PRETTY METTA RESORT AND YAHOO ! I CLIMBED UPTO TIGER'S NEST ! –BHUTAN JOURNEY

BLOG POST 10
After a lot of walking around and window shopping  in the Paro town, we got into a beautifully decorated cab and asked the cab driver to take us to Metta resort where we were going to stay for the rest of our time in Bhutan.
After travelling for a while and passing by few houses some big and small

 We entered a bumpy gravel road and the end showed a school much to my surprise, but lo! We again turned to the right and entered the gates of the resort

 METTA is the Pali word meaning “loving kindness”, a love that is universal, unselfish and all-embracing
The first thing which struck me was the feeling of well being, the garden was beautiful with lot of exotic flowering plants

,there were multiple seating areas and places to put bonfires

.There was a spa which was however closed as it was late evening

We were directed to the reception area which was very tastefully decorated in Bhutanese style, to my delight I found a shelf filled with books and magazines, by the time the room was arranged and transactions were completed by my dear husband,  I was blissfully immersed deep into an interesting novel.

Our luggage was taken to our room by two pretty Bhutanese ladies who seeing my husband’s embarrassed face murmured that they were used to carrying luggage but I wondered why there were no male porters
The owner was a local Bhutanese man who had married a Chinese wife from Malaysia. So besides cooking Bhutanese and Western cuisine, its kitchen staff had been trained to cook Chinese cuisine.
 The owner appeared to be a hard working and pleasant person who was always available at the resort and looked into every detail himself, we found him especially helpful to choose our food, as we were very picky he helped us out with Indianized dishes,

The rooms were like bungalows with attached sitting areas,

as our room was on the first floor we had very exciting views of the mountains and the Paro river, the room was quite big with French windows offering fantastic views, the bathroom however looked tired and a little worn out and needed renovation , WIFI was weak so we had to go to the lobby area whenever we needed to use it.

We had an early dinner and slept as next day we had the task of climbing up to the Tiger’s nest to tackle
The hike to Tiger’s Nest is a moderate to difficult one but anyone can do it if they have at least an average level of fitness.
We woke up fresh, had a light breakfast and started for the Tiger’s Nest ,I was excited but a little apprehensive and wondered whether I should try and could  I make  it to the top ?
The iconic Takshang  (Tiger’s Nest)  Hermitage  lies about 10 kilometres outside Paro and hangs on a precarious cliff at 3,120 metres, about 900 metres above the Paro valley, on the right side of the Paro Chu. Paro, where the hike starts, sits at an elevation of 2,220 meters

 This place is highly sacred to the Bhutanese in that they believe Guru Rinpoche, the father of Bhutanese Buddhism landed here on the back of a tigress from Tibet and subdued the demon named Belgye Singye
A temple complex was first built in 1692, around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8th century
In April 1998 the entire Tiger’s Nest complex was destroyed, except for the giant bronze statue of Padmasambhava due to a fire from a butter lamp left lit in the night
The idol is said to have been sparkling from the flames of the fire, a fierce ray of hope amidst tragedy as per the locals
The Fourth King of Bhutan took this as a sign that the temple was an exceptionally special place to be rebuilt as it was, though it’s now more decorative with detailed paintings telling the story of Padmasambhava and more elaborate wood work with gold leaves and carvings in the architecture.

We came to the starting point where we were going to climb .There were stalls at the starting point of the hike  selling lovely beads, chains and souvenirs ,an old man was selling walking sticks which would very helpful along the hike.
 I found them very helpful specially while coming down to keep my balance and also preventing me from slipping down.
 Near the beginning of the trail was a water-powered prayer wheel, set in motion by a flowing stream. The water that is touched by the wheel is said to become blessed and carries its purifying power
As advised by our guide we took horses to reach the midway point as he said it may be too much of a strain for us to walk all the way to the monastery.
Our horse person took quite a lot of time to start, as probably he wanted a group, my husband luckily got a sturdy horse on which he sat royally and led our group.

