Taktsang Lhakhang- A TREK OF A LIFETIME

We finally reached as to what was our most eagerly awaited destination in paro and precisely in bhutan, This was the taktsang lhakhang a.k.a tiger’s monastery , a place which was at the top of our to-do list not just because it was a 16th century old monastery built on a huge cliff but also for the fact that we have to trek 13KM(5 hours) through a dense pine forest to the top.
      The soul of trekking is determination and passion.There are people who think trekking is just walking like a zombie between forest and mountains to reach nowhere.That is not true. The idea of reaching the top of a mountain by foot drives more adrenaline from the inside and is more of a fun from the ROR boys point of view as we looked at it as a trek of a lifetime and indeed it was
      We reached the starting point at 1 30PM, which is not highly recommended as the total trek time ideally is 5 hours to and fro. If you are late after sunset then you might be in for a real scare.However that wasn’t the case here :D
We started the trek steadily and not surprisingly people were coming down after finishing the trek.They had that “you guys wont make it” look on their faces. we all gave a good glance to the monastery that was barely visible from ground zero and karthik was sulking in his already wet clothes.

Get set GO!

ON MY WAY

The way through the forest was not very tricky.It is a decent road for initial part of it and then becomes tricky after some distance as naturally the road would become more and more drastic and very difficult when you go higher on the hill.We reached halfway slowly and the monastery was getting closer and more pleasing to our eyes. we had a beautiful landscape when we turned back and a few people did suggest us to turn back and down as it is still couple of hours away and we have a time crunch,but there was no turning back. The determination was there to reach the destination.I guess there is not much of a difference between a trek and life. Have that determination :)
    Where were we?? Oh yes we were at the top of the cliff.finally!!In a little under 3 hours.Trust me when i say this,It was worth all the sweat and a little pain in the muscles.

Totally Worth it!!

The monastery is stunningly located on the edge of the cliff.It is almost as if it is glued to the side of the cliff rather than built on the very top.The locals also say that the king’s mother resides in this place very often when she feels the need to meditate.You can see an array of mountains and a picturesque view of Bhutan’s natural and well preserved habitat.No pictures were allowed inside as it is mostly a normal buddhist temple from the inside.

The Best view of the taktsang

The never ending nature

PIC by GK

We were back to the starting point in an impressive total time of 4 hours and 20 minutes.With our legs cursing us and the body searching for a cushion we are on the road back to Thimphu,Many would ideally stay in Paro but we had a liking for Thimphu which we would also suggest other travelers as Thimphu is a livelier place to stay (in other words women were more beautiful :P)
Lalla was finally feeling home by now.He was more often than not saying that he feels like a local by now although he doesn’t look even close to one.And after the long day of ROR exploring and after some 500odd selfies of karthik, we were back to Thimphu. We were dead tired but the night was ours to live.Even after the long sojourn we were in for a late night chat inside our hotel room where we gathered for some relaxed conversations.This was one of the highlights of the trip with everyone’s past being the focus. Rohith was at his usual doctor stuff giving medical advices to karthik ;) and lalla’s motivational speech on how to handle breakups was almost motivational :P we were finally off to bed and ready and set for our final destination in bhutan.

The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
-Gilbert K. Chesterton

Dream To be continued...