Travel
The Last Shangri-La
Thimphu city from a mountain peak. Photo: Md Shahnawaz Khan Chandan
The essence of Himalaya and the charming Tibetan architecture have made Paro International airport more appealing than any other cosmopolitan airports of the world. While catching the scenic beauties, it took only a while to forget the tension of unusual manoeuvres that the pilot had to make to land on the challenging mountainous strip of the runway, sandwiched between two hills. The officials of the Royal Society for Protection of Nature received us with typical Bhutanese courtesy that has made this place a home of perfect gentleness. We, the two Bangladeshi participants started for Thimphu to attend the 8th Regional Meet of South Asia Youth Environment Network.
Tshechu Festival
Traversing along the steep and curved highway through the Himalayan valley anyone would be stirred by its solemn and divine beauty. This ancient pathway is reminiscent of antique journeys taken by monks and Silk Route travellers. The whirling resonance of the fierce Wang Chu River and the chirpings of wild birds behind the pine and oak forests add a special serenity to any journey that you might take along this beautiful river. Dawa, our experienced Bhutanese-Tibetan driver covered this challenging route in only three hours. We reached our hotel but the word “hotel” is not pertinent to express the beauty of this quaint building situated in the lap of a cloud covered mountain and beside the Stream of the Wang Chu. The scenic beauty of its terrace firming along the mountain floor, the humble cottages of farmers, an ancient gumpha and the lush greenery and the mountain inflorescences gave us a new life after day long seminars and workshops. The location of the hotel was at the outskirt of the Thimphu city.
During and after the conference (23rd-26th July) we managed to exploit the beauties of Bhutan. At first we didn't miss the opportunity to visit the majestic Tashichoo Dzong. Dzong is a very unique type of Bhutanese architecture used simultaneously as the fort, administrative building and monastery. As the traditional seat of the Bhutanese civil government, this huge complex has magnificent temples, monasteries and government buildings.
The ancient bridge to the craft market covered with holy flags. Photo: Md Shahnawaz Khan Chandan
The ornate, extravagant decorations and the huge palaces with courtyards symbolise this site. The main secretariat building houses the main government departments, all the Ministries, the National Assembly Hall, the office of the King and the Throne Room and summer headquarters of the Central Monastic Body. It is also the summer residence of the monk body and the religious chief Je Khempo.
In the assembly hall there is a two storied high golden statue of the Buddha. The temples and monasteries are full of superb wall paintings depicting many Buddhist deities and 12 stages of Buddhahood. The two largest thankas, life-sized drawing of the Buddha, are housed in the Uchi, the tall citadel-type temple in the middle of the two courtyards. These holy thankas are displayed to public only once in 25 years.
Grand gala festivals are arranged in the courtyards and are locally called Tshechu. The three-day-long festivals consist of lots of mask dances. The appropriate time to enjoy the festival is during the month of October when autumn brings a wind of divinity in Bhutan. A tip to remember: Neither headdress nor even an open umbrella is allowed in the premises.
The clean city streets of the Thimphu valley are also a spectacle to behold. While strolling around the streets on Sunday, one can also get the chance to explore the weekend market of Thimphu beside the Wang Chu. The entrance to the market is marked by an old tower and an antique wooden bridge covered by lucky flags to keep away evil spirits.
There are two parts in the market--one is for regular products and one is for the handicrafts, where we can discover the real Bhutan. All the marvels of the inaccessible parts of this wonderful country are gathered here for a charming bargain. The glittering handmade silk shawls, scarves, embroideries, lacquer wares, exquisite stone works and metal works are there to please the artistic taste of the customers. The silk works from the east, the incense from the south, the woollen crafts from the north and all the wonders of Himalayas can be found here. Just opposite the craft market lies a special market where fresh vegetables, fruit and crops from the south are being sold there to savour the Bhutanese recipe.