 I don’t know why but my horse took an instant dislike to me and throughout our journey was frantically trying to push me off ,but luckily I  stuck like a limpet to its back, midway it even tried to take a shortcut probably to its sweetheart’s village somewhere down under but was stopped by its owner ,it was giving him very nasty glances and I was pretty sure it was trying to include me too in its hate game

Our group had a family who had two sons ,one was a teenaged boy who was from the beginning refusing to get onto a horse ,kept screaming and was trying to get off his horse ,his mother was pointing out at me and telling him how well I was managing my horse, he kept telling her that my horse looked madder than his, he was absolutely right , little could she guess my terror ,I was deeply terrified and was busy mumbling the name of my favourite God with an ashen face ,my whole concentration on staying on the horse.

Mid way our journey, our horses were stopped and allowed a limited cold drink of water. I strongly advise my readers that it is better to go to the Tiger’s nest all the way on foot than on the horses, as the trail has rock, sand and gravel, even the horses tend to slip and there were gory tales of tourists falling off their horses into deep valleys.
Rather than sit petrified on the horses it is better one starts early and start climbing .Indeed I found the locals and even the children nimbly walking up the stretch ,I was told that the entire rubbish left on the top and on the way is collected by volunteers daily
As we went uphill gradually we could see the town becoming smaller and smaller and the air purer, at every turn we could have a glimpse of the monastery looking at us from behind the clouds,snugly nested on the cliff side

We finally reached the halfway point where we rested for a while and I dutifully turned the prayer wheel I found there, as by then it had become a habit for me .There was a cafeteria which provided hot coffee,tea and lunch with typical Bhutanese cuisine .

There were comfortable seats and open windows with fabulous views My husband who was suffering from fever said he would rest there and asked me to go up .

At my age which was on the wrong side of fifties I was very doubtful how far I could go .Basically I regularly do regular walking that is all, so I told my husband I would just go up for 15 minutes and would come back.
Our guide who had perhaps fondly hoped that we would return from halfway point, smiled assuringly at my husband that he would bring mam i.e me safely back but poor man he had very much under estimated my obstinate Cancerian spirit ,so with a crestfallen face he accompanied me
One of the most important tips one should follow if they want to do the Tiger’s Nest Hike is not to hike it on first day in Bhutan, as the area’s altitude is quite high,we should compulsorily give our body a day or two to relax and adjust to the higher elevation.

The hike is a pretty steep incline, which will take us a further 900 meters in a very short time, so attempting it too quickly could make us feel a bit sick, it is better that we climb at a slow pace taking our time , preferably in a group so that we can chat and bolster spirits of one another , one should not treat it as a sort of running race to be covered in the shortest time possible
We should also make sure to take plenty of water with us and drink it regularly to stay hydrated. Some snacks to keep our energy levels up are useful.
So I set valiantly ahead with one bottle of water and few chocolate bars ,the way was tough ,slippery and dusty ,as we went up it was becoming tough even to  breath as the height increased. It is at these times I feel the extra burden of every gram of my excess weight

  As per the advice on net, I had taken a scarf to cover my nose and mouth as a filter for the dust kicked into the air by people or horses on the path in front of me and wore sturdy shoes
As I sat panting on a rock and was about to turn back, I casually looked up at the Tiger’s nest ,it was as if it was mocking me with pity at my inability to reach it , I could see people older than me plodding along patiently ,so that is it! I made up my mind that I would go all the way, only supposing that I was not going to drop dead anywhere on the way. LOL!

So there began my arduous climb, I took my time and sometimes had to take the help of my Guide to climb up some steep parts. As we went up higher the wind started drying my sweat and whispered assuringly in my ears that “yes, go ahead, you can do it !”
Some times I asked the people climbing down how long it would take to reach the monastery, everyone was very encouraging and said that I would reach it in a very short time.
Being a doctor I was looking around for first aid centres in case anyone including me develops a chest pain, becomes breathless or sustains an injury after a fall but I couldn’t find any .There were plenty of water springs to drink water from and the entire way was awash with gaily colored prayer flags
On the way I saw many small resting spots and small caves ,the scenery was breath taking, green hills all around, pervading scent of oak trees , tiny villages in the valleys, it was like a miniature doll’s exhibition occasionally masked by the truant naughty clouds, lovely chirping birds and butterflies gaily passing us by, seemingly mocking at our struggles to climb the steep path

Finally, we reached the main look out, it had the best view for a photo, especially as we are on level with the temple as opposed to being below it like the other viewpoints.

