Day 06: Memories of Bhutan (Paro >> Tiger's Nest) with Druk Asia (Jan 2020)

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Friday, 17th January 2020

My last day in Bhutan was spent ascending up Tiger’s Nest or Taktsang Monastery. Separating us at the valley floor where we begun our journey to the summit is about 2000 feet or 610m. The climb involved lots of determination to complete especially in the high-altitude environment where W and I were clearly gasping for oxygen along the way.

Eventually, we managed to make the hike in about 5 hours (including rest-stops and temple tour) which was quite efficient according to our guide who accompanied us throughout the trek. This was definitely one of the highlights of my Bhutan experience even though my favourite was still the nature hike in Phobjikha Valley. The icing in the cake at Tiger's Nest was that we were greeted by light snow when we approached the summit.

After the trek, I opted in for the hot-stone bath experience. The heat for the bath was fueled by heating hot stones in a furnace before placing them into the pool to raise the temperature of the bath. It marked a nice closure to my Bhutan trip.

My early flight on Saturday morning meant that there was no time for sight-seeing. After thanking and bidding goodbye to my guide and driver at the departure hall, I was soon on my way back to Singapore.

Overall, I was amazed by my short visit to Bhutan. I was never an advocate for guided tours (which I doubt I ever would). But the perspective that I gained from this trip was somewhat different and the pace was alright for me. There was plenty of free time for me to rest and enjoy my accommodation in the evenings. And despite the numerous temples and tzongs visits, there was nothing religious about it.

Personally, I enjoyed listening to the stories and the life experiences of my guide during the course of the trip. The peacefulness that I experienced during the trip is something that continued to strike me for a good 2 weeks upon my return to Singapore. I was glad that I managed to check Bhutan off my bucket list before the COVID-19 pandemic hit us really hard in 2020.

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