Mythical Bhutan- Land Of Happiness

         

Hi, it is me again, Tisha. It has been many months since I last wrote in my blog. I was busy with my school work and exams. This December holiday I visited Chengdu, China, where the pandas live. I will write about  my Chengdu holiday next. For now, I would like to write about the countries that I have visited in my previous holidays which is Nepal and Bhutan. I spent ten days in Nepal and five days in Bhutan. I will talk about my Bhutan experience first. I hope my fellow readers will enjoy what I have written.

During my school holidays in December 2014, I visited a country which is very mythical, magical, mysterious and enchanting called Bhutan. I was excited when my mother told me that we were going to Bhutan because I had never heard of this place before. None of my friends knew about this country. They thought that Bhutan is in Nepal. Ha ha ha ha !!!!!  What a joke!!!! I did too at first.

Let me tell you about Bhutan . The tiny Kingdom of Bhutan is known as “The Last Shangrila” on earth because of its pristine and unspoiled environment and harmonious and cordial society. It is a small country which is located on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, between the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and India.

I find Bhutan to be a unique country because of its unique culture and clean environment. Do you know that Bhutan is the world’s last remaining Bhuddist Kingdom? It is also the only Vajrayana Bhuddist nation in the world which practises the teachings of Bhuddha.

His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the Fourth King of Bhutan has developed the philosophy of Gross National Happiness. His Majesty declared in the 1970s that Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product. His Majesty wants his people to live happily. WOW!!!!!! This is the only country in the world that has Gross National Happiness. I reckon that this is the best philosophy in the world and every leader in every country should follow this philosophy. Then we will have no war but peace and harmony. YEAH!!!!  Isn’t it amazing?

         

I went to the Kathmandu airport by the name of Tribhuvan International Airport. I took the Drukair plane to fly to Bhutan. 

We flew past the Himalayan range and I even saw Mt. Everest. 

         

After 1 hour, we reached Paro airport which is in Bhutan. When we came down from the aeroplane, we had.........FRESH AIR!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! 

We saw a big picture of the King and the Queen. What a beautiful royal couple!  

My mummy and I couldn't resist taking this beautiful photo of the royal couple.!

Our tour guide, Chekey and our driver, Kingka were wonderful Bhutanese. 

The drive out of the Paro International airport feasted our eyes with superb scenery. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!! The trees were green, the river was crystal blue, everything was clean. Do you know that Bhutan people do not slaughter animals, nor even kill mosquitoes? They are so kind to animals and insects.  

         

I am standing at the point where you can see the whole of Paro Airport.

On our first night, we stayed at Raven’s Nest which is a 4-star resort. The owner of the hotel, Gayley Yangzom, a nice lady was very hospitable to us. The chef, Yeshi had prepared delicious Bhutanese and Thai cuisine. It was delicious and also spicy.

  

         

On the second day, we hiked up to Taktshang Monestery (Tiger Nest). No visit to Bhutan would be complete without a trip to Taktshang Monastery which will take about to two hours to hike up for the fit ones. 

On the track to the monastery.

The monastery is perched on the edge of a steep cliff which is about 900 metres above the Paro Valley. According to local legend, in the 8th century,` Guru Rinpoche mounted on a flaming tigress and flew to Paro Taktshang cliff in the form of Guru Dorji Drolo.

I rode on a horse because I was very tired and not feeling too well. However, my parents and their friends hiked up. 

We passed through beautiful pine forest, spruce tree forest, trees festooned with Spanish Moss and fluttering prayer flags.

We took about 9 hours to hike up a well-mantained trail in order to reachthe monastery.

The next place that we visited was Thimpu, a city at an altitude of 2,300 metres. It is also the capital of Bhutan. We drove up to the Kuensel P[hodrang (Bhuddha Point) which offered a panaromic view overlooking the Thimpu valley. 

There was a huge Bhuddha statue sitting majestically amidst the green hills.

Then, we travelled to Punakha, another city, for about 3 hours journey. On the way we stopped at Dochu La Pass at an altitude of 3,050 metres. 

Here, we visited the 108 chortens which were built by the eldest Queen Mother, Her Majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, to honour and to commemorate the Bhutanese soldiers who were killed when fighting the Indian rebels in 2003.

 This very breathtaking Dochula Pass is a famous tourists destination because it offers a stunning 360 degree panaromic view of the Himalayan mountain range. I was very fortunate to be able to admire the snowcapped mountains amidst the clear blue sky. It was stunning and beautiful. I will never forget this moment of beauty.

 Another fantastic place to visit is the Punakha Dzong, which means a big temple between two rivers. It was built in 1637 by Zhabdrung and this astounding fortress which is remarkably located between the rivers of Mo (Female) Chu (River) and Pho (Male) Chu.

