Tatksang Monastery and the "behind the scenes" of that trek

It's been 6 months since our trip to that beautiful mountain kingdom of Bhutan and now ask anyone I know, I shamelessly promote tourism to that country. One thing I tried to do when I started on my trip was to maintain a diary of my day to day experiences in Bhutan - I feel bad to say that I failed miserably. The detailed posts only lasted 3 days and the rest were notes and scribbles of thing I found very interesting. This morning, I found that diary hidden and forgotten among some HR books and in that was a detailed description of the most amazing day I had in Bhutan - the climb to the Tatksang Monastery. While I gave the essence of it in my Bhutan post a few months ago, I definitely feel the need to put down the details of this particular day; so here we go.

As we arrived into Paro the previous evening, we were already mesmerized by the pristine beauty of this country. The stories of green mountains, rolling fog, beautiful trees from the fairy tales seemed very real here. 7:45 am, the next day and we were ready to go; this was the part we were looking forward to - the climb to the Tatksang Monastery. The Tatksang Monastery or Tiger's Nest Monastery as it is popularly known is built along a cliff in the Upper Paro valley. The story I was told goes: Guru Rinpoche arrived on this cliff on the back of a flying Tigeress from Tibet and meditated here for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days in a cave, thus anointing the spot to build a monastery there. He is considered the Protector Saint of Bhutan and according to some, is believed to have introduced Buddhism to the region.  

A little after 8 am and we found ourselves at the car park at the base of the mountain. Our guide + driver Kinzang had come prepared with sticks to help us hike. This trail is like no other - Cut through the mountains just enough to be a path, it is rugged, rocky and if it rains, the mud turns to slush, turning the trail into a slippery slide. The trail does not start off easy; right from the base, it is rough. Your eyes need to be focused on the path ahead; you never know when one stray root or stone can knock you down. Heaven forbid, if you tumble a few steps far too left, you will find yourself rolling down the side of the valley. Having said that, everyone attempting the climb was very enthusiastic at the start. About a km into the climb and my sister decides that she cannot continue. No amount of pushing and prodding from me or Kinzang helped. She decided to head back down to the base and wait while we returned. 

My climb wasn't any easier. For one, I climbed a few kms ahead and threw up all my breakfast at the side of the mountain. For another, the mountains gave me a damn good reality check of my fitness level; the result - extremely unfit. I stopped every few kms to let my body relax and recuperate. The trek has two major stops before you reach the monastery; commonly called view point 1 & 2. The climb to the first view point was tough, very tough. After about 3/4th of the journey to the first view point, the monastery shows itself from across the valley, hidden slightly in the fog. What kept me going, apart from my determined desire to see the monastery were the people along the route. Believe me, you do find people who are more or less in your situation - huffing, puffing, stopping every few minutes. The encouragement I received was tremendous. Random strangers pushing you to keep going and you, in turn encouraging the other tired souls. The guides also keep you entertained with stories and legends from the place - how you need to make a trip to the monastery 3 times to have a deep desire fulfilled, how these mountains have also been the death place of tourists who have gone over the edge while taking pictures. 

The first view point arrives and I am so mighty proud of myself, am almost celebrating with a victory dance; although I know I still have a long way to go. The Monastery is now clearly visible, a valley away. As we were reaching there, my guide gets a call from the tourist office at the base that my sister has asked for a horse and will be arriving at the first view point in a while. As horses are allowed only up to this point, we had to wait before before we proceeded. Meanwhile, Kinzang told me of how all Bhutanese people including the Royal family make it to the monastery on foot. No horses or other preferential treatment for anyone. There are also a group of people who make the trip every week or sometimes twice a week carrying food supplies to the monks living there. Yep, my mind was officially blown. Carrying my own weight there was bad enough for me, now imagine doing that with a 50 kg bag of rice on your bag. Respect! My sister arrived 45 minutes later and meanwhile, I soaked in every bit of fresh mountain air that my lungs could take. The serenity is unbeatable. The chattering noises from the tourists resting here only lasts a while and the silence takes over again. 

As we continued onward, I could distinctly feel the air getting thinner making it harder and harder to breathe. My legs were no longer the problem. The nose and forehead has started throbbing, all signs of high altitude and cold weather. The energy to carry on was there but breathlessness became a concern for me. They say this can be taken care of by having altitude sickness medicine before you start your trip to such places. My sister had had some and I didn't and maybe that's why I felt this much more than her. A few short and deep breaths helped me make it every 100 steps. View point 2 was my short term goal -  On making it there, I would decide if I wanted to continue 350 steps down and 350 steps up to the monastery or I would be content with the view from there. A bite of an energy bar and some huffing and puffing later, view point 2 had arrived. The monastery was closer and in full view but still a valley across. The view is magical. Gleaming and glittering in the sunlight, it was beckoning everyone towards it. A little break to relax and take pictures and Kinzang had started egging us to move quickly. 

