Bodhnath

Bodhnath or Boudha, as the Nepali people call it, is one of the few places in the world where Tibetan Buddhist culture is accessible and unfettered. The lanes around the giant stupa are crammed with monasteries and workshops creating essential paraphernalia for Buddhist life. The enormous stupa pulses with life as thousands of pilgrims gather daily to make ritual circumnavigations, clockwise, around the dome, beneath the watchful eyes of Buddha, which gaze out from the gilded central tower.

Where it All Began

In the spring of 1998 I had the opportunity to join a climbing expedition that was heading to Nepal to attempt to climb Mt. Pumori in the Himalayas. I had never left North America before and at 28 it was time to get out of my comfort zone. A number of years earlier I had met a friend of my boss who had trekked to Everest Base Camp to say goodbye to a friend of his who was killed during the first Canadian expedition to Mt Everest. After seeing the slide show and hearing his stories I was hooked and Nepal was somewhere that had me intrigued.

I met Tim Rippel in the summer of 1997 in Nelson, BC while working there. He was starting up a new trekking/climbing company and asked if I was interested in joining one of the expeditions he was looking to get climbing permits for in Nepal. It took me about 2 seconds to answer! Of course! A year later and a few dollars poorer I was on a Singapore Airlines flight over the Pacific with no idea what I was in for.

The minute I walked out of the Kathmandu airport I was hooked. I fell in love with the city and then the country after spending about 5 weeks there. I enjoyed the country so much I came back 2 years later to begin a grand tour of Asia, but that's a whole other story.

So 14 years after first coming to Nepal I once again find myself back in Kathmandu, and walking the streets of the city brings back countless memories from my previous times here. I still love it here even though it's changed considerably. There's some very swanky boutique hotels, a lot more restaurants, very little begging and the streets are surprisingly clean. The population of Kathmandu has exploded so the streets are a lot busier and there's a lot more cars and motorbikes. Thankfully the pollution spewing auto-rickshaws seemed to have vanished from the streets.

I've been on the road now for nearly 2 months and have visited 4 countries. I'll be heading home in a couple of days to wintery Canada. It's been quite the adventure this time around, both exciting and extremely difficult.

Impressions from Bhutan

Arriving at the airport in Paro, I was sad to end my time in Bhutan. I feel I barely skimmed the surface of this intriguing country. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my time there and was blown away with the experiences I had. My guide and driver were fantastic and the three of us got along great. We managed to play snooker and table tennis together, which the Bhutanese are fiercely addicted to and had some great laughs, as well. The scenery, architecture and sights were mind blowing and the people I met were very warm and generous.

I guess, for me, the difficulty with traveling to a country like Bhutan is it's mandatory for foreigners to be on an organized tour. Everything has to be planned and mapped out months in advance. All your fees, plane tickets and payments must me paid in full and only then the government will issue a visa which you receive on arrival. I don't typically do well on "tours" and really like to be in control of where I want to wander off to and how long I want to spend somewhere. This isn't really possible in Bhutan as the schedule needs to be followed, although there is a little latitude here and there. The fees a foreigner must pay to be in the country are incredibly expensive and are rising as of February, 2012. As of then it will cost $250 US/day per person to enter the country, not including your plane tickets. This gets you your accommodation, 3 meals a day, entrance to all sights, guide and driver. Not your typical backpacker holiday destination where in a lot of countries you can live for $30-40 US/day quite easily. This is also where the fees start. There's gorgeous 5 star resorts where one can drop up to $1400 a night and that doesn't include the $250/day/person.

A lot of the time I felt like I was being controlled as to where I could and couldn't go. Was this to keep me from seeing something I wasn't supposed to see or to keep the locals away from seeing me and my western influence? I really hope it was the latter. The expensive fees one has to pay are also a deterrent to keeping too many people from coming to visit.

From all the reading and research I did, the government is really trying to keep western influences at bay and fighting to retain the true Bhutanese cultures. I saw mobile phones, internet, televisions and the like everywhere and the majority of people are dressed in blue jeans and sneakers. However, you did see people still dressed in their traditional attire, the 'Kira' for women and the 'Gao' for men. The traditional dress is mandatory to enter anywhere that a Bhutanese flag is flying out front of. Buddhism is the lifeblood here and you see it everywhere. It's one part of the culture I can safely say will never be lost.

This is a country where 'Gross National Happiness' is more important than 'Gross Domestic Product' and it's one of the things Bhutan is famous for in the western world. Other than that most couldn't find this tiny country on a map. Democracy only came to Bhutan in 2008 when the monarchy declared they would set up an elected government. The people were outraged as their beloved King is who they admire and want to rule their kingdom. I questioned my guide quite a lot on the mindset of the people here. He assured me that they unfailingly love their King, their new government and the general state of the country. Although many are extremely leery of their neighbour to the south, India. It's a country where a social welfare system has been in place for 170 years, established by the first King and those who are less fortunate can ask the monarchy for financial assistance. The environment is more important than profit and a system is in place to ensure a minimum of 70% of forests remains at all times. There's free health care, medicine and education available to every citizen of the country, even those in the most remote villages although some still live without electricity and running water.

