Bhutan - May '24

Bhutan, being my neighbour and with such easy access (especially no complicated VISA process) , don’t really know why I had to wait all these years to visit this beautiful country. Probably everything has it’s time !!

Bhutan known as the Land of Thunder Dragon, is a Buddhist kingdom on the Eastern Himalayas. Bhutan is known for its monasteries, fortresses also known as Dzongs, dramatic landscapes, valleys and mountains with amazing flora, cute villages and so on. If you want to go to a country where there is no traffic, no pollution, greenery wherever you go, breathe healthy air and see people with no stress on their face, always smiling and warm, then probably Bhutan is the only place. I am saying this based on the extensive travel I have done so far. I am also told that Bhutan is probably the only country that is Carbon negative and with almost 70 % forestation, I am sure this is achievable. Cheese and Chilli seems to be a famous combination in Bhutan. Ema Datshi is the most popular dish in Bhutan and also the national dish of the country. This is made with chilies either fresh-out-of-farm or dried red chili and  traditional Bhutanese cheese.

The international Airport is in Paro. Direct flights to Paro are only from Delhi and Kolkata. I flew Druk Air from Kolkata. Once you get out of the Aircraft, you can see the beautiful terminal built in Bhutan Architecture and the airport surrounded by tall peaks. Paro is considered as one of the world’s most challenging airport and very few pilots are certified to operate aircrafts here.

Tour Date                    : 4th May ‘24 to 18th May ‘24

Company                    : Darter Photography led by Manish Lakhani

My trip had two parts to it. The first one was with a group of a 6 enthusiastic photographers and the main intention of this trip is to photograph the beauty of  Bhutan. This trip was from 4th May to 11th May. The second part of the trip was an exploration trip of the central Bhutan. With just two of us, Manish and me, we drove through the central Bhutan exploring the Dzongs, Monasteries and remote villages. And in this entire drive the landscape we encountered was outstanding. Hiring  a car with driver and a guide is mandatory in Bhutan. Cuisine is mostly rice, roti, dal, veggies, Chow Mein, fried rice etc. It is difficult to get a variety of cuisine except in Paro and Thimpu.

Our Itinerary :

Date	Program	Stay
4/5/24	Arrival into Paro	Mandala Resort,  Paro
5/5/24	HAA valley via Chelela Pass at Alt 3980 M. ·      Karpo Lhakhang ·      Village homes around Karpo Lhakhang .	Mandala Resort,  Paro
6/5/24	Drove towards Thimphu which was about 1.5 hours’ drive. ·      Chorten Memorial ·      Dechen Phodrang Monastery ·      Trashichho Dzong with the evening lights.	Mantra Homes, Thimphu
7/5/24	Drove to Dochula Pass which is at an altitude of 3150 M. From Dochula Pass drove to Punakha valley. ·      Chimi Lhakhang -The Temple of fertility.	Khuru Resort,  Punakha
8/5/24	·      Tashiding Village ·      Wangdue Dzong. ·      Punakha Dzong which is the old capital seat of Bhutan.	Khuru Resort, Punakha
9/5/24	·      Khamsum Yulley Monastery in Gasa.  It was a short and easy hike of about an hour to the Monastery.	Mandala Resort, Paro
10/5/24	·      Taktsang Temple also known as Tiger’s Nest.	Mandala Resort,  Paro
11/5/24	Second part of the trip exploring Central Bhutan	Mantra Home, Thimphu
12/5/24	Drove to  Phubjikha valley. Had the opportunity to spend time in a Buckwheat field along with farmers and then visited local homes at Chuzomsa.	Yoe Luki Resort, Phubjikha
13/5/24	·      Walked around Gangtey Valley, villages around Aman Kora Resort and local Farmhouses. ·      Gangtey Gonpa (monastery) ·      Gangtey Shedra (Buddhist College).	Yue Luki Resort, Phubjikha
14/5/24	Drove towards Bumthang, crossing Pelela Pass which is at an altitude of 3400 M. ·      Chendebji Stupa at Chendebji, built in 18th century in Nepali Style ·      Trongsa Dzong, was the most powerful Dzong during 19th  century, from where the first King’s father conquered most parts of Bhutan	Wangdicholing Resort, Bumthang
15/5/24	·      Jakar Dzong also called ‘The Castle of White Bird’ which was built in 1667 ·      Jampa Lhakhang the 7th Century old temple ·      Kurjey Lhakhang (the temple of Vody print of Guru Padmasambhava) ·      Konchogsum Lhakhang ·      Tamzhing Lhundrup Monastery built by Master Pema Lingpa in 14 century	Wangdicholing Resort, Bumthang
16/5/24	Drove to Dhur Village. ·      Bhur Village monastery ·      Thangbi village ·      Thangbi Monastery ·      Woesel Choeling Monastery at Chhoker Toe. ·      “Mebar Tsho’, (Burning Lake) ·      Zangdopelri Monastery (inside the Austrian Sheep Breeding Project Firm built in the name of the present King).	Wangdicholing Resort, Bumthang
17/5/25	Drove from Bumthang to Trongsa and down to Zhemgang, one of the remotest villages in Bhutan. ·      Zhemgang Dzong built around 17 century and the Trong Heritage Village.	Berthi Eco Lodge, Zhemgang.
18/5/25	Drove to Gelephu town which is the border crossing to India, Bhutan Gate to India.

