BHUTAN: HAPPINESS IS A PLACE!

BHUTAN           

                                                                --- LAND OF MYSTICAL MUSIC

                                                 
   

WHERE THE FIELDS LAY GREEN,
AND THE WIND BLOWS CLEAN.

WHERE NO BOUNDARIES EXIST,
LIFE TASTES, FREEDOM OF THE SPIRIT.

WHERE GENTLE GOLDEN LIGHTS CAST,
FOR EVERY SOUL SAILS IN LOVE'S RAFT.

MIND LIES WHERE THE HEART IS,
AND THE HEART IS DRENCHED IN ECSTATIC BLISS.

That to me was Bhutan, a story which cannot be expressed but only felt by the heart. a mysterious yet calm region where the ambrosia of heaven is tasted by souls.
The terrains of these valleys have a story to tell, whisper to you if you listen well.
Board the train as is it ready for departure!

It was on the eve of vacations in the city of joy that our school had planned a trip the distant land of Bhutan. seventy students accompanied seven teachers on this much awaited trip.Though we were not a coed institution, we found out that our neighboring girls school had the same trip on their cards and most of us had decent networks!



DAY 1 & 2 - TRAVELLING AND DOCUMENT VERIFICATION.
Nevertheless, we boarded the Garib rath express to new alipurdwar, to phuentsholing  where we would be halting for the verification process.
Train journeys on school trips is the most bragged about incident in our school simply because neither do we sleep nor let others do.

Volvo buses picked us up from the railway station and we headed towards pheuntsholing where the entire evening was spent , shopping on the city streets and tasting the delicacies they had to offer.(though we had our cook team with us !)

Me being an enthusiastic traveler,slipped away from my hotel room and visited Zangto Pelri Lhakhang, ( home to the exact replica of Guru Rinpoche,. Statues of Bodhisattva's, paintings of Lord Buddha and statues of Avalokiteshvara are a few artistic feats to cherish).
 

WAY TO PHUENTSHOLING! 

DAY 3 - THIMPHU SIGHTSEEING.

We progressed on our journey early morning after breakfast to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.

the drive is generally for 5 hours, so we reached this city at lunchtime with high energy levels ready to have a power packed lunch and conquer this city!

While arriving at this city, a monastery met our eyes to which we greeted with our visit. The Taschechho Dzong.
It has a beautiful offset of colors, with wooden flooring and majestic walls which make the visit worth.

Post lunch we toured several other sights of which the national handicraft museum was a notable place to visit.
Throughout the journey we kept playing weird yet amusing games and we had almost forgotten to click notable pictures of this place since its mesmerizing beauty engulfed us in a dramatic manner.

DAY 4 - PARO CALLING

Waking up with the rising sun to find out that we were to leave for Paro in about an hour. We were all hurriedly packing our luggage since we knew this is going to be our last destination for the trip and we couldn't afford to waste any time, since the quest for relishing the moments of a lifetime was at stake. 
The last year at school and then spending time with friends in the Land of Dragons was the most exciting and exhilarating thing on the globe.


This had to be the most fascinating trip of our lives as I had this gut feeling that something special was about to unfold as it eventually  did.

We payed homage to Paro Taktsang,which  is a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and the temple complex ,located in the cliff side of the upper Paro valley. 
You need to be physically and mentally fit in order to traverse the uphill route to the temple, though there was service of horsemen but the spirit of trekking overpowered us and it was a splendid journey which reverberates in my mind each time  I head for Himalayan treks during the year.

On the  educational forefront , we visited the national Bhutan museum to expand our horizons of knowledge of cultures of these Tibetan people and also got to know about the practices & traditions followed by Tibetan monks. 

We then had a jungle safari coming up the next day so later that day we celebrated since it was the last night of our trip.......(never ever give a second thought of sleep on a trip  like this).




We were leaving behind a trail of broken hearts but carrying with us some cherished memories to savor.  That pulls down the curtain this time but life assures me of something bigger, better & epic next time.

---------BHUTAN DIARY CLOSES--------

PS- The actual trip lasted for 8-9 days including the days of travel but in a world where time is limited resource, the documentary has been served with utmost care & all exotic experiences have been delivered.