Postcard From Bhutan No. 1
Turns out there is much to love about a country that measures its Gross National Happiness. The Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, land of the thunder dragon, is between Tibetan China and India, in the Himalayas east of Nepal. It is the size of Switzerland and mostly mountains and woods, hence its legendary natural […]
Turns out there is much to love about a country that measures its Gross National Happiness. The Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, land of the thunder dragon, is between Tibetan China and India, in the Himalayas east of Nepal. It is the size of Switzerland and mostly mountains and woods, hence its legendary natural beauty.
On an Indagare Insider trip there earlier this month, we hiked to gorgeous river valleys, meandered through rice paddies, scrambled up rocky mountain paths, passed humble farmhouses, and visited magnificent temples.
Pink cosmos was in bloom everywhere.
And pink buckwheat, too. Did you know Buckwheat was pink? Me either.
We never knew whom we might meet. Everyone, by national decree, dresses in native dress. For the men, it is a robe-like garment called a gho.
Fortunately the dress decree leaves room for interpretation, as the addition of this leopard hat attests. It is faux leopard, of course, him being Buddhist and all.
We also were privileged to meet with a member of parliament discussing the challenges of his country’s nascent democracy; a doctor of Tibetan medicine talking about the integration of ancient practices with modern science; and the head lama of the storied Tiger’s Nest monastery, who received us in the same room reserved for the royal family. I had not thought that much yellow satin in one room was possible.
The children were precious.
The Bhutanese laugh easily and have a wonderful sense of humor. Even the wastebaskets are funny.
Some days we traveled by car. Was a snazzy ride, all right, complete with slipcovers and needlepoint neck pillows. In retrospect I believe this decorative interior was meant to distract us from the dreadful roads. Which it did not.
Like everywhere, one must share the road in Bhutan.
The only creature outnumbering cows in Bhutan is dogs. Note humongous Buddha in background. (This was a GOOD road, btw.)
The Buddha is one of tallest in the world, at 170 feet. Isn’t the face beautiful? Overlooking Thimpu, he radiates auspicious energy throughout the country and the world. I will remember that the next time I am stuck in traffic on the L.I.E.
There is a reason there were cows on the road above and not on the one below. Cows have more sense than to be on roads like this.
But the payoff is arriving somewhere like the Gangtey Valley, and all those bumps in the road are just that.
And if you’re lucky, you get one of these.
Some of us trekked to the Gangtey Goempa monastery at dawn to hear morning prayers and to be blessed by a 12-year-old monk who is the 36th reincarnation of a revered lama and spiritual master. When we spoke with him, he was shy and somewhat self-conscious, like any 12-year-old might be, bless his heart. His is a huge responsibility and a role that chose him and not the other way around. Asked about the biggest challenge of being a monk, he answered, in so many words, “the homework.”
So many beautiful temples and monasteries, also called dzongs. The reddish stripe around a building signifies it is a holy place.
The high point of our trip, literally and figuratively, was reaching the Taktsang Palphug, or Tiger’s Nest, monastery built in 1692 on the side of a cliff. The 8th century guru who brought Buddhism to Bhutan from Tibet reportedly flew here on the back of a tiger, whereupon he meditated in a cave for three years, three months, three weeks, three days, and three hours.
That is about how long it takes to hike there, absent flying tigers. Here is the lookout point. The tiny white speck in the distance, in about the middle of the photo, is the monastery. A ways to go yet…
The arrival is worth it. You cannot come upon this site without being moved by it and all it represents, from the sheer physical feat of constructing it to the profound spiritual devotion required to sustain it.
Because too many tourists ignored requests to avoid photographing temple interiors, cameras are not allowed inside the monastery, period, which in a way allows us to experience the place more fully, without the distraction of a camera or the competition of the next great Instagram post… (guilty…) Wrote our leader, friend, and Indagare founder Melissa Biggs Bradley, “It was a reminder to me that how we travel–responsibly and respectfully or irresponsibly and selfishly–has an impact on the whole community of travelers.” Read Melissa’s excellent account of our trip in Indagare Magazine here.
Coming up: More art and beauty from Bhutan, and an explanation of all those, ahem, phalluses painted everywhere. Blame it on the Divine Madman, they say. Meanwhile, more photos on my Instagram here, #bhutan (duh)
Amazing and beautiful!
Thank you, Jerry! Same to you! 😉
such beautiful country and well worth the trek. Thanks for sharing
Lovely Frances. And I am so happy to know that God loveth the clean. xo
As was I, Smiling Water. 😉 xox
FABULOUS Frances! What an amazing trip. xxx
Thank you, Silver. Wish you’d been with us. xox
WOW Frances! Spectacular – and looks like you had great weather. Good job at The Woman’s Club here in RVA on Monday – look forward to your new book!
Thank you, Torey, I loved being in Richmond and am sorry not to see you! Dang! Next time. 🙂
Wow! Unbelievable!
Thank you dear Paul, and Happy Birthday on the 14th 🙂 xox
This is glorious!
Thank you, Kitty, how nice to hear from you!
An Amazing adventure! Such a beautiful country. Let me know if you are ever interested in hunting for Rubies in Burma. The British Built the road from Mandalay to the ruby mines in Mogok so the ride is not bad:)
I will, Loretta, thank you! have not yet made the trek to Burma (Myanmar) but hear it is spectacular.
WOW! What a great trip! How about the Ruby Road to Mogok?? I’ll bet a few of your readers would love to get together to go! Remember what Roberto Coin said about rubies……. 🙂 Thank you for sharing these rarely seen pictures of an off- the-path
place. Best wishes as always, Patti
Agree, Patti, I bet they would too…. Thank you for writing as always, xo F
Simply beautiful!
Glad you enjoyed, Allison!
Beautiful photos of a place I know so little about…..Thank you…..
Thank you Margie! And CR is a maybe… fingers crossed. xox
Wow. Love those prayer flags, beautiful photos, Ms. Frances! The monastery, just boggles the mind, I repeat, wow. And don’t you two look chic in the last photograph!
Thank you Miss EB. “Chic” is a stretch but we’ll take it! xox
Simply stunning! And you must be in great shape to manage all the hiking!
Have a great weekend and hope you’re not stuck on the L.I.E.,
Caroline
Thanks Caroline, and no LIE this weekend except on the way to JFK! Happy weekend to you, too, xo F
What a fabulous trip, Frances. Bhutan is tops on my bucket list. xx
Yes you would love it, Karen. thanks for writing – gosh we haven’t seen you in so long! xox F
I definitely agree with you deb. It casts a much needed light on the issue of self love, acnatpecce, and raises question on the definition of “beauty” “Healthy is beautiful” I hope that catches on…
Beautiful photography, of course it helps to have fabulous, vibrant scenery.
Simply wonderful! Thanks for sharing your fabulous adventure. It’s now on my bucket list! How do you manage to look so chic hiking ?
Thank you so much, Jennifer! And the hiking chic is all about the scarf… 😉
Did a very similar trip in Leh and Ladakh provinces in northern India about 16 years ago. Nothing has changed. The roads were horrendous, the children darling and the Buddhist monks were fun and very friendly. The scenery was gobsmacking
Must have been beautiful, Carol. India is next on my list! Thanks so much for writing. Frances