Day 5: Taktsang
On Friday morning, I was up at 530 am to capture some beautiful early morning pictures of the mountains and snow capped peaks that one could see at a distance. A quick breakfast at 7am and I was all set for my trek to Taktsang. It was a bit cloudy but I was happy that it had not rained all night which could have put a spike in our trek plans. There was an occasional drizzle but that was not going to stop me, I had already made up my mind that I would not stop even if it was going to rain, just that one needed to be more careful climbing up and down and it would slow us down but would still have been worth every bit of the extra effort. Taktsang is one of the most photographed monasteries in the world and is considered the symbol of Bhutan. It is precariously perched on the edge of a cliff 1200 meters high. From Paro valley at 2200 meters, one needed to climb 900 meters to get to the monastery. This was the place where Guru Rinpoche had arrived on the back of a flying Tigress and meditated in a cave for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8th century. The monastery was built in the 17th century but was destroyed by a fire in 1998 and was rebuilt costing about Nu 135 million and 5 years.
We were at the parking lot by 830 am and started our trek up. It was going to be a reasonably steep climb up. There were several handicraft shops near the parking lot selling souvenirs. But, my focus was to start climbing. It was a cloudy day and seemed like there could be a downpour anytime. The hike up the hill right up to the monastery was going to take about 2 to 3 hours. There was an option to use horses, but that was not something we were considering at all. The first part of the trek goes through forests and soon the climb became steep.
I had decided to pace myself at something I was comfortable with and did not get too worried about who was overtaking me or the occasional horses that I encountered. The climb offered beautiful views of the valley below. My first milestone was to get to the cafeteria which was going to take about 45 minutes to an hour. I needed short stops on the way upto to the cafeteria but it was only a couple of minutes of break to take a photograph of the valley views or the Taktsang monastery. After about 50 minutes, we reached the cafeteria, but by then I had set a nice pace for myself and wasn’t very keen on a break, but I was told that the next 20 to 30 minutes was going to be even steeper and so the tea and biscuits and a bio break would be of help.
Several people were going to stop their trek at this point. After a 20 minute break, we continued up and as I was warned earlier, this was indeed steep. But, by this time, my body was used to the strain and suddenly I wasn’t finding it tough any more, I continued at the pace I had set for myself. After another 30 minutes of climb, the trail flattened and I came across a small temple with prayer flags where a monk had meditated. We also spotted some grey langurs on tree tops.
Finally we reached the second view point and Jigme got some beautiful shots for me with the monastery in the background. It offered a panoramic view of both the Paro valley below and the monastery above. From here, we had to climb down for about 20 minutes and climb up about 800 steps to reach the entrance to the monastery. As I was climbing down, I encountered people who were returning and looked tired and were struggling to climb up, wondered if it was a preview of things to come. I offered a word of encouragement to those climbing up and continued my climb down. The monastery suddenly looked farther away.
I finally reached the point where we had to climb the 800 steps to reach the entrance of the monastery. There was a beautiful waterfall of about 200 feet and a wooden bridge before the final climb up to the entrance. I was suddenly at the entrance and the 800 steps up did not seem all that difficult.
One needs to deposit bags and camera at the entrance and no photography is allowed inside. There are several temples inside the monastery but the first one we visited is the one that had the cave where Guru Rinpoche meditated. The cave is behind a gilded door which is opened only once a year. The atmosphere was spiritual and mystical and offered an immense sense of peace and calm. I made an offering and prostrated taking a cue from the Bhutanese visitors. The monk offered me holy water and blessed me. I visited the other temples in the complex. There was one called the Nye Khang which represents Bonism and women are not allowed inside. We had reached the monastery at about 1130 am and spent an hour there before starting back.
The climb down was easier but it was important to pace it and not rush down. The trekking pole came in handy and I was back in the parking lot by about 2 pm. I was particular about not rushing down lest I injure my knee. Once I was back in the parking lot, I recounted what a wonderful trek it had been. Every bit of the effort was worth the visit to the monastery. We had climbed 900 meters up from Paro valley at 2200 mts to 3100 mts where the monastery was situated and a climb down of 900 meters. It was by far the most fulfilling part of my entire trip. A certain calm and peace had descended on me and I was in a contemplelatory mood on my way back.
We were back in Paro town and were very hungry. Jigme and I headed for lunch to another Bhutanese restaurant and we ordered Ema Datshi and Phaksha Pa (pork curry with radish), dal and red rice. The hunt for fermented Ara continued but I had to settle for the distilled version again. The Ara was helpful considering we were tired and it helped us relax a bit. The Phaksha Pa with radish was outstanding, one of the best dishes I had had in Bhutan thus far. We talked about all the beautiful hikes and treks that one could do in Central and East Bhutan and I promised Jigme I would come back for the half snowman trek. It was a hearty meal and with a couple of rounds of Ara, one was in a ‘happy state’.
I walked around the Main Street of Paro one last time, I had a flight to catch the next day morning. I got back to the hotel at about 5 pm and then decided to try the Bhutanese hot stone therapy in the spa. What better time to try it than after a hike to Taktsang. I had an appointment at 8 pm, typically this treatment requires a 5 hour notice as the Himalayan stones are baked for about 5 hours and dropped in a bath. This breaks up the stone and releases the minerals in the water.
At 8 pm, I was at the spa, it was a large room completely made of wood with a large wooden tub filled with water. Camphor leaves had been added to the water and one could smell the minerals in the air. I was told that I need to knock on the wood if I wanted more stones to be rolled into the tub and there was a tap for cold water if I found the water to be too hot. It was an amazing experience to soak in the tub, after a while I felt that it would nicer if the water was a little more hot. A knock and 4 hot stones were rolled down. It’s a tad frightening as the stone rolls down a chute and there are sparks flying all over as it comes in contact with the water. But, then there is a wooden separator between where the stones are rolled down and the rest of the tub. After 45 minutes of pure relaxation, a quick shower, I was ready for dinner. The dinner again was Indian and continental fare which did not please me as much but the food from afternoon kept me happy. It was time to get some sleep after a day of hard work, had to leave the hotel at 430 am for my flight to Kolkata scheduled at 7 am.
Day 6: Paro to Kolkata
I was up the next day at the appointed time and checked out at 430 am. At the airport, I exchanged good byes with Jigme and promised to come back for a trek. He was a wonderful guide all through the trip and he promised to keep the fermented Ara ready the next time I came. It was a quick process of check in for the flight and immigration. I went to the duty free shop to pick up the 1907 whisky but was disappointed that it was not in stock. I picked up a K5 and awaited boarding. The flight was on time. I was recounting the wonderful time I spent in Bhutan and all the attention that I got as a solo woman traveler. It was a wonderful vacation, I decided I would come back to Bhutan many more times to explore the provinces and to trek the Himalayan mountains.
For the present it was ‘Tashi Delek’!
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