It was a Sunday....a fine day for the climb. I found myself awake just before the alarm went off....It was the day to climb up to the Taktsang monastery. We were about to take the most difficult and breathtakingly beautiful trek of our lives. The vastness of mountains, the sound in silence of forests,  the calmness of monastery and the healing power of the water from waterfall made the challenges of the trek worthwhile.

Its equivalent to climbing a 100 storey building at an altitude of 10,240 ft. straight up. Although, the total distance is just 8 km but  the trek gains altitude very drastically throughout making it a tough trek.

The sun was somewhere between the zenith and horizon. With very questionable fitness levels, rented trekking sticks  and a toddler in tow we started the trek. Covering the initial part of the trek on horses seemed like a smart choice.  As we climbed on our horses ....I was actually scared. My poor horse was hungry and he kept running to eat leaves from trees....even if that tree was a tad down the slope......Once he even took a small detour to the stream to quench his thirst. I kept telling myself Not today...Not today...if you know what I mean (GOT fan anyone!!!) Additionally, one fun fact I got to know during this climb is that horses walk on the edges of mountains. It was too late to find out about it as I was already on my journey and there was no looking back or down for that matter.  The horseman convinced me that never has a horse or rider fallen from the mountains on the trek so I placed my trust in those words and kept riding.  I kept looking back towards my baby and her horse. She was perched up with her father inside the baby carrier. To be honest, it seemed she is far more courageous than me. The duo were enjoying the ride on the horse clearly so much more than me. The daughter kept patting the horse and saying -'lets go...chalo chalo'.....and honestly believed that that the horse listened to her and started trotting again. When the horse huffed and puffed and breathed heavily she stroked it and asked - ' Thak gaaye.....tired huh.....ohhhh' ..... She crazily fell in love with the horse. How well the little humans connect with animals as opposed to grownups.... I really wonder. While  l nervously rode on the horse and attempted  to distract myself  by looking  here and there and trying to appreciate the beauty all around she was having the time of her life.

The horses dropped us till the cafeteria in about 45 minutes which they say is half of the distance covered  on one side of the trek or 1/4th of the total trek.  I think its purely delusional talk...its not true ....at-least it didn't feel true...The baby ate bananas and fed breast milk and fell asleep as soon as we started climbing up on foot. The baby carrier was a blessing again. It made our climb so much easier.....Everyone was kind of in their own zone....walking in silence most of the times.. aware of each others rhythm.. occasionally stopping to catch a breath or when the prayer flags fluttered above us... ... Time stood still and it was a surreal feeling standing amidst such ethereal beauty and  vastness of nature.... . The sound of fluttering prayer flags was soothing as if they have been put there to give company to climbers and distract them from the gruelling trek. When I looked up the flags and saw the sun seeping in through the thick old trees.....I marvelled at the magnificence of it all.  

It felt as if  I had disconnected from the world and connected with myself...... Unplugged from all the anxiety , doubts that I had before starting the trek ...I slowed down............. A sense of peace, calm and stillness prevailed in me.

After a steep climb there was a small descent and then there were lots and lots of stairs. Climbing the mountains was so much fun but cant say the same about the stairs. The last mile felt the longest but lots of encouragement from my husband and the view of  the infinite green valleys in the stark contrast of the rocky mountain where the tiger nest monastery cosily nestled on kept me going. It is like one of those images that stays with you even after many years have passed and probably as seen in movies while one is counting final moments and kind of relives life in form of images.....its one of those sights....

So the toddler woke at the right time. We almost reached the monastery and there was a waterfall right before we enter the monastery... I love when she wonders and makes a big deal whenever  she experiences something new......she could not have enough of the waterfall...kept staring at it.....wanting to touch the waters.....asking again and again -'yeh kya hai...what is this'.... she repeats her sentences once in Hindi and then in English.......we drank its water and it was so cold and they say it has healing powers....

We reached the monastery at around 12pm . And while eating our laddos spellbound at the most scenic spot ......still shocked that we actually managed to finish the hike. After exploring the monastery it was time to head back.

