When you’re in Bhutan, joy comes easily and often. The joy of a cup of “milk tea” poured as you say “thank you”; waking up to clear skies and views of the Himalayas; watching dancers at the Paro Tsechu express the story of Milarepa. All of these things illicit joy and wonder in moments across time and space in Bhutan.
On these final days of our trip in the country, we had so many experiences and moments of wonder, that it’s hard to fit into this blog post. Let’s start with our trip to Paro from the Phobjikha Valley. If you haven’t ridden on the roads that cross Bhutan, you don’t realize that distance is relative in terms of time and space. 100 KM trip in my home state of New Mexico, it would take about an hour. In Bhutan, that same distance takes hours, stops, and photo opportunities. The pace is slow (deliberately so), and in many ways a kind of beautiful adventure of what’s around the next bend in the road.
The road, today, led us into Paro, and we made our way to the Tsechu, a religious festival. The Tsechu lasted for about a week, and we visited on the second day of the celebrations. On this day, the afternoon session told the story of Milarepa and the Hunter. The story is a song sung between Milarepa, a Buddhist monk, and a hunter Chirawa Gönpo Dorje. The dance between the two includes animals and the dancers help the hunter have a change of heart.
Later the in day, we headed to our hotel, and rested for our final hike to Taktsang (the Tiger’s Nest).
Our entire trip, it seems, led us to this hike to a temple perched on the side of a mountain, framed by rock and rhododendrons. The day began early as we attempted to beat the crowds making a pilgramage. We started the hike on a well-traveled trail through the forests that drape the mountains in this area. Mixed with pines and flowering bushes, the way is beautiful (if crowded) as we wound our way up to about 11,000 feet above the valley floor.
Each member of our group walked at our own pace with everyone making it to the Cafe within an hour. In reality, our pace was fast, and within about 1:45 hr were at the temple itself. To say this hike and this site is spectacular is understating it. The drama of walking up to the temple a visiting each of the shrine rooms is magical. You have aa sense of accomplishment, knowing that your effort paid off in an incredible way.
Our return to the valley floor was fast (around 45 minutes), and we headed from the hike into Paro town to find personal treasures to take home. We started it off in Namgay’s favorite new sopt, Brioche Cafe. We snacked on cakes, coffee and tea.
Our afternoon ended with traditional hot stone baths and tea. The day was just about perfect, and by the time we made it back to the hotel on this final night, we were tired and deeply satisfied with everything we accomplished.
Of course, it’s hard to let go of Bhutan and Bhutan doesn’t really let go of you. Still, as this portion of the trip came to a close, we all talked about how this experience shaped us. Honestly, I cannot think of a better way to spend time with folks over a Spring Break.
gentryfunkblog 