KUZUSAMBOLA – this is how the Bhutanese, dressed in their national costumes, greet you at the airport in Paro!

I welcome you to the poorest country in the world, Bhutan! To an incredible country in Asia that neighbours India and China. The Kingdom of Bhutan lies in the middle of the Himalaya Mountains in the +6 time zone.

Bhutan has a population of approximately 2,500,000. They speak the Dzongkha language. Everybody older than forty was born on 1 January. They only have a first name, a surname was not necessary. The borders first opened to foreigners in 1974. The first road was built in 1962 and money has been in use for only 30 years.

An ordinary tourist is not able to visit this kingdom. A special permit is needed and only a limited amount, several thousand, is issued each year. I was one of the lucky ones, so I travelled to this beautiful country and spent an unforgettable week here.

After arriving at the airport, I was picked up by a delegate and his driver, and then they took care of me, us, in two days my colleagues from Switzerland arrived, non-stop. Individual tourism does not exist here. Staying here costs USD 200 per day. You must pay in advance. Without this and other accommodation expenses you shall not be able to stay there. Although this was a slightly financially-demanding trip, during your stay you are treated with kid gloves. I was pleasantly surprised at how many languages all the delegates knew. They were fluent in several languages and all the services were of the highest quality! And I have yet to mention the great quality of the people. Their generosity, hospitality and humility moved me at my every step. It is hard to describe. I could write for a long time about the disposition and humanity of these people. Gradually, in various examples, which actually happened, you shall find out for yourself.

On the left delegate Karma and the driver Sonam. Tashichoe Dzong – Thimpu.

Although this is a poor country, its people are well taken care of. People do not pay income tax. All children have a right to the same education and health care. This is the only country in the world that bans the sale of tobacco. Breaking this law results in a fine of USD 225.

Our crew, the Three Graces in Bhutan. Nikki, Nadia and yours truly – Thimpu.

Our group admired Bhutan and then we travelled to Nepal.

I did not know much about Bhutan. Nobody knows much about it. People do not know this country. Bhutan is still fairly well protected. This is a kingdom nestled in a valley that is not that easy to get into. It has its own charm, atmosphere and something that you can only find here. Maybe when visitors start visiting this country en masse Bhutan shall no longer be so enchanting. That is why deep inside I hope that the king who rules Bhutan (the youngest king in the world) shall not allow this country to become a regular tourist destination. It would be a shame. Although tourism strengthens the economic situation at a given destination, it is also able to cause a lot of harm and damage. More and more people are able to reach places were their irreverence and boorishness ruin the atmosphere. Even we witnessed it with our own eyes as one of us, I mean one of us tourists, griped out loud only because he had to take his shoes off before entering the most prestigious Dzong. We were happy that we were able to enter it at all; and without debate, we shelved our cameras and of course our shoes. This is because what we saw there deeply moved us and made us contemplate new thoughts.

That is the Tiger’s Nest Dzong. In order to get to it we had to climb to an altitude of 4,000 m. This was our trekking, which we handled superbly. We were rewarded by the sight of young monks performing a ceremony. Listening to their prayers and seeing their lives in a Dzong left us with profound feelings and impressions. I shall never forget the sight of young Buddhist monks in their orange clothing sitting on the ground and talking to themselves, devoted to their faith, their voices, and the scent of incense. This was a fantastic atmosphere, I had gooseflesh all over. I stood there mesmerized and was totally absorbed by everything. Fantastic!

In the end, the climb up to the Tiger’s Nest was not all that demanding. I was afraid that it would be much more demanding. One could even ride horse, but then it would not be trekkingJ. Our trip started at an altitude of 3,200m, so we ascended only 800m. However, I cannot guess how many kilometres it was. The view all around us was breathtaking. We saw the entire city of Paro as if it were in the palm of our hand. Today, I can understand why people so enthusiastically hike in the mountains. A person really clears their head when doing it; a super salve for the soulJ.

That was what our trekking looked like.