We started the descent before 1:30 pm. Lots of people finish the trek in 3 hrs we manged to do one way in more than 3 hours. The daughter had slept well in the baby carrier .....her tummy was full and was all set to explore the mountains. . The stairs are not to be done by 2 years old so we carried her. Reluctantly she got into the carrier... I am so blessed that my baby co-operated with us.  After the stairs were done and we reached the wide dirt trail she got restless and we were more than happy to let her explore.  Initially scared she examined the landscape a bit... held our hands and then she was running.....and we were running behind her.

She imitated us and wanted to walk with trekking stick. It was too long and heavy for her but that didn't stop her ... her need for maximum effort was being met (Toddlers love lifting and carrying very heavy objects. This need is known as maximum effort in Montessori) She ran while holding it...figuring out to balance herself and the stick while walking........The stick was her favourite thing the whole time and she couldn't have enough of it.....If I gave her a option of an expensive toy right now she would pick the stick.

During the walk she saw a hole in mountain. She was so mesmerised and absolutely intrigued by it. She finds joy in simple things and in those moments reminds me to do the same......

We reached this patch with lines and lines of prayer flags crisscrossing each other and hanging very low within her reach and she was delighted........there was lot of foliage as well....pine cones strewn about...dried leaves, twigs... a stray dog as well.......This area was full of possibilities for her. As I sat down on a bench and watched her I wished I could embrace life with the same spirit of wonder, imagination and creativity as my child. She kept herself busy with lots of activities she created for herself without any help from us.......she filled her tiny hands with foliage and kept transferring it to whichever point that caught her fancy.

She kept trying to reach the prayer flags.....gently pulling them down releasing them and then watching the hundreds of flag  just flutter around . We were worried if we were disrespecting the flags but our  driver told us that the Buddhist flags are not meant to stay still. That is why they are tied up on the mountains. When they flutter they send out positive spiritual vibes and that the prayers on the flags are carried by the wind like silent prayers and everything the wind touches is blessed. ...such a heart warming  thought. 

She ate her strawberries and banana and then we resumed our climb down. She has been trying to jump for few months now.... practising by holding our hands ...doing small jumps on sofas and beds.....and today of all the days that she decided she wanted to perfect her form. She climbed laboriously on rocks and loved sitting on them and then asking for help to jump from it. She climbed on small rocky structures and big stones on the trail and jumped from them.

While we  gave her freedom to enjoy her moments not bothering much when she fell at times, we helped her when we thought she might get hurt a lot. Meanwhile she was interested in lots of stones that she found on the way, picked them , examined them, banged them  and threw them. 

She suddenly remembered fish and made a fish face and  hand gestures of fish swimming... she does this at home while listening to the fish song.... and found it to be really hilarious. She asked her father to join her in the act and when he did she laughed even harder. She recalled the waterfall she had seen earlier and pointed towards a nearly vertical arrangement of small rocks and stones and said 'this is waterfall dekho dekho'. 

She sat on the path and collected leaves and 
sand and tossed them in air and then when it fell on her dress got up and dusted her dress. Then she ran behind me to put them on my dress and then dusted me as well. After all her play she was so tired and asked  to be carried and fed breast milk and then slept as soon as she got in the carrier. Breast-milk is such a saviour because we were out of food save only for a few pieces of cashews.

The weather was  perfect when we started the trek. It was bright, breezy and just the right amount of sunny. We had packed raincoats but didn't carry them at the last minute. A decision which we regretted a little bit when it started raining. But I am not sure if it was Adrenalin rush or that we are thick skinned that it really didn't make much of a difference really. We still kept walking at the same pace. The baby was safely packed inside the comforts of baby-wearing...which provided a good shield against the rain. It's commendable that my baby participated so much with us during the trek else it would impossible to complete the trek till the monastery. She enjoyed walking, playing during the trek and also did not fuss inside the carrier. She was calm and open towards the experience. The fact that we waited patiently when she played and walked slowly and were open-minded when she she ran and fell numerous times (without compromising on her security....expecting children to finish the trek without falling is unrealistic)  on the dirt trail made it enjoyable experience for her. If we would have rushed her she would not have had so much fun.

