Saw this that I wrote a few years ago while searching my mails. Is quite refreshing to read it now and reminisce the times I spent there.
To Bhutan --- The Land of the Thunder Dragon @ 2008
After 2 consecutive flight delays, I finally touched foot on the Paro Airport in Bhutan, The Land of the Thunder Dragon. It seems so surreal to finally reach my first himalayan land. I can still remember vaguely reading a book on community partnership in Ladakh about 10 years ago. The community and the culture of Ladakh as described by the book left such a deep impression on me. It sparked my interest on the Himalayan region thereafter. I read as many books as I can find on the region and Bhutan became one of the top destinations that I wished to go. The only thing that was preventing me was the high tariff cost. Upon learning that it is going to increase the tourist tariff next year, I finally decide that I have to go this year before it becomes even more unreachable for me. To finally reach the Himalaya is really a dream come through.
Cool air and warmly intense sunlight greeted me as I stepped out of the Druk Airplane. The scenery looks picture perfect with the mountains. All the tourists including us (Koala, CoolGal, CoolGal’s mum, my mum and I) were busy taking photos with the plane and the mountains until we had to be reminded by the airport officials to proceed to the immigration office.
The officials at the immigration were all wearing the national dress, namely Gho for the men and Kira for the women. This will be the dress code that most Bhutanese observe in their daily lives.
Waiting for our turn at the immigration, we were all brimming with excitement. However some of us reminded ourselves to hold our excitement and not to laugh too much so as to not invite altitude sickness (what a weird theory :)).
A young handsome chap with a piece of paper that had all our names on it greeted us once we leave the immigration counter. He was Tandin Dorji, our guide from Bhutan Scenic Tour. Like many Bhutanese, he spoke excellent English. In fact, I was very impressed by many Bhutanese I met along the way with their ability in grasping numerous languages like Tibetan, Japanese, German etc. They seem to have a talent in picking up languages in contrast to my apparent lack of it. :(
Our group was escorted to a new and nice coach where we met Kinzang, our soon-to-be well-liked driver for a 1-hour ride to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Before setting off we were surprised with a lovely white scarf as our welcome gift.
Our first hour ride was a preclude to the picturesque scenery that would besieged us throughtout our trip. The ride brought us pass the lovely and sparkling clear Paro River with traditional Bhutanese houses dotting the way. Chilli put to dry on the roof tops was a common sight as chilli is one of the main ingredients in the Bhutanese cusine.
Thimphu is a place bustling with activities. The streets are wide and well organized. Traffic at roundabouts is directed by the traffic police. Apparently they erected traffic lights in place of the traffic police recently only to put it down after the locals complained of the lack of human touch.
We visited the traditional clinic, art school, post office and the marketplace. There were stalls after stalls selling apples and cheese among many other staples of the Bhutanese diet in the market place. Meals throughout our trip are often served buffet style and the main dishes include ema datzi (potato with cheeze and chilli), roast potatos, cauliflowers, red rice and nans. India due to its close proximity to Bhutan seems to assert a fair amount of influence in the variety of food, entertainment and other goods available in Bhutan.
After Thimphu, enroute to Phobjikha valley, we stopped at Lawala Pass at 3200m to hoist prayer flags. As it was late afternoon, it was very cold up there. It was very satisfying though to be hoisting the prayer flag amist the shivering. We even hoisted a very long line of prayer flag that we had to climb up the coach in order to hoist it high. The sight of the prayer flags flattering with the wind is very mysterious and alluring. Along with them, the wishers and prayers of the travellers are sent to all corners of the world! I wonder what are all the wishes and prayers of every traveller. :)
At the Phobjikha valley, we stayed at a resort that uses solar energy for its main energy usage. I applaud the locals at the valley for going out of their way to protect the migratory ground of the Black Necked Cranes. They use solar energy so as not to have electricity lines running above the ground that will cause harm to the birds. They have been sacrificing development for the birds. Environment consciousness in Bhutan is really top notch. We also learnt from Tandin that there have been proposal to establish undergound electricity lines in the near future.
