Bewitching Bhutan-The Land Of Happiness and Monasteries

Bhutan- The land where happiness takes precedence. In this beautiful country, people do not talk about GDP, instead, they proudly talk about GNH - Gross National Happiness and this is visible across the country. Bhutan, a small kingdom, situated in the lap of Himalayas is a place everyone should visit once in their lifetime. The one thing that comes to the mind when you mention about Bhutan is Tiger's nest. However,  there is more to Bhutan. The Himalayas, the pristine rivers, the monasteries, the similar-looking buildings across the country, the clean roads, the smooth traffic without the honking of the cars- Yes you heard it right. Honking by the vehicles is prohibited in this country. One more thing which startled me was the absence of signals yet the traffic moved without any hitch. So let me show you glimpses of this beautiful country through my eyes and entice you to visit this beautiful land

Going to Bhutan was never on my bucket list. A casual talk with my friend Vasanti -Yes the green bag lady from my Kailash Yaatra, resulted in me saying yes to Bhutan organised by Mantra Yatra with whom I travelled to Mount Kailash and then I convinced my other friend KBN  to join me in this fun trip with his wife Shanthi. Once I decided that I need a break and that would be through travel to this beautiful land and which was organised by Balaji of Mantra yatra, I didn't bother much about my stay there or the food available there. This is because I trust Mantra yatra so much that I knew we would be comfortably taken care of while we are there in terms of travel and food and of course the experience too. My co-travellers will agree with this.

 Having decided to travel I didn't involve myself much with the group chatting which usually goes on prior to any group travel and of course after that too. On the day we had to leave to Bagdogra, I landed at the airport ahead of time to find that Sujatha was already there to receive the latecomers. Within a short, while our organiser arrived with the promised packed breakfast for each of us, Yes he wanted to serve us some yummy breakfast and not what is available in-flight and that was soft fluffy idli with chutney and some lip-smacking kesari. The check-in and boarding were smooth and all of us were seated comfortably in our allotted seats. With our tummy taken care of, some of us dozed off peacefully and were awakened by the soft landing of our flight in Bagdogra. Bagdogra is a small defence airport and hence comes under the high-security zone. By the time we landed, the other co-travellers from Ahmedabad and Hyderabad were already waiting for us. After exchanging the pleasantries, we boarded the scheduled buses en route to Phuentsholing via Siliguri.

ROAD TRIP FROM BAGDOGRA TO PHEUNTSHOLING- DAY 1

Initially, there was silence as we travelled or everyone was speaking only among themselves and obviously, it was a little boring especially for chatterboxes like Vasanti, Shanthi and Myself. Later realised that Lalitha also fits in the same category. As the bus stopped at a small tea shop en route for a tea break and a bio break, instead of waiting for the tea to be served, Lalitha went across the highway and started clicking the tea gardens. Vasanti and I followed suit and realised that these tea gardens are on the same level as the road and not like the ones in Ooty where you need to climb up the hill. So there was no stopping for the three of us and we went in the tea gardens to capture some good pics and frame the memories.

The ice was broken now and from then on our bus was cheerful with the chit chat and laughter. At around 7.30 pm we reached Pheuntsholing through the iconic Pheuntsholing gate which separates India and Bhutan

Here, we were checked to see if we were suffering from the dreaded coronavirus and then allowed to enter the country. What was very striking was the sudden quiet on the roads and cleanliness on the roads too. Some things need to be learnt from our Himalayan neighbour. They took us to the immigration centre and after verification of our travel documents, we were granted a visa for 7 days. After the passports got stamped, we then went to Hotel Palm. Here I must say that Balaji had arranged it so well, that we were allotted our rooms within minutes and our luggage reached the rooms as well. After freshening up, we all met again for dinner and happily ate the hot dal, roti, chawal and the sweet too. Now it was time to say good night and crash and I did that immediately

PHEUNTSHOLING TO THIMPHU - DAY 2

This morning was a beautiful morning. As usual, the six of us-Vasanti, Ramesh, Shanthi, KBN, Lalitha and myself got ready a little early and went for a walk near the hotel to take a close look at the tree with red flowers which we have been noticing from Siliguri

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The roads are very clean here. The guide told us of a few important rules to be followed by a traveller in Bhutan. Pedestrians should cross only in the zebra crossing as there are no traffic signals in Bhutan- Yes, I could not believe it too but this country follows the rule of no signal and no honking and we could not encounter any traffic jam either, something which we can learn from our neighbouring country. So we decided to follow the rules lest we are fined. What struck me most is the uniformity of the buildings in this place and later I realised it to be the same across the country. It is the rule in this beautiful country that all the buildings should have the same elevation as it brings in a sense of uniformity. Having walked for a while, we headed back to the hotel for a sumptuous breakfast as we had leave to Thimphu right after that.

