on roads with prayer flags fluttering in the wind and colorful chortens on almost every nook and cranny literally ooze happiness and satisfaction. In this age of technology taking over human relationships, it is almost impossible to find a place where people prefer sitting in a circle to sip on homemade wine (Aara) with their family and friends, instead of connecting with each other on virtual world of social media. All these luxuries of city life make no sense if you aren't happy from within.

Being a traveler, I find my happiness in exploring the unexplored. As usual, I was falling short on positivity working in my corporate job, so I started skimming through places on the internet for my next adventure and that's when the thought of going to Bhutan struck my mind. Because, you know, when you're looking for positivity, there's no place on the earth as positive as the Land of Thunder Dragon itself!

I sprang out of my bed as soon as the alarm went off around 4:00 in the morning as I had to catch a 7: 40 am flight to Bagdogra. Before embarking upon my every trip, the mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement do not let me sleep through the night and this night was no different.

Traveling to Phuentsholing from Bagdogra with ever so scenic Kalimpong falling on the route, we had started finding friendships within the group with people who were complete strangers almost 4 hours back.