Starting off from where I left last time, I come to our fourth and last day in Thimpu. Our itinerary was comparatively lighter, and hence we decided to catch up on some sleep. The day began with something every woman loves to do, shopping! We spent most of the morning walking up and down the charming road of the Thimpu town centre, and laughing at a policeman doing a funny robotic dance. All our energy was used up in haggling with the Bhutanese shopkeepers over items like a Bhutanese prayer wheel or bells; I for one added an extraordinary number of t-shirts to my collection and let’s just say that we left with our suitcases stuffed to the brim.
We lunched at a charming little café facing the Clock Tower Square, where one gets the most marvelous cappuccino. As I look back, I remember standing by that road and watching it curve uphill with shops selling all kinds of memorabilia on both sides. That, for me is Thimpu.
We then visited the Textile Museum, Bhutan, where we learnt the intricate and complex steps involved in the creation of Bhutanese silk. We also learnt how buying a Bhutanese silk dress, would cost almost the same as buying an Apple Ipad. As we returned to our hotel everyone was excitedly chattering about next day’s itinerary, a visit to Chele La pass.
The day began early at 8:30 am. This was the big day, the highlight of our itinerary. As we left the city of Paro behind and began our journey up the curvy mountain road, it seemed as if we had lost all contact with civilisation. Not a soul was to be seen, we were truly in nature’s humble abode. However, Mother Nature had a surprise in store for us, and all of a sudden on our right emerged a massive horde of Takins who stared at us, as if questioning our authority to disrupt their peaceful ordeal. Being the overenthusiastic tourists that we were, we stopped the bus and jumped down to get a closer look at our furry friends. But there was another surprise in store for us, and from nowhere, a great huge furry beast came bounding towards us, barking his lungs out. Squealing like a bunch of little girls we ran helter-skelter back into our bus and received a mocking and slightly amused grin from our driver. The dog, as it turns out, was the ‘protector’ of the herd and it was his duty to keep them out of harm’s way. (Here’s a picture in case you’ll think that my imagination is getting the better of me.)
We lunched at a charming little café facing the Clock Tower Square, where one gets the most marvelous cappuccino. As I look back, I remember standing by that road and watching it curve uphill with shops selling all kinds of memorabilia on both sides. That, for me is Thimpu.
We then visited the Textile Museum, Bhutan, where we learnt the intricate and complex steps involved in the creation of Bhutanese silk. We also learnt how buying a Bhutanese silk dress, would cost almost the same as buying an Apple Ipad. As we returned to our hotel everyone was excitedly chattering about next day’s itinerary, a visit to Chele La pass.
The day began early at 8:30 am. This was the big day, the highlight of our itinerary. As we left the city of Paro behind and began our journey up the curvy mountain road, it seemed as if we had lost all contact with civilisation. Not a soul was to be seen, we were truly in nature’s humble abode. However, Mother Nature had a surprise in store for us, and all of a sudden on our right emerged a massive horde of Takins who stared at us, as if questioning our authority to disrupt their peaceful ordeal. Being the overenthusiastic tourists that we were, we stopped the bus and jumped down to get a closer look at our furry friends. But there was another surprise in store for us, and from nowhere, a great huge furry beast came bounding towards us, barking his lungs out. Squealing like a bunch of little girls we ran helter-skelter back into our bus and received a mocking and slightly amused grin from our driver. The dog, as it turns out, was the ‘protector’ of the herd and it was his duty to keep them out of harm’s way. (Here’s a picture in case you’ll think that my imagination is getting the better of me.)
As we arrived at our destination, a cold wind blew across my face, and I couldn't help but think, "This has got to be paradise!" Below lay the Haa valley, acre after acre of rugged green land cover and ahead the Himalayan ranges, mountain after mountain rising tall, with their snow-capped peaks merging with the clouds. All I saw was mountains in every direction, rising from the Haa valley and going on for miles. The experience was surreal, as if I was in a different world altogether. On one side lay Tibet and the other side Bhutan, both countries having vast geographical and cultural differences, but here they were both united by the majestic Himalayan Range. To my right, a narrow curved road went down, which led all the way to the Haa Valley & as the road disappeared, one could only stand at the beginning surrounded by pristine mountains on all sides, and wonder of what kind of world awaited on the other end..
The first sign of human civilisation was a small tea stall on the Chele La pass, run by an old man covered in wool and an adorable fluffy dog, their life gives rise to a feeling of astonishment and pity. After clicking thousands of photographs we finally decided it was time to descend and headed back towards Paro. That evening itself we left for the airport to catch our flight back to Kolkata. However on the way, our guide took a little detour and took us to a point from where we could see the whole of Paro, sprawled in front of us, as if lazily basking in the sun. A vibrant green plain, with a river cutting through it, small cottages lying here and there, a beautiful Dzong and the rising, majestic Himalayas, touching the skies and towering over this small and humble city. That to me is Paro, an image which I can never forget.
We left Bhutan with heavy hearts, wanting to spend the rest of our lives in this Himalayan Kingdom, tucked away in a corner of this world, a place so serene, so beautiful that sometimes it honestly seems like a myth. We took with us many a happy memory and a hope, more like a burning desire, to return one day. I hope you enjoyed reading my article, stay tuned as I explore London, Scotland, Europe and a lot more, and bring forth to you experiences of the same.
Till then Sayonara, I’ll be back soon.
-SUBIN MITRA
Till then Sayonara, I’ll be back soon.
-SUBIN MITRA