We finally finished the trek at 5 pm. It took us 8.5 hours. Even after taking help of horses to cover one fourth of our trek we took a lot of time. After the descent we had hot ginger chai ,fries, pav bhaji(a strange craving had kicked in for the same) and spicy bhumtang noodles (Bhutanese speciality of bhumtang region...these noodles are actually healthy as it made of buckwheat) at the Mountain cafe. They were so sweet to hasten our order when they saw us drenched and instantly knew we had come from the trek. The food disappeared as soon as it came. I am so happy that I called the hotel to arrange for a hot stone bath for us. After food we headed straight there and dipped ourselves in the warm waters of the hot stone bath. It was the best decision ever. The hot water provided such relief to our sore muscles and we felt so relaxed. It was the perfect end to a adventurous,healing and resetting all the buttons kinda family day.

A Sunday like this is all I ever want in life. I hope we get to spend many a Sundays like this one. 

Trivia - Paro Taktsang monastery is a place of Buddhist pilgrimage in the Himalayas. It is built around the Takstang senge samdup cave where the Indian born Guru Padmasambhava mediated for 3 years 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days and 3 hours in 8th century. He is the one who spread Buddhism in Bhutan. Legend has it that he reached the cave on a tiger back and that's why the name tigers nest. The tiger was the manifestation of his disciple. The monastery was  built by Tenzin Rabgye in 17th century in 1692. It was razed by fire in 1996 and then restored to original structure and design later. The monastery still functions as a place of worship.

Tips- 1..Its a wide dirt trail  apart from few tricky places and the stairs its doable by children.  Also I would mention that we hired horses for the initial climb and then wore her inside the carrier while hiking up and down both.
2.If your child is below 3 years you WILL need a baby carrier to carry the baby. Please go for an ergonomic one . It so much more comfortable for baby and it will make all the difference. It might be the most important decision that will enable you to finish that trek because carrying the baby in arms won't be possible unless you are a avid trekker and super fit.
3.Carry water bottles with you. Take a banana and something solid to eat when you reach the monastery. That's when hunger sets in.
4.Do carry a light weight raincoat with you which folds easily even if the sun is shining bright at the start of trek.
5.Rent that stick its very helpful during the descent. Ask someone to watch out for it when you go inside monastery as it can get exchanged...

6. Hot stone bath a speciality of Bhutan is a must after the trek. Do call the hotel in or let your guide know about it well in advance.

Bhutan is a small Himalayan country and so near our country and yet so different. Its a breathtakingly beautiful country and here lives the most beautiful hardworking women. The country is very high on gender equality. Women can be seen everywhere and in lots of profession. I wonder why no-one has ever captured this before... People have a very respectful attitude towards women...no catcalls, no eve-teasing, no staring. I am certainly not surprised why it's the happiest place on Earth. When half of the population feel safe and happy....it's kind of a given.  There is so much to learn from them. I will let the pictures do the talking. These women just go about their life doing amazing things so causally without making a big deal about it. I am in awe of them.

The breastfeeding mother who walked hurriedly through the streets of Paro. Such was her confidence I am totally floored. Also, there were no judgement or staring at her from the people around. 

This woman is all sorts of amazing.  She is 50 yrs and does stuff which makes me feel so old. She has energy of a 20 year old. She lifts other women up ..is very kind and very welcoming to guest or any other villager who happen to be at her door. She loves to feed people and don't shy away from doing the heavy lifting like literally. 

Tip - Ditch the fancy hotel and do a homestay in Punakha to enjoy nature, authentic delicious food and warmth of the people. If you are lucky you may learn a dish or two from them.

The left seller is so old and sells and bargains like a pro. The right seller had different types of grains and flours - corn, buckwheat, rice(red and white) and wheat. Btw, the centenary farmers market at Bhutan is totally dominated by the females. I didn't see even a single seller who was not a woman. Saw them loading and unloading veggies and groceries from trucks. 
Trivia - Bhutan is a self sufficient country in terms of food. They cultivate all these in their country organically it seems.  
Tip- Head to the second floor for organic stuff. The lower level, I am told has inorganic pesticide laden stuff imported from India. 
 
