寂天的雲上之國: 不丹 / Bhutan, Kingdom above the Clouds

I offer every fruit and flower
And every kind of healing medicine;
And all the precious things the world affords,
With all pure waters of refreshment;

Every mountain, rich and filled with jewels;
All sweet and lonely forest groves;
The trees of heaven, garlanded with blossom,
And branches heavy, laden with their fruit;

perhaps my favourite photo amongst everything I took during this trip to Bhutan — a local woman walking in the rice paddies we saw on our way to the Divine Madman's Temple in Punakha

a pink rose at the gate to the National Museum in Paro

at the Garden of Dreams, Kathmandu, Nepal (we flew to Bhutan via Kathmandu, a city I shall never return to)

The perfumed fragrance of the realms of gods and men;
All incense, wish trees, and trees of gems;
All crops that grow without the tiller’s care
And every sumptuous object worthy to be offered;

Lakes and meres adorned with lotuses,
All plaintive with the sweet-voiced cries of water birds
And lovely to the eyes, and all things wild and free,
Stretching to the boundless limits of the sky;

fresh flower offerings (from the pink roses right outside the gate) at the entrance of Paro Dzong

following the monk's footsteps near Paro Dzong

I simply adore these divine Bhutanese mountains. They are even more beautiful than paintings...

I hold them all before my mind, and to the supreme Buddhas
And their heirs will make a perfect gift of them.
O, think of me with love, compassionate lords;
Sacred objects of my prayers, accept these offerings.

～The Way of the Bodhisattva, by Shantideva

Weaving/textile is the national art and treasure of Bhutan. Some of these extremely intricate "kira" (traditional Bhutanese costume for women) cloths require painful precision and tremendous patience. The finished textile features such delicate patterns that at first glance they resemble embroideries, and yet everything is woven and a tiny knot is tied at every single thread, every time... For an experienced weaver it can take 2 to 4 months to finish a single piece for the kira.

Punakha Dzong, with the magnificent view of the confluence of the bluish grey Mo Chhu (Mother River, left) and the white Po Chhu (Father River, right). Yin and Yang in perfect harmony. In wintertime the Mother River turns a deep sapphire whilst the Father River stays white. Taiwanese artist Prof. Dan-Fong Liang (梁丹丰) painted a watercolour of this heartbreakingly beautiful sight.

The temple inside Punakha Dzong. The ceremony to consecrate the festival starting next day was about to take place. We joined in, and it was surreal.  My favourite was the Dance of Heroes performed by young monks (no filming/photography allowed) — the whole experience there with the lamas chanting, amazing music and stunning dance, followed by meditation, was mesmerising and hypnotic. It is something I will never forget.

I celebrated my 30th birthday in the magical mountain kingdom Bhutan, and had the most unforgettable and incredible time. It had always been a dream of mine to visit the Land of the Thunderdragon, and Bhutan turned out to be more stunning and magnificent than I could ever imagine. I will perhaps write more about this trip later, but at the moment I feel that the beauty and wonder of Bhutan are impossible to describe with words. There are so many stories to tell, so much beauty to share, and yet when encountered with such pure beauty I was left feeling speechless. I already started missing Bhutan at Paro Airport on the day we left, and now I miss it even more every single day. Bhutan is utterly unique. It is the most special and beautiful country I have ever seen. I cannot wait to be back...

simple life at the nunnery

the nuns (many of them extremely young), living high up in the mountain with clouds

gorgeous rainbow over the emerald valley of Paro

On our way to the Divine Madman's Temple. The landscapes and rice fields were so unimaginably beautiful that I felt as if I was walking inside Millet's painting "The Gleaners" (although Millet's painting depicts wheat fields)...

If you catch a fragrance of the unseen,
like that, you will not be able
to be contained.
You will be out in empty sky.

Any beauty the world has, any desire
will easily be yours.

As you live deeper in the heart,
the mirror gets clearer and cleaner.

～Mevlâna Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

flying prayer flags near Tiger's Nest (Taktsang Goemba)

young monks at Paro Dzong (where "Little Buddha" was filmed)

me in front of my favourite Punakha Dzong at the confluence of Mo Chhu and Po Chhu — a breathtaking sight to behold

*A compilation of super short videos we took in Bhutan (and last few in Nepal)... In addition to being quite fun to watch and wonderful to reminisce, videos do give you a very realistic sense of the space which is rather different from what may be conveyed in photographs.

*Undoubtedly, I took a tremendous amount of photographs in Bhutan. You can look at them in my online photo albums here, here and here.*

Morning mountain trek on my 30th birthday!