Month: October 2019

 

Senagers (sixty plus teenagers) can be very cautious in planning and even more cautious in execution. Our preparations for Taktsang trek was no less than what goes into planning  for the  final assault on the summit  on a mountaineering expedition  . The entire team was totally  involved in the choice of rig and kit for the summiteers  ie Vandana and yours truly.  A number of options were considered and rejected before homing on to a bag of  just the right size, weight , capacity and  ease of carrying .

Every item that had to go into that bag was carefully deliberated upon. Of course everything revolved around protective clothing, food, drink and medicines.

On hindsight, it appears absolutely natural that with a physician and a nutritionist in the group, one could never be overstocked with food and medicines. Let’s not  forget that two of us were moms. There were  energy giving peppermints that also kept your mouth from drying. We actually carried ORS. With likely rains and cool temperature, there was  little chance of  dehydration on a 3-4 hour climb. We knew it, but why take a chance ?

On sage advice from the nutrition expert and fellow summiteer,  I had to discard my favourite , ultra-lightweight, windcheater for a heavier , waterproof jacket .

With the kind of situations we were anticipating and catering for, I began to doubt if we would even take off; after all , guest rooms and shopping malls were definitely safer than valleys and hills.

By five in the morning , I was fully awake. A cursory look at the sky indicated a rainy day; I could see dark clouds hovering around. Well, the weather in the mountains is always difficult to predict. By seven, the weather god started smiling,  and it started clearing up. We started around 7 :30 for the base of the monastery which was about a half an hour drive. The place was bustling with activity.  A photograph of the entire expedition team was in order.

A look at the top was definitely intimidating;

That’s gross digression!

By about 11 , ie in two and a half hours we reached the shrine. We produced our entry tickets and after making the necessary entries, got a locker to keep our bags.

There was a guide, who took us around. As most of the monasteries are, the place is full of idols of Bodhisattva  dressed in colorful clothes and the walls are covered with paintings of images depicting various aspects of Vajrayana Buddhism. The main cave is entered through a narrow passage. The dark cave houses a dozen images of Bodhisattva and butter lamps flicker in front of these idols. An elegant image of Chenrezig(Avalokitesvara) is also deified here.

We commenced our trek back around 12. The return journey starts with a sheer drop and a stiff climb and later it is all downhill.

Here we could get the network to talk to Viji. Our support team from IMTRAT were worried and was all set to send a rescue party. They were pleasantly surprised to learn that we were ahead of schedule and were already on our way back.

The way back was relaxed. Vandana was in full spirits singing away to glory. It brought a lot of smiles on the climbers on their way to the monastery and one of them even stopped to record a video. A couple stopped for a selfie with us .
Sure, she motivated a lot of young people to reach the top.

At the half way mark, cafeteria, we stopped for a cup of coffee. It was a longish break . While climbing down one just needs to be careful not to slip or sprain a knee or ankle. At the base our vehicle was waiting and the driver was there to welcome us with drinking water and fruit juice.

 

 

So, as I had mentioned earlier in Part 1, the whole universe conspired to make this trip of ours fruitful. A trek that almost became as a non starter turned out to be an easy ,  pleasant and a memorable event.

PS

Bhutan is a unique country that gives importance to Health and Happiness over Money and Development, at least,  that is the official stance.

Any write up about Bhutan would be  incomplete without a discussion on Happiness. That’s the topic for the next post

Paro Valley is simply beautiful and full credit to the Bhutanese Govt for not letting the airport affect the natural beauty of the Valley. The airport itself is designed  , keeping with the Bhutanese culture.

The paddy fields surrounding the airfield are left untouched and modern constructions blend with the nature, picturesquely.

We were to start early from Haa for Paro on the 8th, but our departure time had to be rescheduled due to a pleasant surprise; an  invitation from the Commandant IMTRAT for breakfast.

The place was so beautiful, with a lively mountain stream flowing along the golf course and a solo morning walk was pure bliss.

Though it was early in the morning, the entire place was lively with men, women and children in colourful clothes forming a long serpentine queue. Later I learnt that it was a very auspicious day in the temple when special prayers were organized.