After furiously clicking snaps, I decided to look at the path ahead, I was standing at the top of about 600 descending steps, followed by 200 ascending steps. And I  thought of how hard it would be to come back this way back again  ,but at this stage I was elated that I was very near my goal and  the monastery was now reachable
So catching the railing I walked down the stairs carefully as a single wrong step would send me catapulting down the entire way, some of the steps were very steep
I then crossed across a bridge over a cascading waterfall which dropped by 60 metres into a sacred pool and finally, slowly started climbing the stairs up to the monastery. The rushing water provided background music for the last leg of my journey
At the entrance a security guard asked me to keep my phone in lockers available there
I was told that snapping photos inside of temples was not allowed as it might make the site too commercial
The monastery buildings consist of four main temples and residential shelters ideally designed by adapting to the granite rock ledges, the caves and the rocky terrain
Again there were very steep steps and my disgusted and tired knees started creaking and groaning, I paid no heed to their fierce grumbling and went through the way which  curved through the multiple spaces of the spiritual complex, full of enchanting and elaborate paintings
There were balconies looking out into the green valleys, standing there I could feel a slight movement of the ground, maybe my too vivid imagination .I wondered at the skills used to build this monastery just abutting on the cliff side, our guide was telling me that  mules were used and there was a cable car used to bring construction material up to the hill top which was later shut down

Removing my shoes I stepped  inside the altar room ,it was a stunning place with the famed bronze Padmasambhava sitting unscathed by the elements and surrounded by smaller statues of his Eight Manifestations.
I sat for a long time on the floor in front of the statue ,yes there was a divine presence felt and strange peace filled my heart making it very difficult for me to leave the place
The altar had bowls filled with offerings of water, money and snacks, colorful ritual cakes, packets of biscuits, golden stupa-shaped vessels and burning incense. The caretaker gave me saffron filled holy water reminding me of the holy teerth given in our temples.
Reluctantly I got up and went out and met a young couple whom I had met on my way, they were planning a trip to Bhutan again  next year probably to cover places they had not seen in this trip ,my guide was busy with them probably volunteering guide services
I waited for sometime for him and then started on my way back ,this time a bit slowly but content that at last I could trek up and see the beautiful monastery a life time opportunity
By the time I reached the mid way point cafe ,my husband who had rested and had lunch was worriedly waiting for me, as instead of  few minutes as I had promised ,I  had returned almost 2 hours later ,tired but excited at my accomplishment
The way down we came cautiously but quite fast, the sticks were very useful on the mud track and of course there were people climbing asking us on the way, the time it would take to reach the top and of course I pepped them up saying that they were making good time and would succeed in reaching the top
Just as we were reaching the base where we had started the horse ride there was a sudden hail storm and we ran to our car to return back to our resort.
After reaching our room I was pondering that essentially I had covered a distance of 4 miles with elevation gain of 1700 ft and achieved 10232 feet highest elevation
Normal time of 5 to 7 hours took me 4 to 5 hours partly helped by my reluctant horse, I thought not bad,it was no mean achievement
Next day we had the flight to catch home, we were given a packed breakfast and were given a fond farewell, the airport was full of Indian tourists ,some sleepy ,some with their batteries charged.

We had our breakfast and waited for the boarding call,as we had booked our tickets on the right side we could have a view of the Himalayas and the Mount Everest

Finally we boarded the flight saying good bye to the Land of Dragons,

We had a very good and pleasant time and were taking fond memories with us

THE LOVELY PARO -BHUTAN JOURNEY

BLOG POST 9
I left Dabchu resort with great reluctance, as I had a lovely and peaceful time there and proceeded for onward journey to Paro.

 Sometimes I strongly feel that for travel we should just choose only one place and  relax there and not trot around the globe trying to fill our plates full with new places but as middle class people it is natural to think that we should have our paisa vasool ,in other words see as many places as possible in one trip though sometimes it  does leave us rather exhausted at the end of the trip !
On the way to Paro  there was a check post and our vehicle stopped there I saw a beautiful sight of a mother and her baby sitting near a small shop along the road ,the baby looked very well looked after, was cute  and chubby .

