The Travel Connection

If ever Alfred Hitchcock made " The birds" in Bhutan, he would have to use Oriental Turtle Doves. Not that there is anything scary about them, but the peace mascots are out there at every nook and corner. Giving them company are the sparrows and pigeons.We never spotted the handsome cousin of the crow, the raven which is  the national bird. But Bhutan is indeed a birder's paradise. Oriental Turtle Dove Sparrows at Dochula Pass Like the golden fish which is one of the eight auspicious symbols, we decided to fearlessly migrate from Thimphu without danger of drowning in the ocean of suffering . Just as a fish that swims freely and spontaneously through the water, we embarked  onto Punakha. To make it even more memorable and spiritual ,Sangay our driver promised us a well deserved massage. This is what i call life. Yes, We got what we deserved! We were whacked,thumped,knocked,smashed,jolted,smacked,rapped,walloped in the Toyota Hiace or was is it o...

Bhutan is as rustic as one can get. It's conscious decision to isolate as much as possible has made it a  Shangri La. The willingness to continue its traditions not just when it comes to religious festivals, customs, food but also  the national dress Kira,the Gho and architecture makes it a "not to miss" country. But it was the mythical stories that made it exotic. On our itinerary were the other popular attractions in Thimphu. One of them was the King's chorten. The memorial chorten in Tibetan  style is a hot spot for the elderly of Thimphu.Look closely at the some of the deities and you will find some interesting figures. After a quick pit stop at the stupa, we checked out the National textile museum.It had some amazing antique and contemporary pieces on display. The short video leads you to  appreciate the effort that goes into the art of weaving  or as it called " Thag - zo". Weaving is the most popular craft among Bhutanese women a...

Thimphu is a bustling capital city with 5 storey buildings packed like sardines. It is the rolling mountains beyond the building line that makes it different. The first thing I noticed as we drove in was the multiple car showrooms right from Toyota, Hyundai to Maruti and many others and cars of all sizes on the road.  The second thing that was pointed out to us by Tintin was that Thimphu is a signal free city. My immediate reaction was to admiringly assume Bhutanese were disciplined enough to follow rules without traffic lights. But then we came across a junction manned by a police man. Till date, license plates have never caught my interest. Bhutan changed it. I was drawn to the private vehicles with red license plate immediately. The number has prefix of "BP". Taxis are yellow in color with "BT" written on them. The diplomatic vehicles are green/blue with "CD". Royal Bhutan police have  blue license plate with RBP...

The short flight from Bagdogra to Paro on the wings of the Dragon was the first time I sat back and started to look at Bhutan closely. This was one of those holidays which was quickly put together and left me little time to explore Bhutan on paper. As I flipped through the pages of the on board magazine, my excitement perked up as i read the following titles. A birding paradise that is Bhutan The bottom line is happiness Where prayers are in the air 84000: Translating the words of Buddha Klu- The powerful mythical serpent being The sustainable relationship to the planet How could I not but think " Tashi Delek (May all auspicious signs come to this environment)" and help myself to it to further reading later. Yes, guilty as charged! Here I was on the way to a honorable country and I do the dishonorable deed. As one of the eight Tashi Dagay (auspicious symbols), Dhunkar (white conch) was already in play and expelling a tiny bit of ignorance at a time. Mam/sir, ...

KING'S GUARD   Ceremonial Soldier at Tashichho Dzong , Thimphu AT YOUR FEET, LORD Humbly yours at Tashichho Dzong , Thimphu SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY The curious Bhutanese Gentleman at Memorial Chorten, Thimphu   CIRCLE OF LIFE Protected by 108 stupas at Dochula Pass THUNDERING DRAGON Tame the evil at Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong SCREEN THY MYTH   Protect thee at the Palace of great happiness, Punakha   PROSPECT   Three dimensional at the Fortress, Punakha       FORTRESS OF BLISS   Overlooking Punakha Dzong   ECHO THE GREEN Valleys of Punakha and Wangduephodrang       WAIT   Line at Paro Dzong     FOGGY DISPOSITION, NO PROBLEM   Pass the Dochula Pass NO NONSENSE   Respect ! Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup nunnery VEIL Haze over Taktsang Monastery and an invisible cloak on o...