Much Happiness in Bhutan (October/November 2016):
A Travelogue by Allan Grey

PADMASAMBAVA aka GURU RINPOCHE

As legend has it, Padmasambava, or Guru Rinpoche to his friends, landed at Paro Taktsang to meditate when he brought Buddhism to Bhutan in the seventh century. He is said to have arrived on a flying tiger which had recently been his Tibetan concubine. He then meditated in a cave high on the mountain for four months after which he subdued the local ‘demons’ and began the conversion of the Bhutanese to Buddhism.

THE TIGER'S NEST MONASTERY

The monastery was built in 1692, by someone named Tenzin Rabgye, who could have been the reincarnation of Guru Rinpoche, or could have been someone entirely different, it's very hard to be definitive.

However, for those without flying tiger concubines, getting to the Tiger’s Nest is a little more difficult. We choose to do this before our trek for real starts, something of a warm up. The climb from the valley floor, which is already quite high at 7,000 feet above sea level, to the Tiger’s Nest 3,000 feet above, takes us around three hours, fortunately with a tea shop on the way.

LEE CONTEMPLATES THE TIGER'S NEST TRAIL

As Lee and I climb the well-maintained but very steep trail over ever more vertical switchbacks, the monastery seems to appear and disappear, in and out of the trees and the mists. After two hours or so we arrive at the beginning of the entrance to the Tiger’s Nest, a rocky outcrop overlooking a vast chasm, with the monastery on the other side. We marvel at the precarious location and wonder just how it was built here over three hundred years ago, we even wonder how it would be built now!

OK, HOW DID THEY GET IT RIGHT UP THERE?

Nearly a thousand or so steps now to navigate, half down, past a large cascading waterfall, and then half up again to reach our destination, the fabulous Tigers Nest. Locals are only allowed inside in national costume, but we can enter, having first taken off shoes and left cameras and mobile phones behind in safe keeping.

Each of the rooms is ornate and decorated with images of Buddhist deities and fresh offerings of food and money. We visit the cave where Padmasambava meditated for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours, he obviously had a fixation on the number three. The smell of incense fills the air and you can hear the occasional chants from monks nearby.

The spirituality of the monastery is omnipresent. We leave with just our memories of one of the most iconic places imaginable, and the prospect of a two hour return hike back down the hill.

SOME OF 850 THE STEPS BACK DOWN TO THE OUTLOOK...

...AND DOWN, AND DOWN

The genesis for a trip to Bhutan had taken shape fairly quickly during our visit to Mongolia in 2015. Lee and Jerry had Bhutan on their bucket list, and so it was now on mine, a remote Himalayan Kingdom, sandwiched between India and China, and known primarily for measuring its progress not by GDP, but by GNH, or Gross National Happiness, more of which later.

Most folk will have heard of Bhutan, but not many will know anything about the country, the land of the Thunder Dragon, or even where it is. Having heard of the place I knew that The Tigers Nest Monastery was the jewel in Bhutan's crown, and a "Must Visit" during our trip.

THE THUNDER DRAGON ON OUR AIRCRAFT

Not unlike Nepal, Bhutan is an independent sovereign nation sandwiched between India to the south, and separated from Tibet to the north by the eastern end of the Himalayas. It is roughly the size of Switzerland, but with a population of only 700,000 people. Nepal to the west is a similar size, similarly located, but with a population approaching three million.

Since 1907 Bhutan has been ruled by the House of Wangchuck, and successive kings, or Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King), have overseen massive changes to the country. Historically Bhutan is one of only a few countries that have been independent throughout their history, never conquered, occupied, or governed by an outside power. Following some minor skirmishes in the 18th & 19th centuries with the British, an accommodation was reached that allowed Bhutan to manage their internal affairs, but take guidance regarding their external affairs, first from the British, and post independence in 1947, from India. From 1947 Bhutan has maintained good political and commercial arrangements with India, preferring this to a relationship with China, closing its border with Tibet after the Chinese take over in 1951.

Tourism in Bhutan began in 1974, when in an effort to raise revenue and to promote the country's unique culture and traditions to the outside world, the government opened this isolated country to foreign tourists. Despite being open to foreigners, the government has been acutely aware of the environmental impact tourists can have on Bhutan's unique and virtually unspoiled landscape and culture. Therefore, they decided to restrict the level of tourist activity from the start, preferring “higher quality tourism”. Put simply this means that if you wish to travel to Bhutan, currently your trip needs to cost a minimum of $250 per day; this ensures very few backpackers but many ageing Western tourists such as myself.

Other notable milestones in the development of this isolated country was the first metalled road in 1964, and the introduction of TV as recently as 1999. Before TV crime was virtually unheard of, but of course TV is a double edged sword, and brought with it the beginning of societal ills we know only too well in the West.