After all of us boarded the bus Balaji came by to say the prayers which he usually does on every trip followed by a sweet. It becomes so addictive and we looked forward to what could it be for the next day. And then the journey towards Thimphu started. As we moved away from Phuentsholing, we felt the temperatures drop and slowly people start to layer up. On public demand, especially from Mr Jayaraman (one of the three advocates in our bus), we stopped near a good hotel. Here, we were offered some hot tea and some snacks and to our relief, the washrooms were very clean. As we came out of the hotel, there was mild snowing and we rushed to our bus. After having that hot tea, and sitting idle in the bus for a while, we could hear our stomach growling and the Dave family from Ahmedabad were quick to understand this. As if from the Akshaya Patra, the snacks started to come out of a bag. The best ones were the kakhara and other savouries. God bless this family for carrying the snacks for all of us. Next was a stop for lunch and bio break. A small place and one display that caught our eye was a pictorial as to how to wash our hands. The corona scare was catching up, I guess. After the hot lunch, Lalitha was the first to go out and start clicking and slowly everyone was out on the roads. With the photo session coming to an end, we boarded our bus to safely travel to Thimphu- The capital city of Bhutan. Here, we went directly to the hotel, checked in, freshened up and again came down to stroll the streets of Thimphu in the chilly weather. What caught my eye was most of the shops stocked bags, luggage and winter wear. Few shops sold their traditional wear. Of course, the souvenir shop with the Bhutan magnets and magnets displaying the royal family were plenty and it was fun with Lalitha saying Pazhamozhi sonna anubhavikkanum- Aaraaya kudhadhu and the likes. Next morning was being looked forward too as it was a sightseeing day at Thimphu.

THIMPHU- DAY 3

Thimphu is the capital and the largest city of Bhutan. It is the most modern city of this country which is spotted with nightclubs, shopping centres, internet cafes, karaoke bars and restaurants. The main attractions of Thimphu would be The National Post office, The clock Tower Square, Monasteries, Farmer's market, Semtokha Dzong and Motithang Takin Preserve.

BUDDHA POINT

The first stop was the Buddha point. Do take your warm clothing as this place is situated on a hill and there is so much open space that you will definitely feel cold without the warm clothing. Since it is a place of worship, we were asked to remove the footwear and cap and our guides Duje and Citim explained to us all the paintings that were in the monastery. Only now did I realise that all the figures looking like Buddha are not Siddhartha. Here in Bhutan,  most monasteries have Guru Padma sambhava who preached Buddhism here. We did learn a lot about Guru Padma sambhava.

Guru Padma sambhava in Tibet is generally referred to as Guru Rinpoche which literally translates into "The Precious One". Guru Padma sambhava (he who came into being in a lotus) is an eighth-century Buddhist master from the Indian subcontinent. Buddha Sakyamuni had professed that a master by the name of Padmasambhava would arrive 8 years after his Mahaparinirvana and preach Buddhism and he did arrive and we can see his teachings being followed in Bhutan to the core. Guru Padmasambhava taught Vajrayana which is tantric in nature while Buddha Sakhya muni taught Hinayana. In many monasteries across Bhutan, we can see the eight emanations depicted of Guru Rinpoche. Since it is, a place of worship, clicking of the paintings are forbidden. Do check it out on the web.

After seeing the intricate depicted paintings of Guru Padma sambhava and Buddha which were interspersed with the pictures of the royal family, we were given a brief introduction of their prayers and rituals by our guide Citim. With the newly gained knowledge about Buddhism in Bhutan, we stepped outside to see and admire the huge buddha statue. It is so huge that we were all looking minuscule in its vicinity. With a lovely view of the city, and of the Royal Palace, we were entitled to a group picture with this monument. After that, the kid in a few of us wanted to take pictures which we could see and re-live for the years to come. Had fun and while writing this I am still laughing out loud.

SIMPLY BHUTAN

Our next stop was to a place called Simply Bhutan. Simply Bhutan is a place where they showcase the essence of Bhutan. Here you can see the live cultural dance. The utensils used for the traditional cooking, their method of storing some vegetables and greens particularly the red chillies so that there is no dearth of these in the harsh winter seasons. Then we were served the authentic Bhutanese food with red rice, boiled vegetables, a cheesy preparation and a very spicy pickle like preparation. The best was the butter tea topped with rice crispies. Later our group members tried their hands at archery with Lalitha as the clever winner and the bonus for this was the 4 Bhutanese boys danced their traditional dance like thanksgiving and as usual, we also joined in for a wonderful Bhutanese experience.

NATIONAL POST OFFICE

The National Post office. It houses the museum as well and what catches the eye at the museum is the statue of the postman.

The post office is so modernized that you give them a picture in digital media and they will within minutes roll out a strip of stamps with that picture which you can actually use for posting in that country. Well, some of us were so impressed with that and we did stamp our pictures taken in this beautiful land, bought some postcards there, stuck these stamps and posted it to our own address. If you have children accompanying you, then this will be a must-see place for you.

 By now the sun had set. It was quite cold and our bladders full too and all we could think was to rush to our rooms and we just did that. Later in the evening had a sumptuous dinner in the hotel and peacefully went to sleep. Well, well that was the beginning. As the night deepened, the dogs on the road started to show their power of territory and the barking and howling just ripped my peaceful sleep. Yes, there are way too many dogs in Bhutan and I heard that the king has asked the citizens to adopt them. Hope the barking reduces next time we go.

THIMPHU TO PUNAKHA-DAY 4

This was the fourth day of our trip and most of us were looking forward to this trip, the reason being we would be travelling to Punakha which was the earlier capital of Bhutan. However, this was not what enticed us. It was the stop in between which was very inviting. Yes, our first stop would be at Dochu-La pass. So we were all getting ready with our winter wear since Dochu-La is situated at 10,130 ft and that means it is going to be quite cold especially for people who are from sea level. That morning we finished our breakfast soon and went and saw to it that we had good seats in the bus( we were bored sitting in the last seat for 3 days now). More than our seats we were very happy that the Dave family also were seated comfortably. That means our snacks for this day would be taken care of (hehe-Evil laugh). Well, jokes apart. God bless this family. So, after an hour's drive, we reached the Pass.

