Ross Mackenzie heads to the eastern end of the Himalayas to
visit the real Shangri La
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“Not much further now."
Sonam was always encouraging.
"Just keep going.”
We were slowly climbing through the trees towards the
Taktshang Goemba, the Tiger’s Nest.
Every few minutes we got a tantalising glimpse of the glistening white
temple clinging to a sheer cliff-face high above.
The Taktshang monastery is over 10,000 feet above sea level
at the eastern end of the Himalayas in the isolated Kingdom of Bhutan. While Nepal was becoming a standard fixture
on the 1960s hippy trail around the Indian sub-continent, Bhutan remain aloof. For many years it was impossible to get permission
to visit Bhutan, and even now tourism is tightly controlled. Bhutan still isn’t open to independent
travellers, but does now welcome small groups of tourists provided they are
looked after by a local guide.
Our escort was Sonam.
A quiet softly-spoken young man from the Trashigang District at the
eastern end of Bhutan, always keen that we understood both the history of
Bhutan and what it means to live in a Buddhist country. His patience in retelling stories about each
temple was endless, and when he spotted the bird guidebook we were carrying his
eyes lit up and after that he came to life whenever there was an unusual bird
to point out to us.
Like almost every tourist visiting Bhutan we arrived on Druk
Air – the only airline regularly flying into the country. Other airlines keep away from a final
approach that weaves through steep wooded slopes to the short high-altitude
runway at Paro, perhaps not quite believing the assurance in the in-flight
magazine that the ‘mountains aren’t as close as they appear’.
Bhutan’s self-enforced isolation has allowed it to retain
customs and traditions found in few other countries. It is the last of the Asian Buddhist
kingdoms, but even here there is some change.
Ten years ago the country was still ruled by an absolute, if benign,
monarch. It is now a constitutional
monarchy, albeit one still adhering to Buddhist principles. Every new government policy is examined in
terms of how it will improve the Gross National Happiness of the people.
The isolation has also ensured the development of
characteristic architecture, the retention of archery as the national sport,
and perhaps most surprisingly the presence of chili as a key element of the
Bhutanese diet. The signature dish on most menus is the innocuous-looking ema
datse, a cheese sauce hiding a very generous helping of chili peppers.
The most obvious landmarks in Bhutan are the dzongs which
stand over the fields in the lush green valleys. The fortress-like dzongs with their orange
and white walls, high wood-roofed watch-towers and enclosed courtyards are both
monasteries and office buildings. And
outside every office you’ll see men in their traditional knee-length checkered
gho with, on formal occasions, a pale sash slung over the left shoulder – the
Bhutanese ‘jacket and tie’.
Any trip to Bhutan is going to include numerous visits to
monasteries and at least a little bit of trekking. For many visitors the high
point of their stay is combining the two by climbing to the Tiger’s Nest,
Bhutan's ‘must-do’ attraction. In most
countries this would guarantee hoards of people and souvenir sellers. Not in
Bhutan. The trek up to Bhutan’s
‘must-do’ site is carefully protected – requiring locals to wear national dress
when they visit.
In legend, privileged visitors get to soar to the monastery
on the back of a flying tiger. We, like
most others, needed to struggle up the path from the valley.
Just ten minutes from the start, a gap in the trees gives us
our first encouragement in a glimpse of the brightly sun-lit temple nearly 2000
feet above. And back along the valley
below a checker-board of farms, houses, temples and of course dzongs.
Along the pathway I was thankful to find rest-stops offering
soft drinks and Bhutanese tea, and yet more grateful to meet an old man
immaculately dressed in an orange gho proffering a walking stick to help me
carry on up through the increasingly thin air.
Further along the path, prayer wheels appear festooned with
strings of red, yellow, green, white and blue prayer flags. These provide prayer stops to let the
faithful to ask for help in completing the climb, and give the gasping tourist
another perfect excuse to rest and take photographs.
Finally, after a little more encouragement from Sonam, we
reached a rocky outcrop providing an eye-level view across to the monastery
clinging improbably onto the rock, in legend attached to the cliff-face by the
hairs of angels. A rainbow of prayer
flags shaded the steps down into a deep chasm, holding a sparkling waterfall
and the peaceful Snow Lion Cave – still used as a meditation retreat – before
we climbed to the gates into the welcome shade of the monastery.
The red-clad monks welcomed us into the complex, each ready to tell us the story of the
monastery and the people who’ve lived here over its 400-years. The buildings guard the entry to a cluster of
sacred caves and grottos in the cliff face each dedicated to a famous figure or
story in Bhutanese mythology. Away from
the caves, we spend a peaceful few minutes listening to the winds whistling
through the balconies of the monastery with the soft chants of the monks in the
background, before retracing our steps back past the still-spinning prayer
wheels towards the valley floor.
Our visit to the Taktshang Goemba, like most other
experiences in Bhutan, has improved our Gross Happiness and we’ve earned a dish
of ema datse, and maybe a bottle or two of Red Panda, Bhutan’s local beer.
Is Bhutan really Shangri-La?
There are lots of hidden valleys tucked away in the Himalayas claiming
the Shangri-La tag. For me the grandeur
of the Bhutanese landscape and the welcoming generosity of the Bhutanese people
make it a very strong contender.
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Ross travelled to Bhutan with
Cox and King's, flying from
London to Kathmandu via Delhi with Jet Airways, and to Paro with Druk Air. The local ground arrangements were provided
by
Blue Poppy Bhutan, and the itinerary included Thimphu, Paro, Trongsa,
Punakha and the Bumthang Valley.
