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Conquering fear and faith |
Bhutan is such a beautiful country! It almost makes you feel that if there is so much beauty around, why would you ever want to leave and see other places. It is like a little place of peace and happiness, isolated from life in other places. The mountains, rivers, woods and fields have their own song, and you could just go and forget everything else in the world.
I had a memorable stay at Nivvana Lodge and Homestay, Paro; a pretty, little place away from the town and closer to the countryside. The people there, and mostly everywhere in Bhutan, are warm and friendly. The driver and guide, an ex-army man with a passion for collecting currency notes, was so nice and helpful. I almost felt at home there!
Nights in winter in the mountains are freezing cold. It was an amazing feeling to sit near the cosy fireplace, drink hot coffee and eat spicy food. Bhutanese people love to put cheese and chilly in almost all their dishes; even the national dish is cheese chilly curry!
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Paro Airport makes for a stunning landing. The runway is hidden from the plane by a mountain, until the plane has descended considerably. Then the plane swoops around the mountain, and touches down almost immediately. |
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Paro Dzong on the banks of the Paro river. A dzong is the administrative centre of a dzongkhang (district). It also houses temples and living quarters for monks. |
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Inside Paro Dzong |
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Kyichu Lhakhang, Paro. This man was followed by the dogs to every praying site he went. |
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Chelela Pass (3988 metres) is the highest road in Bhutan |
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Haa valley, a small town near Bhutan's border with China |
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The Indian Army base at Haa valley. India works with Bhutan on many things like army training, building roads, mutual exchange of food and power. |
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Starting the trek to Taktsang Monastery (near the top of the middle mountain) - it took 2.5 hours to climb from 2300m to 3100m. |
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Buddhist prayer wheels - turning the wheel brings good karma |
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A Bhutanese man praying in front of Taktsang |
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Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) Monastery, set into the mountainside |
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Strange and pretty trees on the way down |
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A local kid in Paro started an impromptu street dance in front of me, while I was sitting and doing absolutely nothing |
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Living room of the Nivvana Lodge and Homestay, Paro |
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The beautiful road from Paro to Thimphu |
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At Dochula Pass, you can get breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. One side has dense forests, while on the other side are snow-capped mountains and pine trees. There are 108 chortens, and you can walk clockwise around them for benevolence. The roads leading to and from the Pass are covered in snow in winter. Even the Bhutanese girls in my car looked delighted to be at this place! |
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The tallest Bhuddha statue in the world overlooks the capital city of Thimphu |
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Thimphu city is the busiest place in Bhutan. The Buddha statue is visible in the top centre. |
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Monks inside the Thimphu Dzong |
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Archery is the national sport of Bhutan. Every time an arrow hits the target, the players perform an amusing song and dance routine. |
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The King and Queen, who are the equivalent of movie stars in Bhutan :) |
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Beautiful winter streets of Thimphu |
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A beautiful wooden bridge connects to the Punakha Dzong |
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Colourful prayer flags at Chimi Lhakhang, Punakha |
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Wangdue, bathed in the morning sunlight |
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Mountain ponies grazing in Wangdue |
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Descending from the mountains to Phuentsholing town, to cross the border into India! |