DOCHULA PASS

Here we were told that we can see 360 degrees panoramic view of the Himalayas but as luck would have it, it turned out that all the peaks were covered with clouds and it was quite foggy. But then, Dochula pass is also famous for the 108 mini stupas or Chortens which were built in the memory of the 108 soldiers who were killed in the 2003 war against the Indian rebels who had built 30 camps on the Bhutanese land and which would be used for raiding Assam. The battle called "Operations All Clear" was led by the Fourth King of Bhutan Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck and was successful. After the victory of this battle, the Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck commissioned this structure and is a beautiful landmark. But again we hurriedly finished going around the stupas because something else was more inviting, the little snow from the recent snowfall.
Lalitha was, as usual, the leader to lead the way into the snow and we followed. The young Nasa couple(Nagaraj and Shanthi) were missing only to be discovered later taking pictures with the snow and the mountains. Rest of the others went into the lone restaurant to have a hot cup of tea and for the bio break. Having clicked pics and enjoyed the snow for a while, we boarded the bus much to the relief of Balaji.

Now we had to reach Punakha and all through the journey, we realised that there were tiny little stupas kept in any crevice available on the side of the mountains or near any temple. Later our guide explained that these mini stupas were kept in the memory of the departed. Since we were fortunate to be in Bhutan during the festival, we rushed to Punakha dzong.

PUNAKHA DZONG

Punakha Dzong is the most beautiful dzong in Bhutan. This was built at the confluence of two major rivers namely The Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu. It was the second dzong built in this country and served as the capital and the seat of government till the 1950s. Now it the winter residence of the official monk body. Access to this dzong is across Bazam bridge. This dzong is well known for its structural beauty. And in addition to this is known for housing the preserved remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the unified of Bhutan as well as the sacred relic known as Ranjung Karsapani.

THE PUNAKHA TSHECHU FESTIVAL

The Punakha Tshechu takes place in the month of February or March and we were lucky to be at Punakha for that festival. This is a colourful procession that reenacts an episode of the war which was waged against Tibet in the seventeenth century, The religious dances performed during this festival are marked by the use of masks which represents animals, fearsome deities, skulls etc. This is the most colourful procession that I have ever witnessed and we all enjoyed the time we spent standing clueless in the crowd, Suddenly the jam-packed crowd buzzed and we could see the war being enacted. Lovely ever moment of this show. Later we went inside the dzong to see the beautiful architecture which was explained in depth by our guides.

Now that our stomachs were growling, we went straight to a restaurant to have our lunch for the day. With our tummy saying om Shanthi, some of the men wanted to visit the temple of fertility, while most of the women opted to go to the Wolakha nunnery. A beautiful place of worship which houses many nuns. We saw nuns at the ripe age 80 plus to young girls. Each of us could go inside the temple while the nuns prayed and rituals being conducted. Feeling satisfied we headed back to pick up the rest of the guys from the fertility temple and headed back to the hotel to spend rest of the evening in peace as we would travel to Paro the next day.

PUNAKHA TO PARO-DAY 5
As was the routine, we started early after breakfast to Paro. Halted for a while at Dochula pass. While others were basically refreshments in the cafeteria, we 6 went straight to the 108 stupa memorial to see in detail as we missed doing it on our onward journey since it was the snow which was more interesting to us , and  we four, the Kailash yaatris in this trip clicked this precious photograph

PARO

On reaching Paro, our first stop was at a scenic spot on the banks of Paro Chhu. The banks were strewn with small pebbles. The river is clean and beautiful and the water was quite cold. But standing in the cold water with the breeze caressing our face was a wonderful experience. Did not want to leave that spot, but then we had to bid bye to the beautiful spot. Memories were framed in our camera and we left to the next destination.

KYICHU LHAKHANG TEMPLE

The next place of visit was the famous Kyichu Lhakhang temple in the northern part of Paro. This temple is believed to have been built in 659 AD by the King Songsten Gampo in Tibet to pin down the left foot of the supine ogress which was playing havoc in the establishments of Buddhism in the Himalayas. This temple is said to be one of the main 12 temples of the 108 temples that were built across Tibet and its borders. Kyichu Lhakhang being a historical monument along with a spectacular landscape is one of the must-see places for visitors of Paro. One more thing that a traveller will not miss is the two orange trees in the temple. This tree is supposed to bear fruit all through the year. What caught our eye and finally our camera is the tall cypress tree in the courtyard on the left side of this temple. The cypress tree is the national tree of Bhutan.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF BHUTAN

Our next stop was at the National Museum of Bhutan. This was built in 1649 as the watchtower to protect the undefended dzong. Later in 1978, it was renovated and since then, it houses the museum.
The circular conch shaped structure is built on the banks of river Paro

We were exhausted and rushed off to the hotel for a nice evening tea and snacks after the check-in. Now, we had some free time and the six of us decided to go shopping for essential things. Yes, we had forgotten to bring our woollen gloves and the shopping area was next to our hotel. As usual, we shopped for gloves as well as the fleece which was very economical and good too. Later in the evening, Balaji had organised a cultural Bhutanese dance show for our group along the banks of river pa. But since the night temperatures, were dipping, it was decided that the dance would be held in the indoors of a hotel much to the relief of everyone. The dance show with the masks depicting the culture of Bhutan was rejuvenating. Followed by dinner and sound sleep as the next day was very important to some of us who were to Hike to Tiger's nest the following morning.

