This is Bhutan too

I’m halfway through my 10 days in Bhutan and though I’m not sure what I expected, what I’ve seen wasn’t it. Honestly it’s been 5 days and I’m still processing. 

There simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe how truly unique Bhutan is, and has fought to remain. Everything from the architecture, to the national dress are unlike anything, anywhere else in the world. There are subtle nods and the occasional small concession to Tibetan, Indian, Chinese and Nepalese cultures – but Bhutan is fighting to stay true to itself – which is easier said than done when you share land boarders with the two most populous countries on Earth.

For a country the size of Switzerland the changes in vegetation and climate are bewildering. In one day I drove through an arid desert like landscape with pine trees dotting the rolling hills, to lush valleys with almost tropical forests of magnolias and rhododendron trees as big as houses … covered in snow. 

Bhutan is a place that defies expectation. The unifying factors are those things they’ve fought to preserve – whether in the middle of dusty rice patties, or nestled into the lush forest the houses are the same, the people are the same.

The other big thing that remains the same is Buddhism. Everywhere you look prayer flags flutter in the wind, and temples dot the landscape. Buddhism is inescapable in Bhutan; it is after all, proudly the only Buddhist country in the world. The Temples are not just places for worship and ceremony, but are also home to untold numbers of monks. I see more monks in a day than I saw clergy at the Vatican.  

All the blogs and photos I saw of Bhutan before I came here only show Punakha Dzong, or the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, or a few other iconic Instagram-able spots – but that does this country a disservice. Did I post a photo of Punakha Dzong? Yes. And will I post a photo of the Tiger’s Nest Monastery? After that hike, damn right I will. But I’m going to keep posting other photos too – because this is Bhutan too.