It was a pity that we were not able to see the migratory birds but the valley is nevertheless a breathtaking place. I shall use my imagination to conjure images of the graceful birds descending upon the valley instead.:) We did a short trek in the valley that weaved through lovely sparkling clear streams and lush pastures with cows grazing on them. I loved the smell of freshness in the air. How I wish I could just lie on the grass!
The next stop was Bumthang where we visited Kurjey Monastery as well as Tamshing monastery, a private monastery that belonged to Mr Tshering (owner of the travel agency)’s family. Tamshing monastery had an iron vest that weighed supposedly 15 kg. Wearing it to walk round the temple ground three times is supposed to get rid of your sins. If it is true, I supposed I need to walk hundred or thousand of times! Everyone eagerly tried on the vest. Even my mum walked for 1 round with it! :)
After Bumthang it was off to Punakha Valley. This is the hometown of Kinzang. Kinzang family stayed up in the mountains, according to him, it will still take an hour or two of driving from the town to reach his village. Punakha Valley houses the Punakha Dzong which also serves as the winter palace due to the mild weather in this area as the altitude is about 1400 m, much lower than the 3000 m for Bumthang. This is surely my favourite weather place in Bhutan! ;>
In Punakha, we visited the Chimmi Ihakang (Temple of the Divine Madman). Going to the temple requires us to walk pass rice fields and farmhouses. I must say I am impressed with the development concept in Bhutan. Compared to the other farming areas I had been in other developing countries, the farmers in Bhutan seem to be faring much better. Their houses look bigger and more prosperous. It is indeed very encouraging. They who provide us with the nutritious food that sustains our very existence should certainly deserve better conditions for the back-breaking work they put in.
The Temple of the Divine Madman houses mostly young monks. I do not think any of them are older than 20 year old. Apparently, once the monks are older, they will *graduate* to other temples. We manage to catch a glimpse of the monks studying for their lessons. Many of them were sitting on the grass patch outside the temple building, directly under the sunlight to ward off the cold, reading aloud and memorizing their scriptures. Looking at the innocent and pure children, I almost felt their purity is contagious. How I wish everyone can maintain the pureness in our heart despite the growing process.
After Punakha, it was off to Paro where the much anticipated climb up to the Tiger Nest Monastery was awaiting us. But before our climb, we had an archery session, one that I requested specially for since archery is the national sports in Bhutan. Normally the targets are 140 metres away, but since it was our first try, the target was put at a mere 10-20 metres for us to try. I failed miserly in my first few attempts with the arrow falling on my feet instead. My best attempt still fell short of the target. Nevertheless it was fun! The best attempt came from Koala who hit the target! Yoo Hoo!
Then it was off to the climb to the Tiger Nest Monastery that stands at 3120 metres, hanging precariously on a cliff. The ascent was about 700 metres. I was breathing hard while Tandin made it seem so effortless. Coolgal was fast too while Kinzang was accompanying the mothers behind as we rushed to reach the monastery before it closed for lunch break. The hard work was worth it and I truly enjoyed the whole process of climbing the monastery, it made you treasured the spectacular sights that await you at the monastery more. :) The climb ended our Bhutan trip on a high note.
It is truly a wonderful experience to be in such a scenic country with her lovely kind people. Thank you Bhutan! A country that has made the Gross National Happiness the nation’s priority and not the conventional Gross National Output. People who are not only single mindedly pursuing material wealth but who also care about the environment as well as the well being of fellow people. With increasing openess and development, it is my sincere wish that her leaders will continue to navigate the country successfully on with her unique blend of development concept that ensures the well being of her people and environment
It was pretty interesting watching the whole procedure. During the flight, we were able to watch TV and the main news story was about the snow storm. They were reporting the inches of snow in different area and what the city was doing to prepare itself. 
