We were all very excited about this day. My daughter couldn't sleep and I slept for 3 hours fleetingly. Waking up your kids at 3am for a 7 hour flight is never a good idea, but we didn't have a choice so we just mentally prepared ourselves for a challenging flight and day ahead.
Our flight took us from Singapore to Paro, with a 40 min stopover at Kolkata. Halfway into our journey to Kolkata, my son started getting fidgety and decibel levels increased. This was our first flight with our two kids without a screen in front of them. My wife and myself just exchanged helpless glances. So much for parenting in the 21st century! Thankfully, the siblings didn't get into the usual fight mode, so that saved us further embarrassment. Breakfast was served at 8am, which seemed like eternity with hungry kids onboard. However, the food was surprisingly tasty. I had my first taste of Emma Datshi, a spicy curry made of chili and cheese, one of the signature dishes of Bhutan that is a Must Try. All of us not so much as tasted but devoured the offerings. I picked up a few keywords in Dzongka (the official language) through the in-flight magazine.
Based on discussions with some recent travellers, I was looking forward to the landing at Paro, which is the 5th most dangerous airport to land in the world, with supposedly only 8 pilots approved to land there! I was unfortunately stuck in the aisle seat due to the kids' preference for a window seat, which is not great for visuals but the images stuck in my brain now are still awesome. It felt as if we just grazed the side of the mountains as we approached the runway. There was much less turbulence or direction changes than I envisaged, but that is probably due to the skill of the pilots!
The Paro airport is postcard-purrfect, located in a picturesque location surrounded by the Himalayan ranges. Getting through Immigration was a breeze and after greeting our guide, we were on our way in a comfortable van. The road between Paro and Thimphu (capital) was very modern, not something that I expected of a mountain road. We stopped on the way at the Iron Bridge built by a Tibetan saint who had supposedly built 108 such bridges in the Himalayas. Bhutan itself was unified as a country by a Tibetan monk who migrated from Tibet due to a Buddhist sectarian conflict. He brought with him a lot of culture and tradition, including a relic of a dragon (hence the name "The Land of the Thunder Dragon"), which was the source of conflict between Tibet and Bhutan for centuries. But the Bhutanese pride themselves in never being colonized by a foreign power. This also explains why the country is dotted by numerous imposing Dzongs (fortresses) that gave rise to the official Dzongka language as well.
The Iron Bridge is majestic, although a modern bridge has been built next to it for daily usage. Another interesting phenomenon is that almost all the bridges and mountains have prayer flags tied to them. This is because the Bhutanese have a strong belief of "enlightenment by seeing". So the logic is that anyone who passes through the bridges or looks up at the mountain will be blessed (actually, its so conspicuous that no one can ever avoid it!). the prayer flags come in 5 colors signifying the 5 elements, and in 3 varieties - all inscribed with Mantras. The plain flag is used as a memorial to the ancestors and is usually on a pole in a mountain as it is more private.
We also went down to the Pa Chu river (Pa stands for Paro and Chu means water) and touched the cool, rapid waters. The water from the mountains was so pure that I couldn't resist taking a few sips. We then made our way to the point where two rivers connect with each other (one originating in Tibet and another in Bhutan). There were also 3 Stupas (memorials) there, one each in Nepalese, Tibetan an Bhutanese styles. It's a must stop location for a photo shoot.
Onward onto Thimphu, the capital, the guide felt at 100,000 population, it was overcrowded. Thimphu is a city nestled in a beautiful valley (like with most other Tibetan cities), surrounded by hills on pretty much all sides. The city itself has expanded in the recent past as people from all parts of Bhutan migrate into the financial centre. While the buildings in the newer town definitely look more modern, the architecture is very consistent. Traditionally, the houses had 3 stories - the lower level for the animals, the middle level for the dwelling and the top level for drying grains. While these have made way to apartment blocks typically 3 stories high, there isn't much that suggests that the Bhutanese way of life has changed much. Being from a different part of the world, seeing a vehicle every few minutes hardly comes across as being crowded to me, and I couldn't fully appreciate the guide's perspective.
We went to the Chorten Stupa in the center of the town, which was dreamt up by a monk. He couldn't live to complete it, so his mother spent her money, time and energy to complete it. It had a prayer hall with big prayer bells containing 100,000 mantras each. This also serves as a community hall for the old people to congregate, chit chat and pray together. The stupa is laid out in 3 floors, representing the main branch of Mahayana Buddhism as well as the two sects.
We then went up the hill to see Buddha Dordenma, the biggest Buddha in the world at 162m in a place called Kuenselphodrang. This is still under construction, containing a 5-level temple complex inside. Just entering the complex, I felt a certain calmness and peace that was worth the trip! With a great view to boot giving a 360 degree view of Thimphu, this is definitely a must visit place. We then visited the oldest monastery in Thimphu, built in the 12th century, where people with young kids come to pray for children's well being. Locals not attired in their national costume is not permitted though.
In the evening, we went to check in to Hotel Pedling in the heart of town. The hotel room and service were all very warm and cosy. We went for a stroll in the market street next to the hotel and bought ourselves the national dress and some souvenirs.
To round off a lovely day, the dinner was awesome, with the Dal especially reminding us of home. The Bhutanese staple is rice (comes in brown, red and white varieties), dal, chilli (as a vegetable) and some other veges, including the exotic ferns. The chilli and cheese (Emma Datshi) and potato and cheese (Kewa Datshi) appears in almost every meal and its definitely worth its salt. After a very positive and better than expected first day, I was really looking forward to the rest of the trip.