Bhutan is also well known for its international airport, Paro, sitting at 7,000 feet above sea level and nestling amongst Himalayan peaks up to 18,000 feet, it is one of the most challenging anywhere in the world for pilots to take off and land. At last count only 20 pilots were qualified to fly in and out of Paro, they all work for Drukair, the national airline, and fortunately a number of them are on duty the day we fly in from Kathmandu.

Flights are only allowed during the daytime and under strictly monitored visual conditions, in which the pilot must make his judgements by eye rather than rely on instruments as is the case in night time flights. Despite the perilous conditions, the views over the clear blue waters of the Paro river and the lush green foliage of the Himalayas are sensational.

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FLIGHT OF A LIFETIME

There can be few more spectacular flights anywhere in the world than the 250 miles between Kathmandu and Paro. We ensure we get seats on the port side of our turbo prop Drukair flight, and are treated to a Himalayan panorama like no other, including along the way, Mount Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga, all 8,000 meter plus peaks heading to the eastern end of the Himalayas. Add to this one of the most attractive airports you’ll travel to, and we’re definitely somewhere different.

EN ROUTE PARO

MOUNT EVEREST (rear, left peak)

APPROACHING PARO

PARO AIRPORT

BAGGAGE RECLAIM HALL AT PARO

A trip down to the Adventure Travel Show at Olympia in January found a travel company with over 30 years experience in Bhutan, Mountain Kingdoms. They provided a few itineraries, and we opted for the Jomolhari Trek, a total of 10 days hiking, taking in Jomolhari Base Camp at over 4,000 metres, and returning via Bonte La Pass, the high point of the trek at just over 4,900 metres. This would be followed by a week of touring after the trek, including Thimphu, the current capital, and Punakha, the historic capital.

I had trekked with Lee in Nepal in 2013, and we had enjoyed the relative luxury of tea-house accommodation for the duration. Bhutan has none of the infrastructure that Nepal has and so we would be camping, pretty close to the end of the season, and it would be very cold at the altitudes we planned to visit. We would have a guide and a cook, and all our equipment as well as tents and cooking equipment would be carried on horseback, to be precise, four horses.

The hike up to the Tiger's Nest is part of the couple of days we spend in and around Paro, and amongst other things we visit the superb museum and fort in Paro, overlooking the Paro Chhu valley, before making our way to the start of our trek at Shana. It’s during this time with our guide, Rikdeen Tschering Wangchuck, or Kencho for short, that we start to learn a little bit about the history and culture of Bhutan.

PARO FORT OVERLOOKING THE PARO CHHU VALLEY

PARO MUSEUM

PRAYER WHEELS COME IN ALL SIZES

The first thing we notice is that Kencho, along with virtually all Bhutanese people, wears national costume on a daily basis. Bhutanese citizens are required to do this in all government premises, schools, monasteries and when guiding foreign nationals. For men this is called a “Gho”, and for women a “Kira”. The mens’ costume is a knee-length robe somewhat resembling a kimono, that is tied at the waist by a traditional belt known as Kera, and accompanied by long socks and normal shoes. Kencho wore this most of time, both in town and during our trek.

LEE WITH OUR GUIDE, RIKDEEN TSCHERING WANGCHUCK

The women’s costume is an ankle-length dress consisting of a rectangular piece of woven fabric, wrapped and folded around the body, pinned at both shoulders, usually with silver brooches, and bound at the waist with a long belt. The kira is usually worn with a long sleeved blouse inside and a short jacket.

Our stay in Paro is just two nights, in a large lodge at the very comfortable Olangathang Hotel, high up on the hillside overlooking Paro and the river valley where red rice is about to be harvested.

OUR UNDERSTATED LODGE AT OLANGATHANG

VIEW ACROSS PARO VALLEY

Bhutan’s process of modernisation was initiated by Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third Druk Gyalpo, with the move from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, later overseen by Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth DG, and implemented as recently as 2006. On his abdication he was succeeded by the current King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Since 1971, the country has rejected GDP as the only way to measure progress. In its place, it has championed a new approach to development, which measures prosperity through formal principles of gross national happiness (GNH) focussing on the spiritual, physical, social and environmental health of its citizens and natural environment.

It was Jigme Singye Wangchuck who believed an economic approach dehumanised the development process, and decided instead to focus on a concept that he called "Gross National Happiness". In Bhutan, happiness was to be pursued by limiting access to foreign culture and the success of the country would be measured by its citizens happiness around four primary pillars, namely Sustainable & Equitable Socio-Economic Development, Conservation of the Environment, Preservation & Promotion of Culture and lastly Good Governance.

