Bhutan - The Neighboring Foreign
It was one day at the end of the puja of 2k16. Packing our luggage, we came to the Howrah station. Our destination for this time is Bhutan, neighboring foreign. We boarded the Sagarighat Express from Howrah. In the next morning, we came to Alipurduar station. Getting off the train, we rode the local auto to reach Jaigaon. From there, we took a car to reach Phuentsholing, the entrance of Bhutan. As it is an eastern country, here clocks run 30 min ahead to IST. The entrance gate at Phuentsholing is really awesome.
From the top, the road was looking like the body of a big dragon. It became the evening. The small town far from us was looking elegant with the light of Jonaki (firefly).
We reached Bhutan Raj Palace in the evening. There was an altar just opposite side to the road. Each day at dawn the soldiers host the national flag by showing guard of honour & in the evening they drop the flag. To see these two events, many people gather. To feel the moment, we also went into the crowd. After that, we entered our hotel named, Evergreen. The hotel is rightly named as the whole valley is greenish. There is a river flowing in front of the hotel named, Wang Chu.
In the next morning, we came out of the hotel. We went to a Buddha gumpha nearby. The gumpha with white Chortens was looking awesome. Cool breeze with greenish background raised its beauty to a new level. The temperature of the last night was 7 degree.
Praying there for a minute, we entered our car. Then we went to the National Library of Bhutan. After that we went to Tashichho Dzong.
One thing about travelling in Bhutan is unique. That is for each place, you want to visit, you have to make a permit. After making new permits, we started our journey by car.
After some time, we came to Dochula pass, which is 10130 ft from MSL. You can see 108 stupas here.
The panoramic view of whole Bhutan from here is amazing. We came to a village. The name of the village is Talo. It is known as the queen's village.
The panoramic view of whole Bhutan from here is amazing. We came to a village. The name of the village is Talo. It is known as the queen's village.
The best thing about Bhutan is that it is almost non-polluted. It is the only Carbon Negative country in the world. 60 per cent of its whole land is covered with forests. Though Bhutan is ruled by the king, the kings of Bhutan are not like what we read in history ... truant kings. They believe in GNH ie Gross National Happiness, not GDP. There are no homeless people in Bhutan. All houses of Bhutan are of the same pattern. The roofs of the houses are covered with tin shades because of snowfall & heavy rainfall.
We came to Punakha. The two rivers named Pho Chhu & Mo Chhu meet here & forms a new river named Sankosh which is the main source of water in Bhutan.
In October I saw the river with very less water. I came to the bank of the river. There is no difference between the water of two source rivers.
Bhutan is one of the smallest countries around the globe. Distance between the eastern & western parts of the country is 300 km only. The area of the whole Bhutan valley is 38400 sq km. The total population of Bhutan is around 7 lacs. Many many years ago, people from China, Nepal, Tibet & Sikkim came here & became residents of the country. They brought the angle of peace, Buddha in Bhutan. Though Bhutan is a small country, people speak 23 different languages here ie Dorkpa, Lepcha, Doya, Dzongkha, Tibetian. 16 languages got govt. recognition. The national language of Bhutan is Dzongkha.
Bhutan is one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Most of the Bhutanese rely upon farming as an earning source. Foreign currency plays a vital role in Bhutan's economy. So, Bhutanese respect foreign travellers very much.
At night, we came to our hotel. Heavy rainfall lowered the temperature to 5 degrees. After rainfall sky became clear. The whole valley with beautiful falls was looking majestic in the moonlit night.
The morning in Punakha was amazing. Rainrefreshed plants with the rising sun & cool breeze made the environment awesome. After taking breakfast we got out of our hotel & got in the car. The destination was Paro. As it was a working day, we saw the local people & students at the roadsides from our car. All were wearing the same patterned dress. For the boys, the name of the dress is Gho & for girls it is Kira.
We stayed in a homestay in Paro. Keeping luggage at the corner of the room we prepared ourselves for a local outing in a few minutes. The famous Dzong of Paro is Rinpung Dzong. After spending some times we went to a Museum. It was a very interesting museum. As if the whole history of Bhutan was waiting for me there. There is a huge collection of ancient utensils, dif types of clothes, different types of bowls made of Bamboo, different types of handcrafts in the museum. There is also a separate gallery on the kings of Bhutan.
Then we got in the car again. Our car started to follow the Tibet road. I noted a sharp change in the pattern of mountains. All of the mountains were sky catching. There are monasteries in between two mountains which were looking very attractive from a big distance. We entered a monastery named Tangsang monastery. A big Chorten welcomed us. There was a Buddha statue made of glittering metal in the monastery. Leaving from the monastery, we started walking along the bank of Paro-Chu river. I saw tin shaded little houses with fields for step cultivation. The fields are used to produce rice, corn & wheat. In that time, in some fields the crops were harvested. So, those fields were kept empty. Other fields were covered with golden crops.
I walked to the field to meet a farmer. His name was Toshi Dorgi. His wife was standing nearby. Her name was Ugen Lamu. They like Indians too much. They took me to their house & made me taken tea. I became amazed at their warmth. They just married a few days before I came there. Being curious, I asked them how the marriage ceremony occurred. Hearing my question, Lamu became excited in joy. She said that it was an arranged marriage. after the two families met, they talked with each other. Tosi came to her house to live for some days. When all was okay, they decided to marry. The marriage ceremony had occurred in front of a Buddha statue by exchanging of Tang Chok. After spending some times with them, I joined my co-travellers. We got into our car again. After some time we came to Paro Airport, the only airport in Bhutan. The airport in the green valley was looking very diligent.
Then, we went to Haa valley, a totally remote area from the modern world. Big mountains covered the valley from all sides.
The most ancient civilisation of Bhutan can be found here. Only a few years ago, this place has opened for the foreigners. Around 12k people live here. Though they are enriched with Buddhist culture, they are not lighted up with modern civilisation. Till now there is a protected place named Torsa. No one is allowed to enter there. Haa river divided the valley into two separate lands. The water in the river is totally crystal clear. We entered a monastery there. after praying for sometimes, one Buddhist nun called me. From her, I came to know that, the Buddhists who flew away from China are living in the valley. She asked me if I knew meditation or not. When I replied yes, she pulled my hand & advised me to follow her. She sat in front of a meditating Buddha statue & started meditation. I sat beside her & started meditation. After 5 minutes she woke up saying "Buddhang Sharanang Gacchami". I did the same. Her name was Cheng Sering. I asked her about the banned place, Torsa. But she didn't reply.
We got into the car again. The roads became too steep. The whole scenery got changed. No house, no green fields, only grey mountains. We came to Chele La Pass, 13k ft from MSL.
This road goes straight to Tibet. We saw an Indian military camp on the left side & a China military camp on the right side. Doklam, a controversy place is few minutes on-road distance from here.
As our driver informed, we looked at the north & saw Jamulari peak, one of the highest peak of Bhutan. The sky got covered with black clouds within minutes. All of us took shelter under a tin shade near a fireplace. It was snow falling with a thunderstorm. Seeing us frightened, one soldier came to us & encouraged to enjoy the moment. All of us came out from the shelter & started enjoying the snowfall. After that, I came near the fireplace to make my body comfortable.
Our car began to run again. I looked at one board beside the road
We reached our homestay. Next day was the leaving day. Leaving the Bhutan gate, our car started to run towards home.
We came to Punakha. The two rivers named Pho Chhu & Mo Chhu meet here & forms a new river named Sankosh which is the main source of water in Bhutan.
In October I saw the river with very less water. I came to the bank of the river. There is no difference between the water of two source rivers.
Bhutan is one of the smallest countries around the globe. Distance between the eastern & western parts of the country is 300 km only. The area of the whole Bhutan valley is 38400 sq km. The total population of Bhutan is around 7 lacs. Many many years ago, people from China, Nepal, Tibet & Sikkim came here & became residents of the country. They brought the angle of peace, Buddha in Bhutan. Though Bhutan is a small country, people speak 23 different languages here ie Dorkpa, Lepcha, Doya, Dzongkha, Tibetian. 16 languages got govt. recognition. The national language of Bhutan is Dzongkha.
Bhutan is one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Most of the Bhutanese rely upon farming as an earning source. Foreign currency plays a vital role in Bhutan's economy. So, Bhutanese respect foreign travellers very much.
At night, we came to our hotel. Heavy rainfall lowered the temperature to 5 degrees. After rainfall sky became clear. The whole valley with beautiful falls was looking majestic in the moonlit night.
The morning in Punakha was amazing. Rainrefreshed plants with the rising sun & cool breeze made the environment awesome. After taking breakfast we got out of our hotel & got in the car. The destination was Paro. As it was a working day, we saw the local people & students at the roadsides from our car. All were wearing the same patterned dress. For the boys, the name of the dress is Gho & for girls it is Kira.
Bhutanese are still unique at their tradition where we are importing western culture rapidly. There is a flag on the roof of each hospital, school, govt. organisation & even in some houses. There are yoga kits available in the corners of the roads. After some times our car was stopped by a police officer. He checked all of our permits & id proofs. Our driver told us that the police officer even checks the id cards of the drivers also. Each Bhutanese respects dragons. They think that dragons help them to get rid of enemies & lord Buddha brings peace in their houses. In Bhutan, you will see many white Chortens on the side of the castles & pictures of dragons painted on the walls. Nowadays, the castles are used as Govt. offices. At last, we reached Paro.
We stayed in a homestay in Paro. Keeping luggage at the corner of the room we prepared ourselves for a local outing in a few minutes. The famous Dzong of Paro is Rinpung Dzong. After spending some times we went to a Museum. It was a very interesting museum. As if the whole history of Bhutan was waiting for me there. There is a huge collection of ancient utensils, dif types of clothes, different types of bowls made of Bamboo, different types of handcrafts in the museum. There is also a separate gallery on the kings of Bhutan.
Then we got in the car again. Our car started to follow the Tibet road. I noted a sharp change in the pattern of mountains. All of the mountains were sky catching. There are monasteries in between two mountains which were looking very attractive from a big distance. We entered a monastery named Tangsang monastery. A big Chorten welcomed us. There was a Buddha statue made of glittering metal in the monastery. Leaving from the monastery, we started walking along the bank of Paro-Chu river. I saw tin shaded little houses with fields for step cultivation. The fields are used to produce rice, corn & wheat. In that time, in some fields the crops were harvested. So, those fields were kept empty. Other fields were covered with golden crops.
I walked to the field to meet a farmer. His name was Toshi Dorgi. His wife was standing nearby. Her name was Ugen Lamu. They like Indians too much. They took me to their house & made me taken tea. I became amazed at their warmth. They just married a few days before I came there. Being curious, I asked them how the marriage ceremony occurred. Hearing my question, Lamu became excited in joy. She said that it was an arranged marriage. after the two families met, they talked with each other. Tosi came to her house to live for some days. When all was okay, they decided to marry. The marriage ceremony had occurred in front of a Buddha statue by exchanging of Tang Chok. After spending some times with them, I joined my co-travellers. We got into our car again. After some time we came to Paro Airport, the only airport in Bhutan. The airport in the green valley was looking very diligent.
Then, we went to Haa valley, a totally remote area from the modern world. Big mountains covered the valley from all sides.
The most ancient civilisation of Bhutan can be found here. Only a few years ago, this place has opened for the foreigners. Around 12k people live here. Though they are enriched with Buddhist culture, they are not lighted up with modern civilisation. Till now there is a protected place named Torsa. No one is allowed to enter there. Haa river divided the valley into two separate lands. The water in the river is totally crystal clear. We entered a monastery there. after praying for sometimes, one Buddhist nun called me. From her, I came to know that, the Buddhists who flew away from China are living in the valley. She asked me if I knew meditation or not. When I replied yes, she pulled my hand & advised me to follow her. She sat in front of a meditating Buddha statue & started meditation. I sat beside her & started meditation. After 5 minutes she woke up saying "Buddhang Sharanang Gacchami". I did the same. Her name was Cheng Sering. I asked her about the banned place, Torsa. But she didn't reply.
We got into the car again. The roads became too steep. The whole scenery got changed. No house, no green fields, only grey mountains. We came to Chele La Pass, 13k ft from MSL.
This road goes straight to Tibet. We saw an Indian military camp on the left side & a China military camp on the right side. Doklam, a controversy place is few minutes on-road distance from here.
As our driver informed, we looked at the north & saw Jamulari peak, one of the highest peak of Bhutan. The sky got covered with black clouds within minutes. All of us took shelter under a tin shade near a fireplace. It was snow falling with a thunderstorm. Seeing us frightened, one soldier came to us & encouraged to enjoy the moment. All of us came out from the shelter & started enjoying the snowfall. After that, I came near the fireplace to make my body comfortable.
Our car began to run again. I looked at one board beside the road
"Love is not a play,
A Play has an end,
But Love is endless."
We reached our homestay. Next day was the leaving day. Leaving the Bhutan gate, our car started to run towards home.
Hope you loved it.
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