Journey to The Tiger's Nest

When planning a trip, I usually go with: who's up for a break? Everyone wants one, but can they get leave or have they a small fund stashed somewhere to just pack up and go!

Bhutan has been a two year dream and I finally got the opportunity to fulfil it. Wanting to disappear and switch off - for me that was possible to turn it into  reality since I dropped my Z3 and cracked the screen rendering it moot for almost the whole trip.

Staying away from wifi, no cable, no incoming calls, I stayed pretty much to myself. Having my Bhutan notes with me helped so I wasn't a complete fish outta water. 

People have been asking - why Bhutan of all the lands? The biggest reason probably was to see what the happiest people in the region looked like or what Gross National Happiness (GNH) meant, along with the pork and beef delicacies, the bountiful monasteries,the miles and miles of hill sides and mountains, Paro Airport, Buddha point, Chele La Pass and the most prized of all - trek to Takhtsang Monastery.

Bhutan is not your typical holiday destination and will definitely put people off just trying to reach either Paro or Thimphu by road or rail. We planned a short and ambitious seven day adventure. Reality is you need about 12 days to cover just the western half of this land locked state. Flying in and out of Paro by the national carrier was too costly an affair. We were three lassies who took different flights and coordinated to land at Bagdogra airport by 1pm. The journey from the airport to Phuentsholing (Bhutan) which borders Jaigaon (India) was a looonngggg five hour drive, with a spot of traffic.

Our vehicle hire and driver picked us up the following day but left a lot to be desired. He was uncommunicative, knew next to nothing about the places he was taking us to or if he did he wasn't ready to tell and enthral - in short, he came as a driver. So we lost a lot of GK and learning in the process and had to depend on my handout for basic knowledge. Probably I may have pissed him more by telling him off when he came two and a half hours late to pick us which definitely did nothing to endear him to us.

We spent Day 1 getting our permits to enter Bhutan while I also tried to wiggle my way into getting my passport stamped. LMFAO! Getting the stamp took some flattery and enthusiasm, I must say, as Indians only get a permit. I was warned that I needed to get the exit stamp while leaving or there would be a ruckus later, if ever. Why, you ask, was I, PMSing about the stamp? Well I hadn't travelled abroad for the last two years and my passport was begging to get inked!

We checked in at Hotel Druk which is a quaint and quiet hotel next to the immigration office which faced the Tibetan styled gate that marked the border between the two countries. Dinner was average at the hotel , but the rooms were comfy and warm. A big hassle about booking with Hotel Druk is the fact that you have to call them to book and then an email gets sent to you etc. 

With the Bhutanese Ngultren 1:1 to the Indian Rupee however, we were happy campers. Collecting the Ngultren like little kids who discovered candy - Priceless.

It was just really unfortunate that I read that Bhutanese don't accept Rs 1000 and Rs 500...because they do!!!! We were roaming around with way too many Rs 100 bills which were so difficult to keep track off.

First stop Paro. Getting to Paro from Phuentsholing- a painful 6 hours, by road. We were mentally exhausted and frustrated that we'd taken two days just to get our trip going. We reached when almost all the local stores had shut for the day, which weren't much anyway. We loitered around the few that were open, bought a few souvenirs, reminding ourselves that we could purchase them later as well.

Bhutanese hospitality while shopping, wasn't the friendliest. Store staff were too busy on their mobiles, weren't ready to show us traditional things which they told us to our face: this is only for Bhutanese people and not for you. They'd tell you the cost but not remove the product from the shelf if you were not going to buy the product. There was a shoe store where the girl manning the store was so engrossed in her game (with the volume on full blast) that she wasn't bothered that people were walking in and walking right out because of no service. Hotel Jigmeling where we stayed at was an average experience. No takeaways except they thought we started the party a tad to early when we were grinding away at 7am to the Pussycat Dolls!

For me, Paro was the epitome of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Sounds of Silence'. You could feel the icy wind blowing against your cheek as it slowly froze your heart and the river below, hear the rustling of the gorgeous green, yellow and ebony flavoured trees, and the gentle chirpiness of everyone smiling and getting on with their daily routine. They didn't have much and didn't seem to want much. By day two in Paro I got the feeling I was in an old Bhutanese western film waitin for a draw... If you know what I mean.

One thing I'm super happy to announce - we completed the trek to the Tiger's Nest or Taktshang Monastery in a time of 7 hours (it's honestly by my estimate a 4 hour trek) but my girls were doing one for the first time.

It was amazing to watch them push themselves and draw whatever vestige of energy they could find from within to complete and get back down. Unfortunately or fortunately, my issue with altitude sickness came to the fore when we came down the mountain by which my head was splitting in two.