TIGER'S NEST- DAY 6

The next morning few of us, Lalitha, Vasanti, Nagraj, Shanthi, Arulmozhi, Muralidharan, Sujatha, Bhamathi, Rajamani, Bhaskar, Jagadish, Vasudhaand the youngest of the lot Shreshta and myself packed our breakfast and started to the revered tiger's nest in our vehicle. We chose to eat the packed bread sandwich in the bus itself before embarking on the hike. I reserved the banana for the return journey though. We were dropped at the start point and there we picked up the walking sticks which were rented at Rs 50 each.
Taksang Monastery is famously called as Tiger's Nest Monastery and is situated on the cliffside. This is a sacred Buddhist monastery constructed in 1692 around the cave where Guru Rinpoche first meditated.
The legend says that Guru Rinpoche was carried on the back of the tigress from Tibet to this place. Hence the name Tiger's Nest. This monastery has the temple and the accommodations for the monks here.
The hike to this monastery will roughly take 4-5 hrs if done comfortably. The hike is all the way up till the cafeteria which is half to the total distance. The elevation does take a toll but if you are hiking with like-minded people, then it is a joy to go on hikes like this. We three, Lalitha Vasanti and I hiked at our pace, stopping in between for water and enjoying the view which each turn on the mountain was showing to us. After huffing and puffing for a while, we reached cafeteria where we stopped for some light refreshments.

Having refreshed Lalitha, Vasanti, Mr Muralidharan, Nagraj, Rajamani, Shhreshta and myself started for the next part of the hike. It was not that difficult until we came to the spot where the Tiger's nest iconic photographs are clicked. This is a beautiful view and once you see this, you forget that you have climbed a difficult hike. Next comes the steps where there are 700 steps down and 250 steps up to reach the entrance of the monastery.

It is not that difficult as much as we thought it would be. In between, I saw a small waterfall with frozen ice but decided against standing there as I wanted to reach the monastery fast. As I reached the monastery I saw that Shreshta was already there, followed by Vasanti and Lalitha and then the men with our guide came in.

Here all our bags, camera and footwear were kept in the locker and we went inside the temple. Here is what changed most of us. Till now it was just a hike, but once inside the temple, there was silence and as the guide explained to us, each one had an experience, While, Lalitha was in tears, I felt a sudden stillness, just not around but inside as well. I am sure we might not be able to explain the experience but it does change one in some ways.
It was becoming very cold and we decided to hike down as it looked as though it would rain. Vasanti climbed down quickly, while Lalitha and I descended at our pace. While we were descending, it started snowing lightly and we were so engrossed in our conversation that we didn't realise that we had already reached almost the cafeteria. There Shanthi was so happy to see us and after some tea, we all hiked back to the base near the car park. Here a surprise was awaiting us, Balaji, Ramesh and Bhargavi were waiting for us and to come back safely. They took us to a restaurant to feed us some snacks since we had skipped lunch.

As soon as we reached the hotel, six of us again went for shopping. This time it was for the face mask. COVID fear was overtaking everyone and I needed a mask desperately. But then to my dismay, all the stores had displayed "NO MASKS, NO SANITIZER BOARD". But later on, while we were shopping for the Taksang t-shirts, Shanthi hunted for the mask. Thanks to her I had my face covered safely for the rest of my travel. Then after a light dinner, it was a good night sleep with a sense of achievement that Bhutan trip was completed successfully.

CHELELA PASS
While we were hiking Tiger's nest, the rest of the group went ahead and had fun at Chelela pass which was covered in snow. Here are some fun moments captured by our organizer.

PARO TO PHUENTSHOLING- DAY 7

Next morning we left to Pheuntsholing, and all along the way, each one was thinking back about the last six days. My mind was so engrossed about the hike and the stillness at the monastery. Some things are better left unexplained. Since everyone was exhausted by now, there was silence again. On this bus journey, we were in for another surprise. It was that we had a lovely singer amongst us and none of us even knew. Sudha Dave who is a professional singer treated us to some old Hindi tunes. She has such a soulful voice and we all enjoyed the melodies till we reached our hotel. On the other bus, Kaka and Kachi also had been singing bhakti songs and entertaining the others. They are one couple whom I instantly adored. We can see the love for one another in their eyes. Though they are aged, it did not deter them from trying anything that the others tried. They were the ones who danced so well too. God bless this couple always. Reached Puentsholing by late evening, checked into the hotel, had dinner and went to bed early. The next morning we had to leave to Bagdogra.

PHEUNTSHOLING TO BAGDOGRA-DAY 8

Having packed our bags and sent it across to the reception for loading on to our vehicles, we went in for our breakfast. There was a mixed emotion that everyone was going through. One of going back home to our loved ones with so much of memories from this beautiful land and some of leaving behind these memories and people associated with this. But we had to move on and life goes on. With these thoughts, we boarded the bus, a silent journey for most times until we reached Bagdogra. Here we first stopped for lunch and Vasanti was kind enough to treat us with ice cream to end this trip on a sweet note and we then proceeded to the airport. Now that we reached the airport it was time to say goodbye to one and all. It is nearly a month and the memories are still vivid. Hoping to travel with my friends soon.