After climbing up to and seeing the Tiger’s Nest, we had lunch halfway back down on the return trip. Karma and Sonam prepared a picnic for us. However, this was no ordinary picnic. They remembered the foods that became our favourite when eating in Bhutan. The Bhutanese eat rice with a generous portion of chilli peppers and chilli sauce. We only tasted it and had to admit that this was definitely not for us. It is really spicy. I always had rice without the chilli and lots and lots of vegetablesJ. I have to say that the food was always outstanding. When they served us our picnic and did not forget my black tea with lemon, without which I can barely function, we were shocked and very moved. Nadia took a liking to the local dumplings, and they were also served. We enjoyed lunch in silence and contemplated a reward for our super guardians. They took care of us splendidly and were always able to fulfil our requests.

I remember the picnic I had on my sightseeing tour of Paro; when I, Karma and the driver picnicked in the forest high above the valley. This was actually my first threesome picnic. I watched them as they beautifully laid out the picnic between some tree stumps. They carefully rolled out a small carpet and laid out the dishes with the delicacies. They sat a short distance away on the grass and prepared to eat their chilli rice. Whereupon I, of course, could not sit alone like a queen, so I invited them to sit with me on the carpet. They refused to sit on the carpet but came closer and sat on the grass. Their reverence took my breath away. We talked about the life of the Bhutanese and I slowly began to understand something about their mentality and lifestyle. During our friendly talk Karma sprinkled rice around us, which really astonished me. Reputedly, we are thus protected from savage animals that live everywhere here. Reputedly, we are thus protecting our karma and reputedly nothing shall happen to us this day. He talked about this as if it were an absolute matter of fact. I was intrigued and asked more about the local animals. When I found out that wild animals, which are very dangerous to man, live all around here, I jumped up in a flash and sprinkled my plate of rice around us. I shocked them slightly, but I only tried to protect us even more. He talked about how at home the people here sit on the ground when dining; they do not need chairs and a table. They sleep on the ground, but already there are people here who indulge in the luxury of a comfortable bed. Families have been living together for generations. A family firmly keeps together. Older family members spend most of their time in meditation and prayer. The younger generation financially supports the family. A house can have a maximum of five storeys. This is how they live here in one house, which has its own chapel and altar. I strived to comprehend what they live for and the meaning of their lives. Perhaps Karma lives similarly as most, having faith in fulfilling one’s karma and for a happy life. He definitely does not desire to amass property and build up a skyrocketing career. Simply said, he just wants to be happy! He probably would not understand our European lifestyle. It fascinated me how calm he was, how he quietly sat and contemplated and meditated.

Boys at the age of five go to a temple and live there. They learn religion and their lives take place behind the walls of the temple. They have a fixed regimen. For me at first, this was hard to understand, but when I saw them, how happy they were, then why not. It is such a different life that a mere mortal cannot understand.

On the other hand, even these boys have the same thoughts of being a rascal and they live a normal child’s life. Small monks run around the courtyard of the temple with rifles in their hands and play the ever-popular game of soldiers. I had to laugh because at home we constantly deal with the fact that Alex really loves military toys and we wonder if we did not fail in some way in his upbringing. We did not fail! He is only a normal healthy boy. Even these boys love these toys. They run around enthusiastically and imitate the army. Without their habits they would be like our boys in school. Adult monks enjoy a mobile life and certainly have the same needs as we do here in Europe.

We had the opportunity to see the food that they normally eat at this weekend market. The Market in Thimpu.

Chilli peppers. People dry them on roofs. You can see them everywhere. Only red rice, corn and potatoes are grown in Bhutan. Other foods are imported from India. If you have fish or other meat in a restaurant, then it is guaranteed to be from India. The Bhutanese are not allowed to kill any animal; their religion forbids them to do so. But for instance, what happens if an animal is hit on the road? Reputedly, that does not happen.

The standard of living of the Bhutanese is better as compared with that of the people in India or Nepal. There are no homeless here. Everyone endeavours to have some kind of work. And if he does not have work, his family shall take care of him. The family is priority number one for them.