The woman beside her was selling some dry snacks and fruits like mangos ,oranges and apples

Throughout my trip in Bhutan I rarely saw any beggars and could observe that the babies and the older Bhutanese were looking very well fed and contented , I felt that this signaled the country’s success ,true prosperity and justice for all

In the shop there were strings of some white things hanging and fluttering in the air, I had observed these in all places in Bhutan. On enquiring we were told that these were known as Chhurpi, chugo or durkha  which is a traditional Yak cheese consumed  in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling,  Kalimpong, Bhutan and Tibet.

The two varieties of chhurpi are a soft variety consumed usually as a side dish with rice and a hard variety chewed like a betel nut or chewing gum. It is originally known to be native to Nepal. Chhurpi is prepared in a local dairy or at home from buttermilk which is boiled and the solid mass that forms is separated from the liquid , wrapped and hung in a thin cloth to drain out the water.

 The product is rather like the Italian ricotta, or our Shrikand  which also is made from whey. It is soft, white, and neutral in taste. However, it is often left to ferment a bit to acquire a tangy taste.
Soft  chhurpi is consumed in a variety of ways, cooking with green vegetables as savory dishes, as a filling for momos , grinded with tomatoes and chillies for chutneys, and as a soup , it is an excellent source of protein .It is also used as dog food

Churpi Bites, Churpi Puffs and even Churpi bars have been developed by various companies in the United States.
Paro valley extends from the confluence of  Paro Chhu and  Wang Chhu rivers at Chuzom up to Mt. Jomolhari at the Tibetan border to the North.
It is one of the widest valleys in Bhutan and consists of fertile rice fields and a beautiful, crystalline river flows down the valley.

Enhancing the natural beauty of the place are the beautiful, traditional style houses that dot the valley and surrounding hills which come into focus specially in the evenings.
As the sun sets, along with the moon, myriad number of stars crop up in the sky and the earth in naughty competition decks itself in colorful jewelry of lights.

 Paro town is situated in a flat valley bottom and follows a grid-like pattern. The central plaza is adorned with a large prayer wheel and has a small amphi theatre where events are held throughout the year.
There are over 155 temples and monasteries in Paro, some dating as far back as the 14th century. The country’s first and only international airport is also located in the region.
 Its close proximity to the historical and religious sites in the region has naturally led to construction of an array of luxurious, high-end tourist resorts making Paro one of the main and favorite destination for visitors.
Our driver took us to the Airport view point from where we could see the Paro town spread out,the airport could be clearly seen and we were also fortunate to see a flight departing

We got mesmerized with the view of the vibrant green valley in front of us with the gentle soothing  sound of Paro river below, the stunningly blue sky above us, high mountains around , it indeed made a splendid picture frame sight to be preserved for ever in our hearts.

Our guide pointed out various key structures like the Dungtse Lhakhang a 15th-century temple near the new bridge, and the Ugyen Perli Palace where the members of royal family lodge when passing  and the Rinpung Dzong , a fortress-monastery overlooking the Paro valley .

 A monastery was first built on the site by Padma Sambhava at the beginning of tenth century, but it was not until 1644 that Ngawang Namgyal built a larger monastery on the old foundations, for centuries this imposing five-storey building served as an effective defence against numerous attempts of invasion by the Tibetans

Built with stones instead of clay, Rinpung means "heaps of jewels" but sadly Rinpung and all its treasures were destroyed by the fire in 1907 and only one thangka, known as Thongdel, was saved.
The Paro Dzong was rebuilt after the fire and housed within its walls is a collection of sacred masks and costumes some dating back to several centuries

Paro Dzong fully showcases Bhutanese architecture. The massive buttressed walls that tower over the town are visible throughout the valley, especially impressive when floodlit at night.

It was formerly the meeting hall for the National Assembly and now, like most dzongs, housed both the monastic body and district government offices, including the local courts.

The dzong was built on a steep hillside, and the front courtyard of the administrative section 6m higher than the courtyard of the monastic portion.