I found this country to be mysterious, intriguing and contradictory in so many ways. I want to be more than a tourist who's being ushered from sight to sight. To be able to dig deeper and not just skim the surface of this tiny kingdom will be a challenge but it's a challenge I'd like to return to. There's not many countries that I want to return to but this is one of them. I told my guide and driver that the highest compliment I could give them was that I wanted to return to their country and see more.

Shangri-La

I've been in Bhutan for a number of days now and have been whisked around the western part of the country with my trusty guide and driver. I have seen some amazing scenery, architecture and met some wonderful people. Here's a few photos from my time here so far.....

Land of the Thunder Dragon

Steeped in myth and mystery, the little known Kingdom of Bhutan hides among the majestic peaks of the mighty Himalaya mountain range. Buddhism reigns supreme here and its history is steeped in folklore and mythology. It is said that a saint who had the ability to appear in eight different forms, one of them being Guru Rinpoche, visited Bhutan on a flying tiger and left the imprint of his body and his hat on rocks. School texts describe demons that threatened villages and destroyed temples until captured through magic and converted to Buddhism. Tales abound of ghosts who destroyed temples and angels who rebuilt them.

And this is my next stop on my travels through Asia...

This morning at the airport in Dhaka I was nervous to see so much fog and to see the weather forecast for Paro being snow. To my delight the Druk Air plane emerged out of the fog on the runway and pulled up to the loading ramp on time. Next thing I knew we were in the air and heading north. I was shocked to see the skies clear and the Himalayas open up on the horizon.

Now, the next thing I knew the Airbus 319 was playing slalom with the Himalayas! It was like something right out of a movie, seeing this giant plane manoeuvre through very narrow valleys on its side while the tops of the mountains loomed above us. As you approach the runway the plane actually has to go sideways to avoid a ridge which sticks out on the final approach. Pilots for Druk Air (the national carrier) are specially trained to fly through these mountains and actually have special licenses to fly these airliners in Bhutan.

More to come from this "last Shangri-La"!

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Even though my visit to Dhaka was brief, it will leave an impression with me for a very long time. When I first decided to come here I thought it was a great idea for an "off the beaten path" place to visit. After talking with folks throughout India who have either visited or are currently living here, and hearing their thoughts and impressions, I was becoming very nervous and intimidated. This country has a real reputation of being the classic "basket case of a disaster" as Henry Kissinger once described. Tropical storms, floods, starvation, massive slums and intense poverty are all synonymous with Bangladesh.

It's a city full of stark contrasts. On one side there are slums and poverty but on the other you have a country that is trying to lead the world when it comes to climate change. Most of the vehicles in the city run on either natural gas or a small percentage are electric, as petrol and diesel fuel have almost been completely eliminated in the city. Plastic bags have been banned throughout the country and Dhaka was a lot cleaner than I expected. Bangladesh will be one of the countries most greatly affected by climate change and it's trying to do its part to change and lead by example.

I'm finding it truly difficult to describe my brief scratch at the surface of this city. My hotel was located in the Gulshan area which is where the embassies and expats are located. So it was a soft landing and a good way to get my feet wet. I walked over to a fantastic coffee shop/cafe which was recommended and started my day with a fantastic latte and one of the best fudge brownies I think I have ever had. After charging up with caffeine and sugar I dove into Old Dhaka, the southernmost part of the city along the banks of the oily Buriganga River, which is the lifeblood of both the city and nation. Standing at the Sadarghat boat terminal, life pulses both on and off the water and I think people were as fascinated with me as I was with them. There were lots and lots of curious stares in my direction which gave me the feeling that not too many foreigners venture here. After experiencing life on the river I moved into the streets of Old Dhaka and to see this sea of humanity moving through the narrow streets is something to behold. I have never experienced so many people, rickshaws, horse carriages, bicycles, and the odd taxi crammed into such narrow streets competing for space. To add a bit of extra ambiance to the afternoon the skies let loose and I had my first rain on the trip.

Tomorrow I am off to Bhutan and the Land of the Thunder Dragon where I hope to explore this hidden Himalayan Kingdom.

A few photos from today...

Kolkata, The End of 2011

Happy New Year, 2012 from krazy Kolkata!

Today is my last day in India as I am off tomorrow to start the new year in Dhaka, Bangladesh for a couple of days.

I hope 2012 brings lots of happiness to everyone!