From Bhutan, With Love.

It was the spring break of 2018. Me and my family, after our previous year’s vacation to Puri for the eleventh time, were determined to visit someplace else, just to get out of our comfort zone. So, we talked, and talked, and talked about where to go but it was pretty much clear that even after a week of discussion we couldn’t decide on where and when to go. So, I suggested my parents to decide with whom we will go on this vacation first, as I have clearly stated that it was impossible for me to tolerate my parents alone for a week or more. After much deliberation, we, the three of us, agreed to go with my bestie and her family. I was very much exhilarated because it was the first time that I was going on a vacation with a friend of mine rather than my aunt and uncle and cousins and sometimes with my grandparents as well.

Now the most difficult question arose yet again, “Where shall we go?”. There were about two hundred and fifty three opinions and options, now that my best friend and her family were included in the process. Finally, after much ado about nothing, we came to a conclusion. We were going to Bhutan : The Land of The Thunder Dragon (now how we came to this conclusion is rather an enigma to both me and my readers). 

So, our journey begun on the 18th of May, with me, my bestie and our families, getting on a train, on which my bestie and I pretty much gossiped about our other friends, talked about our celebrity crushes and criticized some real cute guys on the train, just the casual stuff, you know. Then we reached Jaigaon, the next day. As soon as we got off the train, our eyes were dazed by the natural beauty of the place (this was even before we entered Bhutan). The huge stretch of fields, lush trees, lavish flowers and so much more.

It was not until the next day that we set off for Bhutan after our immigration at Phuntsholing (tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives are not asked for visa, but in order to enter Bhutan, proof of identity must be shown and the permit must be applied for). Locals can occasionally cross the border without being asked for papers. Although, we not being locals in any respect, did the same gladly.

 Thus, we travelled to Paro from Jaigaon, which was pretty much a 5 hour long journey including all the official work and breaks we took throughout. Now, I will provide separate details on our stay in Paro (3 days), Punakha (1 day) and Thimpu (2 days).

PARO DIARIES : The first day, in Paro, was completely and solely dedicated to our trekking experience to the Tiger's Nest Monastery, originally called the Paro Taktsang. It is one of the most sacred Bhutanese and Buddhist shrines. The 6.4 km long trek drained every single drop of energy and every muscle of our body ached, but as we reached the Halfway mark alongside a gorgeous cafeteria, I sat down to have an invigorating glass of water. As my vision made its way up to the priceless scenic beauty and the spiritually overwhelming sight of the monastery, I stood there, non-plussed. After another hour of trekking, we finally reached the majestic and nonetheless scary array of steps (800 in total) leading to the Taktsang. As I made my way up to the monastery, all the physical fatigue was dwindling away and all I could feel was my soul uniting with peace. Even amongst the prattling crowd of tourists and locals, I felt the serenity and the silence which I have been craving for. Since, we were not familiar with Buddhist or Bhutanese customs, we did not stay much longer (added to this was us fretting over our trek down the mountain side before the darkness settled in, after which the path was precarious). So, we came down, got into our car, reminiscing on all the beauty and heritage and ornate carvings depicting the history of the place. That day was one of the most memorable and tranquil days of my life, even after so much of physical strain. I do not know for how long these memories will stay with me but I would gladly sacrifice an inordinate portion of my brain temporal lobes for storing experiences of such kind.

Now, not to rant any further about this and bore my precious reader's mind, who are not yet enlightened ,about this place I will get into the events of the next two days. The next day, we visited the National Museum (my memory of which is extremely obscure, probably due to the aftermath of the previous day’s experiences - both physical and mental) The Punakha Dzong Monastery, which had trees in full bloom during our visit, then we went on the Suspension Bridge, with my heart throbbing (this scariness later turned to shame as I saw a literal three year old toddler of a local, running down the bridge. And I still recall telling my bestie “What a shame, man!”), next was a Dressing Centre, where me and my bestie were prettily  dressed up in Bhutanese attire and had almost an hour long photoshoot by our family members. The next day, after breakfast, our driver took us to the Kyichu Monastery, where we came across an orange tree, which always bore fruit, irrespective of the season, and that stole my heart. We toured some more and then we got ourselves some souvenirs and left for Punakha.

PUNAKHA DIARIES : The main thing, in Punakha, was my friend and I gossiping and talking gibberish and pleading with our parents to buy us useless items. The journey from Paro to Punakha was very much tiring, so we had some delicious food and went to bed directly in order to prepare ourselves for next day’s trip to Thimpu, our last destination. On our way to Thimpu, we visited a few other tourist places, we stood outside a zoo which was closed due to some reason, then we went to Dochula Pass , the highest mountain pass of Bhutan and said to be a must-visit. A few seconds in and we find ourselves engulfed in fog. I literally felt like I was stepping on the clouds. As you witness the foggy, chilly and serene atmosphere, you forget everything. l reunited with equanimity. Thus, I got into the car, rather grudgingly and we drove off to Thimpu.

THIMPU DIARIES : We entered Thimpu at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and as we made our way up to our homestay (which was the best that I've ever been in) by a mountain slope, I was mesmerized to see the views from up there. Everything just seemed twice more alluring. So, we left our bags at the homestay, took a taxi and drove down to the main bustling roads of the city (the taxi driver was extremely amicable and chatted with us along the whole journey). There I also got to know that this pollution free, clean , beautiful country where car horns are not allowed also has a rule that when a person crosses the road through the zebra crossing, the cars are bound to stop.

We get to Coffee Culture and order the famously delectable Choco Lava cake with vanilla ice cream (chocolate being dark and bitter needs to be balance with the vanilla ice cream) with our parents ordering coffee and french fries. I will just say one thing about the taste - for chocolate lovers (like me) you will taste what LOVE must taste like.

So we roam around the clock tower, buy some things, go to an open gym, where my friend and I try speaking gibberish as if we were communicating in Bhutanese language. This rigshow of ours got attention from some young, needless to say cute guys. Then, we went to have another of Bhutanese delicacies called Suja (a kind of tea made from yak butter and milk). The color of the tea was a light shade of pink but it is advised for you all not to get deceived by that, as a taste is extremely salty and in my opinion it might make you nauseous. So try at your own risk. Finally we went for dinner at Zombala ,the food was sumptuously laid and tasted delicious. The next day we went to the Buddha Point, the Thimpu Dzong, the Thimpu Chorten, the Royal textile Academy of Bhutan and then had some ice cream, got another Souvenir and gifts for other family members. The last day of our Bhutan trip was over in a blink of an eye. We came back to our homestay and had dinner and went directly to bed. Thinking about being back to the normal and monotonous daily routine of our lives, I fell into a deep sleep instantly.

We woke up at 5, the next morning. I, being nauseous, took my medicine and slept almost throughout our journey down to Jaigaon. We stopped at a Dhaba for lunch and then directly drove to New Cooch Behar Station, where we awaited the arrival of our train back to not only our homes but also the tediousness of waking up to the same life, everyday.