We met K and T at 8am. There was talk of a picnic, so we had to wait a few minutes when a flask of tea and a mysterious box appeared. We set off for Cheri Goempa - a very old monastery perched up a mountain. We were going to walk up to it - about 300 to 400m. It took about forty minutes to get there, driving along a tumbling river. Then we got on the boots and adjusted our sticks and crossed the river, Wang Chhu via a covered bridge. Tsering stayed behind to rest before the difficult drive to Paro. It was a great disappointment to me that there were quite a lot of flies, so despite the heat, I kept my pully on for protection. We climbed steadily upwards, through the trees. In front of us, we spotted a medium sized brown and white bird, then another and another until there were around eight of them pecking in the leaves. Alan managed to take a photo. Subsequently we have identified them as white throated laughingthrushes. We gradually reached a large chorten, where we rested for a short time, then continued onwards and upwards. Suddenly we saw a sunbird flying into trees close by. What a surprise. And also we spotted a goldcrest. This all helped us on our way, and within the hour we had just about reached the entrance gate to the monastery. We stopped to take the view of it, and Kinley pointed out some deer at the side of it. We walked to that side and took photos. We have identified them as goral. Then we walked into the monastery, which was founded in 1620. Our first visit was to the temple where the ashes of the Zhabrung's father are kept in a silver chorten. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal built the goemba and attracted 100 monks to join him. Inside there were two sets of statues of the past, present and future Buddhas. Now we needed to climb up to the high temple. As we climbed up, we counted a total of 158 steps, stopping to rest on a concrete bench after 100. As we reached the top, we walked around the back of the building, then descended a few steps to the entrance to the temple at the opposite side. This building is built right up against the cliff, with rock forming the back wall. We had to walk through a sort of anti room/ corridor to reach the inner area. Here a monk was reading the tracts in a chant. We stood to one side, while K prayed and then the monk stopped and started talking to him. In a cave at the left back, almost hidden from view is a statue of the Zhabdrung. It was here that he performed a three year and six month meditation. The young monk was very happy to talk to us through Kinley, and eventually invited us to have juice in his room. He has studied classical language at university - Sanskrit, and has now come to meditate at Cheri Goemba. He was such a personable young man, we felt very honoured to be invited into his room. Soon we had to leave, thanking him for his hospitality. We then made our way across to the side of the monastery and regained the path down just by where we had seen the deer. Back at the car, we met up with Tsering again. As there was a bus load of people picnicking by the bridge and also because of the flies, Kinley suggested we picnicked on the way back near the Queen mother's Palace and the Royal Body Guard barracks. Then it all got very confusing as it seemed that we were expected to have the picnic and lunch when we got back to Thimpu. Well, we had to put a stop to that. So in the end, we all made it back to the Wangchuk Hotel and K and T had their rice and chillies and we had Sunday curry lunch. After all this, we set off for Paro - a dusty, hot and busy journey. As we approached Paro, there was an archery match going on and K was keen to watch, so we stopped and observed the match for a while. Alan was taking photos and spotted a man with an amazing furry hat; where did that come from? We arrived at the hotel and had tea in our sitting room. We have a curved balcony and a view of Paro Dzong. But this was not the end of the day; we still had one more visit to make. This was to Kyichu Lhakhang, +/- 659, which was built by King Songsten of Tibet to pin down the left foot of the ogress. It was extended in 1839. As we approached it, a hoopoe was spotted perched on the telegraph wires. It has that air of extreme age, and in the courtyard there were four orange trees, one bearing fruit. The doorways were covered by colourful hangings, and we swept these aside to enter. Inside it is so different to other temples as it is brightly lit by a crystal chandelier. The statues down either side of the inner area are richly clothed in silk brocades. In the outer part are no less than three statues of Chenresig with eleven heads and a thousand arms. In the other temple there is a huge statue of the Jowo Sakyamuni, or historical Buddha. It is said to have been cast in the 7th century at the same time as the one in Lhasa. We emerged into the sunshine to find a wood burning stove had been lit in the courtyard. We made our way around the outside in a clockwise direction and rejoined Tsering. They now drove us downtown and dropped us off to make a half hour circuit of the main streets. Loads of Indian 'gast arbeiders' were in town as its Sunday, their day off. In Paro most of the shops have open windows with wooden shutters, not like Thimpu that has more glass nowadays. Back to the hotel, and it was time for showers and dinner at 7.30. We have a lovely view of the Dzong, which is now floodlit. Dinner and bed, as it’s the big walk up to Tiger's Nest tomorrow.
Today we visited an area that even Kinley and Tsering didn’t know. Kinley planned that we should walk up to 4000m for a picnic; but visiting several monasteries on the way. We began with a drive something like a wadi bash to Tharpaling Jangchu Choling. This is a 14th century monastery, the most important of eight founded by Longchen Rabjampa, which has 100 monks, some of whom are meditating in a special building above the temple area. There are eight chortens overlooking the valley, commemorating major deeds in the life of the Sakyamuni Buddha. The assembly hall is on two floors: the lower floor has images of Shantara Kista, Guru Padmakara and King Tisong Detsen; flanked by Longchen Rabjampa and Jigme Longpa. Murals depicting twelve teachers of the Great Perfection, who preceded the Buddha, cover the walls. The upper floor was renovated by the first king and contains the statue of Samantabhadra in union with a consort, flanked by Guru Padmakara and Longchen Rabjampa.We found a track winding up past the Chodrak Hermitage. This was founded in 1234 by Lorepa next to a cave where Guru Padmakara mediated. It was abandoned due to an invasion of demons, but exorcised and renovated in the 18th century. We walked on up the hillside to the Lorepa Lhakhang. As we approached, we came across a young lad washing clothes. There was a boy monk with him, whom he shooed away. This boy monk is the re-incarnation of the late chief abbot of Bhutan whose body lies unchanged since his death in the Thimpu Dzong. Inside, a monk took us into the two areas, separated by a large chorten. In one, Thukje Lhakhang, is the thousand armed Chenresig; in the other, Lorepa Lhakhang, images of Mahakarunika and Guru Padmakara. By the altar are two stones, one is the footprint of Guru Padmakara and the other is the skull of an angel. The latter, we were able to hold – it is indeed skull shaped, but very heavy.We clambered further up to the highest Lhakhang on the hillside, Zhambala Lhakhang. Here is a newly built temple with a richly decorated chorten containing the remains of the Lama Nyoshel Khen Rinpoche. A curly haired monk who had just finished his meditation, told Kinley all about it, but the story was lost in translation. There is also an older shrine outside and above this; and a rock with a hole in it can grant people’s aspirations if you know how to read the handful of earth you pick up through it. A senior monk showed us the route up to the summit ridge and off we set in the warm sunshine. Kinley and I spotted a pica hiding under the bushes and the way was covered in familiar flowers and bushes. We got to the ridge (about 4000m), which is covered in prayer flags by 2pm. We picnicked and admired the view through Alan’s binos. Tsering was fascinated and kept spotting places he knew, and we had visited earlier, such as the Jakar Dzong. He also spotted the place where Pema Lingpa was born. We enjoyed seeing many of the snow covered mountains.We descended down to the car, where Tsering managed to get our flask filled with hot water for tea. We then drove down to the valley and stopped for tea and biscuits at the King’s picnic ground at Hurji. Two men were camped here. It appeared they were travelling all over the country showing a film they had made. Then it was back to the Lodge Rinchenling.
