Bhutan | Photographs from the Land of Happiness

Prayer wheels at Chimi Lakhang near Punakha

I was in Bhutan last month and also did the Druk Path trek which we could not finish due to heavy snow.  Here are some photographs from this beautiful country.

Taktshang  Tigers Nest Monastery

Prayer wheels made out of bottles Tigers Nest in the background

Close up of a prayer wheel

Students working on wood carving at the Zoric Chisum Institute Thimpu

Punakha Dzong in the late afternoon

Doorway at Punakha Dzong

Chortens at the Dochu La pass

A woman leaves the butter lamp room at the Changangkha Lakhang in Thimpu

Dechen Phodrang interior Thimpu

Entrance to a restaurant Paro

Paro valley in the autumn with paddy ready for harvesting

Drying red chillies in a Paro street

Paro Dzong and the National Museum (on top) at night

Bonde Lakhang outside Paro

Annapurna Foothills Trek December 23-30 2017

The Annapurna foothills provide tremendous trekking with delightful trails connecting villages and ridge tops. This picturesque trek winds through enchanting villages with ochre thatched houses, terraced rice fields and rhododendron forests, which are spectacular in the spring when whole hillsides are cloaked in colourful flowers. The ridge top village of Ghandrung provides one of the finest viewpoints of the Annapurna Mountains with magnificent views of the four Annapurnas, and Machapuchare with its fishtail summit. It is a  good walk to the top of Poon Hill 3150 metres with a dress circle view over the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri as well. 
Who should do this trek?

• Suitability: A good choice for most  walkers, reasonable level of fitness required.
• Walking times: average 5 to 7 hours walking per day 
• Altitude: up to 3150m
• Terrain: for most of time following well-travelled trails, there will be daily ascent and descent on steps which are part of any Nepal trek.
•  Remoteness: usually not too remote and often there is a reasonable level of infrastructure such as lodge accommodation and cell/ mobile phone reception and wifi reception every day at the lodges.

Trek Leader: Sujoy Das

ITINERARY
Day 01   Kathmandu to Pokhara  by early morning flight and the drive to Kande and trek to Tolka  

We fly into to Pokhara 30 min and then drive for 75 min to Kande.   From Kande we climb to Austrian camp in around two hours and then walk to Pothana in half an hour for lunchh. . From Pothana the trail climbs uphill to Deorali from where it makes a steep descent to Bichok. From Bichok it is a level walk to Tolka where we stop for the night.  

Day 02 Trek to Ghandrung  (1950 metres) 5-6 hours walking 

The large village of Ghandrung can be seen directly across the valley from Landrung.  It is a n hours walk in the morning from Tolka to Landrung. This is a short walking day allowing time to explore Landrung and Ghandrung. From Landrung we descend to the Modi Khola River and cross on a large suspension bridge. The ascent through terraced fields to the picturesque town takes around 2 hours. Ghandrung is largely a Gurung town and is the headquarters of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). Many of the lodges here have the more environmentally friendly features that ACAP encourages such as back boilers, solar panels, etc.  The views of the Annapurna Mountains and Machapuchare from here are stunning.

Day 03 Trek to Tadapani (2595 metres) 4 hours walking 

From Ghandrung the trail climbs gently to the village of Baisi Kharka where we stop for a cup of tea and then make the final ascent to Tadapani. Overnight at a lodge in Tadapani. The views of the Annapurna Mountains and Machapuchare from here are stunningly close.  

Day 04 Trek to Ghorepani  (2750 metres) 6-7 hours walking 

The trek from Tadapani to Ghorepani involves a number of ups and downs! We pass through the villages of Banthanti and Deorali before reaching Ghorepani. Overnight at a lodge at Ghorepani.  

Day 05  Ghorepani to Tirekedhunga/Hille  (1515m) -5 to 6  hours walking We visit Poon Hill at sunrise to watch the views over Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. After breakfast we begin our walk down to Ulleri (1960m)  We stop for lunch at Ulleri and then start descending the 3000 steps to Tirkedhunga ( take it easy!). Night at Tirkedhunga or the neighbouring village Hille.