As it is customary on this blog, there is a nickname for some lucky ones who travelled on this trip

Balaji- The patient Organizer
MRS AND MR DAVEY- The youngest energetic lovable couple
Anusha-Thokku Tai- Tokku supplier for the trip
Sudha-Nightingale of Mantra Yaatra
Daksha Dave, Shakuntala and family- Family with Akshaya Patra
Lalitha-Non stop entertainer
 Thanks to each one of you who made this trip memorable.
This blogpost would do no justice without my expressing gratitude to Mr Balaji for the trip and continuous support through the trip.
If you want to be a part of such fun trips then do message Balaji @9840188430 or mail mantrayatra@gmail.com for information about further trips

Keep travelling. Be Safe

Picture credits: Mr Rajamani, Ms Lalitha and Mr. Balaji.

KAILASH MANASAROVAR- AN UNFORGETTABLE YATRA

INTRODUCTION

MOUNT KAILASH NORTH FACE: PICTURE COURTESY-GANESH

Kailash yatra, the ultimate journey, was a dream for me like for every other Indian. I too had been nursing this strong desire to visit the holy mount of Kailash for long but was clueless about how to accomplish it. One day a post on Facebook luckily led me to an event where an introduction of the yatra was being given by the organizer Mr. Balaji Davey of Mantra Yatra. The destined journey started with that event. An hour into the presentation, I had made up my mind to go with Mantra yatra. I persuaded my sisters to come along too and in a matter of two months, a message from the organizer landed in my WhatsApp saying that the group is full and ready with 36 yatris. After the initial pleasantries, the discussion in the group took a practical turn where each person shared his/her knowledge about the yatra. Then came the part where Mr. Balaji prepared us mentally for the yatra. There were many meetings to caution us about the possible problems and hazards in the arduous journey and how with adequate precaution the journey would be smooth. Three imortant meeting where Balaji prepared us about technicalities was very helpful.

Just before we left, Balaji had arranged a Satyanarayana puja in Chennai attended by most Chennai yaatris

DEPARTURE

9-06-2018

We Chennai yatris assembled at Chennai airport on June 9th, 2018 at the right time looking forward to the journey. Suja, who came across as a warm person, was the only one whom we had not met earlier as she was not from Chennai. Balaji mentioned that one more yatri, Bala would be joining the group. Bala, a total stranger to the group, remained so until the parikrama day!  

The flight we took with enthusiasm was uneventful and landed at Lucknow. We were taken to one of the best properties in Lucknow ‘The Heritage’. We were greeted there by our co-yatris including my sister from Bengaluru who had landed there a few hours earlier. We were quickly allotted our rooms by Balaji. After freshening up we gathered for a very satisfying meal that was followed by friendly chitchat and banter interspersed with loud laughter setting a mood of bonhomie, Balaji, professional as he was, lost no time in briefing us about the programme for the next day. We had to reach Nepalgunj by the next evening with all the necessary arrangements ready. With Ramadevi, Arul, Narmada, and Parvathy reaching the hotel late in the evening, the enthusiastic group of 36 was complete.

10-6-2018:

BOISTEROUS BUS JOURNEY TO NEPALGUNJ

After breakfast and photo session next morning, we boarded the bus to Nepalgunj.  It was only during the bus journey, the hidden talents of some of the yatris came to light. I did not expect a dentist to be a singer. Ravi entertained us with his mellifluous voice. Thereafter it was a jugalbandhi between Suresh Joshi and Arul, both masters in their own ways.

Having enjoyed the medley of songs, Balaji announced that we would all be meeting a friend of Vasanti who was in our midst. Well! She with her inseparable green bag instantly reminded me of Karna of yore with his constant kavacha kundala. Wonder what she had in her bag that she would not part with even for a second. It remained a mystery to us till the end.  Her friend Mamata who lives in Bharaich, a place en route to Nepalgunj was gracious enough to host lunch for all the 36 of us. It was a sumptuous lunch. After yet another photo shoot with our annadaata, we thanked them profoundly and continued our journey to Nepalgunj. Crossing over at Nepal was not much of a hassle as Balaji and his team had arranged everything perfectly. We were lodged in a lovely hotel again at Nepalgunj.

 After checking in and relaxing for a while, we were asked to assemble in the conference room for a briefing by Balaji about the next day events. Nima, our main Sherpa from Shivam holidays with whom Balaji had partnered, joined us here. While Nima was making arrangements with the help of Arul and Narmada, Chakravarthy, the yoga guru from Hyderabad, initiated us into Omkara chanting. I must say that this exercise had a deep impact on everyone present in the room. After the chanting, Balaji and Nima briefed us a little more and handed over our jackets and bags. We then had a good dinner and dozed off happily.

11-06-2018

EN ROUTE TO NEPAL/TIBET

We were up early in the morning ready and rushed to Nepalgunj airport. After some initial hiccups, we left in batches of six in small planes to Simikot. The airport is very small with only a few small planes and helicopters flying on charter to and fro Nepalgunj. It is a serene hill station untouched yet by the growing civilization. People here are very friendly and it is one of those places which will instantly lure any traveler. I think these pictures will give you an idea about this tiny city.

VIEW FROM SIMIKOT AIRPORT

 With clear weather and acting on the instructions from Nima, Balaji decided to continue our journey by helicopters to Hilsa without a break at Simikot. Unlike Simikot, Hilsa is a dry place on the banks of river Karnali. The vegetation here is the bare minimum. Once we alighted from the helicopter, all I could see and feel was only dry dust. One of their local guides took us to a resting place at Hilsa till all the 36 gathered. We were served a great lunch with sweets as dessert After a short siesta, we proceeded towards Taklakot but after passing through Chinese immigration.