After a nice south Indian breakfast of idli, dosa, vada topped up with Coffee, spent some time at the Equipment Museum at IMTRAT.

The vintage equipment on display included various items of  equipment used in army over the years . The items included vintage telephones, radio sets, computers, ordnance equipment and so on.

For youngsters it would be educative and for old-timers like me it was nostalgic. Well, when you realise that every item in the ‘Museum’ had been used by you at sometime or the other, you do feel ancient.

After that we proceeded to Paro through Chelela Pass. It was the day of Vijayadashami and Pooja at the IMTRAT was going on. We moved on as I wanted to cross the pass well in time, before weather turned cold and foggy.

The driver was a local person , Lahp Tsering. He could converse fluently in English and Hindi. He kept up a lively chatter and it turned out that besides being a qualified guide in Bhutan, he was also well-traveled and had spent about nine months in Europe. Bhutan Govt had sponsored a hotel management training course in Germany. After hopping from job to job he finally decided that Bhutan was the best place to live and was back. Most of the drivers of tourist cabs in Bhutan are qualified guides.

It was foggy when we reached the pass and visibility was very poor

We reached the guest rooms at Paro at about 1 PM.

We had three places to see on our list; Rinpung Dzong, Kyichu Likhong (Temple) and of course , the local market. Our guide was well aware of the places to see , timings etc. The National Museum was closed that day due to Govt Holiday.

Wherever you go in Bhutan, there would be Dzongs and Likhongs.

For outsiders, one Dzong or a Likhong is very much like the other. Of course a place like Taktsang ( Tiger’s Nest) is something unique and ever since I heard about it, I wanted to make an earnest attempt to do the trek.

We had just one day , 9th Oct for the trek. Be it, online trip advisers or the locals, everyone concurred that a full day had to be set aside for the effort.

We were all apprehensive about our ability for endurance.  Wife Viji dropped out first followed by Suresh who had started having wheezing problems. On 8th , Suresh started running fever and we almost dropped the whole idea of Taktsang trip.

IMTRAT had a small dispensary at Paro staffed by a doctor and a nursing assistant.

With modern concepts of health-care, no doctor would venture to treat a fever before  seeing the reports of a battery of tests. Anyway, it is difficult to say whether it was the ubiquitous tablet of Paracetamol, or the security of having some kind of  medical help close by or simply the Grace of Providence, the fever came down by around ten at night.

So , Vandana and I did make our tryst with Taktsang on the 9th.

That would be the 6th and final part of this travelogue.

For sixth and the last part Click

Continued from Part 3

As per our Schedule we proceeded to Haa on the Morning of 7th Oct .

 Happy people find time to celebrate. Celebrations need not wait for an event like a  Birthday or a Wedding.  Any fine day  of clear sky and sunshine or a moonlit night can be and should be celebrated. My own suspicion is that ancient societies ‘invented ‘ birthdays of their favorite deities to coincide with pleasant weather conditions and full moon days.  How is it that  most full moon days are celebrated in some form or the other; Buddha Poornima, Guru Poornima, Kaarthiga Poornima , Gurpurab  in Punjab Chitra Pournami in Tamilnadu and so on ? Of course Deepawali , as a festival of lights ,conveniently falls on a New moon day .

Haa is the home for Indian Military Training Team.  We stayed  in some fine guest rooms of IMTRAT.  We were tired after the not so long drive (three and a half  hours ) from Thimpu . But  before going to our rooms we went straight to the monastery to watch the mask dance for some time.

After lunch and some rest ,we went back again. There was a huge downpour but the festivities went on . There were a number of shops around the monastery, but it was all toys and other knick-nacks , a gift to the ancients from our ‘developed’ plastic civilization.

It’s at the Non CSD Canteen of IMTRAT that we found many handicraft items and other  items of clothing at reasonable rates. This shop was very popular among the locals who come from far off places to attend the fair.

here are some videos

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For Part 5 Click

6 Oct 2019

Continued from Part 2 

We had a whole extra day to explore Thimpu.

