Mountains, Monks and Mysteries: My Bhutan Adventure (Winter '24)

I think I found Shangri-La. 

Recently, my family and I were going to Bhutan, a small country nestled in the Himalayas cut off from the rest of society - exactly what we needed to escape the dust, noise and stress of the city. So we packed all the jackets, socks and sweaters we could find (It was never enough!) and we headed outside. What we stumbled upon was one of the most spiritual, refreshing and exciting adventures ever. 

Arrival and First Impressions

We first arrived in the enchanting border town of Phuentsholing. As soon as we stepped out, I could feel the cold air biting my legs like a persistent animal (It was at this point, I knew, I needed more clothing). A tour guide then came to pick us up. His name was Karma Shering, and he was a kind young man who would guide us for the rest of the journey (He was very patient with our dumb doubts about Buddhism). He was wearing a weird coat where one end overlapped the other, with enough space to carry around a baby, and no pants, but just long socks! (I don't know how the blood in his legs hadn't frozen). As we got out our suitcases, I read the name of the hotel - 'The Gadhen'. My family and I then rested in our hotel, recharging ourselves after a long journey from the southern, barren lands of Hyderabad to lush, Himalayan Bhutan. Just before dinnertime, we set out to explore Phuentsholing, and we saw many traditional Bhutanese temples, like the Zangtopelri shrine. There was even a festival going on in which we saw some dances (The dancers LOVED to spin and I soon got dizzy) and I got to rotate one of the spiritual bells, the one with prayers written on it. Then, extremely sleepily, we drudged back to the hotel and wrestled down onto our beds with loud sighs. 

Thimphu: The Monastic Capital

We set off on the bittersweet 145 kilometer highway from Phuentsholing to Thimphu. The journey featured beautiful views of the autumn forests in Bhutan, gently sloping mountains, majestic valleys and my uncontrollable episodes of vomiting - yes, that's right, the winding roads churning everything in my stomach like a whisk in a bowl leads to nausea. It was so expected, yet so unexpected - we completely forgot to buy anti-nausea pills for my infamous motion sickness. Throughout the journey, there was an ever increasing feeling of guilt as I felt irresponsible and guilty, I could feel the tour guide judging me for ruining his beautiful country, but my parents assured me it was alright. There was also the ever growing feeling of dread of yet another episode, looming in the background. The worst was the FOMO as my parents enjoyed views of waterfalls and rivers while I could barely open my eyes without vomiting. Once we reached Thimphu, it was too late to explore and so we went straight to the hotel, but on the way the guide pointed out important landmarks like Market road, the Supreme Court and the Thimphu Dzong where the infamous annual festival takes place. 

The next day we set out on a tour of Thimphu. Our guide took us first to the top of a mountain overlooking the entire Thimphu valley and we got to see the entire capital and all its monuments from a birds-eye view. Something about the silence and the air there was so uniquely refreshing it made me feel lucky to be living in that moment. Then we went to the Royal Takin Preserve in Motithang. The Takin is a severely endangered animal which also happens to be the national animal of Bhutan, with a folk tale that the protector of Bhutan ate both a goat and a cow, and then combined the skull of the goat with the body of the cow, bringing the animal to life, the Takin. As soon as we entered all I could notice was the smell, (Was this place really 'Royal' ?) but the Takins were truly royal creatures and proved me wrong. We also saw some deer. The forest was natural and a small stream ran through the whole park. After seeing some native birds and stopping for snacks, we headed out to the Buddha statue, the largest statue in Bhutan. The statue sat atop another mountain overlooking the entire valley and it was here that I truly regretted not packing more warm clothes as the cold sharply bit my face. So it was a relief as we were told to remove our shoes and head inside the statue. Inside, our guide tried to explain the different philosophies of Buddhism depicted by paintings and sculptures, but all I really understood was that Guru Padma Sambhava, although not from Bhutan, was an avatar of Buddha who came down to protect Bhutan. Then we head out to Simply Bhutan, a 'living' museum where we danced to Bhutanese tunes, tried Bhutanese liqueurs, (Not me!) shot with bows and arrows, ate Bhutanese desserts and saw many exhibitions of Bhutanese life. 

For lunch, we went to the home of an elderly couple who sat us down on a low-lying table (I sat right next to the heater, thank god) and served us hot, traditional Bhutanese dishes. We all talked about our experiences in Bhutan and laughed a lot. As if the day wasn't already as fun as it could be, we went to the National archery stadium to see an archery competition (and, sadly, the death of a poor bird). After browsing and buying some spices at the Market we saw earlier, we went back to our hotel, exhausted.

The Royal Past and the Rivers Whispers at Punakha

Punakha is the site where two of the most important rivers in Bhutan, Pho Chu and Mo Chu, combine. As soon as we reached, we went to the most beautiful Dzong (meaning fort in Drukpa) in all of  Bhutan, the Punakha Dzong. We crossed a very old cantilever bridge across the royal blue river. Inside, there were intricate paintings depicting the story of Buddhism, idol cakes, tall idols of Buddha's avatars and several artifacts. The parliamentary half of the Dzong was not open to the public, but was just as intricate. The architecture was beautifully planned out, with every surface intricately carved and painted with prayers and vibrant colors that last even now.

