Air, Landier, and Sea

Our first few days in Bhutan have been absolutely incredible!

First of all, the country is closed to tourists. Since our group was able to pull some strings, we are pretty much the only outsiders in Bhutan.

They were so excited for us to come that they made us a cake to have on the plane

In order to fly into Bhutan, you must come in in a plane from Nepal or China. We thought this was a little strange, until the landing.

In order to land on the runway, the pilot must turn around a mountain and then quickly turn back to center to stick the runway landing. It was quite impressive (we all applauded).

The airport was also impressive. It is quite beautifully decorated, from the facade all the way to the luggage carousels. It was also really interesting to be the only ones in the airport.

When we arrived, we had to do government PCR tests. This was the moment everyone was quite nervous for. Since it took a while for the results to come in, we all got shuttled to the hotel and did a group “quarantine”.

The hotel is absolutely tranquil and stunningly beautiful.

Since we were “quarantined” all of our activities were at the hotel for the day. So we got to partake in Bhutan’s national sport, archery!

They gave us a brief tutorial and informed us that those who hit the target would get a prize. You won’t be surprised to know that Bryce and I took the competition seriously. Bryce hit the target twice, and despite hours of practice, I didn’t. Since this isn’t horseshoes, our instructor informed me “Unfortunately, you get nothing for coming close.”

We also played lawn darts, which once again, I got very close to hitting the target, and Bryce got a bullseye.

A fun tradition they have in Bhutan (which we would just call bragging in the States) is they dance whenever anyone hits the target. Everyone was allowed to participate in the dance, even if it wasn’t “their dance”.

So to add insult to injury, Bryce got two dances for archery and a special dance for the bullseye in lawn darts. So I got to watch him dance around in the field while I practiced coming close.

It was actually a blast to watch Bryce dance around with the Bhutanese, and despite my lack of aiming skills, I did improve quite a bit during our time shooting. It was so much fun and a great way to start off our time in Bhutan.

We, once again, are very grateful to have passed our final PCR test of the trip, and now can enjoy everything Bhutan has to offer outside of the hotel.

The next morning we had the option to do 7 AM yoga, which we politely declined, opting for the extra sleep instead. Since we are so high in elevation, I also want to be careful with not over-exerting (Bryce agrees). Plus, we have to save up our energy for the big hike to Tiger’s Nest in the next few days.

Today we took a tour of Thimphu. We visited a monastery where we saw “monklets” learning to play the horn.

In Bhutan, being a Buddhist nun or monk is a huge honor. While some choose this as their career, others are selected by their families to enter monastic life at very early ages (like the monk who spoke to us last night was not even 2 years old).

The monastery serves as a school and a place of worship.

We then headed to the Stupa, which was constructed in honor of the third king of Bhutan (they’re currently on their fifth king).

At the Stupa, Buddhists are seen walking around the structure clockwise, while praying. Some use prayer beads and others just walk. They walk around it 108 times, which is kind of the “perfect” number in Buddhist culture. According to our guide, it symbolizes a lot of things, like the 108 bones in the body.

There is also a prayer room where we were allowed to light candles. Like everything in Bhutan, it was very beautiful. Also, like Bhutan, the room was quite hot.

We were told to expect a high of 55 Fahrenheit, which is why our attire doesn’t exactly match the 80 degree weather at high elevation.

After our visit to the Stupa, we went to see the giant Buddha statue.

The statue is made of bronze and is 169 feet tall. At the base of the Buddha is a temple. No pictures were allowed, but it was highly ornate, with gold wall coverings and many smaller buddhas inside.

This statue is of the present Buddha. Buddhists believe in three Buddhas- past, present, and future.

You can tell which one you’re looking at based on the hand position. Buddha of the past has prayer hands, present Buddha has one hand over the right knee, and future Buddha has hands with thumbs touching the index finger (like the “okay” sign).

While each place was beautiful and very serene, it was a rather quick tour around the city. We finished with lunch at a local restaurant, where we got to enjoy traditional Bhutanese food, including dumplings, fried cheese, and fried eggs. They even make dumplings with buckwheat, so they’re naturally gluten free.

Our night ended with members of the royal family visiting.

We learned that Bhutan is the only country in the world without a stop light. Also, they’re the only country in the world with all virgin mountains, meaning they haven’t been rock climbed.

Bhutan’s focus is on Gross National Happiness, rather than Gross Domestic Product. They have an extremely low suicide rate and don’t have a homeless population at all.

In order to achieve this, the focus good governance, sustainable socioeconomic development, preservation and promotion of culture, and environmental conservation.

30% of Bhutan’s economy is hydroelectric power. Bhutan has focused on hydroelectric power and the importance of renewable energy since the 1970’s.

While tourism is also focus of their economy, they only allow a certain amount of tourists per year and there’s a daily fee for tourists as well.

The idea behind this is that it not only stimulates their economy but as a country of 700,000 they want to ensure they aren’t the minority in their own country. By allowing too many tourists, who could outnumber the locals, it works against the idea of preserving their culture.

It was extremely fascinating to learn about this beautiful, happy, mindful country.

We are continuing to enjoy the wonder and serenity that Bhutan has to offer.