From there, we embarked on a hike to a Buddhist temple perched high above THIMPHU, providing a satisfying workout in anticipation of the challenging hike scheduled for the next day to the legendary “TIGERS NEST.” THIMPHU, the capital of BHUTAN, is home to the king and various government offices. After bidding farewell to THIMPHU, we embarked on the hour-long drive back to PARO, where I would spend the next two nights. My itinerary included a flight to Delhi on September 5th, a single night in DELHI, and a return to JFK on the 6th.
Over time, I had engaged in numerous conversations with Rinchen, covering topics ranging from politics and religion to family and outdoor pursuits, and we had grown quite familiar with each other. Pointing to the PARO river, I remarked that it seemed ideal for kayaking. To my surprise, Rinchen revealed that he was a kayaking and rafting guide and instructor, even having trained BHUTANESE military personnel.
Upon reaching PARO, we visited the RINGPUNG DZONGKHAG, a fortress originally constructed in 1616 AD as a defense against the Tibetans. Although it had suffered significant fire damage in 1909 and was subsequently rebuilt, I found it somewhat underwhelming. Rinchen mentioned that many Dzongkhags exist in BHUTAN and other Hindu/Buddhist nations, making it worthwhile to see a Dzongkhag firsthand.
Rinchen then suggested we go to lunch and offered to take me to additional sites that afternoon. My preference, however, was to check into the hotel, and I assured them that I could manage lunch on my own. I may have phrased it poorly, as they believed they would be neglecting their duties, but they eventually agreed. We checked into the lovely Tasha Namgay Resort, with plans to reconvene the next day at 5:30 AM for our hike. As we arrived at the hotel, rain began to fall. I was content with purchasing two beers, enjoying a salad, and indulging in a cigar on my terrace.
I maintained my daily calls with Nancy on WhatsApp since departing New York, along with the challenges posed by the 9 ½-hour time difference, poor connectivity was also intermittent. My daily inquiry remained consistent: “How is Finley doing? When are they bringing her home?” At last, I received the news I had been eagerly awaiting, accompanied by a picture of little Finley in her car seat—she was finally on her way home!
The TIGER’S NEST is one of the top destinations I planned to visit during this adventure, and we scheduled it for my last day in BHUTAN. It’s a 4-mile hike gaining 1,700 feet to 10,236 feet. Rinchen said the plan was to have breakfast at 7 AM, drive the half hour to the parking area, and begin our ascent. I suggested that we get breakfast to go and leave at 5:30 AM. Rinchen had never done it this way before but thought it over, realizing it could be possible. We needed to buy a ticket at the gate, but that did not open until 7 o’clock. He decided that we would start the hike early, and Thewang would buy the ticket at seven and send a picture of it to his phone. We agreed on our plan and met at 5:30 as scheduled. We arrived at the parking area at about 6 AM, and we were the only ones there. We could see the TIGER’S NEST, a white rectangle that looked out of place, hanging on the steep wall of the mountain. There were a few other outbuildings to its left, including one at the very summit. I was told that we would only go to the main TIGER’S NEST building, as the others were not open.
Thewang gave us each our breakfast boxes, and we put them in our packs with plans to stop and have breakfast at the teahouse halfway up the mountain. I had been surrounded by dogs since arriving in Asia, and today was no exception. These appeared to be healthy and happy dogs that would prance around us nearly all the way to our destination. Rinchen commented on the fact that our weather had been far better than expected, including the fact that we had rain shortly after we quit early the previous day, and that it had rained every day during the last week. My good fortune continued to amaze me since arriving in Delhi, and I let Rinchen and Thewang know this the first day we met, but this was among the most important days to have good weather, and it couldn’t be more perfect!
So off we went up the well-built and maintained trail that was pretty much straight up. There was horse poop along the way, and Rinchen explained that those who couldn’t do the whole hike were able to rent horses to get them halfway to our breakfast point. They would then have to endure the rest of the climb on foot if they were able. If not, they would be disqualified from achieving the privilege of experiencing the most sought-after destination in BHUTAN! I was excited, and Rinchen and I were happy to appreciate the cool conditions, knowing that the sun would have warmed things up more than we would have wanted later that morning. We got to the Tea House, and I found it to be a large and modern building that I expected would often be jamming with people.