There are some things you won’t find on trip advisers. Though there are specific ‘view-points’ , any place on the few roads skirting around the valley gives a beautiful panoramic view. It’s worth stopping to admire the landscape.

Down town or the local market is another place , not many tourists spend time in. Since we were free till 6:30, in the evening, we decided to explore the down town .

At about 9 in the morning, after a good breakfast, we started off for the local farmers’ market. For most people, a visit to a Mall or a Theater may not be an everyday event, but a visit to a vegetable market is a regular event particularly for the ladies.

Here’s a Vegetable and grains market that is clean, well organized and a treat to spend time in for adults and kids alike.

Centenary Market is located over a sprawling area on the bank of River Wangchu. On Google map it is shown as Thimpu Chu keeping with the pattern of naming rivers according to the towns they flow through, like Paro Chu.

The market is under control of the Govt regulators and their office right in the heart of the building.

The market is organized into organic produce section, imported vegetable section, grains section and spiritual items section. Every house has an ‘altar’ room and incense and butter lamps are everyday use items. You find all kinds of incense powders mostly herbal.

Children keep moving about on their own in a carefree manner while the adults are busy shopping. There is a Rest room also on one side of the shopping complex.

We were delighted to find banana flower and coconuts. Banana flower is something that is difficult to find in North India.

Bhutanese favour red rice which is either cooked as ‘sticky rice’ (south Indian way) or is roasted and eaten with suja(salt and butter tea)

Just across the river , a narrow stream really, there is a market for handicraft and regular use items like clothes and shoes. Here you find more local people than foreigners.

We bought some shawls made of baby yak wool. Mostly they are reasonably priced . While plain shawls are less expensive, ones with intricate patterns weaved into them are  more expensive. Things like small wooden containers , purses and bags are also sold in this market.

After the experience of local cuisine, the day before, we were looking forward to a more predictable meal of Dal, roti, sabji at the officers mess. I wanted to have some local tea before heading back to our guest rooms for lunch.

We found the right place for Suja.(salt – butter tea) It was a small store selling only organic products. There were 4-5 tables right in the middle of the store for tea and snacks. We also had some very tasty momos made of buck wheat and cassava (tapioca.) .

Dinner at Sangay’s home.

This certainly was a high point on the whole trip. Sangay and I were meeting after about 40 years . His entire family was there. His sister had driven down from Paro. His children and grand children had also come over for a family get together.

We started with tea and it didn’t take long before we too felt like part of the family. Kids, as kids are, were climbing over the sofas and running around making the place truly lively ; all warmth and sunshine.

I asked for a local drink, without realizing what I was putting the hosts through. The hostess, had to get some ‘ara’ (a vintage one, I believe) from her daughter’s house. ( Ara, or Arag,  is a traditional alcoholic beverage consumed in Bhutan. Ara is made from native high-altitude tolerant barley, rice, maize, millet, or wheat, and may be either fermented or distilled.)   I had the pleasure of taking the drink , the  Bhutanese way. First, egg is cooked and the drink is poured over it. Then the gas is switched off. The drink has to be warmed enough just to bearable temperature. You just pour a drop on to back of your hand to check ; should be hot but not so hot that you pull your hand back.

 The food was excellent.  Notwithstanding the initial misgivings we had about our ability to enjoy the local food, the sheer variety of the spread and the warmth of hospitality proved too irresistible.  The local chilies made up for whatever taste an Indian tongue craves for.

A great day indeed. Cheers to Brig Sangay Thinlay and his Family !!

For Part 4 Click

Continued from Bhutan – Part 1

Nowadays most of us lean heavily on google aunty( some would call google uncle) and online trip advisers to plan an itinerary. Nothing wrong with that. Only issue is that one has to be aware that the advice is based on the intentions of the majority of tourists; to cover maximum places in minimum time. This creates an inherent conflict; the more places you cover shallower will be the experience. One ends up moving from place to place, mentally checking off bullet points, with very little time to fully digest the sights and sounds.