Day 06   Tirekedhunga/Hille to Birethanti to Pokhara to Kathmandu (885 metres)  2.5 hours  walking 

We leave early for Birethanti around 7 am. We gte there by 9 am and then cross the river to Nayapul. We drive from Nayapul to Pokhara 90 min and are in Pokhara for lunch. After an early lunch we go to the airport and board the afternoon 3 pm flight to Kathmandu. Night at a hotel in Kathmandu. 

Day 07   Kathmandu to home destination by flight 

COSTS

 The cost of this trek is  USD 900 for foreign passports and INR Rs 46,500  for Indian  citizens. Meals not included. Please budget an additional US $ 200-250 for meals, battery charging in lodges, wifi charges, hot water in flasks etc.  Exclusions apply. 

• Costs include:
• Two internal flights Kathmandu to Pokhara return. 
• Micro bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara
• ACAP national park permit and TIMS permit for trekking in the Annapurna region
• Travel from Pokhara to start of trek and back
• One  night accomodation at Pokhara (Hotel Gurkha Haven) and   two nights  accomodation in Kathmandu on the way in and out  on twin sharing basis
• All accommodation on the trek on twin sharing basis
• Cost of porters/guides for the trek. Please note that porters will carry one duffel bag or backpack not exceeding 10 kgs in weight for each trekker comprising of personal items, clothing, sleeping bag etc.
• Please budget an extra USD 25 per day for meals not included in the cost above

Costs not included:

• Meals in Kathmandu and Pokhara and fooding on the trek is not included
• Airport taxes at Kathmandu and Pokhara airports in case of flights
• Desserts, drinks, and exotic items listed in the lodge menus are not included.
• Alcohol, cold drinks (coca cola, sprite, beer), juices, ice cream etc on the trek and in Pokhara.
• Client travel and medical insurance of any kind.
• Emergency evacuation costs if needed.
• Video camera fees in National Parks (where applicable).
• Bottled drinks; boiled, filtered or bottled water; alcohol; snacks; tea/coffee;
• Hot showers (Rs 200-300 per shower);
• Personal clothing and equipment; sleeping bag; douvet/down/goretek jacket, medicines for personal use etc.
• Air fare from home country to Nepal and back
• Tips to porters/guides at the end of trek estimate at US $ 50 per person

For more details email sujoyrdas@gmail.com or call +919831054569.

Useful Links

http://www.sujoydas.com/Nepal-Himalaya/Annapurna-Foothills-Poon-Hill/
http://www.sujoydas.com/Nepal-Himalaya/Annapurna/
http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2015/03/poon-hill-trek-kande-ghandrung.html
http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2017/01/annapurna-foothills-trek-poon-hill-and.html

Borobudur

Borobudur, or Barabudur (Indonesian: Candi Borobudur) is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, as well as the world's largest Buddhist temple, and also one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world. The temple consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome. The temple is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa.

Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty, the temple was designed in Javanese Buddhist architecture, which blends the Indonesian indigenous cult of ancestor worship and the Buddhist concept of attaining Nirvana. The temple also demonstrates the influences of Gupta art that reflects India's influence on the region, yet there are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make Borobudur uniquely Indonesian. The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the monument and ascends to the top through three levels symbolic of Buddhist cosmology: Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). The monument guides pilgrims through an extensive system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the balustrades. Borobudur has the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs in the world.

Evidence suggests Borobudur was constructed in the 9th century and abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Hindu kingdoms in Java and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year, Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction. (from Wikipedia)

Some photographs from my visit to Borobudur are below:

For more information on Borobudur please do visit the following links:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia/java/borobudur

http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/borobudur/boro_main.html

https://www.makemytrip.com/blog/borobudur-java-holiday

Prosenjit Dasgupta | A Conflict in Thin Air

This review was published by The Statesman  on 19th March 2017
http://epaper.thestatesman.com/1136676/8th-Day/19TH-MARCH-2017#dual/2/3

 A CONFLICT IN THIN AIR
Prosenjit Dasgupta published by Cinnamon Teal Publishing Price Rs 399/- pages 147.

