Mary-Anna and I spent two weeks driving west to east across the heartland of Bhutan. Sonam Namgyal was our amazing cultural guide and teacher of the Buddhist heritage.
April 12, 2008
We flew out of smoggy/smokey Kathmandu and once at flying elevation we could see the Himalayas !!!! A great string of majestic peaks one after the other all the way to Bhutan ! Everest - as clear as could be!!! Just amazing... very other worldly since we could see mountain, then clouds, then land unbelievably far below. What a fabulous sight!!
Only
the Bhutan airline Druk flies into Bhutan... one reason may be the
"E-Ticket" ride of flying practically with wing tips touching mountains
on either side as we approach the runway after a quick decent over the
mountains. Absolutely beautiful sight - lush green terraced hills,
lovely homes, small little airport - welcoming us to the Land of the Thunder Dragon!
Our
Wind Horse guide, Sonam, and driver were there waiting for us with prayer flags
to greet and bless us... then off to a delicious lunch (I am learning
to eat Bhutan style with fingers!) before we toured the local fort
museum and settled into our sweet hotel on a hill overlooking the Paro
valley. Today we were up early for a strenuous hike up to the Taktshang
Goemba (Tiger's Nest Monastery). 2100 ft
elevation gain - straight up to the most enchanting monastery - prayer
flags and rhododendrums marking the path. Thanks to Sonam who found the monk with the keys, we were able to gain access
to all the important inner rooms where lamas and monks have come to
meditate since the early 1600's. The legend is that Padmasambhava
- Guru Rinpoche, second incarnation of Bhuddha who brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet and then Bhutan in the 8th century,
flew there on the back of a tiger and meditated in a cave for 3
months. This is the most important monastery in Bhutan and is highly
revered. Sonam's uncle is a lama in his remote village in the east -
he recently spent 3 months meditating at the monastery. We learned how
to pay homage at the temple from Sonam - to make the proper
salutations\prostrations and to receive the holy water from
the preresiding monk. The ultimate experience was hiking off the mountain
to the sound of thunder in the mountains. Bhutan 's name means "land
of the thunder dragon". Bhutan 's thunder dragon provided just the
proper farewell to our truly fabulous experience.
The
day is ending for us now in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan ... we are
here 2 days then off to pastoral Bhuta.
2 comments:
I am looking at all your posts in this quiet September evening... What a beautiful life you've had and have... Thank you for sharing!
Bhutan is so magical - but each country offers something unique. The most amazing experiences can happen when one slows down. Thanks for your comment.
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