The richly carved wood, painted in gold, black and ochres, and the towering whitewashed walls projected effectively the sense of established power and wealth.
A stairway leads down to the monastic quarter, which houses about 200 monks. The kunrey, which functions as the monks' classroom, is on the southern side (to the left) and centred around an image of Buddha aged 16 rarely seen anywhere in the world.
To left of the exterior vestibule one can see mural of the 'mystic spiral', a uniquely Bhutanese variation on the mandala. Other murals here depict Mt Meru , the legendary centre of the universe, surrounded by seven mountain ranges and four continents, is it the same as our Meru Parvath I wondered ?

Outside the dzong is a stone-paved festival ground where masked dancers perform the main dances of the tsechu ,though we could not see it unfortunately
 A thondrol , a huge thangka painted or embroidered religious picture of Guru Rinpoche of more than 18 sq metres, is unfurled shortly after dawn on the final day of the tsechu .
Below the dzong, a traditional wooden covered bridge called Nyamai Zam spans the Paro Chhu. This is a reconstruction  of the original bridge which was washed away in a flood in 1969. It was impressive to see the hard struggle being put by the country to maintain its culture in spite of being frequently ravaged by fire and floods.
On the hill above the Dzong stood an ancient watchtower called Ta Dzong built in 1649 and since 1967 has been the National Museum of Bhutan.

 The unusual round building is in the shape of a conch shell, with 2.5m-thick walls. It also suffered damage in the 2011 earthquake but was reopened in 2019 as the nation's premier museum.
It displays hundreds of ancient Bhutanese artefacts and artwork including traditional costumes, armor, weaponry and handcrafted implements for daily life. The collection at the National Museum depicts an effective picture of the rich cultural traditions of the country.
Another site worth visiting in Paro is Drugyel Dzong or The Fortress of the Victorious Bhutanese. It was built in 1646 to commemorate victory over marauding Tibetan armies. The fortress was destroyed by fire in 1951 but the ruins remain an impressive and imposing sight.
We next visited the Kichu Lhakhang, one of the oldest temples built in 7th century, Ki means peace and Chu water summarizing the temple name.

This and Jampey lhakhang temple in Bumthang district are considered to be two of the 108 temples built by the Tibetan emperor Songtsen Gompo in one night to suppress a naga demon. Later in the 8th century the temple was also visited by Guru Padmasambhava who concealed spiritual treasures here
The temple is located just few minutes from Paro town and has a  motorable road. It houses a sacred statue of Jowo Buddha, huge statue of Guru Padmasambhava and life size statue of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Outside the temple we could see a stupa containing the ashes of Khyentse Rinpoche.
There were beautiful gardens along with prayer wheels, snugly nested against the background of the hills the temple looked divine and peaceful.The colors and the artefacts were beautifully preserved.

 Inside the temple there were orange trees which it is said to bear fruits all through the year, power of water at the temple was supposed to make such rare things happen. No one is allowed to pluck the fruits from the tree however

 The temple had a few rooms that we could enter. The fourth king's mother used to come here for religious prayers. There were plenty of prayer wheels and butter lamps in the temple premises

Paro for me was one of the best Bhutanese towns to explore on foot and was worth an hour or two's stroll along its streets.

The main street of Paro was built in 1985 and is lined with colorfully decorated and painted quaint wooden shop fronts and restaurants. But now they appeared under threat as the town grows and multi storey concrete buildings were much in evidence and we could see active signs of demolition of old buildings maybe a sign of growth but I felt at the expense of the charming old town.

 As usual due to my self imposed limited budget  I mainly did window shopping .Bhutan has plenty to offer for shopaholics. Interesting keepsakes like Kira and Gho the traditional dresses in vivid colors ,some of the shops also had the local Bhutanese weaving them

pretty woven bags, stoles, traditional jewellery, brass ware, Yak bone jewellery, hand woven bamboo items, carpets and the customary prayer wheels along with Tangkas masks and Bhutanese dolls and handmade paper were found everywhere, to our surprise we couldn’t find a typical Bhutanese tie to take as a souvenir

One can indulge in the local Bhutanese flavors one comes across , local produce like the organic Tsirang honey, khoo which is dried and jellied cow skin, and chugo the dried yak cheese.
I bought some cushion covers in vivid colors with rich embroidery after fierce bargaining and some key chains to take back home
Finally after hours of walking and window shopping we took a car vividly decorated and colorful as we had sent back our  car with our luggage to our  resort