 

This is a school team who are so blessed to play at such a big football field. This was a practice match that they were playing while lots of other teams arrived in buses from far to play some serious matches to be played later. The girls were so kind and didn't mind when my daughter excitedly ran into their field and then tried to run away with their ball. They patiently played with her, negotiated with her. Apart from being cool sportswomen they were really kind....... While the crowd itself were very patient ....what was amazing that they was no a single catcalls or name calling while they played. There was no less cheer for the girls though.

The school going girls have to walk a lot while going to school. Not that they mind. This is a part of world where parents can till send their children to school on foot without accompanying them. I saw so many school kids happily, independently returning from schools chatting away eating  snack on way and generally very happy...

Women in hospitality....Met them at our Thimpu stay. ..they carried a 18 kg full gas cylinder up the stairs when they ran out of gas. They fixed lights and hot water issues....multitaskers..and troubleshooters these two. That smile never left their faces. One was a new mom...her baby was 7 months old and her husband prepares hot dinner for her when she gets home and plays with the baby.

I had a teeny weeny girl crush on these extremely fit and smart police officers.
Trivia- There is not a single traffic light in Thimpu. Well...and to add to that the drivers do obey traffic rules even if there is no police officer in sight....or signal and also if the entire road is empty ....

This woman wore killer fashionable boots. She is a farmer and a mushroom seller both. I bought mushroom from her and my host in Punakha dried them so graciously for me.

The oh so pleasant parking ticket collector of Thimpu. I have never ever encountered one until I met her. She made the time to chit chat with me and told me about her daughter.

The cheeky one.....posed in her betel leaf ...She is the vegetable,fruits vendor in the most beautiful and clean farmers market ever.  A whole lot of people eat betel leaf but not surprisingly didn't find any betel stains anywhere at all.  

Trivia - They call it doma pani in Bhutan and legend has it that when guru Rinpoche arrived in Bhutan and spread Buddhism he got the people to give up on eating flesh and bones by replacing them with doma-pani. 

I purchased the most juicy and sweet strawberry from her. They were small in size but oh so tasty. I bought apricots, hill banana, cucumber, papaya from here. There were some yummy looking pickles which caught my attention but we had a long journey ahead so skipped it. 

Tip - Definitely visit the centenary farmers market in Thimpu if you are looking for some extremely fresh veggies, fruits, cheese,chillies etc. You will thank me later. They are closed on Mondays.

Women can here actually build. Saw them building houses and also their own shop in Thimpu. Also, learnt that they sing very melodiously while building houses as well. In olden days they used to sing this song where they asked for forgiveness from insects which got killed while building houses. 

Very fortunate to hear the song at the simply Bhutan.

Tip- do visit Simply Bhutan at Thimpu to get a snapshot of the Bhutanese culture and history. Don't miss the food. However, one needs to buy the food tickets at the entrance while purchasing the entry ticket else you may have to miss the food.

Bhutan has such rich textiles. They have really varied textures, fabrics and are extremely well crafted and expensive. These women weave such beautiful pieces. I really hope they start weaving sarees soon so that i can really invest and own a Bhutanese textile. Right now mostly they make the traditional kira and lots of other paraphernalia.  For now, I am happy with a few small pieces I picked up at Thimpu. A extremely gorgeous well made yellow coloured piece with silk threads work that was originally weaved for use as dining table mat. Bought one of them to be creatively stitched into either a kurta or blouse for me or the  little ones dress.

Tip- Do your most of the shopping from Thimpu markets. Paro was a little expensive. Though they also have very pretty cups, trinkets at great prices.

Women in Government..forest officer punakha... helping me with some.information as her daughter returned from school and waited for her mom to go home together. 

She climbed the taktsang monestry like a boss while minding 7 
other horses. Its not a easy climb and add to that being responsible for tourists and the horses. This takes a lot of courage and practice and being totally proficient in your job.

Newly appointed custom officer. Her whole family came to drop her at the airport. She was very excited to start her job.

The strong and fit granny who had picked her granddaughter from school and was very happy when I asked for a pic. Her daughter was working and she helped her by taking care for the little one

Tip - It's safe to say that women can even travel solo without a pinch of worry in Bhutan...So if you are thinking of doing a solo or women's only trip head to Bhutan.