After, we crossed the river again, but not on a cantilever bridge, but one of the world's longest existing

suspension bridge, and the wind over the river blew into my lungs, filling me with peace and the prayers of Bhutan in the air with it. As tradition, we left some prayer flags on the bridge, snapped some photos, zoned out to the peace of the river and left to our resort, the best of the whole trip - a villa on the bank of

 the same river! We had a full view of the river and Wangdue Phodrang, the locality we were in. We spent the whole rest of the day in our beautiful resort enjoying the view and it made me feel complete. The cool chills and good food of Bhutan truly cleanse the soul. My mom, being the fashionista she is, bought a kira, the traditional outfit of Bhutan, and wore it here. The pink color of the outfit made her blend in with prayer flags at many moments!

Peace in the Pines: Paro

Paro, the ancient capital and current culture center of Bhutan, would be the last city we visited. We set off early in the morning from Punakha as it was essential to have a good view of the Dochula pass, a roundabout overlooking the Himalayas en-route. As we reached, I could not believe it. The Himalayas, which everyone knew of from textbooks and general knowledge, something so distant and dreamlike, was in front of me right now in all its majesty - I could not believe it. (Did I say that already?) The air at Dochula pass howled in confusion, trying to head north but diverted by the powerful Himalayas. I snapped some photos of the tallest peak visible, Masang-Kang, and then we sipped some coffee (it was more of expensive bubbles) while soaking in the once-in-a-lifetime view of the Himalayas. I even saw snow for the first time! (Albeit, the thin layer of 'snow' looked like someone barfed all over the place)

For lunch we stopped at Lobesa, an important village in Bhutan as it is the location of the fertility temple. Couples who are trying to conceive visit the temple and pray for a child. Now you many be surprised, or shocked or disgusted that I would feature this but the phallus is an important symbol across Bhutan and is not exclusive to Lobesa. In their culture, it is not only a symbol of fertility but also of protection and luck. Most tourists behave in a xenophobic way and so our guide advised us to respect the culture. At the fertility temple, we even got to see the temple on the spot an avatar of Buddha appeared on Earth, in blue, white and red stripes (The century old paint is still colorful but my watercolor paintings fade out in a week? Unfair!)

As we reached Paro, I could see the Paro Dzong, not much different than other Dzongs, but this time,
along with my mom and her kira, My father and I dressed up with the traditional men's clothwear, the Gho. Everyone in Bhutan, being culturally rooted, wore the Bhutan national clothes, like it was a dress code. (Did you know there are laws that the windows of every building has to have prayers painted on?) We then did a photoshoot in front of the dzong with the river in the background and the guide explained that the gap in our Gho is to carry a baby (I guessed right!) and even though mine looked weird in my opinion, it came out nicely. 

Today was the only day we were left free to explore on our own. We explored the charming Paro market, famous for its souvenirs, and bought many for our friends and family at home. Then my mom bought us all Bhutanese gelato (I can never reject ice-cream no matter the weather!) and we sat in the cozy light of the cafe and looked at the movement of the few people living in Bhutan.

The Tigers Trail: Paro Takthsang

Paro Takthsang is the most holy shrine in all of Bhutan. Built in 1692, it was burned down in an inferno and rebuilt in 2005 and opened to visitors soon after. Today was a special day for me, as it was my birthday! After eating our breakfast, we headed out early in the morning to the Tiger's nest shrine. It was a 13 kilometer hike from the base to the shrine, and there were truly amazing views and it was a feast for my eyes (but not ears, people were panting all around me!) and I even snapped some photos on the trail. We even came across a stream where I splashed my face with water (I've always wanted to cinematically wash my face in a cool stream) and after being refreshed set off again. At the halfway mark, we stopped at a cafe to use the washroom and sip some coffee. It was the best experience I've had in life so far, the air filled with the aroma of the forest and the sunlight warming my frozen face after days in cold, with two mountain dogs even settling at my feet snuggly. I felt super lucky to be there in that moment, and I snapped some more photos. By noon, we reached the top. 

All around me were beautiful, colorful paintings, idols, and the entrancing chants of monks, the periodic ringing of bells and the hymns of Buddhism hypnotized me into a spiritual realm. After offering money to the gods, the guide showed us around and explained the cultural significance of each room. Now, afternoon, we set off again to the cafe in time for lunch and then went to Paro to end the day with a stone bath, where the heat spring water with hot stones. It was the most perfect ending to any trip ever. 

My Reflections

Bhutan really was a life changing experience. To this day, I crave to once again breathe the crisp, chilled air free of pollution and disease and the views of mountains, rivers and nature's forces, left undisturbed in the world's only carbon negative country. Bhutan's beauty also brought out a hobby in me that I continue to this day - photography. I never photographed before, but capturing the essence of Bhutan called for me to take out my phone, and all the photos used in this blog were my photographs! I also learned to be more respectful to nature, and the impact on society when we stick to our culture, at least some of it, instead of racing towards westernization. Bhutan is a prime example of what we should all strive to become.

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Written by Tanay Raj Gowda

All photography courtesy of Tanay Raj Gowda