The land-locked Shangri-La has a low literacy rate and a life expectancy of only 55 years. It is even listed as a failed state by a US economic agency, and yet Bhutan is #8 of the top 10 happiest nations on earth. (Well, I live in a country where her workers are among the happiest in the world despite the measly wages!) Buddhism is practically its state religion. Bhutanese, especially the elderly, are often seen walking the streets spinning their rattling prayer wheels and mumbling mantras that aim to turn them into “perfect, loving beings, free from delusions of attachment, anger and ignorance”!
THE PARO AIRPORT
A BUCKET-LIST DREAM
Bhutan has been on my bucket-list for years. And Eddie Jose, my "tukayo" (transl: "namesake") and a classmate in San Beda High School, has been inviting me since two years ago. Tukayo is a world-renowned Asian art conservator who has been helping this beautiful kingdom conserve its ancient religious paintings by training monks the skill.
The first invitation was for the coronation of its fifth king -- King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Had I gone, I would have witnessed a rare event of simple but regal proportions. But Druk Air was fully booked. I was left with only one option -- to take the 12-hour trip by land through northern India. But, I chickened out. A week later, I visited Eddie’s dad in Solidaridad. They own the famous bookstore. F. Sionil Jose, a national artist, -- I still hesitate to call him Tito Frankie because of his stature -- said that I should have taken that route. It is the most scenic route to Bhutan, he claimed. He was there when the highway was inaugurated in the sixties. (He knew the previous king personally.) But with age, prudence kept in check my thirst for adventure; whereas, my tukayo's appetite for risk and adventure remained insatiable.
And he persisted. This time, he also asked my wife to join me on the trip. We were to witness the unfurling of a huge 245-year-old but well-preserved silk prayer flag (thangka) in a mountain monastery. (Thangkas are a combination of painting, applique and embroidery of Buddhist deities that are sometimes three-storeys high; such huge thangkas are more correctly called lhadhars.) We were to climb Phajoding which was 3,700 meters above sea level. We booked months before and we prepared ourselves physically and financially. My tukayo who had been frequenting Bhutan since 1990 advised us to train our hearts to pump at 120 beats per minute. Joy took it seriously as she started joining more marathons. And I had my ample share of exercise as I chased her for photos!
PATIENT'S PATIENCE
And so the plane landed safely. We walked down the tarmac and saw a spruced-up terminal. There was a huge poster with photos of the five kings Bhutan has had. Below their faces was an emblazoned welcome to delegates of the South Asian Regional Conference (SARC). The red carpet was still neatly laid out while men and women in their colorful traditional garb were all over the place waiting for the foreign dignitaries. I learned later that the conference ended the day before we arrived and that the guests were going to be sent off. They were taking the same plane we just took.
The cool breeze and the clean air were the most welcomed treat. I was comfortable with my long sleeved shirt, my argyle cardigan and jeans. Because of Joy’s intolerance to cold she insulated herself with four layers of clothing. We went in and queued for our visa with all the other passengers. Visa gets approved on arrival. One just had to show some documents proving payment of required dues. It was an unusual procedure for us and caused some anxiety but the cool pure air kept us patient. Sonam Drugyel, our tour guide, was waiting outside with Hiroko Sakurai, another art conservator working with Tukayo. And as promised by Tukayo, his gas-guzzling Hummer with the iconic paintings of the Druk (dragon) and the famous Tiger's nest (Thaktsang monastery) on its sides was there for our use. And, after our first quick Bhutanese meal at the town of Paro, we immediately headed for our first simple trek up the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong. Joy and I were ready for it, we thought. But as we went up the small hill, we were gasping for air. And by this time, Joy had reduced her layers to two. We decided to take it easy for the first few days in Thimphu, the capital, to acclimatize and prepare for the climb to Phajoding and the unfurling of the huge thangka.
INDIANA JONES AND BRAD PITT
And, the Bhutanese looked elegant in their gho and kira. In the tradition of August Sander and Henri Cartier-Bresson, I captured them with an old reliable technology -- film cameras using color and black and white films. The Bhutanese were accommodating but I made it a point to ask permission first. My only way of thanking is by offering to send them copies of their photos.
Tukayo has already made many friends in the country. We were introduced to them and were given the chance to visit their homes and had a taste of traditional Bhutanese hospitality and their food. Hospitality is very warm and the food very hot! They used chili as vegetables! I often joked that they seem to have five basic "food groups”: cheese, potato, butter, milk and chili!!! It was tough for a while but with the cold weather it became an easily acquired taste. And, we also rubbed elbows with some of its rulers who had become Eddie’s friends. We taught the monks qi gong (Chinese meditation exercises) and treated them and their friends with acupuncture. And we made good Bhutanese friends who still correspond with us on facebook. And I took hundreds of pictures and consumed over 20 rolls of film.
It has been over a month since we came back and we still suffer from what a friend called a “Bhutan high”. One evening, while lying in bed and with eyes looking through the ceiling, my wife asked how we would describe the trip to Bhutan. My devoutly Catholic wife calls it a spiritual pilgrimage. It was definitely the adventure of this lifetime. I would not mind having it on the next!
and if you have not had enough, here is another one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmGy7qcDwQU