For the past three decades, this belief that wellbeing should take preference over material growth has remained a global oddity. Now, in a world beset by collapsing financial systems, gross inequity and wide-scale environmental destruction, this tiny Buddhist state's approach is attracting a lot of interest.

The concept of GNH as a development philosophy has evolved into a national conscience, and is a bridge between the fundamental values of kindness, equality, and humanity and the necessary pursuit of economic growth, such that it helps the nation in making better and wiser decisions for the wellbeing and happiness of all Bhutanese. The current King puts it quite simply, “in Bhutan we believe in development, but with values”.

No longer an absolute monarch, the King is still revered, and we note from the national newspaper Kuensel whilst staying in Paro, that the current king is hiking up country and visiting remote villages at altitudes up to 5,000 metres in the region we are about to visit, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Park.

One of the most important ongoing works of the King involves Kidu, the King’s sacred duty to care for his people. The people can access Kidu in several ways, but ultimately by appealing to the King directly. To give the people the opportunity for direct appeal, the King on his numerous road trips across the country stops for every potential appellant along the road.

The Kidu schemes are designed to help certain groups of people, such as students unable to afford even the free education available in the country, elderly citizens, and those requiring medical treatments. The King has also continued the tradition of giving state land to landless farmers around the country, and as a matter of course this ongoing project takes the King to remote villages and communities, precisely what he was doing during our visit to the country.

And so as our initial stay in Paro comes to an end, Jerry joins us, having flown in from Sydney; the three of us ready to trek. We walk a few miles and then take transport to our campsite for the first night at Shana.

GOOD TO GO

I’m never quite sure whether I’m a traveller or a tourist, the former seems to have more kudos than the latter. I suspect though, that I am a tourist, but whichever, what we all crave is to find authenticity, to get somewhere where others haven’t been, or haven’t arrived yet; we are fortunate to experience just such an occasion.

I certainly didn’t know that the national sport of Bhutan is archery, but we find this out on our way to Shana. Kencho spies a field as we drive along where an archery competition is in progress, he guesses two village teams competing against one another.

Fairly small targets are located at each end of the field, some 150 metres apart, and the archers are loosing their arrows the full length of the field. We wait for a break and quickly cross the field and find some seating. This is a serious sport, in fact it is considered a martial art in Bhutan, and as expected all the competitors are in national costume, with some taking their lives in their hands. The bows the archers use are sophisticated, modern, compound bows. A bit like bowls, the skip is directing operations very close to the target, giving instructions to his archers 150 metres distant.

IT LOOKS EVEN SMALLER FROM 150 METRES

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THAT GUY WILLIAM TELL, PERHAPS WE COULD TRY THAT?

A STUDY IN CONCENTRATION...

...THIS IS A SERIOUS SPORT

When an arrow finds the target, especially the bull, there is much whooping, high-fiving and dancing. Emotions can run high during competitions, and support for archers, and ridicule or distraction of opponents, can become violent; fortunately the competition we watch doesn’t get violent, but it certainly gets spirited, with much animation.

To complement the competition, food and entertainment is included; whilst watching the archers we are also entertained by a group of dancing girls, quite delightful. We spend a couple of hours or more in the warm sunshine, the only visitors at the event; I am enchanted by the whole experience.

THE ENCHANTING DANCERS ENTERTAIN US

Back in the van we continue our journey to Shana. It’s a beautiful day and we stop for lunch in the valley. Spread out before us is a quite bucolic scene, we could almost be in rural England at harvest time, but it’s Bhutan and the harvest is red rice, the staple rice of the Bhutanese. When milled some of the red husk remains and when cooked it retains a pale pink hue.

A BUCOLIC SCENE

THRESHING THE RICE

As gateway to Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Park, Shana is the start point for many groups, and necessarily a lot of horses. Initially we think it’s a joke, but no this appalling place is definitely where we will spend our first night under canvas. It appears that the site receives zero TLC, being strewn both with horse droppings as well as the detritus of many previous camping groups. To add to the general unpleasantness of the place we begin to understand one of the consequences of the Buddhist Bhutanese treating all living creatures as sacred, the place is overrun with many untouchable wild dogs, adding to the treacherous conditions underfoot.

THE APPALLING SHANA CAMPSITE

Our first night is spent mostly sleepless as between twenty to thirty wild dogs bark constantly throughout the night. Things look up a little when our marvellous cook magics up a feast of a breakfast. Wangchuck Dorji (it seems everyone in Bhutan is called Wangchuck, or Dorji, or both) is a consummate master in the kitchen tent and keeps us superbly well fed throughout our trek.

