Hong Kong mum-of-three Theresa Briscoe flew out to Bhutan for a once-in-a-lifetime trip with friends
Tiger's Nest monastery in Paro is a tough climb but worth it for the views
The plane dog-legged its way through the narrowest of valleys between the soaring Himalayan mountains and finally straightened up, dipped, and came to an abrupt halt on a not-very-long runway. We’d landed - safely - in Bhutan.
Paro airport definitely isn’t for the feint-hearted and is firmly ranked in the top ten of the world’s trickiest landings. Only a small number of pilots are trained to carry out the deft maneouvres required to get a plane safely on the ground here. But for me, it was just one of the many attractions of travelling to Bhutan.
I was holidaying with a group of friends from Hong Kong but who these day live scattered all over the world. Each year, we all meet up in a new destination. This year's momcation was a trip to Bhutan.
As we disembarked the plane and congregated in the airport, our guide informed us Paaro runway is the only straight road in the country. The rest of Bhutan’s transport network winds its way precariously around the Himalayan ranges with peaks in excess of 7,000m.
The landlocke country is situated on the ancient Silk Road between Tibet, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has never been colonised and has developed a distinct national identity based around Buddhism.
On the Silk Road
Bhutan has always intrigued me - its natural beauty, its proximity to China and India yet remaining relatively cut-off from both, not to mention the fact that its people measure their success in happiness. I was hoping to experience something a bit different, a place away from the usual tourist trail. And with a daily ‘happy tax’ and permission to enter the country only granted to visitors who have a Bhutanese guide and travel arranged through an approved agent, it certainly isn’t the easiest place in the world to access.
Bhutaneses culture is based on Buddhism
But it was all so worth it. I can’t conjure up enough adjective to describe just how breathtaking, serene and pristine Bhutan is. Over the next few days, our roomy, 20-seater mini van took us past prayer wheels, dzongs, festivals, chanting monks, temples, monasteries and athe beautiful Bhutanese people. I enjoy photography, but in this instance I felt myself struggling to do my surroundings justice.
Bhutan is also a country of enormous contrasts, which I hadn’t fully appreciated.
To the south, where Bhutan borders India, the landscape is sub-tropical jungle, something that has acted as a natural border between the two countries for millennia.
To the north, west and east, Bhutan is surrounded by the Himalayas, which again act as a natural frontier. The landscape here is dry and rocky and you can see snow-capped peaks in every direction. As we drove through the passes, it was very green but very steep and there were more than a few gasps from our minivan as the vehicle negotiated the many twists and turns. The highly-decorated lorries on the roads certainly had to push their limits - fortunately we had a good driver.
Between towns and passes there is not very much, no service stations and very few places to stop. There were a handful of teahouses where we could stop for a drink and a loo break, but otherwise it was the bush if you were desperate!
Prayer flags and meditation
Most passes have Buddhist stupas (places of meditation) at the top, laden with prayer flags. At each pass we were asked to cry, “Lha-gey-lo,” which means “May the gods be victorious”. There are prayer flags everywhere you look in Bhutan. They are usually colloured and arranged in a specific order from left to right, blue (sky), white (air), red (fire), green (water) and yellow (earth). There five colours placed together represent the balance between the five elements.
Prayer flags can be found everywhere in Bhutan
Along the roadsides are also many mini-stupas. They’re called tsatsas and are placed as a tribute or prayer for a loved oen, either living or departed.
There are dzongs (the residences of regional governors and dzong lords) in every town and they dominate every place you visit. These fortified buildings were, and still are, used for administrative and monastic purposes.
The Bhutanese that we met were extremely welcoming. Most people wore traditional clothing - men wear a ‘gho’ and women a ‘kira’.
Archery on the lawn
The accommodation had been chosen by our tour company and was consistently amazing. We travelled to Thimpu and then on to Phobjikha Valley, Punakha and Paro. Every hotel was very different and in-tune with its surroundings. My favourite was Gangtey Goenpa Lodge in Phobjikha Valley - we enjoyed amazing food, stunning views and even had an archery competition on the lawn.
Talking about food, Bhutanese dining tables boast a fusion of Chinese and Indian cuisine. Think vegetarian curries and momos (Himalayan dumplings) with lotus root, spinach and chilli. Most dishes come mixed with cheese and yak cheese is particularly popular. There are lots of potato dishes and often soups or stews containing dried beef. Bhutanese sausage was another interesting addition.
When we weren’t touring, we managed to squeeze in some shopping - it was a ladies trip, after all! We snapped up Bhutanese artefacts including horns, bowls and Buddhas, yak and alpaca rugs, scarves and ceramics. We discovered a beautiful local pottery over the road from our hotel in paro that made stunning, hand-painted pieces.
I loved everything about this trip and would like to return with my children one day. They would love the outdoor nature of Bhutan, although I would probably cut-down on the amount of touring we did.
And back to the in-bound flight, now I know I can hold my nerve (and not have to cover my eyes), next time I’ll be reserving a seat on the left-hand side of the plane for fabulous views of Mount Everest on approach. We did wonder why all those seats had been taken…
The itinerary
Paro
We visited Tengchu Goemba monastery, Rinpung Dzong and had lunch at Sonam Trophel restaurant, known for its Indian, Bhutanese and Chinese dishes.
Thimpu
This is Bhutan’s capital and home to the government and royal family. We visited Buddha Dordenma, the National Institute for Zorig Chusum (a school educating young people in traditional Bhutanese arts) and drove through teh Dochula Pass to the glacial Phobjikha Valley.
Phobjikha Valley
We hiked through the countryside and visited Gangtey monastery and a local farmhouse to try homemake yak butter tea and ‘ara’ (a local liquor made from fermented rice).
Punakha
Punakha is the former capital of Bhutan. We visited Punaka Dzong, Chimi Lhakhang monster, Sangchen Dorji Lhuendrup nunnery and were lucky enough to witness a local festival with monks dressed in costumes dancing to the beat of (many) drums and horns.
Paro
Our final stop and the highlight of any trip to Bhutan is a hike to the sacred Buddhist temple complex known as Tiger’s Nest, constructed on the side of a cliff. It’s a steep climb but there are tea houses at which to catch your breath. It’s cold at the top but oh so worth the climb.
October to December is the recommended time to visit Bhutan for fresh air and sunny skies. March to April is dry and pleasant and in late spring the country's famous rhododendrons flood the valleys with colour.
The group flew to Bangkok with Cathay Pacific, stayed overnight at Novotel Suvamabhumi Airport and then from Bangkok to Paro with Druk Air (including a short fuel-stop at Kolkata). The tour, accommodation and visas were organised by GeoEx.
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