Around South Asia: Part Six
In which I explored Paro
07.11.2025: Tour Day5, City3
Good morning from Paro! I woke up at 06:30am, got ready and had upma breakfast at 08:30am. We watched the planes flying above the hotel. No luggage hassle today. We boarded the bus and left the hotel at 9am. We halted at a point after a road journey of one and half hours.
Chelela Pass
It is the highest motorable point in Bhutan, at an elevation of 13,083ft between Paro and Haa valleys and offers breathtaking views of Mount Jhomolhari and other Himalayan peaks. We spent an hour clicking photos in the chilling cold, had tea, watched the surroundings.
We drove for one hour and half and were back to Paro for lunch at Hotel Gakyidiana at 1pm. I had lunch with Vidyarani and Divya. Then I scrolled the books kept at the reception. We drove to the next sightseeing at 2pm. We walked for 5mins from the entrance gate to the watchtower building, where the museum is hosted.
National Museum (Ta Dzong)
Perched at an elevation of 7874ft, the watchtower was built above the Paro Dzong to protect the Paro Valley. We had to climb steep stairs to reach the entrance door. We were given an hour to explore through the 6 floors. Though the entrance is on fourth floor, I will describe the museum from top to down. The sixth floor has Tshogzhing Lhakhang (Chapel of the Tree of Merit) in the center: a three-dimensional mandala representing the four major Vajrayana schools: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelugpa.
Surrounding area has wall hangings of Gautam Buddha thoughts. The fifth floor has the Namsey Lhakhang dedicated to the wealth deity Namthoesey.
The outer corridor has thangka paintings. Lanterns were hanged across this floor. The entrance floor has a mandala of Zhithro Lhatshog.
Fourth floor to ground floor displayed a lot of artifacts depicting Bhutan history and culture: traditional attire of men and women, species of bird, wildlife models especially the animal heads, bronze vessels, post office stamps, coins and currency notes, wooden artifacts, battle weapons, kitchen vessels, etc.
It was a bit claustrophobic to go downstairs. Finally, we exited the tower and had to walk for 5mins uphill to reach the top. We watched flight landings from the top. Then we drove down to the Paro Dzong and reached the venue at 03:20pm.
Rinpung Dzong (Fortress on a Heap of Jewels)
Perched above the Paro valley and the banks of Paro Chu, it belongs to the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. We had to climb down and climb up the steep stairs to reach the entrance. Then Jimmy briefed us on the history. Tshering mentioned on the four-animal story of Bhutan.
Four Harmonious Friends
Once upon a time, in a forest near Varanasi, four animals—a bird, a rabbit, a monkey, and an elephant—lived near a fruit tree. They wished to understand who among them was the oldest, so they measured their age by the tree’s growth: The elephant said the tree was fully grown when he was young. The monkey remembered it as a sapling. The rabbit recalled it as a sprout. The bird revealed he had dropped the seed that grew into the tree. Thus, the bird was the oldest, and the others agreed to honor him accordingly. From then on, they lived in harmony, helping each other and sharing the tree’s bounty. The elephant carried them, the monkey fetched fruit, the rabbit gathered fallen ones, and the bird guided them.
The Utse is the central tower and temple within the dzong complex. It houses the main shrine and is used for important religious ceremonies, especially during the annual Paro Tsechu festival. The main altar is dedicated to Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), the revered tantric master who brought Buddhism to Bhutan. We visited this hall; monks were chanting all over. We left the venue at 4pm and drove towards the brewery.
We reached the Beer Brewery at 04:30pm. The light went off for 15mins. Till then we were chatting over the trek for tomorrow. The staff briefed us on the beer making process. Six types of beers were kept at the counter for tasting in shot glasses.
We need to choose one of these flavors for the big glass. Done with the tasting, we were back to the hotel by 05:30pm. We had tea-coffee and pakoda (by the time I reached the counter, it was over!). Tshering briefed on tomorrow’s trek program. We had to assemble at the reception at 06:30am. He also mentioned to keep ourselves hydrated. Headcount was taken, 18 out of 24 were ready for the trek, few from the 18 would come till the café. Rest would take the 10:30am bus to reach the base and see the monastery perched on the cliff.
We had to get dressed for the fashion show at 07:30pm. The stage was set and Pravin briefed us on the process.
The show included ramp walk, voting for the winners, DJ dance, songs by Pravin and Shradha. We had starters and soft drinks, along with local wine Zumzin. Winners were announced at 08:30pm.
Winner is Soniya, 1st runner up is Karmine, 2nd runner up is Dr. Yogita Sanas.
Post this everyone headed for dinner because it closes at 9pm. Shilpa was again unwell, so she would not be able to climb tomorrow. I got the bag ready for tomorrow and dozed with the hope that periods do not start.