WAITING FOR THEIR LOAD, THEY KNOW THE ROUTINE

IT'S ALL UPHILL FROM HERE

Our first full day trekking consists of around eight hours of mainly hopping the large boulders that line the river, gaining altitude to around 3,000 metres and stopping for the night at the Thangthangka campsite. The route is heavily forested and as we are nearing the end of the season, the leaves are turning, producing a vivid range of colours from light yellow through to deep purple, reminding me of Scotland maybe or New England in the Fall.

BHUTAN, OR NEW ENGLAND IN THE FALL

FOLLOW THE LEADER

FIRST DAY ON THE TRAIL

THE RAGING PARO CHHU

At Thangthangka we get our first real site of Jomolhari, just the peak of the 7,150 metre giant glowing by the light of a full moon. Now if I thought the previous night was disturbed, it was nothing compared to our second night. The park is home to a wide range of wild animals, Bengal tigers and snow leopards amongst them. I’m not sure what makes the loud screeching noise in the early hours, but whatever it is sure spooks the twenty or so horses corralled at the edge of the campsite.

JOMOLHARI BY MOONLIGHT

Awoken by the screeching, all I can hear for the next half an hour is the thundering of horses hooves careering around the campsite as I lay in my sleeping bag, expecting at any moment the tent with Jerry and I in it to be trampled in the stampede.

I exit my sleeping bag and unzip the tent to see a hundred metres or so down the trail, a fire with flames shooting some twenty feet in the air. The horsemen from the various groups had lit the fire to prevent the horses fleeing back down the trail we had ascended the previous day. Gradually the horsemen regain control and round the horses up and calm returns; I cannot remember a scarier night.

This isn’t the end of unplanned events; I wake in the morning breathless and with my heart racing, I can barely pick up my kitbag, and ahead of us lies another tough day of trekking. Earlier in the year I had had a similar episode whilst out cycling, breathlessness, racing heart and feeling particularly fatigued, it seemed a bit of a “one-off”, but following this, and as a precaution before leaving for Bhutan, I had an echocardiogram and a 24 hour heart monitor, from which my GP gave me the “Good to Go”, albeit the echo noted a slightly dilated atria.

What I didn’t know was that this was the start of a heart arrhythmia, that would culminate in my having a stroke, fortunately not until I was back home in the UK. It still sends a shiver down my spine to think what would have happened had I had the stroke whilst out on the trek, far from any rescue or repatriation.

I discuss the situation with Lee and Jerry, as well as Kencho, and I decide to continue, comforted by the knowledge that the following day is a rest day at Jomolhari Base Camp; we agree that whatever happens we will stick together. Not long into the days walking, the going gets tougher and I am finding it very difficult, every little incline needing me to stop and calm my racing heart. 

One significant feature of our hike up this particular river valley is the ongoing installation of an overhead 11,000V electrical supply, heading somewhere up country. Every couple of hundred metres a pylon has been installed ready to take the new cable, and at the site of each pylon a scene of devastation as trees have been felled and left laying where they landed. This seems nothing short of vandalism, with absolutely no effort made to remove fallen trees or use them for any other purpose, they are just left to lie and rot where they have fallen. The effect on wildlife along the route will have been enormous, and I fail to square this in my mind given the Environmental Conservation pillar of GNH.

PYLONS & FELLED TREES

Hydropower development in Bhutan has been the cornerstone of India-Bhutan cooperation. The model consists of India supporting Bhutan in building hydropower projects, by providing finance, a mix of grants, loans and technical support to design and construct the projects. Bhutan not only gets electricity for its own use, but also exports the surplus power to India, earning much needed revenue and foreign exchange and giving India relatively cheap power. Hydropower exports contribute significantly to Bhutan’s GDP.

A recent influential report notes that the hydropower cooperation strategy is failing on a number of grounds, particularly with regard to its wide environmental impacts. While the scale of hydropower development was low in the earlier decades, the projects now are bigger and more in number. Case studies of six projects presented in the report note that major environmental impacts include, loss of forest lands and disturbance to wildlife habitat. This is certainly borne out by what we witness throughout our trek; to read more, click the link below.

Hydropower in Bhutan

The terrain is difficult, predominantly boulders, which under normal conditions are relatively easily hopped, but not today. Having stopped once again to calm my heart, we are passed by another train of pack-horses carrying electrical cable and other equipment needed for the electrical installation. Kencho negotiates with the lead horseman to see if they can get me a ride on one of the horses. In the end, the price demanded and the safety risk riding one of these lively stallions is deemed too high, and I continue to walk.

BOULDER HOPPING TRAIL 

PACK HORSES CARRYING OVERHEAD ELECTRICAL CABLE

THE TERRAIN EASES A LITTLE AS WE NEAR JOMOLHARI BASECAMP

As we eventually near our destination, I am cajoled, dragged and ultimately carried the final mile or so, oh! the ignominy of it all. However it is ultimately worth it as we reach one of the most spectacular locations I have ever visited, where we will camp for the next three nights. Tomorrow I will rest in camp whilst Lee & Jerry walk high, and camp low, the ideal acclimatisation for time spent at altitude.

EVEN MORE UNCOMFORTABLE THAN THE WALKING

Our overnight camps consist of two, two man tents, Jerry and I in one, as per usual, and the insomniac Lee having one to himself. We also have a dining tent and a kitchen tent where magic is performed by our cook Wangchuck Dorji, who believe it or not is just 40 years old, so from hereon out I will refer to him as WD40.

KITCHEN & DINING TENTS, SLEEPING TENTS TO THE REAR

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Each evening we have a three course meal, starting with lashings of hot soup, plenty of seconds, a main course consisting of meat, usually chicken or beef, roast potatoes and at least four vegetables, including the Bhutan national dish of chilli-cheese, or Ema Datshi. This consists of the hottest green chillies covered in melted cheese made from yaks milk, and designed to blow your brains out, or mine at least. Lee and Jerry cannot get enough of the chillies, but I have due regard for my stomach and pass on this delicacy. By the time we finish dinner it’s nearing half past eight, and time for bed, and so we manage to get a good ten hours each night, some of it even spent sleeping.

Breakfast alfresco, will also be a feast starting with tea and coffee, cereal, and then eggs, beans, eggy-bread and toast, a great way to start the day. WD40 is truly special and his culinary skills on a couple of rings surpasses anything I imagined we might find on this trip, and certainly makes up for one or two of the other shortcomings.

BREAKFAST AT BASE CAMP

Lee and Jerry leave me after breakfast, and I spend the day listening to music, reading and considering the meaning of life. I am reading one of the better sporting autobiographies I have read, The Battle by Paul O’Connell, Lions, Ireland and Munster rugby union captain. If you want to know what motivates elite sportsmen and women, look no further.

In this awe-inspiring amphitheatre, surrounded by majestic snow-clad Himalayan peaks, I sit in the warmth of the sun most of the day, and it gives me pause to reflect on just how truly blessed I am, my health and good fortune allowing me the privilege to visit such remote and inaccessible places.

My family back in Oakham feature significantly in my thoughts, as does my younger brother Philip who passed away earlier in the year from a brain tumour. Why him, why not me, who decided that? My emotions, great joy and at the same time deep sadness intermingle, amplified by Adele's melancholy ballads. I wash my eyeballs repeatedly, an unforgettable day.

RESTING AT BASECAMP

I am jolted from my reverie as a small, black clad group appear, passing through the campsite, en route higher ground up the trail. I recognise the man at the front as the Foreign Minister of Bhutan; I know this because we had seen the group the day before, and Kencho had pointed him out, and I had snapped a cheeky photograph.

DAMCHO DORJI, THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF BHUTAN (wearing cap)

I engage the Minister in conversation, and find that he is out on the hustings, preparing for a District election shortly. He asks how I am enjoying my time in Bhutan, I tell him very much indeed, but with one big reservation, the devastation caused by the electrical installation through the valley and beyond has upset me considerably. He agrees with me, but explains that the recipient of the electrical supply, the mountainous region of Lingzhi, further up the valley, has had to make do with solar power for some time and they need something more secure and resilient. He also explains that there is a tremendous health benefit, particularly for children from a clean power supply, as it will remove the need of individual households to burn wood and kerosene to cook and keep warm with all the associated smoke and fumes.

On his return, I ask Kencho the name of the Foreign Minister, and he tells me it’s Damcho Dorji. On my return to the UK I google Damcho Dorji and I find his Facebook page, it’s definitely him. I like his page and send him private message, saying how good it was to meet him, how much I enjoyed my time in Bhutan, and how we had discussed the electrical installation and the devastation of the forest it was causing.

Amazingly, within the hour I get a reply, he is pleasantly surprised I have found and contacted him, and he explains how, on his return to Timphu, he mentioned our conversation to the Prime Minister, and discussed the electrical installation, recognising that “something needs to be done”; I am just delighted I now have such influence on happiness in Bhutan.

Lee and Jerry have a good day gaining significant altitude, reaching nearly 5,000 metres, which should stand them in good stead for Bonte La pass, the highest point of the trek. We discuss our options and I decide I will not be able to complete the circuit as planned, and we agree to a second rest day for me at base camp. Lee & Jerry will hike up to Bonte La, but return and we will all return to Shana the same way we have ascended. I feel very guilty, but fortunately Lee & Jerry are very supportive.

