BHUTAN – ABODE OF THE GODS
The Kingdom of Bhutan opened its doors to tourists in the early 1970s. More than five decades later, Bhutan is still a luxurious attraction and hailed as one amongst the world’s best and last remaining authentic travel destinations. The government’s ‘high value – low volume’ policy to regulate the inflow of visitors has had a positive impact, especially so, because Bhutan is a country deeply rooted in tradition and spirituality. For all its worth, the policy has managed to preserve the Bhutanese way of life. So, if you are visiting Bhutan anytime soon, or planning to, consider yourself privileged for you’ll be bound on an adventure that you will long remember and an experience you won’t likely forget. We at Orog will tell you why.
Firstly, Bhutan may have opened its doors to the world but its customs, mythologies, legends, pace of life, traditions and spirituality are still very much part of daily life. There is this force all around the kingdom that is addictive, that ruffles your certainties. It is a kingdom that gives a whole new meaning to soul and mystique – where every new day dawns with a fresh beginning, with its own significance.
You could be fooled into believing that the magnificence of the country is what makes it so appealingly mysterious. Much of the kingdom is uninhabited and little of its mystery and secrets have reached curious ears.Fluttering prayer flags and monasteries standing alone in the vastness, forests of oak, walnut and pine against the backdrop of brilliant white peaks, gives the country a postcard appeal.The Bhutanese landscape is invigoratingly beautiful. And that’s not all; the air is pure and sweet.
Anyone who’s travelled to Bhutan will tell you that the kingdom is covered by valleys – each with its own story to tell. To the south, the temperature is tropical and laden with paddy fields and exotic fruits and animals, the majestic mountains have histories and battles of their own to reveal in the north, the east is soaked in mythologies, cultures and customs that can be found nowhere else – while the cobalt blue sky above, touched by the spiritual Himalayan winds, illuminates the entire kingdom and sweeps away all negativity.
The people are proud, hard-working, and hospitable and will go out of their way to make you feel at home. They speak softly with extreme courtesy. This is perhaps because they share their valleys with thousands of spirits and deities. Indeed, the Bhutanese are people full of revelations and surprises.
Even for their formality in manner and dress, or their penchant for alcohol in every gathering, the Bhutanese are quick to laugh. Here, one must remember that the Bhutanese – isolated from the outside world for a long time – have evolved at their own time and in their own way, but with a strong sense of independence. Therefore, it is a land of manners, compassion and respect for elders where life is not as complicated as it is elsewhere. It is, today, still, a land of excellent archers, nomadic yak herders, and ancient Buddhist practices.
Be it a cultural tour or a tough trek, you will see and experience the majestic dzongs sitting among the clouds atop the valleys. You will be greeted with wooden phalluses adorning Bhutanese farmhouses. To step into a fortress or a farmhouse is to go back 400 years in time to a world of enchantment and raw power. And once you do so, you will understand that the bigger world is, in fact, really small and insignificant.
Like all Buddhists, the Bhutanese too believe that life is impermanent. And all you need to get by is not money but happiness and a sense of bonding – with each other and the guardian deities. If you do come, just bring along your smile and curiosity. The rest, like the teachings of the Buddha, will just unfold itself.