We visited Rinpung Dzong, Kyichu Lhakhang and Ta Dzong but my entire system had gone for a hike (lame pun). I knew I was nauseated and I made my GFs miserable because I had to lie down and try and get it out when it was ready. Got to the hotel where I dove under my frozen blankets and attempted a shut eye.

Two days in Paro and my girls wanted to strangle themselves if the city didn't kill them with boredom first.


We waited by the Birds Eye viewpoint of Paro airport to watch a Druk Air flight land. Having a Commander of a private airline as part of our entourage was a brilliant experience. She was psyched to watch how the Captain would manoeuvre the plane - a dangerous zig zag between mountains. I was happy to be around her during that moment. It's these small memories which I want to eternally remember! Watching the less than two minute landing sequence unfold was honestly worth the 1.45 hour wait.

Chelela Pass was next. The drive up to its pinnacle was sunny, then windy, then cold... Till our bladders got weak in their noggins. Lol. Deepika and I had to pee really badly. So right at an altitude of 12,139 ft, we got behind a strategic bush and let it flow. Thitli was keeping post along with a Bhutanese... Well she was busy taking selfies with the guy. Heh.



I think we came out of that cold, bum exposure, exhilarated!

All three took different routes and spent precious moments in solitude, gathering our thoughts around whatever it was that had laden our hearts with love, happiness, sorrow and fears. 

The drive down took us to the Takin Reserve which is the home of the domesticated national animal of the land - The Takin. I thought he was cute...Very bondhu looking, reminded me of Cheechu the first or that rat... I'll never forget that puppy faced rat. Getting back, this particular Takin was one camera friendly chap, posing for photos, least bothered about three amateur photographers trying to get a close up of him and themselves in the same frame. Thitli went overboard with the selfies... Literally forcing a goat to pose for a selfie! She went on her hands and knees to get at that leaf-eating bugger. The Commander has a great paparazzi shot of that epic moment.

 

Thimphu was the 'Good Life' in all its glory. From dressing up in the traditional Kira (only Thitli could wing getting us the outfits for free), to basking in the cold sunshine, to roaming around the streets at 1 in the morn, to taking part in a karaoke battle, walking one with the crowd around Memorial Chorten, eating an authentic Bhutanese meal at the Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant (acquired taste, to be honest) to watching a live band sing some insane 80s and 90s classics to witnessing a Bhutanese ripping their entire set with a spine tingling rendition of AC/DC's - TNT... Man!!!
What a city...

Oh, our visits to the monasteries continued to leave us spell bound. We visited two very European looking set ups - The Zone and Ambient Cafe. While the former saw us binge on a Yak burger, hot chocolate and some lip smacking milkshakes, the latter introduced us to teas which were truly divine. Plus finding a Mills and Boon in the shop had the Commander and me almost ready to come to blows- after all, it had been awhile since we'd read about 20 something hot looking virgins able to seduce 30 plus uncles. Heh.

The Bhutanese capital is really something else. From having only one manned traffic junction by a local cop to having a local newspaper which was little better than a rag of sorts. I wonder if they are scouting for an Editor. No comments on their Telly reporting.

I want to highlight the hotel we stayed at in Thimphu - Khamsum Inn. The owner (Cherub - hope I'm spelling it correctly) was so down to earth and genuinely a pleasure to interact with that I didn't mind not complaining about that one roach I saw in our room. She told us places to visit, where to eat and drink, what time to get to Tashichho Dzong and watch the prayers chanted by the monks.

There was a glitch with the booking at her hotel too (similar to Jigmeling) which recognised only two people and not payment for three. She told us to send the email invoice when we got back to Bombay. That people, wasn't a lady just focussing on business but leaving us with a memory... Well, at least for me. Gave the hotel a positive review on TripAdvisor.

When we concluded the trip, I realised that Bhutan was best done either alone or with people of a quieter constitution. This wasn't supposed to be a holiday but more of a time to reflect and introspect on the year gone by. It turned out to be a cacophony more often than not and whole loads of touristy which I wasn't able to keep up with and to which (quite enthusiastically) my companions left me to myself (no complaints). 

Bhutan definitely left a new scar. I want to travel to the base of its mountains and walk till I can walk no more. I want to get lost in its nostalgic silence. I want to breathe in its purity and ask it to cleanse my inner emptiness. I want to sit and meditate and catch those silent solitude moments I enjoy so much.



I am slowly coming full circle... I got lost in the magic of Bhutan. I hope after reading this, that someday, somehow, you do to.

Tashidelek!