&Beyond Punakha River Lodge , Gangtey Lodge, Six Senses Paro, Amanmkora Timphu
Bhutan didn’t change me, it revealed me to me
Whether you buy into a philosophy centred around loving kindness, detachment, releasing ignorance and anger, or the existence of past lives or not, the beauty of the place will astound you.
Bhutan didn't change me. It stripped away what was clouding me to the beauty of life in its simplest forms and reminded me of what my heart has known to be true all along.
I’ve dreamt of going there since I was 15. And that’s more than two thirds of my life ago now! I used to meditate as a teenager for a minimum of an hour a day, addictively. I discovered a creative visualization book and taught myself all the techniques in it. Some paved the way for all kinds of magical internal adventures. I often flew on the wings of an owl to a place covered in snow with hundreds of prayer flags adorning the stupa and mountains. I’d never seen images of this place in reality but went there often.
Many years ago, I came across an image of The Tigers Nest Temple. Or Takstsang as it’s called, and knew I had to go there.
I cut the image out and kept it on my vision boards for years.
And so, when I was shortlisted to go this year 2024 suffice to say it was a lifelong dream come true.
The hardest part of the trip aside from navigating jetlag, altitude adjustment and crazy long haul flights was leaving my son behind.
And when I got there and hiked, explored the exquisite terrain, went white water rafting, soaked in the incredible ancient prayers in temples built in the 1500’s it all made sense why.
I just felt so unbelievably at home. Like a part of me belonged there. And that the world was so much better and made so much more sense with a place like Bhutan in it.
The Buddhists believe in reincarnation and that there was a divinely ordained reason we were picked to go there. I have a strong sense that my son and I know one another from a monastic time. Our current home on a small holding outside a gorgeous, seaside South African town, has so much about it that is similar. Our wooden house, the colours we chose to paint inside, all echo Bhutan. The hours we can be together in silence; and the deep bond we have; feels stronger for me having gone there. Whether you buy into a philosophy centred around loving kindness, detachment, releasing ignorance and anger, or the existence of past lives or not, the beauty of the place will astound you.
Bhutan only has about 800,000 occupants. The buildings are all built in traditional Bhutanese style. The stray dogs are fat, fluffy and well fed and the king is possibly the only democratically elected monarch in the world. The country admires and adore him and he stands for his people like a true leader with action behind his word.
The unparalleled beauty of the place is jaw dropping. Rolling hills covered in Rhododendrons and snow-covered peaks with streams and forests, old man’s beard, dripping with ferns and the brightly coloured prayer flags anchor the invisible in the physical, are a feast for the eyes.
The temples are adorned with intricate paintings and carvings, and I personally couldn’t get enough of it all.
I can’t wait to go back. With my son. And revisit what I see as my spiritual home on earth. A place where heaven collides with mud and rock and we truly don’t need to escape to find some sort of sense of Nirvana. It’s right here and possible to experience.
Thank you, Bhutan, for not changing me, but revealing so much of me, our world and its wondrousness to me.
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I am passionate about travel and can’t wait to share the beauty of the world with you
Melissa Adey
&Beyond Travel Specialist
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