The approach to Bhutan’s Paro International Airport was the first amazing highlight of our trip and if this is what is installed for us during the next 8 days it will be a magical adventure. Flying into Bhutan was an awesome experience, from the aircraft it is hard to take in the sheer beauty of the scene below. The snow-clad slopes give way to beautiful forests of pine and rhododendron, and just below the tree line, verdant valleys and white water rivers give way to fields of green. There is a sense of timelessness as the plane makes a perfect landing. This is a medieval land, a Kingdom of dreams, dragons, legends and landscapes, and people so fiercely proud of their history they wear their national dress as a symbol of their loyalty to the land they love. In this fascinating tour we have seen some of the remains of the Advent of Buddhism in Bhutan and the scenic hills around the valleys. We were exhausted after our long journey from, but this did not deter us, as our spirits were running high and after a good nights sleep, well interrupted every fifteen minutes by barking dogs, the following day we were ready to see this beautiful town of Thimpu, and as luck would have it we happened to be here for the coronation of the 5Th King of Bhutan.
The streets of Thimpu were decorated in festive lights and coloured flags ready for the 3 day celebration. Our first morning of sightseeing began with a 45 minute hike to the Cheri Monastery situated 15minutes drive from Thimpu. This beautiful 15th century monastery was originally built as temple and designed in Tibetan architecture and is now school for Buddhist high education. Our next stop was to the Thimpu Zoo to view the Tarkin Bhutan’s National Animal which is said to be 1/2 goat and 1/2 such an amazing animal. This animal was derived by a man called the Divine Madman and after eating a meal of beef and mutton he took the bones from each animal and joined them and chanted prayers, and from that came a beast which had a body of a bull and a head of a goat. After a delicious Bhutanese meal we then visited the School of Fine Arts, Cultural Museum and finished our day with a wonderful cultural performance at a local restaurant.
The streets of Thimpu were decorated in festive lights and coloured flags ready for the 3 day celebration. Our first morning of sightseeing began with a 45 minute hike to the Cheri Monastery situated 15minutes drive from Thimpu. This beautiful 15th century monastery was originally built as temple and designed in Tibetan architecture and is now school for Buddhist high education. Our next stop was to the Thimpu Zoo to view the Tarkin Bhutan’s National Animal which is said to be 1/2 goat and 1/2 such an amazing animal. This animal was derived by a man called the Divine Madman and after eating a meal of beef and mutton he took the bones from each animal and joined them and chanted prayers, and from that came a beast which had a body of a bull and a head of a goat. After a delicious Bhutanese meal we then visited the School of Fine Arts, Cultural Museum and finished our day with a wonderful cultural performance at a local restaurant.
Filed under: Serenity in Bhutan Blog