The following morning we agree to meet up for lunch at Tshophu Lakes; Lee and Jerry will be returning from Bonte La, and the hike up to the lakes will give me a chance to see how I am feeling, which turns out to be no different to the very difficult day up to base camp. Terrain and altitude that would have previously caused me no problem at all, I find incredibly fatiguing, but we eventually make the lakes having ascended some 330 metres, this is as high as I reach on this trip. Kencho and I pose a little in front of the spectacular Jomolhari & Jitchu Drake peaks, taking some memorable photos.

POSING FOR HIS MANY FANS

JITCHU DRAKE I BELIEVE

WITH LEE & JERRY AT TSHOPHU

ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL TSHOPHU LAKES

On our return to our campsite, we witness a massive avalanche on Jomolhari. It’s far too far away to cause us any concern, but for the yaks it’s a big deal and a whole herd decides to head for lower pastures, rampaging through the campsite, but on the scariness scale, it doesn’t compare with our night at Thangthangka, and the stampeding horses.

OUR CAMPSITE BELOW

AVALANCHE ON JOMOLHARI

THE YAKS SEEK SAFER GROUND

Our final night at the enchanting Jomolhari basecamp, and we say farewell to the caretaker and his cheeky granddaughter, as she toys with our emotions.

So after two days comparative rest we commence our return back to Shana; we have one night half way down, and a final night outside Shana, fortunately, not the cesspit we camped on the first night. I feel relieved that I didn’t throw the towel in prior to reaching basecamp, it has given Lee & Jerry two excellent days hiking, and of course has allowed me time to recuperate a little.

MAKING OUR WAY BACK DOWN THE TRAIL

We find our intermediate camp, it’s been a camp for the teams installing the electrical supply, it’s at the junction of two pylon routes, and as a consequence it’s a veritable tip. It’s in a deep section of the valley, the sun disappearing behind the ridge before 4pm and not returning the following morning until after 9am, nearly 18 hours without any radiant warmth. It turns out to be the coldest night of the trip, with a heavy frost covering everything as we emerge from our tent in the morning.

I begin to feel a lot better however, as we re-trace our footsteps, the altitude becoming less demanding, albeit that it’s five and a half hours of unrelenting boulder hopping, steep inclines and then steep declines without let up. The roar of the river accompanies us all the time, as does the devastated forest. 

One final night under canvas and our last tasty breakfast served up by master-chef WD40. We say our farewells to all the team that have looked after us, all bar Kencho, who is our guide for the duration.

WD40 AND THE LAD DO THE WASHING-UP AFTER OUR LAST BREAKFAST

FAREWELL TO THE TEAM

So what to do with Jerry’s last day, well he hasn’t seen the Tiger’s Nest, so that’s what we’ll do, we’ll hike up the hill again, and yes, it’s as challenging as it was the first time. I have a strange conversation with an American couple, us on the way up, them on the way down.

Lady: Where are you from?

Me: From the bottom of the hill!

Man: Did you start out as a boy?

Me: No, it just feels like it!

Having descended from the Tiger’s Nest fairly quickly, we all drive to Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan. The following morning we say farewell to Jerry who will return to Sydney via Bangkok, he didn’t manage to get as long a pass as Lee and I. It’s a day of sightseeing, the two main attractions in Thimphu being The National Memorial Chorten, and The Giant Buddha Dordenma.

We visit the memorial chorten early in the day and young and old alike have arrived to do their daily devotions, as all good Bhutanese people do. Prayers are chanted as the devotees circle the chorten multiple times, always in a clockwise fashion. It’s a very peaceful start to our day.

THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL CHORTEN

MORNING DEVOTIONS...

...AROUND THE CHORTHEN

The Memorial Chorten was built by Queen Phuntsho Choden Wangchuck in memory of her son, the third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, who lived just 44 years. Kencho takes time out to light some butter lamps and say his daily prayers; he allows us to witness this sacred moment.

KENCHO LIGHTING BUTTER LAMPS

Our visit to the Giant Buddha Dordenma coincides with a large festival of reaffirmation, overseen by the Head Monk of Bhutan, and so we spend some time sitting and reflecting along with several hundred other people whilst monks hand out rice.

BHUTAN'S HEAD MONK

The massive statue is over 50 metres tall, making it one of the largest statues of Buddha anywhere in the world. It is made of bronze, gilded in gold and has 125,000 smaller Buddha statues placed inside, each similarly cast in bronze and gilded in gold; the throne on which the Buddha Dordenma sits, is a large meditation hall.

The Buddha Dordenma is located atop a hill and overlooks the southern entrance to Thimphu Valley. The statue fulfils an ancient prophecy dating back to the 8th century and is said to emanate an aura of peace and happiness to the entire world; there is no doubt you can see it from a long way off.

