2018 under the arrangement of Hong Kong friends, opened a six-day tour of Bhutan full of religious colors, a plane, there is a feeling of being in a paradise, the only airport in the country is located in the beautiful Paro Valley, rich in ethnic style architecture and small and compact, and the Western countries are very special compared to the tall and modern airports, because of the small, the whole process is very fast, and the customs is also very simple and fast.
The only airport in the country
Airport Customs
Met our guide at the airport arrivals gate, the tour guide is a local lad, because the tour in Hong Kong, the language service provided is English. About 1 hour drive to the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu, although the capital, bustling and bustling is not as good as our county, but also the only capital without traffic lights, the happiness index of the people of Bhutan is very high is world-famous, the first day is very curious about how a country can make the people have such a high sense of happiness, the next trip let me feel worthy of the name.
There are no traffic lights at intersections
Bhutan is located in the south of Tibet, China, at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, and its customs are similar to those of Tibet, and "Bhutan" means "on the edge of Tibet". The Bhutanese, also known as "Zhu Keba", make up 50% of Bhutan's total population, mainly descendants of Chinese Tibetan and Indo-Mongolian ancestry, as well as descendants of the indigenous peoples of the Chokpa, Repcha and Doya tribes. The local language is predominantly Tibetan.
Bhutan is a religious kingdom, generally believe in religion, most of the faith in Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism is revered as the state religion, Bhutan's architecture is also reflected in the state of theocracy, the country is very clean and peaceful, Bhutan's trip, different from other places of tourism, because Bhutan is a country with strong religion, most of the attractions in the itinerary are mainly monasteries, of course, the monasteries are also located in beautiful places, the tour guide itself is also a devout Buddhist, so it is also very professional.
We visited the monument to the late king, the Peace Monument, next to the Great White Pagoda, many old people sitting nearby, some in the zhuan pagoda chanting, the tour guide said that the local young people sent the old people to work, they also brought some simple food, everyone chanted together, the zhuanza, for Buddhists is also very fulfilling to spend the day. A simple, peaceful and contented life is filled with happiness.
The National Library is also very special, except for one or two people at the door, there is no staff inside, most of them are some ancient scriptures. Full trust is respect for human nature. The post office here is not only frequented by locals, but also open to tourists as a tourist spot, it is interesting to make personalized stamps, which is also very memorable for tourists.
Due to climate and geographical location, Bhutan imports a lot of vegetables from India, meat is also very small, chickens are imported from India, Bhutan itself does not have a slaughterhouse, due to no industrial pollution, the river here is very clear, Bhutanese people do not eat fish, the fish here are leisurely, rest assured and bold to swim around.
Punakha Castle is the oldest castle in Bhutan, located at the confluence of the Father and Mother rivers, and was built in 1637 AD to house Bhutan's precious Buddhist manuscripts, religious paintings and realistic portraits of religious celebrities, as well as the remains of the ancient Bhutanese Satungbu. While we were visiting, we happened to run into the king's mother who came to pay homage to the Buddha, who was very close to the people and had no bodyguards or escorts.
The Chukwangye Monument, also known as the 108 Stupas, is located near the "Dochonla Pass" at an altitude of 3140 meters above sea level, where after admiring the magnificent Himalayas, we and our guide hiked through the primeval forest to the top of the mountain, where there is a small temple. The altitude is somewhat high, the traveling companions are a little uncomfortable when walking, the tour guide slows down, in the early spring, some trees begin to bloom flowers, some are late, the negative ion content of the air is very high, fresh and pleasant, there is a sense of fairy tales of the forest quiet and magical atmosphere.
On the last day of our trip to Bhutan's famous attraction Tiger's Den Temple, the most sacred temple in Bhutan, known as one of the world's top ten super temples, Tiger's Den Temple is located in the Paro Valley 3000 feet high cliff wall, the legendary second Buddha, Master Lotus Flew over this place on a tiger, once meditated in a cave, which is now the location of the Tiger's Den Temple, from the bottom of the mountain to hike two hours to the top of the Tiger's Den Temple, although along the way experienced a difficult and steep mountain road, due to the picturesque scenery, forgot fatigue and fear.
We stayed in three hotels during the trip, although not luxury hotels, each hotel has its own characteristics, very clean, the hotel's breakfast buffet is also very attentive, the variety is not a lot, nutrition is enough, vegetarian-based, simple and happy, especially the daily towel cloth folded into different patterns, very heartwarming. In the few days in Bhutan, I deeply felt the happiness brought by simplicity, relatively simple substances, which reduced people's greed, reduced their troubles, and the ingredients of natural happiness rose accordingly. The government provides free medical care, education and housing to ensure the basic needs of the people.
Although Bhutan is an economically underdeveloped country in the world, I can't feel the modern atmosphere here, and there is no fast pace that comes with it, peace and contentment is happiness, and the trip to Bhutan brought me a new understanding of the concept of happiness.