Sunday | 6 October 2024 | Reg No- 06
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Sunday | 6 October 2024 | Epaper

In the happy paradise

Published : Thursday, 29 December, 2016 at 12:00 AM  Count : 479
Zubair Hossain
What we had heard about Paro airport before seemed to be a dangerous adventure just to land there. The breathtaking view mountainous peaks and the lush green underneath were an indication that we were getting pretty close to the Last Himalayan Kingdom: Bhutan. The elevation of our 32-seat small Druk Air carrier sharply dropped and it touched the tiny runway surrounded by mountainous peaks. As our pilot made a smooth landing, we felt a sense of relief. My journey with Mithila to the land of peace and happiness started with excitement.
Crossing the immigration only took a few minutes and we met our guide Creedtee Boo Gurung, a quiet Bhutanese young man wearing traditional Gho dress, who was our all-time companion throughout the short trip. With not much time to waste, we started sightseeing with the National Museum before even checking into the hotel. The National Museum house has a great collection of traditional Thangka painting, textiles, masks, weapons and metalwork.
After that, a late lunch of brown rice, several vegetarian dishes and Jasha Maru or spicy chicken delighted our time. Creedtee then drove us to Thimpu, the capital city, which took slightly more than an hour. Later in the evening a walk towards no destiny amused us to meet a serene locality.
The first destination of next morning was the National Library of Bhutan, which was not only built to preserve books but also for the preservation and promotion of the rich cultural and religious heritage. This includes once the biggest printed book in the world 'Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom'. Safely preserved within a giant glass box, this book was full of life sized photographs measuring over five by seven feet.
Changangkha Lhakhang is the oldest temple in Thimpu. You would see the worshippers roaming around the temple and rolling the series of some 100 prayer wheels which are the cylindrical objects on a spindle with sacred verses on them. You would also see colorful prayer flags everywhere in Bhutan. They believe when you roll the wheels or the flags are flattered by the air, sacred verses travel everywhere with the wind.
The gigantic Buddha statue on the mountains was a spectacular view. The sight of the statue grew bigger as we were heading towards it. The complex was still under construction, but the most interesting fact is--- upon its completion it will house one hundred thousand smaller Buddha statues. The shiny golden body of the sitting 51 m Buddha statue glazed in the afternoon sun attracts devotees from around the world. They believe that Buddha extends sacred blessings and happiness on the whole world from up the mountains.
We went back to the hotel just after sunset. It was 31st of December. Tiredness from our daylong exploration could not stop us from joining the New Year 's Eve. We were curious to see the Bhutanese way of welcoming a new year. We found a quieter bar where a few singers were singing traditional Bhutanese song. We welcomed the year 2016 as the clock ticked 12.
Another place worth mentioning is Drukgyel Dzong, a ruined fortress which was built in 1650--- situated on the upper Paro valley. Three hundred years later in 1950, it was completely destroyed in fire. Yet today, the remnant reminds the victory over the Tibetan invaders in 1644. The name is also perfect: Druk (Bhutan) gyel (victory).
We did a special thing that was not out itinerary. I got this idea when I was reading the page on Bhutan in Wiki travels. We went to the nearby post office and got our photo taken by them. Within minutes they printed 10 stamps with our photos on them. That stamp then became official, meaning that you can send letters all over the world with a stamp made with your photo. How cool is that! As far as I know Bhutan is the only country that lets you do such thing and it is highly recommended if you ever go to Bhutan.
The best thing to me was the Bhutanese were never in a mad rush, they do not have to get everything in their lives. Hence, when the shopkeeper old lady in the buzzing tourist area remained more interested in watching 'CID' than selling her products, we were not surprised at all. The Bhutanese city dwellers do not need a traffic light, at some 'busy' junctions traffic is controlled by the traffic police. Our car stopped on the other side of a narrow bridge just to let the car from opposite to pass by.
Bhutan is the only place on earth where forestation is increasing, opposite to what the rest of the world is experiencing. They are an exception amongst the nations of the world which has a Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product. Perhaps the closeness to the nature is what keeps the Bhutanese so happy.

The writer is a Civil Engineer, currently living in Montreal, Canada

Photo: Zubair Hossain






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