It was nearly 12 pm and the monastery shuts at 1 for lunch; which meant we would need to wait for an hour if we reached late. How I climbed down those rickety, half broken stone steps and back up again, I don't know but we made it. At 12:30 pm, we were at the monastery door. It is when you arrive at the spot that you fully realize the brilliance behind the construction of the place. Standing so precariously on the side of the cliff, it is almost floating in the air. I kept wondering how they managed to construct in the first place almost centuries ago and again recently about a decade or so ago, when the monastery caught fire and some parts had to be rebuilt. We quickly went from room to room and spent a few seconds in quiet reflection. All my thoughts were all and only in gratitude. I took a few seconds to peek down from one of their balcony area; you only see a never ending valley. The 4 hour trek up culminated in 30 minutes of seeing the monastery and it was time to head back down. Heading down is intense pressure on your knees and ankles but takes you far lesser time than climbing up. There are quite a few shortcut, very steep ones for the climb up mind you; that we avoided earlier and we happily took on the way down. 

Two hours flat and we were back where we started. You couldn't rub the smiles off our faces as hard as you tried. I knew my legs were going to give the minute I reached home but for now there was no pain. It was now time of an well deserved meal and more deserved rest. People visit the monastery for many reasons and to have many desires fulfilled; for me it was to see the sheer beauty of this place. For that and only that reason, I am always ready to go back to Bhutan.

Bhutan Diaries: Snippets from the Land of the Thunder Dragon

My annual holiday for 2015 has happened and so has one more tick on my wishlist of items. This was a vacation I had on my mind for a long, long time - I read up like crazy about it, hunted through every article on TripAdvisor, hounded every person who I knew had visited the place n got info; yes we get crazy like that and at last it was time to go - The land of happiness, Bhutan was calling. So a flight to Bagdogra and then a 5 hour drive got us to the border town of Phuentsholing and then began our adventure. One of the biggest advantages for Indians travelling here is that there is no visa needed - you enter with your passport or election card. We managed 5 cities/ towns in 10 days: Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Bumthang and Phobjikha.

The border gate from Phuentsholing - Photo Credit: Pooja Pillai

So why is a country that borders India such a mystery and so intriguing ? Maybe because until a few years ago, very little was known about the country and its people; maybe because there is still an semi active monarchy which is loved and revered by the people, maybe because they take a lot of care with regard to modernization of the country while holding on to their tradition and more importantly preserving the environment making so damn pretty. We got to experience all of this first hand and there is no disappointment through any bit of the trip and these are my highlights:

- The whole country is pretty, period. No arguments, no however, nothing - everywhere you look, your eyes will first catch a vast patch of green, then perhaps a bit of mountain and then whatever else is there.
- The people are among some of the nicest I have come across - The men don't ogle at women walking on the street, people are willing to help you in case of anything and they genuinely want you to have a good time in their  country. They are also probably some of the only few left who genuinely adore Indians and India. They get a lot of help in terms of resources, food even military support from India. They do a damn good job of using it I have to say; wonder what stops us (stupid question, know the answer).
- Bhutan has a monarchy and the king and queen are adored by the public. I didn't hear one person say anything against them or complain about them. In fact, they were more than eager to tell us of all the wonderful things the royal couple does for the public - how they visit remote, far away villages and check on people, how they are accessible to the general public in case of any trouble, how they create and offer so many opportunities regarding education and jobs for their people. Working for the government is an extremely prestigious job there... imagine that!
- The food there is different from most others - cheese and chillies are the core ingredients in most of their dishes. Most Bhutanese enjoy raw chillies with their food. You can be a little daring and try that as well - really helps with the cold weather.
- The Bhutanese stick to their national dress; Gho for the men and Kira for the women. They are expected to wear this at all government offices and jobs. Once in a while, you will come across someone not following the dress code.
- I saw no beggars on the street, no jokes.
- There are no traffic signals in any city or town - again, no jokes
- The country is covered with prayer flags. Lundaar as it called in Dzongkha literally translated means wind flags. They say that flags are a way to spread good wishes and prayers - when someone puts up a flag in his/ her premises, the wind carries blessings and wishes to all those in the path of the wind and the owner in turn gets wishes in return.

