Nancy in Bhutan

Nancy Harmon on Bhutan. September 2010 Trip.

We've just returned from our trip to Bhutan. What an extraordinary place! Just want to share a few images with you.

A week of journeys on 12 foot wide roads, through misty mountain passes strung with prayer flags and lichen ropes dangling delicately from fir trees, past waterfalls turning prayer wheels and mudslides after rains, one evening staying in a farmhouse. In the cozy living room covered with weavings, we hung our damp clothes on a line over the wood stove and ate buckwheat pancakes and wild chanterelle mushrooms with chili and cheese and drank butter tea contentedly.

A visit to a school where 200 elementary children dressed traditionally in ghos and kiras, began the day with meditation-- total silence on the field, eyes closed, hands folded-- followed by an enthusiastic Buddhist chant and a Western style school song about sharing, harmony and happiness.

A final trek slipping and sliding, first on ponies (optional) and then on foot, up a steep rain-soaked mountain to the sacred Takhsang "Tiger's Nest" Monastery, where a tigress is said to have flown a beloved guru for a three month retreat. The temples at the top are built into the side of a steep cliff with a 2000 drop to the valley below. As we climbed up to 9500 feet, the temples were hidden by fog, but at times, it cleared, revealing through wisps of cloud the wooden buildings clutching the cliff face and nestled into crevices above the main temples. At the bridge to the entrance, the sound of a waterfall obliterated our voices and the spray tingled on our faces. The first temple had a statue of the guru perched on the tigress. A red-robed monk sat in a small window with a long narrow prayer book in front of him. He began to chant softly, and we sat and listened. The mist swirled outside the window and the fragrance of incense mixed with the drip of rain and the soft syllables of the chant.

Bhutan is a lovely place. It's coming quickly into the 21st century, but as one Bhutanese put it, "We still have the luxury of ethical choices." There are many tough choices ahead, but there's a palpable sense of pride and determination--it's a great time to visit and we loved it.