OK, let’s just get this out of the way: Bhutan is an amazing place in the world. I’ve visited multip0le times and made friends here. While the struggle is real to provide education and jobs to the population, few places address those needs so directly. Bringing students to this place has been some of my work for the past 16 years, and I’m lucky to have had willing travelers to come to a place few have even heard of.
Our first day in Bhutan began peacefully. We landed around 10:30AM and were picked up by my friend Namgay and Illuminating Tours. The welcome was wonderful, and we hopped on the small bus to our first stop at Kyichu Temple in Paro.
One of the oldest temples in Bhutan, constructed in the 7th century, the building is filled with statues of important teachers and leaders, as well as shrine rooms dedicated to the Buddha and Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, brought Buddhism to Bhutan (and to Tibet) and this location was one of a few that the Guru established in the region.
After Kyichu we ate lunch and made our way to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. On the way, we stopped for a hike at the Iron Bridge. Legend and history states that a Tibetan ironworker came to Bhutan and formed the iron links that made up the bridge in the 16th century. We walked around the area, headed up to the stupa on the hill.
As we make our way around the Thimphu today and Punakha tomorrow, we’ll see how things unfold in terms of weather (hoping it holds for our rafting trip in 2 days), and hikes to temples in and around Punakha!
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