Day 18
Thursday October 23, 2008
Leaving Bhutan for Bangkok
Bhutan Temperature: Glorious. cold with clear skies
Hotel: Westin Bangkok
The day I dreaded finally came. It was time to leave Bhutan. I’m very sad. I got up at 530am as we need to leave by 630am. I then went for breakfast and found that it was very cold outside! It didn’t help that I was wearing only a T-shirt and travel pants. I ran into Margot who has been up since about 5am and already finished breakfast. She was going to the business center and check her email. The dining room was chilly but quickly warmed up when they turned on the wood burning stove. I had my tea with toast and the super creamy Bhutanese butter.
Kunzang and Chencho arrive and they too are freezing so we get ready to take off to the airport. We take our final photos in front of the car and do the 15 minute drive to Paro International airport. We say our goodbyes which is sad, give them our tips but promise we will keep in touch. I’m very sad to go but also miss Skipper. Mixed emotions abound.
I’m in first class and again have a window seat. I notice that after everyone comes on board, a SUV drives to the plane with security. The pilot is outside with the chief purser and a monk and 3-4 ladies in kiras board. The monk and a distinguished looking lady sits in the front row. Just as they are settling in the flight attendant asks me if I’m willing to switch seats as there is a couple with a child traveling. I have to admit I did not want to lose my window seat but gave it to them anyways and got an aisle seat in the first row across from the distinguished looking lady. The gentleman sitting next to me on the window seat seems to know her and is Bhutanese but is well dressed in a suit. I find out I’m sitting between the King’s sister who is a princess and the Minister of Agriculture – Pema. Pema is very kind and talkative. The monk sitting next to the princess is the head abbot of Trongsa. They are on their way to Osaka for a Buddhist meeting! And one of the flight attendants in Japanese! I find out from Pema that the princess forgone the palace life and is living in a wood shack which is a 3 hour hike from Bumthang as there is no road. Pema and I had a good conversation on Bhutan including my suggestion to have the Tsheringma tea available in the US (yes, its in the works!) and also be able to purchase ara (another thing in the works). He is going to Egypt to attend the bird flu conference and wants international help to tighten the borders especially with India. From a bird flu point of view the border with China is not an issue as its very difficult for the birds to go over the mountains, but India is a problem. He also said he is trying to encourage more chicken raising within Bhutan as prices are escalating due to ban on importing but the Bhutanese still have issues about killing animals. He also introduced me to the princess who showed me photos of her house in the mountains of Bumthang which has a view of a glacial lake. There was also a photo of her daughter in knee deep snow! She is a devout Buddhist and has started writing poems. She showed me some of the poems she wrote. In one of the poems, her message was that enlightenment does not come easy and one needs to work at it. This is a message that many New Age type Americans need as they are looking for the easy way out. I also talked to Pema about Japan and he invited me to the Matsutake Mushroom festival they are planning next August! Basically, we hunt for Matsutake and stay at a local house. He gave me his business card and made me promise we will keep in touch. He went to school in New Zealand and told me it was the best time of his life and got his PhD in Zurich. He was very articulate and kind. He’s also been to Malibu and is knows some Bhutanese who live there! I told them what Caryn told me about the archiery contest on lunar New Year. He said when his friend goes to Los Angeles he will have him bring me some Ara! Also the couple that I gave my seat for, came to me and offered me a gift which I refused but the princess took the baby in her hands and gave the baby a big kiss! The Bhutanese really love their children!
We said our goodbyes at Bangkok airport and I wished Pema success in his meetings in Egypt. I met up with Caryn and Bangkok airport but missed Margot as she headed to the lounge. I believe Margot misses her dogs very much and can’t wait to go home.
Back in Tokyo, Japan
A friend of mine based in London called me and asked me who my trip was. It turned into a thought provoking two hour long discussion. I won't go through the discussion in detail in a public forum but here are my final thoughts on the trip.
How would I describe Bhutan? Quiet, Pure and Powerful. Its the only country I've been to where you can "hear" nature. Every living creature is pure - the vegetation grows in the native form, the dogs and cats co-exist with humans but have strong natural instincts and many of the people I met are "pure" I don't know how else to describe them. Powerful because their faith is so strong that they do not have fear.
I also found the experience to be humbling and magical. I have money, houses, running water, electricity, etc but the Bhutanese I met who have 1/10th of what I have live fuller and richer lives. Their family values and bonds are something all of us Westerners should learn from the Bhutanese. Magical because as someone who has an engineering degree and believes in science, I felt things and saw things that cannot be explained. At the beginning of the trip when you hear the stories of the deities and what they can do, you feel like you are participating in a Lord of the Rings movie. But as one stays longer in Bhutan and keeps an open mind, your perceptions change. There is something in the air in Bhutan as I lost that feeling once back in Tokyo.
However, there are some things which are hard for me to understand. For example, Buddhism teaches acceptance yet the controversy with the Nepalese ethnic group so is Bhutan a closed society? In that way they are similar to old Japan. What makes a Bhutanese, Bhutanese? Against killing of animals, yet OK to eat meat if its imported? Women are strong and are powerful yet night hunting still exists. I also realized as an American I am an egalitarian. I'm not sure I can adapt well to a rigid hierarchical society.
All these questions and issues however, make me more interested in Bhutan and Buddhism especially. I have new respect for Buddhism because it really is more than a religion. This trip brought me back to my Buddhist roots which I vow to treat with more respect and also embrace it.
The Bhutanese Flag
The Bhutanese Symbol
My Tara who I will look up to to help me become a complete human being