Travel Column #1

Every place has its own story. Being one of those who's very fond of travel, I, however never developed the habit of reading about a place before going there. To me knowing destroys the beauty of perception. I also believe the less you know the better. Bhutan, my most recent experience  unlike the other European countries or China or USA or the Middle East this place, fit the bill. A simple country that never succumbed to urbanisation, Bhutan remains green and beautiful. The king of this country, a man of great power lives in a small house like any other commoner which only shows us how down to earth this country really is.
Hidden among mountain ranges the country escaped any sort of conquering. To me, it drew parallels with Shangri-La . This place seemed like the perfect hide out from the rest of the world. It has surplus water - so much that the country has excessive hydro electricity , plants of different hybrids, animals of all kinds due to its dense forests, weird co-breeds like Takin (I mean have you ever seen a hybrid of a goat and an antelope. I promise you it looks misplaced) and a peaceful country that barely has traces of war. To me this was all utopian.
Since most of Bhutan is still however disconnected, I stayed in 3 of the major cities - Thimpu, Paro, Punnaca. All these places have brilliant trekking spots of which the Tigers nest is one of a kind. Most Bhutanese people are Buddhists. However, their story seems to be quite the mixture of the story the Chinese and Indians , so is their food and culture. Food in Bhutan includes a lot of non veg with cheese and chilly (I probably consumed more chilly there, than ever in my life). My most favourite dish was the cheese and chilly dish and their pizza which is served with Urga! (ultimate combination I promise you).

River rafting, archery are well practised here. Even the primitive arrows used here, fly at a speed of 145km/hr. This sort of confirms that maybe our legends of Rama, Arjuna are all possible (at least the arrow part).

Clothing is also a combination of the Indian underskirt and a Chinese top for the females (Kira) and the males wear a rather different attire called Gho. In order to preserve their culture the Bhutanese people only wear these clothing. You will not find anyone outside their houses wearing pant shirts or shorts even.
The Bhutanese people have a certain respect for their monks and nuns being very religious they do their namaskaram 3 times every time they see a monk of the higher level. They also believe in there being a chosen one. Every few years a bright child is born in the country, his ways and thoughts are supposedly different from the others. He around the age of 8-10 is brought to their religious leader who then tests him. The boy is said to perform a few miracles as well. Then he is trained as a monk and when comes of age crowned the religious head of the country. This practise makes one wonder if humans of power do exist. The recent  chosen one is a boy of 24 who has many followers and has taken up the project to build the largest Buddha in the world. The construction of the same is almost done.This place is called the Buddha point and will fully function soon and is said to become one more of the pilgrimage centres for the people like the Tigers nest (which was also renovated by him).
Another amazing thing about the country is that we will never see time fly or time even move. Even the schools don't begin at a fixed time and there's something rather lethargic yet unexplainable about the way the country works. The sun also shines from 5 early in the morning to about 7 in the night making electricity seem pointless here for most working hours. The women in the country are given equal importance and are well educated.
River rafting, archery are well practised here. Even the primitive arrows used here, fly at a speed of 145km/hr. This sort of confirms that maybe our legends of Rama, Arjuna are all possible (at least the arrow part).

Clothing is also a combination of the Indian underskirt and a Chinese top for the females (Kira) and the males wear a rather different attire called Gho. In order to preserve their culture the Bhutanese people only wear these clothing. You will not find anyone outside their houses wearing pant shirts or shorts even.

Music and dance have a tribal flair to it. Wine tasting is a holy tradition here (wine here is pretty strong, legend has it in one sip men have fallen in trances and not recovered from them).
Their national language, Dzongkha, is quiet similar to Hindi. Of course I have to mention this - Bhutanese people love Bollywood and foot ball. Most of them even speak Hindi and love our filmy music. I am not even kidding every monk would stop by to say "Namaste." and "Kahan se aaye?". In perfect Hindi accent !
Well yes, it was my perfect end to the summer and a place you all must see if you do get the chance. 

Photography: Agraja Magesh