Photo Credit: Pooja Pillai

The highlight of this trip for me (and therefore I will elaborate on this), that one place I was most looking forward to visit was Taktsang Lhakhang or the Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro. Nestled high up in the mountains, it seems to be in another world by itself. We were advised to start early to avoid the harsh sun. A little past 8 am and we were at the base all ready to begin. The souvenirs stalls were still setting up and we saw a few others arriving at the parking lot too. We grabbed our walking sticks and set off - we were a party of 3; our driver cum guide Kinzang, my sister and I. The trail is rugged to begin with - it doesn't fool by being nice and easy at the start. I don't know what I should call it - a road, a trail, some what of a path ?? Simply put, it seems like some amount of rock was cut away from the mountain so people can walk up vs climb up. The road is muddy, uneven, rocky, winding and has different levels of incline - God help you if you are like me and shirked away from working out and building up stamina before your trip. 25 minutes into our walk and my sister had already started showing signs of turning back. I pushed her to continue but about half a km later, she decided to turn back and wait for me in the parking lot. No amount of senti worked so I continued with the guide (She did however meet us at the first view point later; she took a horse to reach there).

As we walked up further, we are in full range of the sun and it was bright and hot that day. Slowly the jackets came off and sweat start to appear. My energy levels were dropping and I had to slow down - I could feel my stomach churn and within minutes, my breakfast and tea was out at the side of the mountain. I think I was more embarrassed than sick at the point. However, the beauty of this place and this trek was that people around you seemed to understand the exertion your body is going through. As they walked by, some offered advice - sit down, relax, take it easy; some offered support - don't be worried, these things happen, you will make it, don't stop, it will be worth it; and some offered water. All gestures appreciated of course. Let me not get into the entire story but it took me 4 hours to reach up there and it was totally totally worth it. The view is extraordinary, the monastery fills you up with such peace and the pride you feel for yourself having made it so far is unbeatable.

Taktsang Lakhang - Photo Credit: Pooja Pillai

This country for me defined peace and tranquility; even in the capital city of Thimphu, where we saw "crowd" per say. Fair warning though - when and if you visit Phuentsholing, you will think you are still in India - the crowd is crazy, there are beggars in the streets, dirty roads etc so do not include that in your Bhutan experience. But step out of this city, a few kms into the country and a strange calmness comes over you and it stays with you throughout. One of the best things for me was the fact that I had no network on my phone through most of my trip and while, we had a Bhutanese SIM; we stuck to basic calling facilities. I managed well without internet and whatsapp and Facebook - I loved getting WiFi intermittently. I read a fair amount, wrote a bit and more than anything soaked in every breath of clean air my lungs could take in.

I now go around recommending Bhutan to any person who is half interested and I am going to do the same here. Bhutan should be on every person's list, at least before it becomes too crowded and commercial. It is a destination like no other and the experience leaves you wanting more - I know I want to go back; there's a lot left to be explored.

Jump !

It's been a while since an idea/ event has registered so strongly in my mind that I needed to pen it down. Having recently returned from a massive five week vacation to the US and London (yes, i know so many of you are cursing me for the five week vacation); I managed to do one thing that was on my bucket list for the longest time - Skydive.

I do not consider myself to be an adventure sports junkie - I do not need to jump off a aircraft or go wreck diving or bungee jumping but I do have a few activities on my bucket list and Skydiving was definitely one of them. To let you in on a little secret (and my family will agree), I get petrified of climbing up on a stool at home to remove stuff kept in higher shelves and cupboards - my feet tremble and I have the constant feeling of falling and cracking my skull. So how skydiving landed on my list I don't know and I can't explain but I only knew I had to do it once.

The planning for this started at almost the same time as the planning for the trip itself. I looked up every place I was visiting and researched sky diving centres there. I finally settled on the idea of doing this at my last destination in the US & my last big adventure in the vacation there, so Miami was the chosen one and The Miami Sky Diving centre was best one I found. I kid you not I must have visited their website at least 20 times in 3 days to read reviews people posted, videos of tandem dives, prices, the whole shebang. Once I was convinced, I began persuading my sister to do a dive too. Once in a lifetime experience I said and what's the worst that can happen - you die .. Of course we discussed a whole lot of worse scenarios but yeah a little convincing later she was on board too. Now the difficult part - telling my parents who were going to be with us in Miami. I thought and thought about it and then decided not to tell them; atleast not at that moment. We made the appointment for the tandem dive - where an instructor dives with you, paid the advance and then a few weeks before we were to leave, we broke the news. They laughed, thought we were kidding, realized we weren't but luckily no drama. My mother seemed quite kicked by the idea actually.