The bridge on river Karnali was known as the Hanging bridge connects Nepal to Tibet. The initial walk on the bridge was exciting until everyone reached the middle of the bridge when it swayed once but enough to scare us all. We were officially in Tibet once we crossed the bridge. 

OUR SHAHRUKH KHAN ON THE HANGING BRIDGE

OUR NIGHTINGALE NEAR THE HANGING BRIDGE

From there we were taken to the immigration center to check our bags and to give the biometrics. Everything went smoothly and we were on our way to Taklakot in a luxury bus. It was then the trouble started for some of us. With my head becoming heavy along with continuous vomiting, I knew AMS (acute mountain sickness) was rearing its head. The 40 minutes’ journey to Taklakot seemed unending. With timely help from my sister Indu, I managed to survive the journey to reach the Himalayas Hotel at Taklakot. We had to wait in the lobby till rooms were allotted and all I knew was Indu escorting Vasanti and myself to our rooms and our crashing into our beds. Indu nursed us both to near perfect health through the night before she herself was sick. It was only later we came to know that a few others were in the same boat.

12-06-2018 

We woke up to a fresh sunny morning. The weather was clear, so were our minds too. We were all fresh and looked forward to a new day. Since most of us had some health issue relating to mountain sickness, Balaji decided that he would give us all an extra day to acclimatized and that really helped. 

13-06-2018
Next morning After having a hot tasty breakfast, we were again on the bus bound for Manasarovar. The journey was comfortable with breathtaking views on the way.

RAKSHASTAL

Picture Courtesy:Ganesh

The first stopover was at a huge lake Rakshastal. The literal meaning of Rakshastal is Lake of the demon. It lies on the West of Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash. It is believed that the asura king Ravana created this lake when he did severe penance to Lord Shiva. Rakshastal, a huge crescent-shaped saltwater lake, is in stark contrast to the Lake Manasarovar. It is said there is no sign of aquatic life in this lake. We did not also see any kind of living creatures near it, not even birds. Locals keep off the lake fearing it is poisonous. Despite these, Rakshastal looked as beautiful as any other lake making us take our customary picture.

MANASAROVAR

Picture courtesy:Ganesh

From there we were again back on the road heading towards Lake Manasarovar and as we sat expectantly, the bus parked in a large compound. Lake Manasarovar means that which is formed in the mind. According to Hinduism, it is believed that this lake was first conceived in the mind of Brahma. It is a beautiful freshwater lake, so huge that you keep seeing different shades of blue wherever you set your eyes on till the horizon. The sapphire blue water is bordered with brown small hillocks and then with some snow-capped mountains. Superficially It looks just like the paintings we have seen but I assure you that it looks far more beautiful and enchanting in person. No words or pictures can describe the beauty of this captivating lake. I was not sure whether I had enough time to savour the beauty of this lake or the grandeur of Mount Kailash. There was a sense of inadequacy or wanting more. The birds were abundant here and so was the aquatic life. This lake is said to be very holy to Tibetans and Chinese. Hence one is prohibited to throw any waste on its bank.

PICTURE COUTESY: BALAJI DAVEY

Inside the huge compound, is the place where we stayed called as Chiugompa monastery. I could see many rooms on one side where we were allotted the rooms to stay for that night. These rooms had cots with mattresses and nice thick blankets and quilts. You could not ask for more

 On the opposite side of the compound, there was a small door which opened to the lake. On our left, we could see Mount Kailash very close. One view at it, followed by another and yet another, we ended up gazing nonstop at the grand spectacle till the biting chill wind started to freeze our faces too. Then Nima and his team of boys led us to lake Manasarovar where many of the yatris had the holy dip. Nima and the sherpas quickly pitched a tent for the ladies to change after the dip. First to go into freezing water was our very silent software professional Bala. Later Arul who is ever active and bubbly helped many of the yatris to take the holy dip. I wonder as to how he managed to stand in the cold water for such a long time. I guess some people go out of the way to help others and I saw this trait many times in Arul. Soon after everyone finished with his or her dip and prayers, we were back at our rooms. Here Rajamani started feeling a little uneasy but with timely help from Balaji and others, he was back to his normal cheerful self. We were then served yet another sumptuous lunch before we boarded the bus for the Parikrama of Lake Manasarovar. It nearly took two hours for us to cover the huge beautiful lake and after that, we had some time for ourselves now.

Some of us especiallyVasanti, Balaji and myself went a little outside the compound of this place to get a better picture of Mount Kailash south face. By now the cloud cover had risen and we could see the holy mountain clearly in all its splendor. Vasanti asked me how the mount looked like to me. To me it looked like a horse, for some it seemed as Nandi and for some, it appeared as Lingam…. perceptions obviously vary. After an early dinner, we retired to bed in the comfortable rooms.

CUSTOMARY GROUP PICTURE ON THE BANKS OF MANASAROVAR

Balaji had thoughtfully made arrangements for conducting RUDRAM HOMAM . One must appreciate the meticulous attention paid to details by Balaji and in bringing in all the materials and ingredients for this homam. Suresh Joshi performed the homam along with Mr. Ashok. Here again, the effort by Suresh is commendable. He removed his footwear, socks, and gloves and performed the Homam in detail braving the chilling weather on the banks of Manasarovar. The temperature was dipping but it did not deter any of us. When it started snowing mildly it appeared to us as a blessing as if Shiva was pleased with our sincere efforts to perform this Homam with devotion. We rushed back to our rooms, until the snowfall reduced and then started to Darchen in the most comfortable bus.