THE BUDDHA DORDENMA

From our location atop the hill on which the Buddha stands, we can see the whole of Thimphu sitting in the valley below us, a fine sight and by my reckoning not much bigger than Stamford, one major difference being the complete lack of traffic lights. Apparently they tried traffic lights for the whole of one day before deciding that traffic cops were more efficient, and that it would take far too long to educate drivers how to use them.

THIMPHU

Instead, in downtown Thimphu, they have traffic cops with a difference. Posted inside a sentry box, in the middle of the main intersection in town, they perform with the grace and precision of ballet dancers, directing the traffic. Whether the traffic actually takes much notice of them is a moot point, but for a visitor with a camera, it certainly makes for something unique.

Our final day in Thimphu starts with a visit to Cheri Goempa, a sort of finishing school for monks. Established in 1620, it is magnificently situated atop a hill about 15 kilometres outside Thimphu; it takes Lee and I the best part of an hour to scale the hill. The monastery is a retreat and a centre for teaching. It turns out that Kencho spent time here during his five years as a young monk. He meets some old acquaintances, and we share tea and yak’s cheese.

CHERI GOEMPA

TEA & YAK'S CHEESE WITH THE MONKS

In the afternoon Lee decides he needs some more walking and heads for the hills on the outskirts of Thimphu, I decide to do the city walk, which takes me less than an hour, and that includes many stops for photographs, and a second visit to the Memorial Chorten. I do find a very pleasant coffee shop, and the mocha is quite excellent. I am somewhat disappointed with Thimphu, it much dirtier than I had imagined with much refuse on the streets, as well as open drains. It does however feel very safe strolling around some of the back streets where I admire the architecture, some incredibly ornate buildings.

DOWNTOWN THIMPHU

Tonight Lee and I return to the nightclub we had visited the previous evening with Kencho, Mojo Park, and listen to a very good band; tomorrow morning we will leave for Punakha, the old capital.

It’s a long and uncomfortable ride in the Toyota Hiace, not a patch on the UAZ we travelled in, in Mongolia. Part of the road is metalled, but most of it is “under development”. The highlight of the journey is Dochu La Pass at 3,150 metres, over 10,000 feet and with a clear blue sky, the panorama of the eastern end of the Himalayas at the top is as stunning, as the monks are serene.

THE GRACE AND BEAUTY OF BHUTAN

We can see Jomolhari, Jitchu Drake, as well as Gangkar Puensum at the far eastern end of the range. Gangkar Puensum is the tallest mountain in Bhutan at 7,550 metres, and the tallest, unclimbed mountain anywhere in the world. If you read Levison Wood’s, Walking the Himalayas, you will know that Gangkar Puensum was his final objective before completing his walk.

The other significant landmark atop Dochu La are the Druk Wangyal Khang Zhang Chortens. These are red-band, or victory chortens, totalling 108 in all, and built under the patronage of the Queen Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk.

RED BAND (VICTORY) CHORTENS

They were built as a memorial in honour of the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed in the December 2003 war against Assamese insurgents from India. They mark the victory of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck who dislodged the rebels from a total of 30 camps in Bhutanese territory from where they were raiding the Indian territory of Assam; they were completed in mid June 2004.

The road descending from the pass continues to be “under development” most of the way to Punakha, and without beating about the bush, the whole project is a shambles. Undertaken by an Indian contractor, it is late and making the lives of villagers living along the road a complete misery. Mega dust, noise and sections without any semblance of road slow our progress, but we eventually find our hotel for the night, far up a hillside overlooking the valley of Punakha.

ORGANISED CHAOS ON THE THIMPHU TO PUNAKHA ROAD

We wake as the sun starts to rise, burning off the mist in the valley below. As it does the famous Punakha Dzong comes into view, located alongside the junction of the Pho (father) Chhu & Mo (mother) Chhu rivers. Punakha Dzong was built in 1693, and in 1907 was the site of the coronation of the first Dragon King. At that time, Punakha was the capital of Bhutan, and only three years later a treaty was signed at Punakha whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs, whilst Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.

After a modest breakfast we hike down the hill via a temple or two, meeting some more of Kencho’s former monk friends along the way at Talo monastery. We also pass more groupings of white prayer flags, specifically located to honour the souls of the dead. Once down in Punakha we visit the famous Dzong, and admire the unique structure of ornately carved and decorated wood. The Dzong now acts as the administrative centre for this region.

Completed in 2004, the Dzong has undergone complete restoration, courtesy of the Indian government, re-establishing it to its former glory. Notable images, statues and thangkas (Tibetan paintings on silk depicting Buddha) are displayed in the Dzong, including murals depicting the life story of Buddha. Large gilded statues of Buddha, Guru Rinpoche and Zhabdrung belonging to the mid 18th century can also be found here.

