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Bewitching Bhutan beckons you

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Bewitching Bhutan beckons you

Part 2
Dawn crept quietly over the sleeping Royal Thimphu College (RTC) campus. Only a cock was aware of it, and crowed. I got out of bed and tiptoed across to the window. I pulled the window curtains and could see the heavenly Himalayas unfolding its surreal splendor and magic.
I said to myself: “Thank you, God, for giving me such an opportunity to savor the majestic beauty of the Himalayas and the sylvan surroundings.”
I watched in awe the misty peaks and was steeped in Himalayas’ mysticism.

I’ll remain grateful to the dean and acting president of the RTC, Shiva Raj Bhattarai, for providing us such an incredible guesthouse.

RTC campus: Picture perfect

College campus with sylvan surroundings

The sun was yet to appear in the distant horizon. I got ready to go out and stroll along the squeaky clean roads of the college campus – sprinting uphill and going downhill in the morning calm! The slanting rays of the early morning sun were just beginning to make emeralds of the dew drops!
As many as ten puppies, shivering in bone-chilling cold ((temperature 2 degrees C), were faithfully following their mom near the picturesque college canteen. I strolled toward the canteen to begin my morning walk.
The green grass, the blossoming flowers kept in tubs on the stairs leading to the canteen entrance, chirping of birds, the fresh air, and the morning dew filled my heart with happiness. I gazed at the gigantic statue of the Buddha faraway on the hilltop and the snowy mountain peaks.

Destination: Paro Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest)

Bhutan Tourism Council (BTC), in its website, says its vision is “to promote Bhutan as an exclusive travel destination based on Gross National Happiness (GNH) Values”. The tourism industry in Bhutan, the website adds, is founded “on the principle of sustainability, meaning that tourism must be environmentally and ecologically friendly, socially and culturally acceptable and economically viable”.
I’ve seen during my stay in Bhutan how true the BTC is to their words!!!
I visited Paro, Punakha and Haa and saw how the government has been honestly preserving the ethnic culture, tradition and the environment.

On the way to Paro

Tshering, the young Bhutanese driver, came to our guesthouse to pick us up at 8am. We left the RTC campus in unforgiving biting winds and bone-chilling cold. As our car went downhill toward Paro (Thimphu- Paro about 55km) valley, we were amazed at the clean roads and noise-free traffic.
We can’t think of this in any hill stations in India!
As I mentioned earlier, India must learn from its tiny neighbor. Small is beautiful!
“Our government leaves no stone unturned to make sure our culture and tradition remains untouched by the relentless march of globalization,” said Tshering, a cricket buff and an ardent fan of Virat Kohli.
My trip to Paro and Punakha will especially remain etched in my memory for this young Bhutanese whose civility, commitment to work, punctuality and hunger for knowledge should be an object lesson for Indian cabbies.
I’m thankful to Tshering for teaching me several common words in Bhutanese language! (‘Kadin chhe‘ means thank you, ‘Jempoleso‘ means welcome, ‘kade bey you‘ means how are you etc, to name a few)
Among the villages we passed by were Simtokha and Lungtenphu. “That’s Chuzom (meaning confluence in Bhutanese),” Tshering said, pointing out the juncture of Thimphu river (Wang chu) and Paro river (Paro chu).
Chuzom is a major road junction, with southwest road leading to Haa (79km), and south road to Phuntsholing (141km).
From Chuzom, the road follows Wang chu downstream to Paro.
After Chuzom, we passed by Shaba and at Isuna, the road crosses a bridge to the other side of river.
As we drove to Paro, we passed by Bondey, a hamlet, from where we could see the tiny little airport. The terminal looked more like a giant temple courtyard. We’re lucky to see a plane landing majestically on the runway.
Paro, the only international airport (7200ft) of the four airports in the country, is located 6km from Paro downtown in a deep valley on the bank of the spectacular Paro chu (‘chu’ means river in Bhutanese). With surrounding peaks as high as 18000 ft, it is considered as one of the most challenging airports in the world.

Only 17 pilots are qualified to fly into this airport. The aircraft has to tilt its wings 45 degrees to squeeze between mountain tops while coming within feet of cliff side buildings and then make a quick stop on the short runway.

The Taktsang Goemba or the Tiger’s Nest Monastery to the north of the town remains perched at a height of 9842ft on a vertical cliff. It is believed Guru Rinpoche flew to this cliff on a flaming tigress and meditated here. This spectacular monastery is one of the most sacred sites for Buddhist pilgrims.
As our car came to a halt near the marketplace, I encountered some foreigners from the UK. I met an old, yet energetic guy in his seventies. He’s the roving diplomat of Austria. He told me he couldn’t trek to the top of the mountain where the monastery is located, although he had wished to. I was stunned by his scholarship and passion for India. He was telling me he had met our former vice president H.M. Ansari in Baghdad who was then working in the Indian Mission. “Your country has a great civilization. I believe India has a great future with its huge knowledgeable workforce and talented IT professionals,” he said.

Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary

Dr Swati, associate professor in the department of Business Studies at the RTC, told me that a high-end tourist resort, Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, had been recently opened not far away from the downtown Paro.
Meanwhile, I met Jeroen Uittenbogaard, a tall young Dutch, at Ambient Cafe in Thimphu downtown before my trip to Paro. He said he had joined the resort as director (special projects) after his stint at the RTC. I was fascinated as he was recounting the unique concept of the Sanctuary, sipping freshly brewed espresso at the café. He told me about the visionary Dutch hotelier Louk Lennaerts, who built Bhutan’s first well-being inclusive high-end Sanctuary (tariff starts from USD1100).
“Your inspiration — body, mind and spirit,” says the website of the Sanctuary.
I was particularly amazed by the words “Become part of Bhutan by joining our social and environmental efforts”, as I was browsing the resort’s website.
I told Tshering to take us there. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach the resort as the driver got lost on the way, although we went quite close to the Sanctuary. However, Jereon was kind enough to send me the photographs of the Sanctuary. I expressed my heartfelt gratitude to the young Dutch.
Bid adieu to the urban chaos and cacophony and take a trip to the bewitching Bhutan which will delight your peripatetic hearts.

Front entrance gate: architectural marvel

Golden doors to lobby entrance : designer’s delight

View from the Sanctuary: The Himalayan grandeur

Well-being area lounge: practicing mindfulness and meditation

PHOTO: Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary

(To be continued)


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