Picture Courtesy:Ramakrishnan

14-06-2018

DARCHEN

We reached Darchen, our next stop, and base camp. We stayed at Hotel Himalaya. We were all in an upbeat mood as we knew we had nothing else to do this day than to rest. Premila who was very sick the previous day was looking very cheerful and she was seen again with her DSLR. Some of the pictures that she had shot were very beautiful. As we lazed around, talked, gossiped and laughed, we did not realize that it was past lunchtime till. a knock on the door and a voice were heard saying Khana was ready. We stopped the chitter chatter going on about the next day and finished our lunch. Thereafter Balaji accompanied us to do the last minute shopping. I had to buy a raincoat and a walking stick. Everything was available at Darchen. Done with shopping, some of us went for a stroll, and then back on time for dinner. Balaji, as usual, briefed us about next day. We were free to explore Darchen. Suresh, Vasanti, Indu and myself went for a small walk and the veterans of this yatra, Suresh and Vasanti guided us through the walk.  After dinner, there was yet another briefing for the next day.

15-06-2018

PARIKRAMA ROUTE

PARIKRAMA DAY 1

SOUTH FACE-PIC COURTESY-GANESH

This morning everyone was busy getting ready for the parikrama. There was so much positivity amongst all of us. Having been treated to a healthy filling breakfast, we set out in the bus to Yamadwar from where the parikrama started. At the outset, we prostrated to the South face or Dakshinamurthy before proceeding to Yamadwar that is situated at Darboche. Yamadwar in Hindi means the Gateway to the God of death(Yama). There is a small stupa where prayers are offered before the start of the circumambulation of the Mount Kailash.

Picture courtesy: Balaji Davey

At Yamadwar, a few performed a small puja, and some said prayers. Here we were assigned our porters and ponies. Most of us opted to take the pony from day 1 itself as pony was any way needed from day 2. Ramakrishnan, however, was the only yatri who chose not to avail the facility of both pony and porter, He carried his own bag, walked all the 16 kms on day 1 of the parikrama. Our salute to his grit and determination despite a gum infection he was suffering from. Ganesh and Uma chose not to take only the pony and walked the day 1 of parikrama to Dirapuk.

While some went ahead on the ponies, a few of us walked for a while before riding on the ponies. The stretch from Yamadwar to Dirapuk is beautiful. The long journey devoid of any semblance of civilization made one unconsciously ponder and contemplate. Yes, I did too. The journey through the vast mountains, rivers, and lakes resplendent with nature’s beauty was overwhelming. Not once but many times, one realized the insignificance of human life and the feeling of the all-pervading presence of a supreme force overseeing and controlling everything in life, even your breath, was dominant and indescribable. It can only be experienced.

Picure courtesy:Ganesh

The walk/ pony ride was physically exhausting As Nyingma and myself talked about various things while walking, huffing and puffing, I saw Balaji and Vasanti sitting in the middle of nowhere eating their packed lunch. I was hungry too and without seeing anything else, I started to hog my lunch. Only then did Balaji showed me what I was missing. It was the west face of Mount Kailash.

Picture courtesy:Ganesh

According to mythology, the west face is also called the Satyajyot and white in color. This is the only face which is concave in nature. The majestic mount was so near to us and so enthralling that we sat there gazing at the mountain for a while before we resumed our walk. After crossing the tea shops, I realized the pain in the legs were hurting and took the pony for a while to ease the pain and then resumed walking. It was getting late and my leg was not helping me. It was then that I put my full faith on Him, forgot that I had a ligament injury and walked on till I finally saw some red jackets in the vicinity. I knew we were reaching camp 1 soon. After about 30 minutes I was relieved when I saw the big building with many rooms. Once inside the compound, the first person to come and greet me was Bala. He was truly worried about all of us. He walked very fast with his favorite Sherpa and he had reached the camp much earlier. He assured me that everything was fine and then I saw Indu in all smiles. She was worried about my leg. But by His grace, I could make it till then. A little later Balaji came in, then Vasanti and then in a while most of us were at Dirapuk except for Ganesh and Uma and it was worrying all of us. Then Balaji sent one more Sherpa to help and they arrived safely too.

Picture Courtesy:Balaji Davey

NORTH FACE: PICTURE COURTESY-SATEESH

Now let me show you what we could see all night while we stayed there. This was the sight. The north face. It is beautiful!!!! I have no words to explain it. I hope the picture should speak volumes about this. Now, don’t you think it is worth all the trouble if at all you consider it as trouble? That night was not comfortable to some of the yatris and they decided to go back to Darchen while others decided to continue with the parikrama.

16-06-2018

PARIKRAMA DAY 2

Next day after a very early breakfast, we set out on the next difficult task of crossing Dolmala pass. As we traveled some distance, we could see te final elusive face of Mount Kailash, The East face. Ravi was quick to take the pictures before the cloud covered it all again

EAST FACE OF MOUNT KAILASH:PICTURE COURTESY-RAVI

After this point, the gradient increased. The climb was very steep. The ponies struggled to climb and luckily most of us reached the top without any untoward incident except for Amsasuja whose pony buckled. She fell from the horse and had a very bad experience. Fortunately, Nima and others helped her to safety and she trekked all the way. Kudos to her for her endurance. Doctor Kalpana got down from her pony at the pass and sat down there looking into the oblivion. We were advised not to spend more than three minutes at the pass but Kalpana sat there dazed. I suspected the lack of oxygen was showing up on her. Again help came in the form of Nima to snap her out of the trance and bring her down safely.

