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.
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.
0 comments: