My Visit to Bhutan

Flying into Paro, the capital of Bhutan.

 My experience of flying into Paro, the capital of Bhutan was quite enthralling. Coming into Paro, the plane starts to dip down from the clouds and into the valley, and depending on which approach it takes, one gets to see an awful lot of the landscape close up. If you come at the other end of the valley from the airport, Taktsang (the monastery on the Tiger Hill) is eye level, and one can just about see the veins on the leaves of the nearby trees. Farmers working the paddy will look up and wave, and the beautiful white farmhouses perched on knolls, or sitting in the middle of rice fields make it look like one has crossed into some alternate, magical universe.

Gazing at the majestic mountains half covered in mist, the tallest and most remote mountains in the world, it seems like it would be perfectly normal to see a dragon or two peeking out from the clouds. Flying into Paro is magical. It really sets the tone for a visit here; Trekking through the pine forests and rhododendron forests, and up above the tree line where one can see blue sheep, marmots, and all kinds of alpine flowers. The views are fantastic, like nothing that one has ever seen before. It feels one is closer to heaven than to Earth.

There are so many places in Bhutan, with breath-taking scenes, and serene temples and awesome mountains, flora and fauna.

The Bhutanese People: 

There is an innate friendliness about Bhutanese, and an ease of living that I don’t find with many other people in the world. I would like to put it this way: Bhutanese are some of the few people in the world who are never mad at anybody. I feel this so strongly whenever I travel elsewhere as compared to Bhutan.

One can further generalize and attribute this trait partially to Buddhism that permeates the country as well as to the DNA of the Bhutanese that makes them kind and caring and some of the most generous people I have ever met.

The Way I Felt in Bhutan:

I love the way I felt during my stay in Bhutan. To say I felt happy in Bhutan is true, as the Bhutanese are always happy go lucky people. But it does not quite say it all. Being in Bhutan and mingling with nature is so relaxing. Walking in Bhutan got my endorphins going, and I felt great. The route to Sangaygang, the hill above Thimphu to the north west, and looking over the valley towards the big statue of Buddha and Semtokha is beyond imagination.

The most wonderful thing about being in Bhutan is that any interactions with people are, for the most part, positive and uplifting. Here it is easier to be kind as it is reciprocated. The generosity in you surfaces to the maximum and this is a source of happiness.

Latha Warrier