Bhutanese cuisine is famous for its spices. Chilli cheese curries (Ema Datshi), spicy buckwheat noodle (puta) with piquant Bhutanese pickle are very famous for their unique flavour and taste. Even normal Bhutanese dishes contain the fragrance of secret Himalayan spices which is very appetising. Bhutanese people used to drink butter tea locally called Tsuja which is very savoury and make digestion quicker and easier.
Anyone visiting Thimpu must see the stupa honouring the late King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, the national handicraft emporium, Simply Bhutan- an exquisite and rich gallery for feeling the culture, Simkota Dzong, which is a 16th century monastery-fort.
Outside Thimphu we went to visit the Druk Wangyel Lhakhang temple at the Dochula. There is a Royal throne for the King and a prestigious seat for the high priest. The wall of the temple is covered with stunning tapestries depicting the Kings, the Buddhist saints and the stories from the Purana. Beside the main temple there is an exquisite memorial built by the Queen Mother of Bhutan to commemorate the victory over the ULFA and the Assamese Bodo rebels. The memorial consists of 108 stupas. The wall surrounding the stupas is fitted with Buddhist prayer wheels called La Khor.
Tiger's Nest Monastery at Paro.
To move further from Dochula tourists require a special travel permit. The next place to see is the Royal Botanical garden. Not only is it a heaven for nature-lovers, it also includes the historic pathways of Buddhist monks from Tibet to Bhutan. This nature park contains all the species of Rhododendron, among them three are endemic. The entire Himalayan flora has been preserved well in this garden. In a section of the park called Lamperi, there is a very charming complex for the tourists including a camping ground, rest room, recreation Park; all are very much in swing with the natural feature of this place. This heavenly nature park is in tune with the wonderful wilderness of all parts of Bhutan. The tourists who will not be able to experience the floral beauty of outlying Himalya will get the chance to have them here. In addition the expert guides will explain the significance and local usage of these plants.
This place is also very famous for bird watching. The natural lake inside the sanctuary is home of many rare bird species like white bellied Heron, Himalayan Monal, Satyr Traggopan, Blood Pheasant and many others. We found an official bird watcher named Togo who can communicate with any bird by blowing their particular whistle. With its picturesque surrounding, the whole place is a bird watcher's paradise.
The exploration of Bhutan will remain incomplete if trekking is not included in your tour plan. The most popular trekking site is the Tiger's Nest. The real name of Tiger's Nest is Taktsang Palphug Monastery. It's a very sacred and legendary Himalayan temple complex situated at the peak of Paro Valley.
The legend has it that hundreds of years ago Queen of Tibet Yehshe willingly became a disciple of Guru Rinpoche. The guru turned the queen into a tigress and on the back of this royal tigress he flew to the spot of this monastery and established it.
The trekking to the far north will give the travellers the opportunity to observe the nomadic lives of Yak herders. These yak herders are still maintaining their thousand years old life style. They even use barter system in the market instead of currency. Once accepted, their friendly warm hospitality will make it hard for you to leave these charming people and their heavenly living place.
But in accordance with the universal law that all good things must come to an end, my days in the world's last Shangri-La were over. The time came to say good bye to my Bhutanese friends and all other foreign friends of the South Asia Youth Environment Network. While departing from the Paro Airport it seemed to me that that these Himalayan peaks waved and beseeched me to convey the message to my countrymen that destroying Mother Nature which we unashamedly continue to do is synonymous with suicide. I wonder when we will feel this in our heart.
TRAVELLERS TIPS
* While travelling during rainy season tourists should take adequate precaution for land slides.
* There are lots of hotels and tourist cottages in Bhutan. Some of them are specially designed to give tourists the real taste of traditional Bhutanese life with all modern amenities. However anyone can enjoy the luxury of the only five star hotel located at Thimpu.
* Tourists should always carry umbrella.
* To travel beyond Dochula tourists require a special travel permit from the government tourist office.
* There are regular direct flights run by Druk Airways from Dhaka to Paro. Bangladeshi citizens don't require any visa to enter Bhutan.
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