At a first glance, Prosenjit Dasgupta’s A Conflict in Thin Air seems to be about the Indo- China war of 1962 but on reading this slim volume, it is much more. Dasgupta has focused in great detail with meticulous research on the history, relationship and conflicts between Tibet, China, India as well as Russia from the 8th century onwards.

Most people believe that China’s invasion of Tibet in 1959 was an event which was precipitated by the aggressive policies followed by the Peoples Republic of China led by Mao Zedong, but,  in reality, way back in the 1750s, Tibet was ‘infuriated at the Chinese interference in their affairs and frequent clashes and skirmishes broke out between them.’  However, despite this, when Nepal attacked Tibet in 1792, the Dalai Lama appealed to the Chinese emperor Chien Lung for assistance and he sent a force which beat back the Gorkha forces.

Dasgupta  analyses in detail  the events occurring in the famous Simla Conference which started in October 1913 and ended in April 1914! In this meeting, China accepted Tibet as an equal entity and even  more Tibet and Mongolia signed a treaty to respect each other’s independence without  any ‘by your leave’ to China.  Not known to many is that the Simla Conference proposed an Inner Tibet closer to China and an Outer Tibet closer to Lhasa. The first zone would be under Chinese administration and the second would enable Tibet to function as an autonomously.  Thus, the seeds were sown to create the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) which came to pass many years later.
In 1950, the Chinese carried out what was then referred to by them  as the  ‘peaceful liberation of Tibet’  and other than El Salvador in Central America no other nation though it fit to bring up this matter before the United Nations.  Pandit  Nehru, as Prime Minister of India, did protest but did not go far beyond this, possibly not wanting to ruffle Chinese feathers.

  Dasgupta finally end his treatise with the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962.  It is most interesting to read that twenty days before the war started, Lt. Gen. Umrao Singh heading 33 Corps in charge of NEFA (North Eastern Frontier Agency) was abruptly removed and a new 4 Corps under Lt. Gen. B.M.Kaul was set up to mann the frontier at the last moment!  The lack of India’s defence preparedness is aptly brought out in this chapter and the Chinese abrupt cease fire after occupying Indian territory and being in a winning position was to ‘teach India a lesson’. Once the war was over, Menon was removed as Defence Minister and Lt. Gen. B.M. Kaul resigned from the Army along with Gen P.N Thapar then Army Chief.

In conclusion, Dasgupta’s detailed research attempts to unravel the tangled threads of history of China and Tibet and the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962 and the border disputes are only symptomatic of large ranging differences between the two countries. The book attempts in a concise volume to address all these far reaching issues and in this Dasgupta has been successful.

KIrti Guest House: Bodh Gaya

The lobby of Kirti Guest House

Bodh Gaya has a large number of top flight hotels as well as guest houses so it is hard to make a choice. I stayed at the Kirti Guest House for a few days this month and it is possibly one of the nicest mid range guest houses in the town located a stone's throw away from the Mahabodhi Temple.

Owned by a Tibetan T.Namdol and run by the smiling and friendly Dorji, the guest house has five floors. The rooms on the upper two floors have large balconies with sit outs and a roof top garden  and is the perfect place to have your cup of morning tea or just chill out with a book.

The entrance of Kirti Guest House

The new rooms on the upper floors are spotless with clean bathrooms. Some of the rooms on the lower floors have air conditioning but can be a bit dark so opt for the rooms on the fourth and fifth floors if you can!

The fifth floor rooms in Kirti Guest House

The only drawback is the restaurant is not functioning so you need to go out for meals.

Kirti also caters to large foreign groups - there was a Sri Lankan group occupying twenty rooms when we were there!

The roof top garden and balcony on the fifth floor

To contact the guest house call 91-631-2200744 or email kirtiguesthouse744@yahoo.com

Mahabodhi Temple: Bodh Gaya

A forty minute drive  from the town of Gaya, Bodh Gaya boasts of a number of good hotels and guest houses. There is also an international airport at Gaya with links to Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya  is a UNESCO  World Heritage Site, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.  The original temple was completed in the 7th century AD in the reign of the Gupta kings.To  the west of the main temple is the famous Bodhi tree where Buddha meditated.

