Final Transit
.Priyank’s notes from the road…
Wangdue Dzong
A young monk drying his robes inside the Wangdue Monastery, Bhutan. Built in 17th century on a strategic location commanding a view of the large valley, this monastery houses a number of government offices, school and even residence for young monks.
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If you had only one place to visit in Bhutan, this would be the one.
A shrine on the way
About 20 minutes of uphill track after the first pit stop, we came across this shrine. The path, as you can see, took a sharp turn and I was beginning to wonder where it was going. There is a natural water stream at this point and the water tastes something very different. I drank the water, bowed before the deity here and started walking on the blind turn…
Taktsang Lakhang
….woohhww.. there it was! The Tigers Lair, right in front, slightly below where I was! It appears suddenly before you and I stood there, stupefied, admiring its beauty.
From this point, the actual approach to the monastery is a treacherous walk that could take 20-45 minutes depending on how scared you are of heights. The narrow path kisses the mountain’s rock face as it turns sharp left, dipping slightly from the point where I am standing, to sharp right, finally climbing towards the monastery. All through the path, you can see the monastery – its right there in front of you, you feel like touching it, but you can’t! Not before you complete what a local called, “the final task”.
Tiger’s nest monastery, isn’t it beautiful?
One needs a special ‘Monastery’ permit from the Ministry of Culture to visit this temple. You’ll have to deposit absolutely everything at the front gate. We reached the monastery 45 minutes before it closed and the monks had locked several rooms already, but he was kind enough to open the doors for us. The Guru Lhakhang has a central image which is one of the manifestations of Guru Rinpoche, the guru who brought Buddhism to Tibet and Bhutan. A level below is the Dubkhang cave, where the guru Rinpoche meditated. Several murals decorate the walls.
Views from the monastery, as you would expect, are spectacular. The air is filled with soft chanting of mantras and the mild smell of incense. It is very likely that you’ll stand there looking at the valley, doing nothing for a bit, and the next thing you know is the monk tapping on your shoulder saying that its been 10 minutes.
I like the musical aspect of chanting mantras in Hindu / Buddhist traditions. Usually a male guru’s voice acts as the drone, with his voice fixed at lower octave, while his disciples sing an octave higher, creating a very fulfilling feeling.
Taksang Lakhang
I really wanted to stay here forever, or for a long time atleast. Unfortunately it was close to sunset, and since we were on our own, it was imperative to return before dark. The ascent can get very confusing at night.
They say that one must visit the Taktsang Lhakhang atleast once in their lives. It’s the holiest of the holy places in Bhutan. I’m glad, fortunate, lucky, blessed, etc. for having visited this temple.
Praying before the mighty Gurus
That ended my travel of Bhutan, what a fantastic way to end this magical tour! I exit the country in my next, concluding post. (I know I have to start writing about Russia soon!)
« Previous post: Climax of my Bhutan trip
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This is a guest post by Anil from foXnoMad
A Tour of the City
Priyank and I could have been walking around Manila side-by-side and he hit many of the major points that you shouldn’t miss if you’re planning a trip there. Taking a tour of the city is one of the best ways to capture the high points, especially if you have limited time. Manila isn’t the easiest city to navigate on your own and tours within the city are cheap and informative. Also, aside from some mild requests, you won’t be hit up to purchase extras or souvenirs excessively, an annoying aspect I’ve encountered in many other cities in the region.
Fort Santiago
Located inside Intramuros, this former Spanish fort built in the late 1500s has a backdrop of a modern city behind it and is one of the many instances where old meets new in the city. One of the views overlooking the walls is that of a pristine golf course right next door that seems out of place.
St. Agustin Church
As I mentioned last week, religion is prominent in Manila and there is a strong Catholic influence that permeates everything there. There are several churches worth seeing and discovering in Manila and St. Agustin Church is certainly a must. Generally free to the public, make sure you are dressed appropriately.
Balut
One of the Philippine delicacies that Priyank missed out on in his post about Manila was balut. While halo-halo is a refreshing a sweet desert, balut is an adventure that most don’t brave in Manila. (I missed my chance, but won’t the next time I’m there.) Balut is the fertilized egg of a duck that is eaten straight from the shell. This food you can find from street vendors isn’t for the faint of heart…or stomach. You can try your eyes first.
Variety and…Contrast
Manila is an eclectic city and only one stop you should make if you have time in the Philippines. Manila is a great city to explore and launch many more excursions to see the natural beauty the island nation has to offer. It will overwhelm your senses, both imaginary and real.
Any questions or observations? Feel free to ask. I’ll be listening to the comments all day and look forward to hearing from you. Thanks again for making this series as wonderful as it’s turned out, I really enjoyed writing these posts and reading yours.
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Volume 1, Edition 22
Pride 2009
A street on Church-Wellesley gaybourhood.
Toronto’s Pride week 2009 festivities culminated with the grand Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, June 28. The parade is among the largest in the world and is a cultural event of the city and the country.
