"Watch out for the tigers," the farmer quietly warned me as I trekked out alone from his sturdy wooden home. The rising sun barely gave an orange nod from a Himalayan snow cap across the way. With camera in hand and a nervous watchful eye, I walked through the tiny farming community and out across the yellow pastures and barley fields of the narrow Phobjikha Valley, elevation 9800 feet. "Don't be nervous", I mumbled to myself. " "The tigers want chickens for breakfast, not me!"
I had slept little during the night, preferring instead to reminisce about the wonderful evening that had just past. Sitting on the floor around a small wood-burning stove, with only candle light to shadow dance amongst the several surrounding family members, we ate simply, and laughed heartily, all the while sipping a home-made brew that burned a hole in my throat. This overnight stay with a local family was the highlight of a two-week exploratory journey across the breadth of Bhutan, a country with such quiet and staggering beauty, that it is hard to imagine such a place still exists.
I wrote those entry words at the end of my last trip to Bhutan, April 2011. With eleven adventuresome travelers in tow, I am on yet another expedition to this tiny Himalayan kingdom (pop. 690,000), land-locked between India and Tibet.
Bhutan only permits about 27,000 visitors a year. Modern development did not begin in Bhutan until 1961, and, although Bhutan has made remarkable achievements in the past few decades, there are still few roads in this steeply mountainous and forested land, and, like the remote village I had visited, little or no electricity exists in a great deal of the country. There may now be one traffic light, but in what other country are there only solar cell phone towers, and archery the national sport!
Bhutanese live in harmony with nature, protecting all aspects of their rich biodiversity. Bhutan's eco-systems support exotic species of birds, rhododendron, medical plants, orchids, and wildlife. The high slopes of the Himalayas are considered sacred and are therefore rarely touched by a human foot. Even the trout in the many rushing rivers are sacred. I found profound peace while traveling across this land, and was deeply moved by the inherent spirituality of Buddhism.
For the inquisitive traveler, Bhutan is a treasure of pristine beauty, gracious and friendly hosts, and spectacular ancient forts, monasteries, and stupas. So come along with us vicariously as we embark on a unique and adventuresome expedition to this remote, mysterious, and exhilarating Land of the Thunder Dragon.
September 20-23: New York to Delhi to Bhutan:
I have seated aft of many a crazy taxi driver, but the man taking me from the Delhi Airport to the Imperial Hotel downtown Delhi tops them all. Granted it was 4:00 A.M. and there was hardly a human or tuk tuk along the route, but careening around corners on two wheels at I-don't-want-to-know speeds, causing my liver and stomach to become entangled, was not my idea of a "welcome" to Delhi situation. On top of this, my well-traveled fanny, which had fallen into a rather used and cracked leather seat, felt as though it were literally dragging on the potted pavement. Seat belts? What seat belts work in Asia! Traffic lights and stop signs? They were only there to add color to the otherwise tropically green route. Add to this first-time entry into India an Israeli-style security check at the Imperial Hotel. But then again, remember the Mombai Hotel bombing? Settle down, insides, you'll be fine.
And fine I was, once inside this oasis of complete luxury. Completed in 1936, this stylish Victorian Colonial is truly magnificent. Marble floors polished to equal the brilliance of the sun, with more than four thousand 20th C. prints, lithographs and paintings adorning the interiors to depict the Golden Era of India; with high, magnificently decorated ceilings, white marble pillars, and interior designs to emanate harmony and peace, my weary mind and body began to gracefully exhale. Should you ever have the occasion to come to Delhi, do splurge for a night or two and luxuriate in this old-world palace of splendor.