The Bridge to Bhutan

We have made it to the mythical land of the Thunder Dragon and all I can do is sleep. Granted, it’s been a long journey to get here, but the least we can do is appreciate our surroundings on this very auspicious national holiday, which marks the death of Zhabrung, who came from Tibet in 1616 and helped unify Bhutan into one nation. But the minute we step into our tour operator’s van upon arrival in Paro, I can’t keep my eyes open. But judging by the hair-pin turns on the cliff-hugging road, maybe I’m better off not looking. Our driver is slow and steady, but I don’t necessarily trust the obstacles that are being thrown his direction — people, cows, dogs and cars coming directly toward us in our lane.

The Bhutanese have a way of overcoming obstacles. The plane ride from Calcutta was proof of that. Descending from abovet the clouds where we could see the tip of the world’s largest peak, we were suddenly among the mountains, bobbing and weaving through the narrow valleys. It really looked like the wing of the aircraft could, at any moment, clip an outcropping on either side of us. And with one hard bank to the right and a quick left, the short runway was right in front of us. There are plenty of YouTube videos that document the tricky landing and take-off at the Paro airport — one of the world’s most dangerous. Only eight pilots in the world are qualified to fly the route.

After that experience and now firmly on the ground, I suppose I deserve to relax for a bit between stops at Semtokha Dzong, the national memorial chorten, the Takin National Animal Preserve and the world’s largest sitting Buddha. These stops are amazing, but I’ll be really ready for tomorrow’s adventure after a good night’s sleep and a change of clothes.