The Teahouse also showed pictures of the historic burning of The TIGER’S NEST. Here they are:
The TIGER’S NEST in 1905
Restoration under the King of BHUTAN
After the destructive fire in 1998
After Restoration 2005
The question still remains: how did they build this in the late 1600s? It seemed impossible to carry anything to this site, not to mention everything needed to build such a huge structure. It must’ve been the sacrifice of human life in the process, as I still could not understand how it could’ve been accomplished. None of the stairways we were on existed then, and one false move would mean certain death! Rinchen told me that when it was most recently rebuilt, they assembled a cable car system to haul up the necessary building materials, only to remove it upon completion.
Too early to order anything, we had a relaxing breakfast that we had packed and were back to the trail where we would turn the corner on the switchbacks and occasionally get a better view as we got closer to the TIGER’S NEST! We then reached a high point with the best of views, and at that point, we would head down the very steep staircase that hung from the cliff.
Hearing a waterfall at the crevice just below the TIGER’S NEST, we were getting closer, and it was getting louder. We switchbacked down as the huge rock-faced cliffs began to surround us from both sides. It wasn’t until we got to the lowest point of that section and crossed a bridge that the waterfall was at the angle necessary to fully experience its fury and the enormity of our surroundings! It was worth getting here just for this; we were now a few dozen steps from our cherished destination!
Upon reaching the gate, we were greeted by a guard standing in front of a small shrine, with incense and a candle. Rinchen instructed me to take off my shoes and shed everything but my clothing, as we wouldn’t need anything else. I carried my shoes, and all of our gear was placed in a locker with Rinchen having the key. The guard then frisked me to be sure that no cameras would be brought in.
Rinchen told me that there would be 9 temples for which we would tour 8 as one was off-limits. He knew I wanted to meditate, so he said we will tour all eight, and then I could choose the one that I wanted. It was obvious that during the reconstruction they did all they could to maintain its original character. We entered by climbing some very steep steps as we passed through the hallway into the first of the temples to our right. From there we continued on to each of the remaining temples, 3 of which wound around in the first section, then on to the second section that housed the last 5 temples for which we visited 4. All were a series of fairly small rooms and all gave you a feeling like I was in some kind of a castle, except the rooms were adorned by bright colored statues of the traditional Buddhist gods usually encased in glass, and the walls covered with incredibly detailed paintings. The paintings also had to be restored several times and were shrouded in a material like the “no-see-um” netting used in tents to try to preserve them. As in all temples in BHUTAN there was cash in bills all over the place and candles were everywhere, though the temples were lit with fluorescent lights attached to the ceilings. There were monks in most of the temples, tending to such tasks as setting up offerings, preparing food, and doing other types of maintenance. Rinchen continued to give me a nonstop, blow-by-blow description of every detail, every statue, and all of its history.
Upon reaching the 8th temple, I chose that for my meditation and did so for 20 minutes with no one entering the room. After visiting each temple, we arrived at the Tiger’s Cave where the tiger was said to have hung out. The story goes that the great Indian master Padmasambhava came to this spot from Tibet flying on a tiger and designated this spot for his temple. This cave is where his tiger would stay. As we exited the initial hallway down the steep steps, we encountered the only other visitor that we would see in the TIGER’S NEST. I asked Rinchen how many times he had been here and how often it had been this free of other visitors. He said he had been here over 150 times, and this was the first time he was there without others attending, but the monks were always there.
As we got our things together and headed down to the waterfalls, then up the steep staircase, and back down the trail where we passed several tourists, most stopped to catch their breath and rest. We proceeded down to the teahouse where we took a break and saw horses carry supplies to the teahouse. We continued down, and Rinchen and I talked about their societal challenges and he showed me marijuana plants scattered about the trail. He told me that marijuana is illegal here, but such laws are fairly useless and not enforced. He did say that drug abuse was an issue in BHUTAN, including hard drugs, and those addicted were sent off to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India for rehabilitation. We then arrived at the parking lot where Thewang was waiting. As we drove back to the hotel, Rinchen acknowledged my interest in the abundance of marijuana plants and pointed them out along the way. They were EVERYWHERE!”
The plan now was to go back to the hotel and rest until we would meet at 4:30, then go into town so I could do some shopping, and we would have dinner. We did so, and they let me wander about the town. It was easy to cover in about ½ hour. I bought the prayer flags and incense that I wanted and hung out at a bar with seating outside. I watched the people go about their lives – children playing in the park, cows and dogs wandering about. The older generation donned in their traditional Doa attire, while the younger kids wore jeans and T-shirts with cell phones in hand. It was fun. And again, I enjoyed the privilege of being the lone white person. I met with Rinchen and Thewang for our goodby dinner and sent Nancy a video on WhatsApp.
Rich Citro Adventures 