Bhutan-believable

Bhutan has been at the very tip top of my travel wish list for as long as I can remember. And It snagged this spot for more than just its off-the-beaten-path-uber-exotic status.... in my mind it's always been the real last frontier, begging to be explored. And for us travel junkie/addicts that's the ultimate HIGH. Sophomore year of college I even applied for a research grant to study traditional Buddhist healing techniques in Bhutan (I guess Stanford saw through my real intention to have them fund a trip to Bhutan?). The point is, I've felt a pull towards Bhutan from the minute I first saw it on a map in my 6th grade geography class. And what else could be more fitting than ending a 2 year stint at Shangri-La Hotels with seeing and experiencing the REAL Shangri-La.

Enter my wonderful friend, Katharine. Business school bound and eager to max out on summer traveling, I convinced her to accompany me on this once-in-a-lifetime trip under her caveat that I would do all the planning (a travel companion match made in heaven!).

After pre-gaming in HK, a quick stop in Bangladesh (which we conveniently were not aware of until the plane landed in Dhaka) and one too many hours stuck at the not so charming Kathmandu airport (inclusive of a brief very serious Bhutan visa scare remedied by Kat's iphone) we finally boarded our scenic one hour flight bound for Paro International Airport.

passing Mt Everest on the way!

Bhutan's travel regulations might seem pretty stiff to outsiders - they allow a limited number of travelers into the country per year and tack on a daily tariff to obtain a visa (all in the name of warding off backpacker type travelers). But we soon found out that this is really just code for "come to our country and your guide-babysitter will plan all logistics, take care of your every need, and treat you like princesses." Great, sign us up!

Enter Karma Tenzin. Friend to German celebrities, Himalayan botanist, spicy food connaisseur, loyal Buddhist, and most importantly our Bhutan guide extraordinaire. Karma and his counterpart driver, Dorji, met us at the airport (one of the most stunning airports I have ever seen might I add) and immediately we knew we were in capable hands. Kat was moved to tears by her surroundings, I was drunk on the cleanest air I've ever inhaled, and suddenly we were clothed in white silk Buddhist scarves winding through rice paddies en route to the country's capital, Thimphu.

Dorji, me, Karma, and Katharine

Population 85,000 and charmingly devoid of any street lights, we spent a day touring around the sights of Thimphu and getting acclimated to the altitude, chili-smothered foods, and smiling beautiful people all around....convinced we were on a movie set the entire time.

After a day in Thimpu we hit the road bound for Punakha, a gorgeous valley in Western Bhutan that can best be described as rice paddies meet the Swiss Alps. We paid a visit to some temples and Dzongs (combination monestary and administration building) and then spent the night at the Phuntsho Chholing Farm House - a much more memorable evening than a hotel stay - complete with a hot stone bath! (and hot water-filled balloons in our beds to keep us warm).

The lovely farmhouse where we spent the night

An evening at the spa - getting ready for our hot stone bath

Next it was back on the road passing through Trongsa for lunch and another scenic Dzong tour, and finally reaching beautiful Bhumthang Valley. We couldn't have timed our trip more perfectly - during our 2 days in Bhumthang, we were able to attend 2 festivals - the Numa Ling Festival and the Kurkey Festival (both once-a-year events). They were quite the spectacle, we really got to see Bhutanese culture at its most animate, intimate, and colorful. Bhutanese families dress in their fanciest traditional attire and gather at the festival grounds to watch performances, say prayers, and receive Buddhist blessings. This is also when Western tourists clad themselves in traditional Bhutanese dress and pretend that they are locals. Yes, the people watching never got old.

Our new friend Diane from Irvine, California looking discreet

Then it was a marathon 8 hour drive back to Thimpu followed by an evening out on the town dining out with some monks and watching the world cup with some locals (who we suspected might have been Indian immigrants pretending to be locals). We spent our last night in Bhutan in the gorgeous monestary-turned-hotel Uma Paro where we indulged in massages, yoga on a deck overlooking the Himalayas (straight out of Yoga magazine!), and gourmet chili cheese dumplings (the local food of choice).

After several days of being visually bombarded with glam shots of the current King (also known as K-5) wherever we went, it was inevitable to start feeling like you and K-5 were friends. Well Kat even discovered that she might have a little crush on him - Cambridge educated, 30 years old, and endowed with some pretty stellar real estate.....who wouldn't go for that? And after finding out that there were some Swiss ladies that had married into the family in the past, we were feeling pretty optimistic about our plan....anything is possible with a degree from HBS right?

Our final conquest and arguably our most memorable was the hike up to the Taktsang Monastery, or the Tigers Nest. We decided to forgo the horseback option and take on the high altitude trek on our own feet (and if Karma was doing it in his robe and dress shoes, we could do it in our Northfaces). The heavy mist and fog made the climb even more dramatic, rounding a steep corner to be stopped in our tracks by such a stunningly gorgeous structure precariously jutting out of the rocky cliffs. It almost seemed photoshopped into our view, absolutely surreal, and should be added to the 7 Wonders of the World immediately! We finally made it to the Monastery and toured around the inner temples, followed by a slippery and escorted hike (thanks Karma!) back down the mountain to our base camp.

Unbelievable!

Karma Tenzin: a true gentleman

After 7 days of traveling through such a magical country, the picture perfect Bhutanese paradise I had crafted in my mind over the years had been quickly replaced and far surpassed by a more breathtakingly perfect country than I could have imagined ever existed! One month later and I am still in awe of everything that I saw and partook of during our Himalayan adventure. Life changing. And I don't say that lightly. Bhutan had everything that was missing from my Hong Kong existence, and everything I think I need in my future life - wide open space, gorgeous natural surrounds, clean air, no technological distractions, friendly people, HAPPY people, and an embedded spirituality. But more than that, Bhutan had such a strinkingly pure culture. A culture that embraced foreign visitors but at the same time proved strong enough to withstand any potentially damaging exterior influences. A culture that proved to me that human populations can live lives that are happy, peaceful, spiritual, educated and engaged, communal, and connected with their surrounding environments.


Put it on the top of your list, friends. And hurry up this is a limited time offer, unfortunately I have a feeling that the current Bhutanese dreamworld won't last forever. And let me know when you do go - I may have an inside connection with the future Queen of Bhutan (K. Hill Khesar Namgyel) ;)