CLASSIC VIEW OF PUNAKHA DZONG

INTERNAL COURTYARD OF THE DZONG

LEE & KENCHO INSIDE PUNAKHA DZONG

Something a little different in the afternoon as we visit the monastery of Drukpa Kunley, a Tibetan lama, and a unique religious figure in Bhutan’s history. He became known as the Divine Madman, and was known for his unorthodox methods of enlightening other beings, mostly women by having sexual intercourse with them; he demonstrated that celibacy was not necessary for being enlightened. Born in 1455, he lived to the ripe old age of 79, so he must have been doing something right.

He is also credited with introducing the practice of phallus paintings on many buildings in Bhutan and placing statues of them on rooftops to drive away evil spirits. Because of this power to awaken unenlightened beings, Kunley's penis is referred to as the "Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom" and he himself is known as the "fertility saint”, with women from all around the world visiting his monastery to this day in search of fertility, or just a blessing.

DEFINITELY A THUNDERBOLT OF FLAMING WISDOM

I take a slightly different view, and consider the phallus decoration on a house rather like making another notch on the bedpost, or been there, done her, move on! Is there any better legacy for a man than to have his primary appendage sanctified in such graphic terms; I wonder what they will call mine when I’m gone?

TOO BIG TO FIT IN MY KITBAG UNFORTUNATELY

Our short time in Punakha comes to an end and we have to endure 4-5 hours return journey to Paro, with one final night before we return to Kathmandu; I manage to take some night shots of the beautifully lit Paro fort and museum.

PARO FORT WITH MUSEUM ABOVE

The following morning we say farewell to our excellent guide, and now friend Kencho. We wish him and his family well, and hope that he achieves his goal of becoming a lawyer. Given he is fully connected via social media, I promise to forward him a link to the photographs we have taken during our visit.

The take off out of Paro, this time on an Airbus jet aircraft, is sensational, and as smooth as a flat white in your favourite coffee shop. The return journey to Kathmandu, is just as stunning as the trip out, but this time as we come into land we get a better view of the districts surrounding the capital of Nepal.

PARO AIRPORT

FAREWELL TO PARO

I had wanted to spend a couple of days back in Kathmandu, my fourth visit to this engaging but utterly chaotic city. I wanted to see what progress was being made after the tragic earthquake of April 2015. I had done a bit through my Lions club to help in a very small way; Lions clubs all over the world had contributed to water sanitation equipment so necessary in the days immediately after such a catastrophe.

The city is recovering, but very slowly. Much debris lays where it fell, but encouragingly there was also much obvious repair and rebuilding work going on. It will just take such a long time for a poor country like Nepal to recover fully, if they ever do.

SOME PROGRESS IN KATHMANDU

BOUDANATH STUPA, WORK-IN-PROGRESS

Postscript (April 2017):

I arrived home mid-November and saw my GP a week later. The diagnosis of atrial flutter, a form of arrhythmia, was a surprise given my risk factors for such a condition were very low, the only significant one being, “over 65”, yes age sucks.

A bigger surprise still was to have a stroke shortly after in early December. Had I been overweight, a heavy smoker, a heavy drinker, or had there been a history of heart disease in my family, my risk of a stroke would have higher, and would have meant prescription of an anti-coagulant. The fact that nothing was prescribed still gives me pause for thought; I accept that the assessment by my GP was clinically correct, but why not prescribe anti-coagulant whatever the risk; just so fortunate it wasn’t really life changing. My consultant stated that the evidence of the post-stroke MRI, suggested that the effects of the stroke should have been much worse, and I had indeed been a lucky boy, maybe my low risk factors did ultimately save me. The stroke just affected my eyesight, but although the impairment is permanent, I am adjusting to it, and I satisfied the DVLA eyesight criteria and they are allowing me to drive again.

Looking back I have mixed emotions about my visit to Bhutan. Rightly or wrongly, I will always associate my stroke with this trip. Fortunately it hasn't been entirely life-changing, but it does feel like it was one of life's milestones, the end of a chapter, my last visit to the Himalayas. How do I know this, simples, the boys adventure 2017 is already booked and we're heading off to the Yorkshire Dales in September. Whernside, Penyghent and Ingleborough are not quite as dramatic as Jomolhari, Jitchu Drake or the Tiger's Nest, but I sense the culture will be equally alien.

Bhutan is a truly beautiful country, and the people extremely welcoming; the trekking is tough but rewarding, and you need to be prepared for the hardships of camping at altitude, rather than the relative comfort of a Nepalese teahouse.

I hope they are able to continue their development whilst retaining the focus on happiness. Whilst it will be a constant challenge, as a deeply spiritual Buddhist country where a significant proportion of the male population are monks at some time in their life, there will always be a strong counterbalance to the ills of 21st century life.

Allan Grey (Sherpa Al)

April 2017