The Church street community center draped in pride colors
It was raining in the morning but that did not subdue the crowds who thronged the streets. Some were wearing protective rain gear, others simply enjoyed the rain. However, as soon as the parade started, the sky turned blue with plenty of sunshine. 
Suddenly umbrellas were replaced with sunglasses and sunscreen.
Water gun battle with the revellers who were armed with thousands of cameras
Pride week brings out lots of artsy activities such as performances, exhibits, theater, dance, music and other creative cultural expressions. Primarily focused around the Church and Wellesley gay village, the pride week attracts thousands, with almost a million attending the final parade on Sunday.
Prime location indeed!
I saw tons of East Asian and South Asian tourists – aunties and uncles, babies on strollers and hordes of curious Chinese tourists. Clicking pictures of everything they saw, posing with drag queens, clowns and men in costumes, such as someone dressed as a Roman soldier, or a condom, everyone was clearly having a fun time.
Marching ahead
The parade ended by 16:30 and was followed by street parties that ended around midnight. There was street food, beer gardens, and extremely crowded streets that reminded me of peak rush hour traffic in Mumbai. Streets were littered with colorful post-parade fare that might take days to clean since the city’s garbage workers are currently on a strike. It seems that the union deliberately chose the pride week to go on strike, thinking that it would be a bargaining strategy. Thankfully the city did not give in to the outrageous demands of unionised workers.
Proud Police car
Pride week is extremely inclusive and sees participation from young and old, black and white, straight and queer and it feels like a carnival or an Indian mela. It is broadcasted live on television channels, sees participation from political parties, religious agencies (churches), government (municipalities, police), restaurants, transport companies, charities, non-profits, private and public organizations and a host of other community stakeholders. The city of Toronto pumps a lot of money in organization of this festival since it is the largest tourist attraction for the city.
Happiness in the air
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« Previous post: Paro Valley
Surrender yourself to the power of the mighty Guru.
The hike to the monastery begins. The board says: “Walk to the Guru’s glory! Take back memories of a kingdom, for here in this kingdom rules an unparalleled benevolent King “
Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, Red Square and Dome of the Rock. These are the top icons that define Peru, India, Russia and Israel respectively. Taktsang Lhakhang or the Tiger’s Nest Monastery would be such icon of Bhutan. This monastery was among the last places I saw im my trip to Bhutan, and rightly so. By now I had (and you have) seen the Bhutan story build bit by bit and it was about time to climax.
Prayer wheel at the first pit stop. Enlarge the picture to see the temple on the cliff behind.
Perched miraculously on the side of a sheer cliff 900m above the base of Paro valley, the only sounds you can hear at the Taktshang Lhakhang are the murmurs of the wind and water and the chanting of mantras. The name ‘Taktshang’ means ‘Tiger’s nest’ and it is believed that Guru Rinpoche, the Guru from India who preached Buddhism to Tibet and Bhutan, flew to this site on the back of a tigress to subdue the local demon and meditate in the cave. Takshang Lhakhang is a holy place and Buddhist pilgrims from all over Bhutan visit here.
Prayer wheel viewed from the first pit stop
The only way to reach up to the Tiger’s Nest is to walk, or fly on the back of a magic tiger. I picked the former since I don’t know how to ride a flying tiger and I might have missed taking pictures. Ask any taxi driver in Paro to drop you off at the junction from where the road to Taktsang Lakhang begins (8km, Rs. 15). The actual hike starts about 3 kilometers from the point you were dropped off (elevation: 2,600m).
Admist rows of prayer flags
The hike is 2 hour long and offers spectacular views. In the first part, the trail climbs through blue pines, then switchbacks steeply up the ridge and suddenly the valley opens up. After climbing further for an hour, the small white chhorten with prayer flags comes into view. There is a convenient tea house located near the chorten where we took our first pit stop (elevation: 2940m). The tea house is expensive (its the ‘tourist’ thing): a bottle of water is priced five times here (Rs. 50) so choose between carrying lots of water or spending money here. You can see Takshang Lhakhang right across the cafeteria and we enjoyed the impressive view while having brunch and chatting with other visitors.
Admist rows of prayer flags
Many visitors opt to hike only upto this point and have a darshan of the temple from here. Darshan is a Sanskrit word that cannot be translated, but it means something like ’sight of the holy or the divine.’
Taktsang Lhakhang.. seen right in front in the middle of the cliff.
That’s where I’ll be in the next post.
« Previous post: Paro Valley
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Bhutan- 2008: Mystic Druk Yul
Canada- Toronto Tuesday (weekly)
- Niagara Region
- Provincial Parks
India- 2006: Kerala, God's own country
- 2006: Himalayas Trekking
- 2005: Himalayas Biking
- 2003: Goa-Mumbai Biking
- Sahyadri Trekking
Israel- 2007: Scrolls from the Holy Land
Peru- 2008: Andean Explorations
Russia- 2008: Travel stories
USA- 2008: New York City