Dzongs and Monasteries :

Huge part of the country's architecture has a strong Buddhist influence. One such distinctive architecture that you will see all around Bhutan are the Dzongs, that are beautiful and hold a very important religious position in the country. Dzongs can be literally translated to fortress and they represent the majestic fortresses that adorn every corner of Bhutan. Dzong are generally a representation of victory and power when they were built in ancient times to represent the stronghold of Buddhism. They also represent the principal seat for Buddhist school responsible for propagating the ideas of the religion. Many of the Dzongs besides a Buddhist temple also house government offices. Many of them were built between 14th and 17th century. Hats off to the local authorities, every Dzong is so well maintained. We had an opportunity to attend a prayer and also a religious ceremony.

Every time when I visited a monastery it is never empty. It's always bustling with people offering prayers. People, young and old, go around the temple with the prayer wheel and 108 beads mala in their. Most of them do 108 rounds. It is believed to represent the 108 Upanishads, the 108 names of Buddha or 108 energy meridians in the body. No wonder their fitness, both physical and mental is so high !!

Architecture ..

A few pictures to demonstrate the architectural beauty

Taktsang Temple (Tiger’s Nest) :

Visit to Taktsang Temple also known as Tiger’s Nest is certainly a highlight of the trip.  The temple situated at an altitude of 3136 M, is certainly worth a visit. A bit of hiking is required to reach the main temple. Halfway to the temple there is a café and it’s a great experience to sip coffee and enjoy the view of the temple surrounded by misty clouds.  We left quite early and started our hike around 630 AM. Due to this, throughout the hike the weather was lovely. The main image of the temple is the statue of Guru Rinpoche in bronze. Some stats :

Total Distance (Up & Down)             :           12.21 KM

Total Ascent                                      :           711 M

Total Descent                                    :           705 M

Total Steps                                        :           18,053

Equivalent Floors                              :           222

Time Taken (with lot of stops)           :           7 Hours

Actual moving time                           :           2 Hours

Thangka Painting :

Bhutan is also known for their Thangka paintings. The paintings are very impressive and requires lot of skill. Depending on the size of the painting it could take anywhere between 4 to 6 months to complete one painting. Mostly they use stone colours and gold paint. It is advisable not to buy them in Paro mainly due to the price. I picked one from Sangay Arts & Crafts, Thimpu, a gallery run by students from National Institute of Zorig Chusum.  

From a photography opportunities, Bhutan is a great place to capture architecture, portraits and culture though not great for landscape. My collection from this trip covers all this. This time I have posted more number of pictures in the album than what I usually do as I found it extremely difficult to filter out beyond this. So you may have to spend more time !!

 Beautiful Bhutan ..

 Like minded people ...

To view the album --> https://gvgops6.wixstudio.io/bhutan-may-24