Picture Courtesy:DOLMALA PASS -Balaji Davey

The ponies dropped us at the Dolmala pass and from there we had to descend on our own. Unfortunately, my Sherpa was way behind helping others and I did not even have the walking stick for support. Well, the obvious happened. I fell on the pass and fear overtook me now. I was worried to climb down and then Balaji helped me for a while but it was not easy for him to help me and climb down. The silent software professional came to my help asking his Sherpa to assist me. True to the saying daivam manushya roopena, I guess God came in the form of Bala and Sherpa to help me there. The descent started and we crossed Gaurikund. A beautiful serene lake with a lovely blue color and half frozen water. Mythology says that it was here that Parvati gave life to Ganesh a to guard while she went to take bath. I wish we should stand there and enjoy the beauty for more time but we had to descend faster.

Picture courtesy:GAURIKUND-Amsasuja

Again there was a steep descent till we came across a flat stretch covered with snow. The sight was fascinating. We descended further in a steep slope till we came to a tea stall much to my relief. My legs would not move any further. I was on the verge of giving up but then HE decided that I complete. After a cup of hot salted Tibetan tea, we continued another 6 km towards Zutulpuk. The stay here was comfortable though it was unbearably cold. Here as Sangeeta developed some breathing issue, she along with Sunil were sent to Darchen immediately in an ambulance.

17-06-2018

PARIKRAMA DAY 3

Picture Courtesy:Balaji Davey

The next morning the rest of us continued the short journey to complete parikrama. Here we all assembled in a place from where the bus took us back to our people who were waiting for us at Darchen. They were visibly happy to see us back safely and I saw Indu in tears seeing Vasanti and myself. These guys were kind enough to give us space to freshen up as we had not bathed for 2 days. We quickly went into the given rooms, showered, had a quick breakfast and then waited in the lobby for the start of our return journey. Only now did it sink in my mind that we had indeed finished the parikrama. It was unbelievable but yes we did it. Each of us did as much as we could but as a team WE DID IT.

Celebrating success!!!

The journey back to Taklakot, Hilsa, Simikot was a breeze. There was no delay anywhere. Balaji had made sure all of us reached Simikot by the evening before the weather turned bad. And there we were at Simikot in our respective rooms taking the necessary break and rest from the rush of the previous days. The evening we gathered in the dining hall of our Homestay and as usual Arul, Shrimathy and Renuka started singing. Slowly Kalpana, Sangeetha joined in the anatkashri. Then the atmosphere was so addictive that Padma, Madhavi, Harikumari, Sandhya, Prudhvi and Chakravarthy from Hyderabad also joined in.  Anatakshari went to the next level when Sateesh joined with the best Tamil songs. Ravi’s songs were melodious as ever. Bala sang a few songs. Vasanti, Indu, Amsa, myself were spectators but that evening was thoroughly enjoyed as Vijayaraghavan and Nagaraj recorded the whole show. Later Dwarkanath and Sunil Verma joined in the anatashari. I guess the owner of the homestay had never seen such a bubbly crowd ever. It was fun to be a part of such a family. The showstopper of the evening was Arul singing Hnajali Hanjali!!!!

18-06-2018

Next morning, we were sent in batches to Nepalgunj in small flights. We arrived at the hotel in Nepalgunj, showered, repacked and went to have lunch after which there was an official thanks giving by Balaji. I could see everyone very relaxed now. That night again there was a final music and dance time. Arul was at his best-motivating everyone. Ravi sang Ennavale which was amazing. Suresh sang some melodies and danced amazingly. Srimathy is best while dancing with her expressions. Renuka was the surprise at this event. We didn’t know she could dance so well.  Parvathy and Narmada sang some beautiful Telugu songs. Chakravarthy was again a surprise here when he sang along with Narmada and Parvathy. Ramadevi was thoroughly enjoying seeing everyone dance, silent as ever and graceful. It was amazing to see the camaraderie among all and the yatra ended well by HIS grace!!!! After a while, everyone hit the bed feeling totally exhausted.

These are the things that come to our mind readily when we think about some of us

1.Ganesh-Walking pharmacy

2.Kalpana-Walking medical encyclopedia

3.Arul-Bundle of energy

4.Mr. and Mrs. Dwarknath-Honeymoon couple

5.Ravi-Amazing singer

6.Srimathy-Great actor

7.Uma-Ever smiling face

8.Sateesh-Hacker

9. Ramakrishnan-Grit and determination

10. Nagraj-selfie expert

11-Balaji-Patience personified

12 Suresh-1.7 lakhs

13.Chakravarthy-Walking oxygen cylinder

14. Mr. and Mrs. Prudvi-  Silent Couple

15-Vasanti-Inseparable Green bag

16-Bala-An enigma

17- Amsasuja-Dare devil

18.Viayaraghavan-Official photographer

19-06-2018

MANTA YATRA FAMILY AT LUCKNOW!!

Next morning, we boarded the bus reaching Lucknow in the evening. After an evening spent in shopping, we dispersed to respective destinations.!!

I must record the appreciation of all of us for the well-planned tour that was executed perfectly without any hitch. The atmosphere was jovial and the journey was thoroughly enjoyable because of the bonding and bonhomie among us. We became a family in just 12 days. God bless each one of us!!

All these would not have been possible but for God’s grace.

NOTE: FOR THE NEXT YATRA, THE TECHNICAL DETAILS AND THE COST PLEASE CONTACT BALAJI DAVEY AT 9840188430/ 9445508070