This post is dedicated to the valley of Paro. Located close enough to the capital city of Thimphu so that its airport can be used by the country’s elite, Paro is the smallest of towns one encounters in the kingdom of the hidden dragon.
Bearing a strong resemblance to one-horse towns that have practically nothing apart from a main street, this quiet, unassuming valley is also home to the Taktsang Lakhang (Tiger’s Nest Monastery) which both the pious and the profane make a pilgrimage towards, if nothing but to come to terms with who they really are.
Two sisters waiting outside Paro Dzong.
A young lama, or monk, inside Paro Dzong.
Can anyone ever keep anything away from a cat?
Paro Dzong as seen in the dim evening light.
The valley of Paro lies pristine while the distant rolling hills abound to the north.
Udaas raah koi daastan sunaayegi – This desolate road too will narrate a story. [Karoge Yaad Toh – Bhupinder Singh, Bazaar, 1982]
Inside the Abhaya Cafe and Store on the main street in Paro – their red rice and vegetable dumplings are highly recommended. The employees were made to believe I was with National Geographic while posing for this photo.
The hills come draped in several hues as one makes the trek to Taktsang Lakhang (Tiger’s Nest Monastery).
A cheerful father with his baby strapped on his back making the arduous trek to the Tiger’s Nest.
The Taktsang Lakhang (Tiger’s Nest Monastery) had dominated my dreams, visions and waking hours ever since I first got to know about Bhutan in 2003.
This young gentleman, bearing a close resemblance to the next King of Bhutan, poses in quiet confidence.
The airport in Paro is considered to be among the most dangerous in the world, and rightly so. It is surrounded on three sides by steep hills and pilots need immense skill and hand-eye coordination to land their aircraft here.
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