Fast forward to the day of the dive. My sister and I made our way to the airport - a long cab ride away from Downtown Miami. There is no feeling of anxiety or fright or happiness even; it's a little early in the morning and we are still sleepy. We are made to sign a whole bunch of forms which basically say "dude, this is entirely your idea and we are only here to help... so if things go south up there (literally); your family (and you, if you survive somehow) can't sue us. Thank you very much - enjoy your dive". My sister actually reads through each point and comes up with questions; me, I sign blindly. So the instructors/ tandem divers are here and we are getting geared up and we head to the aircraft.I believe that your instructor is super super important esp if this is your first dive since you go in with no expectation. As brave as you are, nerves start to set in and you need someone to talk you through. My instructor has been skydiving for 33 years and done over 8500 jumps. It's just like any office job he says 9 - 5 types (yeah right). The aircraft is a little box, and I am not exaggerating. It correctly fit 5 people - the pilot, my sister, I and our tandem instructors. Superbly uncomfortable with minimal place to stretch your legs and I am 5 ft nothing - I wonder how the taller people manage. My instructor has already given me a low down on what needs to be done once we are out of the aircraft - hands crossed across the chest, head back, back arched.. Sure sure it's simple. As the aircraft takes off, the excitement builds, it's finally happening. My instructor chats away non stop, asking all kinds of questions - where are you form, so where all are you travelling to, do you have family here, tell me about India, the weather in Miami etc.

By the time I finished answering his questions and posing for random pictures on his go pro (for the insurance guys, he says and laughs), we are at 10000 ft and my sister's tandem instructor has thrown open the aircraft door. When the wind hits your face, is when you know - damn this is happening. My sister was closer to the door therefore was the first to jump; one awkward smile to each other and the next moment she was gone. Holy hell - this is really happening. So I inch closer to the door, the wind hitting my face harder and i listen to my instructor telling me to put my legs out of the aircraft. I do and before I know it - I am free falling. Not a moment to think he gave me and I am glad he didn't. As we free fall and I scream, my instructor screams with me - its adds to the fun he says. Let me just say, the free fall of 25-30 seconds seems to be much much longer. So many thoughts crossing my mind - will the parachute open, will I crash into the ground below, haven't I reached 5000 ft yet, damn I am way up high, wow what a view and so much more and of course my instructor kept his chattering up with ohh look you can see the beach from here (yeah, like I was going to look at the beach as I plummet to the ground). Suddenly I feel a tug and the free fall has dropped speed and now I am gliding with the wind. Praise the lord, the parachute has opened - arms wide open and safety glasses off, I finally start appreciating the scenery so to speak. I finally look ahead straight and see the beach, look around and the instructor tells you those are the Keys. My instructor suddenly asks, you want to try some stunts - Hell yeah and two somersaults later my head is reeling & my heart is racing but I am thinking holy hell, somersaults in the air - awesome. I look down below and I can see my sister gliding closer to the ground and ready to make a landing. We prepare to land too and 2 minutes later I can see the ground inching closer. Feet up he shouts, we are supposed to land on our ass. Not the smoothest landing but injury free and I am glad.

An unforgettable 4-5 minutes of my life has now ended and I am grinning. All that we thought of and imagined all these months and we are done - the experience is ours to hold on to. The rush is unbeatable, I can't explain it. Was it scary, hell to the yes but was it worth it - totally and more.My recommendation for your bucket list - go jump ! 

The Thirsty Travelers Part 2 : A bite of the Big Apple

After a halt at Zurich and a total of 17 hours, the sisters landed into JFK. Emotions were overflowing. The relief of finally getting out of the flight, the excitement to be in our favorite city in the world, a wee bit of anxiety to clear immigration smoothly and most of all, super happiness to see our friends Sue and Pete who were providers of our lodging and boarding in NYC.

Immigration took an hour and half to clear; well couldn't complain we were at one of the world's largest airports in passenger volumes. Once out, and in one of NY's famous yellow cabs, we started savoring all the sights that passed by us. NYC never looked better. The city invites you in to hear, observe and be part of its enchanting spirit. My friends' place was perfectly located in the heart of the city and everything was a walk away. Yes, one walks a lot in NYC. Its the best way to see all that the city has to offer with its street markets, the massive stores, super eateries etc. 

Sue was a doll who had a list of where we HAVE to eat and what we MUST see. The amount of food consumed in 5 days there was next to incredible. From Shake Shack burgers, to Magnolia Bakery, to Turkish food at Baba Ghanoush, classic American food at Big Nicks, Chipotle ( the one i miss the most), Gray's Papaya, Phebe's, Sbarro's and i forget the rest :D We had decided we did not want to do any major touristy things so Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller center were not on our list. Instead we went off to Coney island. So after a super lunch at Nathan's ( yes food again); it was time to explore the amusement park. Now when compared to the Disney theme parks, Coney Island may seem severely outdated. However there is a charm in visiting America's oldest amusement parks. The boardwalk, the beach and then the rides it was an awesome afternoon. One can get lost in the melange of people all there to spend a beautiful summery afternoon. 

NYC also meant shopping and one day was dedicated to that. We landed in the holy land of all shoe lovers - DSW. I think I could live there and be very content. We never realize how time flies (and money of course) in a shoe shop. So about an hour or so and 3 pairs of shoes later we emerged to do some more shopping. Nordstrom, Victoria's secret, Old Navy and many stores later we started formulating ideas of how we were going to fit it all in our suitcase. 

The 3 girls decided to do a girls' night out and what a night it was. A couple of shots and many drinks down and stories were pouring away. We can pretty much figure how our night went with all the pics we took too; starting with us sober to what am i doing here :D. We encountered some of our fellow drunken brothers and sisters; all of us at one pizza place to satisfy our hunger pangs. We were entertained by one's singing, and were invited to join another in an after party sorts. The night is always young in NYC they said, but we went home !!! Another fun place we visited was a speakeasy club called Milk and Honey. It is supposed one of those secret, non advertised, non fancy looking places where one enjoys exotic drinks. We loved the concept of the secrecy but it did take us a while to find. Somehow for all the ype we heard, it didn't quite live up to the expectation; an experience none the less. 

NYC was most about all the conversation we had; the chatting never ended. We reminisced college days, friends circle, how we have all changed over time, ex-bfs, what kind of losers we used to be, and those innumerable hilarious stories.The wine kept flowing and so did the stories. We have a million photographs capturing each place we visited - central park, hi line park, times square, chelsea market, Grand Central and so many more - each one with its own story to tell. 

5 superbly spent days later, it was time to move on to Boston !!! See you there ... 

The sisterhood of the thirsty travellers.. Part 1 of many to follow

Vacations in my house are painfully detailed and highly pre planned. We are not usually one of those "lets just  pack our bags and hop out of home and THEN decide where to go" types. Therefore the planning for recent vacation to USA started one year back; yes back back in May 2011. So my sister and I went through the entire ordeal of excitement, super excitement, informing all known people in the US of our future visit, planning how many days, where, when,WHY, whom to meet, what to wear ( face it, we are girls), anxiety (for our visa), super joy (on getting 10 year visa) etc etc.

This being the first vacation we sisters were doing together; we found out every painstaking detail for each city we were to visit. We had tons of help along the way; all of our excited friends and family did their bit too. Thousands of BBM/Whatsapp/FB messages and pictures were exchanged on "so we HAVE to go here", "ohh look look sale starting when we go here", "that looks sooo good, we have to EAT here" and many many more. If you think planning a trip is easy, you are sadly mistaken my friend. The route, the mode of travel, the PRICES, the hotels, the PRICES, the spots you want to see, the shops you just don't want to miss, the time to want to relax (coz you are on vacation after all); so many many details but the joy of seeing that final plan and actually  living the plan is spectacular.

Advice comes flying at you from every possibly direction; make sure you don't get knocked out cold with it. Parents always worry about money - don't overspend, don't waste, be careful with wallets. So my parents come up with the this wonderful plan to avoid being robbed at security check. The two of us stand a few people apart in the line; one person goes through and clears and then the second puts both bags in for screening. That way one person is standing on the other side to receive the bags and keeping an eye out for thieves. Did we do it; you've gotta be kidding me !!!! We laughed at the idea all the way through security check and no, nothing was stolen.

You would find all kinds of people at airports. Its quite the tapestry of human beings; from the loud, over excited ones, to the mushy, romantic newly weds; hyper active children to the down right stupid ones. Our encounter with the last kind happened when a man walked into the women's washroom, stands there for 3 seconds notices women there and says "yeh ladies hai kyaa???". And you think you have seen them all !!!

All international airports envision looting tourists even before they board their flights; that's why they have Duty Free stores. You will see all passengers going "Oh soo cheap", "Oh discount", "Arre one pe one"; my sister and I were strong; we walked through all the stores, checked out all prices, tried on every perfume we loved (don't scoff; i know you would do it too) and yeah also kept in mind what we wanted to buy on the way back (read alcohol). By the time we boarded the flight; the excitement had vanished and sleep was haunting us. After the 20-30 odd calls and sms to our parents about our baggage, our check in, our security check, how we are killing time, did we eat, have we boarded; the cell phone was switched, to be switched on a day later. Bags were stowed away safely and seat belts were buckled. It was time to say Bye Bye India for 3 weeks and Hello USA !!!!