The Tiger's Nest

Guru Padmasambhava, often referred to as Guru Rinpoche, occupies a very important place in Buddhist philosophy. The word Padmasambhava literally means as the one born in a Lotus. (Chaturmukha Brahma, the four headed creator in Hindu philosophy, is also Lotus born and hence a parallel can be seen). Tibetan Buddhism, followed in Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and other Himalayan areas consider him as the "Second Buddha". Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have lived in the 8th century. He is also believed to have lived in Nepal and later in Bhutan. It is said that he came to the upper Paro valley in Bhutan and sat in penance at a cliff point for three years, three months, three days and three hours. A temple was constructed at this point around the end of 17th century (1692 AD). 

This place (picture given above) is known as Paro Taktsang, also mentioned as Paro Palphug Monastery and Tiger's Nest. This building and centre has become a symbol of modren Bhutan's most important tourist destination. The importance of the place is for various reasons; its historical relevance, its location, the trek that is required to reach there and its natural beauty are among the many reasons.

Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have flown into this place from Tibet on a flying tiger. This place is therefore known as the Tiger's Nest. To reach Tiger's Nest one has to go on a trek from the Paro valley. The valley itself is at a height of 7,000 above sea level. The nest is at a height of 10,000 feet. The 3,000 feet trek normally takes about 2 hours one way. It is good for younger generation. But one can see local Bhutanese women go on the trek even with small babies in their arms!

A common painting we find in most of the Buddhist temples is the one of "Four Harmonious Friends". Four animals, an elephant, a monkey, a hare and a bird lived in a forest near a tree. They lived happily but somewhere along the way they lost respect for each other. Once respect was gone, conflict surfaced. After realising that conflict is not good for any of them, they decided to respect each other according to their age. How to measure the age? They felt that measurement of age can be with reference to the tree. Each one of them told others about how big the tree was when they first saw it. That settled the order. The bird was the oldest, the hare was next. Monkey and the elephant came later on. Once this was settled, harmony was restored. As the tree grew big, they were unable to reach its fruits. They climbed on each other, get the fruits and share them.

The celebrated principle of respecting age is brought out here, but it also lays emphasis on mutual respect. Seniority cannot be judged merely by age. While it is generally accepted that one matures with age and becomes wiser, it is not always true. Therefore, seniors should also respect the juniors as wisdom is not linked merely to age. Wisdom is a result of advancement in learning and practice. 

For visiting Tiger's Nest one should be able to walk and hike for four to five hours. Physical fitness becomes very important. This is true of other important sight seeing places as well. To enjoy the natural beauty and the adventure, one should visit Bhutan while still young! 

Airport by the River

There are many airports in different parts of the world. Some of them are very busy and congested. Some of them are very busy but always give a feeling of calm efficiency to the traveler. Some airports are like gardens and some others are modren structures with all engineering marvels. Airports are a means to land in a place and move forward to other destinations for sightseeing or work or business. In any airport, the travellers are eager to come out of the aircraft after landing, collect their baggage and get out of the airport in a car or a cab as fast as possible. This is the normal experience of any seasoned traveler.

Is there any airport which by itself can be a destination for sightseeing? Is there an airport that holds back the visitor for sometime after landing and make him forget the baggage and other issues? Is there an airport where the arriving passengers start clicking photos once they come out of the aircraft? Yes, Paro International Airport in Bhutan is one such airport which is worth visiting just for the thrill of landing and taking off from there. Of course, there are other attractions as well in this place and surrounding areas. The river Paro Cho flowing by the side of the airport is itself a beautiful sight. The picture given above shows the river flowing adjacent to the airport terminal. Visitors usually spend a full week in the surrounding areas before coming back to this airport and taking off to their destinations. There is always a demand from the passengers on the cabin crew for a window seat when the aircraft takes off!

Paro airport is the only international airport in the Kingdom of Bhutan. There are other three airports in the country for meeting domestic needs. The airport is at a short distance (6 Kms) from the town of Paro in a deep valley and on the banks of the river Paro Cho. Paro airport is surrounded by many peaks with some of them as high as 18,000 feet. Airport is itself at a height of 7400 feet above sea level. Landing of aircraft is indeed a challenge to the pilots as the aircraft has to descend into the valley in a set route and land at an angle instead of a straight line as happens in most of the airports.

Landing at Paro is very difficult for three reasons; the high mountain peaks around the runway, many buildings and houses on the flight path and the angular landing requirement. The airport was fully commissioned in 2011 and there were many structures and buildings around by that time. As the aircraft enters the valley, the pilots have to navigate it between the beautiful peaks, manage the landing at an angle amidst the buildings and that too in the short runway. The airport has the distinction of having a runway shorter than its altitude. In view of these challenges, only a select number of specially trained pilots are allowed to land and take off from this airport. Operations are permitted only on visual meteorological conditions.

Our aircraft from Kolkata, an Airbus A-319, took off last fortnight as scheduled and the limited travellers on board due to lean season month provided window seats to all on board. The sight on the flight path was indeed breathtaking and delightful. The skilled pilots navigated the aircraft between the mountain peaks. The clear sky, green forests below and the occasional clouds gave the proper setting. Despite the difficulties in navigation, the landing was very smooth. The terminal building resembles a typical Bhutanese structure and looks like a museum. Immigration officials are friendly and the entire experience at the airport is very rewarding.

Travellers from south India generally take the flights to Paro from Kolkata. These flights are usually timed at around 9 AM. One has to reach Kolkata on the previous night to catch these flights on the next morning. There is a facility of Resting Rooms (not Rest Rooms) in the Kolkata Airport which are as good as in any four star hotel. The rooms are to be arranged from the duty airport manager, before coming out of the arrival exit. Charges are reasonable and a planned visit is comfortable with this arrangement.

Indian citizen can visit Bhutan even without a passport. A Voter identification card (EPIC) is enough for visit as a tourist. Visa is provided on arrival at the airport. There was no visa for us and an authorisation was given by stamping arrival in the passport. Arranged tours are popular. Indian Rupee is widely accepted and has the same value as the local currency as the Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN) is linked to the rupee. However, 500 and 2000 rupee notes are not widely accepted. Notes of Rupees 100 and 50 denominations are widely accepted. It is advisable to carry 100 rupee notes. Payment can be made by debit and credit cards in some hotels. Most of the temples and museums do not accept card payments. In our experience entry charges in museums and temples is usually 300 rupees per person. 

If one desires to visit Bhutan for a vacation, Paro is the airport to land and take off from. One can also hope to see a landing at the airport by chance, while visiting a temple or a museum at an elevated place high above the runway. We were indeed lucky and could see three such landings and takeoffs during our three days stay in Paro. The "Airport by the River" is a thrill by itself!