At 8:30 Chris, Jon, Madeleine, Arial, Sammy and myself set off for the grueling hike to Tigers Nest Monastery (real name Taktsang Palphug Monastery) - site of an old buddhist monastery build 3000 feet up on the side of a cliff. The monastery unfortunately burnt down during the 1980's but was faithfully restored to its former self.
This is one of the most sacred places in Bhutan, and legend has it that the Guru Rimpoche flew there on the back of a Tigress (who some say was also his wife taking on one of her many forms).
I knew this was going to be a hard hike due to the altitude and the little time we had had for aclimitization. As it was, I had a hard time making it up the one flight of stairs to our room at the hotel. The hike starts at 7000 feet and ascends to 10,000 feet.
From the parking lot we passed the usual stalls selling souveniers, water, walking sticks etc. and then passed some buildings which appears to be shrines - presumably part of the original monastery complex built in the 1600's. Prayer flags were everywhere along the entire hike.Very soon we came to an open area where one could see our destination way off in the distance and very high up!
Due to the fact that no roads connect the monastery, all items must be carried by hand or on the backs of pack animals. We saw numerous horses and mules carrying supplies and also saw people carrying huge pieces of furniture on their backs running down the trail.
After an hour of grueling swtichbacks we reached what appeared to be a restaurant. By this time I had fallen behind, and was happy to see Sammy and our guide Gung Chow had waited for me. An ice cold Fanta provided a welcome refreshment while contemplating the next and hardest part of the climb. Although the monastery was now a lot closer, reaching it required hiking to a lookout tower high above the monastery, and then descending several hundered narrow steps carved into the side of the rock. Although railings have now been added, it used to be the case that there was nothing between you and the valley floor 3000 feet below, and several hikers would end up getting killed each year.
The next bit was very tough due to the altitude, and I ended up having to stop to catch my breath every minute or so. The younger ones seemed to have much more stamina. It was very pleasant, however, and we were rewarded with amazing views of the Paro valley, and the Tigers Nest monastery getting closer and closer. Eventually we reached the highest point of the trek where there was a large prayer wheel and the start of the steps leading down to the monastery.
At the bottom of the stairs there was a waterfall, and I was surprised to see a large snow bank. I had been in my T shirt for most of the hike, but once in the shade it became icy cold. There were then a few steps up to the monastery. At this point we met some police officers who demanded to see our pass. Since we had separated from our guide, we did not have (or even know about) a pass. Faced with the possibility of having hiked this far and now being allowed into the monastery, Sammy started to get sad. Eventually, however, our guide showed up and we were able to tour the building. Cameras were not allowed in this sacred place, so I apologize for not being able to show any pictures.
All the waters surrounding the monastery are supposed to be sacred and have healing properties. Our guide went off to try and bottle some of the water for us, while we set off back down the trail on the much easier return part of the journey.
Panorama showing Taktsang Monastery and Paro Valley
We finally arrived back at the hotel at 1pm, covered in mud and sweat, having 20 minutes to prepare ourselves to meet the Royal family of Bhutan! (see part 2).