So , should we temper the recommendations with our own  inclinations to buy stuff, do stuff and to just be what we are ? No adviser is aware of our capabilities, limitations and  the health status ; after all what’s the point in going to a place if you are in no shape to experience anything?

Our original plan was to spend two days at Thimpu, one day at Punakha, one day at Haa and two days at Paro. Later it was modified to three days at Thimpu with a day trip to Punakha. Though very much do-able, it would have meant covering around 200km in a day , and in the mountains , 200 Km is a lot.

As it panned out, Punakha had to be dropped altogether, due to some permit issues. In a way it was good since we could move around Thimpu more leisurely. Also our sixty year old frames would have been thankful to be spared the hectic road trip.

05 Oct 19

On our second day at Thimpu, our plan was to cover Simthoka Dzong, Royal, Takin Reserve, Dechenphug Lhakhang Folk Heritage Museum (Simply Bhutan), National Textile Museum and the local handicraft market.

Simthoka Dzong

Dzongs are Castle – Monastries. They are well fortified to withstand an attack by an army and are also places for monks to stay and practice their rituals and to meditate.

Normally one doesn’t associate Buddhist monks with battles. But it does appear from history that lamas fought other lamas often resulting in bitter stuggle spanning over centuries. Tibetan Buddhism , Main stream Mahayana Buddhism and our own Indian religious ideas influenced one another, sometimes clashed violently, leading to the present form of Buddhism in Bhutan.
It is called Vajrayana Buddhism.

Royal Takin Reserve

Here the animals are fenced in , over a large area in the natural habitat. In fact, the natural habitat gave them such a good cover ; we could just see them moving about lazily or just sitting ; there are no photographs to show; and they wouldn’t come out to pose for a selfie.

Dechenphug Lhakhang

Only Bhutanese are allowed to enter the temple . Note that even small children are dressed in traditional clothes. One group of worshipers  happily let us pose with them.

Folk Heritage Museum (Simply Bhutan)

This covers all aspects of Bhutanese culture; the way they live, build houses, the agricultural tools they use and so on.  There are English speaking guides to explain.

It was lunch time and we had worked up a healthy appetite. Despite our best efforts to enjoy local food, we failed miserably. By and large the food is bland . They sure don’t believe in spices or salt. They do have ferocious looking chillies  (if you are from Rajasthan, you would call it mouth-watering) . Personally , for me rice with anything is quite ok and yes, I kept a decent distance from the chillies.

After the meal you are treated to some practice in Archery.  You get two attempts and if you hit the target the staff breaks into a nice jig in Bhutanese style. As a group of four we did manage to get them dancing twice. Unfortunately there’s no photo to show. I feel one should have a battery powered video camera fixed to the forehead to record everything you look at .

National Textile Museum

There is a rich history of weaving . There are many legends on the origin and evolution of weaving tools and skills as we see it today. While in most cultures, handloom industry is struggling to survive, in Bhutan the govt has taken massive efforts to keep it alive. There is a National Textile Academy in Thimpu to train weavers.

Weaving a single dress may take 3-6 months , while a machine made fabric is easier to make and is also less expensive.

Bhutanese are very proud of wearing their national dress and it is mandatory to wear it in religious places and Govt offices.

Local Handicrafts Market

There is a well laid out Handcrafts Market, though it appears expensive to a typical Indian tourist. Bargaining is frowned upon and there is hardly any Bhutanese trying to hard-sell any merchandise.

We found that many of the items were much cheaper at the IMTRAT Non CSD Canteen at Haa, which is open to faujis and the general public alike. (Useful tip for faujis)

PS

I had messaged an NDA and IMA coursemate of mine Brig Sangay Thinlay of Royal Bhutanese Army. He was a busy man on Palace duty and was then at Punakha in connection with funeral rites of the queen mother’s father, Yab Dasho Ugyen Dorji .
While we were shopping, I got a call from him and later he turned up to meet us at the market. He said, he was free the next day and invited us to dinner at his place. It was a pleasant surprise indeed. As it transpired later that he was called back to Punakha early morning on the 7th and he went back just as suddenly as he had come.

So there was something to look forward to in place of the Punakha Trip.