The temple complex has a number of attractions like the Ratanaghara, Vajrasana, the Rajayatna tree, Meditation Park, Muchalinda Sarovar etc which are worth visiting.

These are some photographs from the Mahabodhi Temple:

The temple complex at dusk

Monks pray under the Bodhi tree

The Cloister walk within the temple

Preparing butter lamps

The butter lamp room within the temple

Kathmandu Bookshops

One of the reasons why I enjoy going to Kathmandu is to visit the bookshops. The city has some fine stores with an excellent collection of Himalayan literature, maps and guide books. Here are three of my favourite bookshops.

Pilgrims Book House
The original Pilgrims which was a Kathmandu institution was burned down  in 2013 and this is a  new bookshop not far from the old one, opposite to the famous Helenas Restaurant. The bookshop has possibly the best collection of books on the Himalayas including some old and rare titles. Tel: +977 1 4221546;  +977 9803926019; pilgrims1985@gmail.com

Tibet Book Store

As the name suggests, this bookshop is for  all books on Tibet and Buddhism! Located on Tridevi Marg next to the high end trekking stores like North Face and Mountain Hardwear, it is also covers other regions of the Himalaya. Tel: 977 1 4415788; tibetbookstorektm@gmail.com.

Himalayan Map House 
An expert on maps and guide books in the Himalaya, the Himalayan Map House is located across the road from the Hot Breads bakery in Thamel. The collection is vast and includes the laminated Great Himalayan Trail maps as well.  Tel: 977 14231220; 977 1 4244965; maphouse@wlink.com.np; www.himalayan-maphouse.com

Happy browsing!

The Markha Valley Trek: Part III

Ashesh Ambasta trekked with South Col Expeditions through the Markha Valley in Ladakh in September 2013. In the final part of this three part essay, Ashesh recounts his journey through the Markha Valley. 

 For the first part of this essay please do visit http://www.sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2014/02/the-markha-valley-trek-part-i.html

For the second part of his essay please do visit http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/2014/03/the-markha-valley-trek-part-ii.html

Day 7 (10^th September 2013) – Secret Lake of Kang yatse - Nimaling

It was a very cold night. Not surprisingly, woke up to find the water channels frozen and part of the lake covered with a thin icy surface layer. Leisurely breakfast of pancakes and porridge. Watched the horses being tethered and loaded in front of our mess tent. Incredible how a single man manages 8 ponies, not only in terms of loading, etc but herding them through the trail.

Began walking at 9 am. Ambled through open pastures, loads of chortens and maney walls throughout the trek.  Lots of marmots and micehare (Ladakhi pika) all along the trail. Reached Nimaling by 11 am, which is a summer pasture for the animals of Markha and Hanker. And sure enough were treated to a large flock of sheep leaving for the upper pastures, including very woolly pashmina goats with rounded horns. 

Marmot on the slopes near Nimaling

Large campsite with one permanent camp for the summer season.  Several other groups (small and large) had already set up their camp by the time we arrived while two other groups arrived after us. Many of our party took advantage of the sun and caught a quick nap. But a partially clouded sky and cold winds forced us into the mess tent. Lunch of rice, chhole dal and two vegetable dishes.

Three of the party then decided to climb and explore the slope leading to, what we thought was, the Kangyatse base. Stiff climb of about a 100 m before it evened out to open pastures, the scrubs turning orange and brown; shades of autumn already . Saw herds of yaks in the far distance. The south face of Kang yatse was closer, rising loftily into the clouds. We realised that our secret desire of making it to the base camp was unrealistic, given that sunset was imminent. Stamped our feet in frustration – should have started earlier instead of hanging around camp. Perhaps the bigger mistake was not to have taken the upper slopes from our lakeside camp, via the Kang yatse basecamp to Nimaling.

The pastureland below the peak of Kangyatse above the meadows of Nimaling