 What a sight to behold!! It is simply magnificent and spectacular. Looking at the two crystal clean rivers joining and the waters flowing swiftly past the temple is a wonderful experience that I will always remember.

Also, we visited Thasichodzong in Thimpu, which means Fortress of Glorious Religion. It was built in 1641. It houses the secretariat building, the throne room and the office of the king, and the central monk body.

We also visited the temple here where the present King and Queen were married.  This temple is beautiful and big.

Another interesting place that we visited is the Mini Zoo in Thimpu. The Mini Zoo is actually a big forest reserve. There are lots of tall pine trees.

 I was lucky to see Bhutan’s national animal, the Takin because they don’t usually come out to meet people. It is an extremely rare member of the goat family.

Our trip to Bhutan was too short for Bhutan has so many interesting places to visit. This has been  a worthwhile trip and Bhutan is truly and indeed a Heaven on Earth with its unspoilt and pristine nature and environment. I am glad that we have two wonderful guides, Uncle Chekey and Uncle Kingka who have made my trip a memorable one. 

I hope to visit Bhutan again in the near future. See you again Bhutan!!!

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

Hi everyone. It is me again, Tisha Ashwina. Last December 2014, my family and I visited Nepal. Nepal is a very beautiful country and has a very rich heritage with many historical UNESCO sites. I am very sad that the recent earthquake has brought devastation to the country and immense suffering to her people.

This is our guide. He is Thakur Tiwari. He lives in Sindupalchowk district. His district and his village is badly affected by the earthquake.He is a kind and helpful person and is doing so much to help his people who have lost so much. I would like to share with all my wonderful readers about Thakur's plight and appeal for help in kind.

This is what he told me,

“Even being just 37 Km east of Kathmandu, no aid workers, no government, and no one has ever reached here yet, except their own family members to support and console them”

The situation in Nepal is getting worse especially in the village as the monsoon season is heading on and the aid workers have not reached all of the most affected areas.

Well, I along with my brothers and few friends like you, are trying to initiate a small support project in my village to start with.

The death toll has risen to over 6000 and still rising; in my district only 2100 died and it is the most affected area, called Sindhupalchowk district (which is also my hometown), where 95% of houses are destroyed completely, and it is believed that about 50000 houses are collapsed and many of the humans and animals are still under the rubble, and the air already started smelling foul (I just hope this won’t cause diseases to the survivors on top of the already tragic situation).

The support project is divided in 3 phase:
1st Phase – To provide to survivors something that is currently needed i.e tents, mattresses, blankets for temporary huts and some clothes (if I could find), food (especially dry), torch lights and batteries and some common medicines for cold, diarrhea etc.

2nd Phase – To give some cash money that can be needed for the emergency (just few hundreds or a thousand NPR per family).

3rd Phase – Building houses using some blocks (but it takes some time as I have no funding at all at the moment, but surely I will have).

The project focus area is: Sindhupalchowk, Melamchi – Phatakshila VDC (my own home town).

The initial target group includes about 74 peoples (from 18 houses), but we’re aiming to reach over 100 people (500 houses collapsed with all the possessions, all the stored grains and belongings etc. and the number of dead people is not confirmed but it fears to be above 200).

Money is needed to provide all the necessities in this emergency phase and to build houses to give shelter to at least 18 families.

It’s all going on now and we’re organising this as I write; currently I’m focused in keeping survivors in safe places, providing food and keeping them alive.

Why I’m trying to do this in this area?

1) It’s where I was born, and I want and feel I should take some responsibilities, especially now that is absolutely needed.
2) Not only my mom, brothers, and sisters lost everything but all the neighbors, uncles and aunts lost everything too, including their homes and belongings (luckily there haven’t been casualties in my close family, but I lost about 10 of my relatives and many of them are still in desperate need of treatments, and some are in hospital)
3) Most of their sons are in Gulf Countries and they have no one to look after them.
4) Even being just 37 Km east of Kathmandu, no aid workers, no government, and no one has ever reached here yet, except their own family members to support and console them.

Your help in any way would be appreciable as they are in desperate need.

Further more you may tell your friends, clients, relatives (if they are interested) about it.

At this moment sending stuff and other things is not a good idea as nothing is functioning in the right way and it could take months. So, the best thing to do at the moment is to help by donating money, as the emergency and the aid work we aim to do with this project could last up to 6 months or even more.

I’m just sending you this as you were interested to donate some money to the big organisations which are working to support…but not in my area.

Sorry if this was overwhelming. I can provide you more information. I still hesitate to take photos of bereaving family members and dead bodies from close.

Regards and Namaste,
Thakur

Dear readers, please lend a helping hand and donate in kind to the people of Nepal. Here is a link that you send your donations. My mother and her friends have already sent some funds to Thakur via Western Union. His information can be found in the link below.

http://www.lifeartsmedia.com/nepal-earthquake-appeal-support-project-for-sindhupalchowk-remote-district

Thank you for your support.

 MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS.

To the flood victims and the Air Asia QZ8501 victims

Hi, it is me again, Tisha Ashwina. Last year, 2014 was a sad and tragic year. There were three aeroplane tragedies and the worst flood ever happened in Malaysia.

We lost MH370, MH17 and Malaysia brand Air Asia QZ8501. I am very sad that so many lives are gone.

May all the victims of QZ8501 rest in peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. 

We also had the worst flood ever in Malaysia that happened in December 2014. It has affected more than 160,000 people and has taken away many lives.

I am very sad and I really feel sorry for my country, Malaysia, for going through these four tragedies. All Malaysians must stay strong to face these difficult times. 

I hope that Year 2015 will bring happiness and peace to my country and the world.  

TORAJA- A LAND OF UNIQUE CULTURE

Hi, it is me again Tisha. Now, I would like to talk about my second part of my holidays in Makassar. My family and I visited Toraja- a land of unique culture. We hired an MPV from Makassar and the journey took about 8 hours to reach there. Toraja is located in the highlands. The weather there is cool. As we travelled, our eyes feasted on the beautiful sceneries and natural landscapes.

The Torajan people are very unique. The name Toraja means people who live in a highland. Their house is also a very unique house which is called the ‘Tongkonan House’. On every houses, they will build a rice barn. So, after harvesting the paddy, they will keep the rice in their rice barns. Some Torajans are rich. But how do we know? By counting the number of rice barns in the shape of ‘Tongkonan Houses’. Most Torajans will have at least 1 rice barn. The super rich Torajans will have more than 10 rice barns.

Most Torajans are paddy farmers and they use water buffaloes to plough their paddy fields. The Torajans are very skillful in cultivating their narrow stripped rice terraces. 

As such, the scenery of the rice terraces is a sight to behold. The beautiful scenery of Toraja cannot be expressed in words.

The Torajans have a unique culture. I really admire their loyalty and respect towards their dead family members. When a member in the family dies, the family will embalm the body and place it in the southern part of their ‘Tongkonan House’.  During the time before these ceremonies, the dead person is regarded as merely “sick” and is fed and visited everyday. According to a local, family members take turns to sleep with the body for 4 to 7 years until they have saved enough money to bury the dead in the stone grave. After having saved enough money, the deceased’s family will carry out the last rites for the deceased.  If the deceased is rich and of noble birth, then their coffin will be placed high up into tombs chiseled on the rocky mountain slope. According to our guide, workers will take about 2 years to chisel a stone grave big enough for one family to be buried in it. When an ordinary person dies, he or she will be placed (on the ground) in a cave.

We visited a few popular tourist sites. One of the most popular tourist destination is Ke’te’ Kesu’ which is famous for the hanging graves. Ke’te’ Kesu’also houses a row of very ancient Tongkonan houses, rice barns and megaliths set among the rice fields. 

I visited the aristocratic cliffs burial site with hanging graves and tau-tau (wooden effigy of the dead). 

The wooden hanging graves are very old and most of them are dilapidated graves with their scattered bones and skulls.

Another place that we visited is the Lemo Carved Stone Grave in Liang di Pa’. The grave is believed to be the first grave of its kind which belonged to a nobleman called Sangngi Patalo. 

The stone graves have been dug out of the steep cliff, and closed with wooden doors. In front of each graves stand a row of effigies, Tau-tau, of the noblemen whose bodies are buried there.

Another stone grave that we visited is the old grave at Londa which dates back more than two hundred years B.C. It is the largest cave stone grave in Toraja land and some of the graves are 70 metres high from the base lands.

Another burial site that tourists must visit is Lo'ko' Mata. It is probably the largest burial site in North Toraja with numerous tombs chiseled on the   huge rock.

The next place that we visited is Bori’ Kalimbuang. There are one hundred and two megalite stone pillars placed in a special field here. This place is just for a high caste deceased whose funerals ceremonies are categorized as “Sapu Randanan” whereby at least 24 buffaloes are slaughtered.

Another type of grave that I must mention is the Baby Graves in Trees. If a baby dies before teething, it will be buried in a tree. The local superstition is that the next child born will grow as strong as a tree. The tree also acts as the host mother to the deceased.

The land of Toraja is not only about graves but they also have beautiful sceneries and landscapes. 

One such place is Batutumonga which is the most spectacular area situated on the slopes of the Sesean Mountain. From the hill resort, I could see the dramatic panaroma and overview of Rantepao town.

Toraja is a place worth visiting and you have to come here to see and to experience this unique culture yourself. I really had a wonderful and an enjoyable time in Toraja and I have learnt a lot from the people of Toraja.

Bye- bye Toraja!!!!!!!