Something else that really amazed me was visiting their festival that takes place annually in Thimpu in the Tashichoe Dzong. Thousands of people gather here. 80% are local residents and the rest are tourists. Many people in national costumes look forward to this event. Throngs of people wait in queues to get into the Dzong; babies, children, all the way to the oldest citizens. People gradually sat down on the ground in the courtyard of the Dzong, one so close to the other that is was impossible to walk between them. People stood and sat wherever it was the least bit possible. They that much looked forward to the important ceremony. Mothers nursed babies and older children sat. In this vast area I did not see one child become hysterical or make a similar fuss. I was shocked to see how patiently the children tolerated the waiting, how they were calm and they did not mind at all that they sat on the ground, that a harsh sun beat down on them, no child whined or complained. I rather watched what was happening around me. The festival itself did not interest me that much. I tried to imagine children that I regularly meet sitting there. I do not even want to mention my own, because my own would not withstand it for even 15 minutesJ. I contemplated how it is possible that children are so different. What makes this so? After standing in one place, in the sun and with all those people pushing and shoving around us, my back began to hurt. I started to squirm and said to myself, how am I going to endure this even for another hour? We, European ladies, could not endure it any longer. All we had to do was look at each other and it was clear that in a few minutes we were leaving. Poor Karma was stunned and did not understand our behaviour. He endeavoured to show us their important festival. However, without any comment, we left together. The three of us were surely ashamed of the way we acted; however, to just stand in one place for several hours without moving was inconceivable for us. I felt as if I was losing my freedom and as if I was having a panic attack and I just had to get out of there. I think that the girls were also glad in the end.

I really like this photo. A queue to the festival. Here I took delight in the colourfulness of their costumes, their beautiful faces, and the beautiful landscape in the background.

How pleasantly surprised we were when we were able to appease our cravings for sweets. We found a Swiss bakery. The girls pounced on it and enjoyed pastries. We never would have expected a Swiss bakery in Bhutan, not even in our wildest dreamsJ.

A paper manufacturing workshop - Punakha

Chilli peppers in the manufactured paper. Even this is art.

Simtokha – A beautiful place with one of the most beautiful structures in the world, which was built by women and actually all the residents. Dochula Pass. A lookout point in the Himalayas.

From here we had a view of Mount Everest. It is hidden somewhere in the backgroundJ.

Mount Everest was easily seen on our flight from New Delhi to Paro. It was a magnificent view of a breathtaking mountain of the world!

We also always turned a cylinder for good fortuneJ.

Tashichoe Dzong – Thimpu. In Thimpu on the Square.

We also took a trip to the village of Lobesa. On a hill here, there is a temple that brings good fortune to childless couples desiring offspring. It is said that he who visits the temple shall be blessed with an offspring within a year. I was unbelievably curious and wished that I would be lucky enough to find a monk that would favour me with this ritual. I had no idea what kind of ritual this was. We were lucky to have pleasantly warm weather and the walk through a rice paddy up the hill made us feel good. It did not matter where I was, the landscape always moved me.

Temple high on a hill. The miraculous Fertility Temple.

A view down into the valley. A women working in a rice paddy.

We finally made it to the temple. We were lucky to find some monks. They were meditating at the moment. Karma gladly arranged it so that they would tell us something about the ritual. I wanted to see it, so I announced that I wanted to take part in the act. The girls joined in too. The monk took his instruments and it only took a minute. He tapped us on the head and shoulders with a large wooden penis. He uttered something during this and it was over. So we shall see which one of us shall have some good news within a yearJ.

My thoughts keep going back to Bhutan. It is a country full of dignity. If there is one thing I respect in people, then it is this dignity. The way people act, their mentality, people’s lives should not lack dignity. Hats off to all the people there, hats off to the entire country! Believe me, that which you experience in Bhutan, that which you feel there and that which it gives you, cannot be felt or seen anywhere else in the world. Yes I know, the world is large and diverse, but this beautiful place has its own secret, which is hidden somewhere deep in the valley. That country has a pure karma with a bright aura!

Bhutan shall forever remain in my heart and I shall remember it with reverence!

I dare say so much in conclusion.