For Part 3 Click

            A cursory search on the net would throw up a number of reasons as to why Bhutan is called the Land of Happiness.  For me, the one over-riding reason for calling it so,  would be my own experience of the seven days I spent there from 4th Oct to 10th Oct 2019.

A quote from Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist comes to mind .    May be it was the great company, the land , the weather ,the people or just good luck the whole universe seem to be conspiring to make it a truly memorable experience.  Even the occasional set backs turned out okay in the end, as if by magic.  While the memory is still fresh, I intend putting down all events, thoughts and photos not just to share with others but to help me re-live that experience later.

03 Oct 

Left home at around 830. Took the flight for delhi at 1100h. Rajji was with us till airport, to take a flight to Bombay  around the same time.

Journey to Delhi was smooth and uneventful. Reached USI Residency Resorts at around 1330h. Got the USI membership  card made. The apartment at USI really good.

Had lunch with Atul Madan. As a coincidence, I found a table where the JAT crest was prominently displayed .

Agarwals brought  with them, lots of rain . Reaching our rooms from the reception turned out to be more adventurous than any event at Bhutan as it turned out.

4th Oct

Early morning trip to the airport started with some anxious moments and ended up as an adventure. We were getting  an SUV for Rs 1100/ for dropping us at the airport. I was reluctant to pay that sum for a 5km/  15 minutes ride; particularly when Uber taxi was available for around rs 250/. So, I booked one. As it happened, the taxi was late, though the driver did contact.

While waiting for the taxi, another one, a sedan offered to drop us at the airport for the same fare. As a  CNG car  it had very little space for baggage. Nevertheless, we stacked some of the baggage on the front seat and four of us squeezed into the rear seat like teenagers.

We reached well in time and a mini crisis, turned to sheer adventure. That spirit of adventure set the tone for rest of the trip.

At the airport, we took a selfie to be sent the person from Indian Air Force who was to receive us at Paro.

The flight itself was awesome. The flight crew was  dressed in their national attire and were very polite and charming.

The view outside was fantastic. The flight route was parallel to the Himalayan ranges and you could see the majestic snow clad peaks Mt Everest, Makalu and Kanchenjunga. The day was so clear the roads in the plains were visible from an altitude of over 30000 feet.

The landing at Paro airport was tricky yet the pilot made it so smoothly and the passengers broke into a spontaneous applause . On stepping off the plane, the air was cool and crispy; absolutely rejuvenating.

What catches one’s eyes first is the ethnic ambiance all over. Even the airport buildings were constructed keeping with the national culture. The staff personnel were all  in their national attire .

Corporal Arvind Kaushik had no problems identifying us.  He just collected all our passports and whisked us through customs and immigration. We also got two sim-cards for ourselves just bought over the counter, on production of our passports. As it happened, there was no need to take out all the documents of our identity papers , itinerary and so on that  we had methodically compiled.

We proceeded straight to Thimpu. IMTRAT (Indian Militart Training Team) guest rooms were superb. It was a difficult choice to make; whether to stay indoors in these rooms are to go out and enjoy the excellent environment outside. We decided on the latter. As we had been invited for dinner at Maj Gen Raju’s place, we had just two hours or so at our disposal. So, we went to Bhuddha’s point just about half an hour’s drive.

What a sight! A giant Buddha benignly smiling at the sprawling valley of Thimpu. Nowadays, tourist friendly places have motor-able roads or may be even aerial cable cars everywhere. This Buddha Statue has an approach through a hundred odd user-un-friendly steps besides the motor-able road.
Against the advice of our guide and braving the reluctance from our group I decided to take the steps on our return. It , sure was worth the effort. It was sheer bliss to be sitting on those steps with a benign half smile like the great Buddha himself.

Frankly, I did not expect the Commandant of IMTRAT to spare an evening to host a dinner for us. It was very kind of him to come over to our guest rooms to welcome us. He also went that extra mile to invite us to dinner at the Flag Staff House, the official residence of the commandant.

At the dinner, the Rajus were warm and friendly and it was more like a family gathering rather than a regimental officers re-union.