Our flight took us from Singapore to Paro, with a 40 min stopover at Kolkata. Halfway into our journey to Kolkata, my son started getting fidgety and decibel levels increased. This was our first flight with our two kids without a screen in front of them. My wife and myself just exchanged helpless glances. So much for parenting in the 21st century! Thankfully, the siblings didn't get into the usual fight mode, so that saved us further embarrassment. Breakfast was served at 8am, which seemed like eternity with hungry kids onboard. However, the food was surprisingly tasty. I had my first taste of Emma Datshi, a spicy curry made of chili and cheese, one of the signature dishes of Bhutan that is a Must Try. All of us not so much as tasted but devoured the offerings. I picked up a few keywords in Dzongka (the official language) through the in-flight magazine.
Based on discussions with some recent travellers, I was looking forward to the landing at Paro, which is the 5th most dangerous airport to land in the world, with supposedly only 8 pilots approved to land there! I was unfortunately stuck in the aisle seat due to the kids' preference for a window seat, which is not great for visuals but the images stuck in my brain now are still awesome. It felt as if we just grazed the side of the mountains as we approached the runway. There was much less turbulence or direction changes than I envisaged, but that is probably due to the skill of the pilots!
The Paro airport is postcard-purrfect, located in a picturesque location surrounded by the Himalayan ranges. Getting through Immigration was a breeze and after greeting our guide, we were on our way in a comfortable van. The road between Paro and Thimphu (capital) was very modern, not something that I expected of a mountain road. We stopped on the way at the Iron Bridge built by a Tibetan saint who had supposedly built 108 such bridges in the Himalayas. Bhutan itself was unified as a country by a Tibetan monk who migrated from Tibet due to a Buddhist sectarian conflict. He brought with him a lot of culture and tradition, including a relic of a dragon (hence the name "The Land of the Thunder Dragon"), which was the source of conflict between Tibet and Bhutan for centuries. But the Bhutanese pride themselves in never being colonized by a foreign power. This also explains why the country is dotted by numerous imposing Dzongs (fortresses) that gave rise to the official Dzongka language as well.
The Iron Bridge is majestic, although a modern bridge has been built next to it for daily usage. Another interesting phenomenon is that almost all the bridges and mountains have prayer flags tied to them. This is because the Bhutanese have a strong belief of "enlightenment by seeing". So the logic is that anyone who passes through the bridges or looks up at the mountain will be blessed (actually, its so conspicuous that no one can ever avoid it!). the prayer flags come in 5 colors signifying the 5 elements, and in 3 varieties - all inscribed with Mantras. The plain flag is used as a memorial to the ancestors and is usually on a pole in a mountain as it is more private.
We also went down to the Pa Chu river (Pa stands for Paro and Chu means water) and touched the cool, rapid waters. The water from the mountains was so pure that I couldn't resist taking a few sips. We then made our way to the point where two rivers connect with each other (one originating in Tibet and another in Bhutan). There were also 3 Stupas (memorials) there, one each in Nepalese, Tibetan an Bhutanese styles. It's a must stop location for a photo shoot.
Onward onto Thimphu, the capital, the guide felt at 100,000 population, it was overcrowded. Thimphu is a city nestled in a beautiful valley (like with most other Tibetan cities), surrounded by hills on pretty much all sides. The city itself has expanded in the recent past as people from all parts of Bhutan migrate into the financial centre. While the buildings in the newer town definitely look more modern, the architecture is very consistent. Traditionally, the houses had 3 stories - the lower level for the animals, the middle level for the dwelling and the top level for drying grains. While these have made way to apartment blocks typically 3 stories high, there isn't much that suggests that the Bhutanese way of life has changed much. Being from a different part of the world, seeing a vehicle every few minutes hardly comes across as being crowded to me, and I couldn't fully appreciate the guide's perspective.
We went to the Chorten Stupa in the center of the town, which was dreamt up by a monk. He couldn't live to complete it, so his mother spent her money, time and energy to complete it. It had a prayer hall with big prayer bells containing 100,000 mantras each. This also serves as a community hall for the old people to congregate, chit chat and pray together. The stupa is laid out in 3 floors, representing the main branch of Mahayana Buddhism as well as the two sects.We then went up the hill to see Buddha Dordenma, the biggest Buddha in the world at 162m in a place called Kuenselphodrang. This is still under construction, containing a 5-level temple complex inside. Just entering the complex, I felt a certain calmness and peace that was worth the trip! With a great view to boot giving a 360 degree view of Thimphu, this is definitely a must visit place. We then visited the oldest monastery in Thimphu, built in the 12th century, where people with young kids come to pray for children's well being. Locals not attired in their national costume is not permitted though.
In the evening, we went to check in to Hotel Pedling in the heart of town. The hotel room and service were all very warm and cosy. We went for a stroll in the market street next to the hotel and bought ourselves the national dress and some souvenirs.
To round off a lovely day, the dinner was awesome, with the Dal especially reminding us of home. The Bhutanese staple is rice (comes in brown, red and white varieties), dal, chilli (as a vegetable) and some other veges, including the exotic ferns. The chilli and cheese (Emma Datshi) and potato and cheese (Kewa Datshi) appears in almost every meal and its definitely worth its salt. After a very positive and better than expected first day, I was really looking forward to the rest of the trip.
1 comment:
nice post.
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