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Published: December 12th 2009
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Today we hiked to Takstang, the most famous and the most beautiful monastery of Bhutan. There are no buses from Paro so we took a taxi (Rs 200 for a drop and Rs 600 for a return trip). The trek starts from a village approx. 12 kms from Paro. It is an easy 2 hour trek uphill to Takstang from here. The trail is loaded with stupendous views of the beautiful Takstang perched on a rock 500 m from the valley floor. As you keep climbing up you start getting the panoramic views of the Paro valley below. Exactly halfway through the trek is a government of Bhutan managed cafeteria with neat benched placed on a small platform with unhindered views of Takstang. Without doubt a beautiful place for that hot cuppa tea. But the tea was one of the most pathetic and at Rs. 70 also one of the most expensive tea I ever had. After the cafeteria, the trail takes you uphill on the mountain adjacent to Takstang. Finally when you start getting a feeling of going in wrong direction the trail dips down and brings you to a huge prayer wheel rotated by the the gushing water of
a tall cataract. Here a flight of stairs welcomes you to take you to the Takstang monastery. Your permits are checked at the monastery gates. The monasteries and dzong by now in themselves had ceased to excite us anymore. The monastery had temples with idols of Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava, the second Buddha. The legend says that the Guru got on his tiger and flew from Dharamsala in HP, India took a brief rest in Gurudongmar, Sikkim and finally settled in Takstang. Whatever the story, the location is perfect and one marvels at the ingenuity of these people in coming up with such a beautiful structure. Go to Takstang even if you dont have the special permit. The real thing is the view from outside for which you dont need any permit. There are several other monasteries around hidden in the forests. A complete circuit requires two days and camping. There is one monastery right on the top of the mountain with spectacular views of Takstang. After a couple of failed attempts, we gave. We didnt have our breakfast and were in no mood to eat in the expensive cafeteria. A one hour trek downhill brought us to the trail
head. Again its near impossible to find a taxi and you have to walk 3-4 km to come to the main road. So we started walking and met a group of friendly girls (a slightly over-friendly) from Royal Institute of Management. Just when we had started talking, as the luck would have it, a taxi showed up. Reluctantly, we chose taxi over the girls and headed back to Thimpu, straight to Hotel Pejorling which by now was our regular adda. A de-facto 45 min wait for the food and we were feasting. And that was the end of our Bhutan tour. A nice experience in the land of thunder dragon. The only problem with Bhutan is it is monotonously beautiful. The scenes do not change much. A beautiful valley surrounded by ultra green deciduous forests speckled with traditional white buildings and a river snaking through the valley with sparkling bluish green water so clear that you can see the white pebbles below. The most amazing and outstanding places of Bhutan are man-made with Takstang at the top. But all and all I thinks its more about experiencing Bhutan rather than watching it. A unique blend of modernity and traditions, the
laid-back ambiance, the monks in their flowing red lobes and dazzling Prados, the friendly people, the politician's obsession with the Gross National Happiness Index (all over in the newspapers), no billboards, shops flashing signs like 'grocery and bar', men chewing their domas (tobacco) and the bars of Paro all culminate to form a memorable experience. Tomorrow we head back to India. Time to say goodbye to my friends for 6 days and find some new for the trips ahead. I am loving it.
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R. B. Shah
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Dear Aditya, i have not gone through the blog fully and hence if my question is already answered somewhere in the blog, just tell me so! I am planning a trip in the month of May 2010 to Bhutan in which I would like to visit Thimphu, Paro and Punakha for sure, and if time permits, from Wangdue Phodrang upto Jakhar in Bumthang. The only thing that makes me think twice is the prohibitive hotel tarriff in all of Bhutan. Have you been able to find a set of hotels for the shoestring traveller (me!!!)? If yes, could you share that-would be very helpful, Thanks in advance,