Bhutan Travel Inspirations

My Love Affair with Bhutan

‘Unlike most love affairs based on fiction and fueled by desire, this one did not end in disappointment’

When I was fifteen years old, I read James Hiltons Lost Horizons, and I was captivated. Years later, when I learned the mythical ‘Shangri-La’ was in fact Bhutan, a place made only more alluring by the reported difficulty of getting there, a tiny seed of desire was planted. It grew and grew over many years, nourished by reading everything I could get my hands on about Bhutan, until my need to visit couldn’t be ignored any longer.

So in 2010, accompanied by an enthusiastic friend, I finally set out for Bhutan. But unlike most love affairs based on fiction and fueled by desire, this one did not end in disappointment.

Stepping off the plane at Paro airport the first time, I was immediately enchanted. By the clarity of the air, the architecture of the airport, by the friendly airport staff in their exotic clothing, and most of all by the strong sense that I was somewhere utterly different. I thought of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz when she says, "Toto, Ive a feeling were not in Kansas anymore."

That first tour was an eye opener to say the least. From obvious things like the jaw dropping beauty and size of the mountains, to the feeling you get exploring the stunning architecture and life inside a Dzong, to the cheeky fun and colour of the Paro festival. I was hooked. But most of all, I was hooked on a feeling.

The Bhutanese are happy, charming and hard working people. They giggle and tease each other a lot, tell stories, and smile. A lot. They dance and sing. A lot. They cook beautifully, generously and eat together. They are deeply spiritual and peaceful people who support each other and their communities. This is their normal way to live.

They live slow, and are always present when they are with you. When you are with them, it’s impossible to feel unhappy. Why? I think its because you too slow down. You become more present and to sense gratitude. I always come home more deeply aware that there are kinder, more compassionate ways to live. And I try to hold onto that feeling because it makes me feel more alive and connected to people.

As I left Bhutan that first time, peering out the window of the Druk aircraft, I was determined to go back.

I wanted to find a way to travel to Bhutan regularly, to cultivate deep friendships and experience more. It took me a few years to figure out how to do that, and it needed the support and encouragement of extraordinary friends both in Australia and in Bhutan.

There is a slow change inevitably coming to Bhutan. The modern world cannot be held back. Only managed, and balanced with a respect for tradition. Faced with that, in a bid to show Australians what is so incredibly special about Bhutan before things change too much, with a dear friend and mentor urging me along, I set up a little tour company with my dear friend, Payza, to take small groups of Aussies to Bhutan.

Since then, Ive been back to Bhutan many times. My commitment to traveling there is now deeply entrenched through friendships I have made, extraordinary experiences and what I continue to learn about the people and the place.

One year, I reconnected with two little girls I’d met two years prior walking home from school through the forest with their Grandmother. My tour group stopped to speak to them about life, share stories and have a few laughs. I promised to send them copies of the photos we took, wondering how on earth I would do that given we were in the middle of nowhere. But this is Bhutan. Two years later we dropped by a tiny school, showed the Principal the photos, and he sent for the girls who were in a classroom next door. They remembered that day in the forest and happily took the photos and my letter home to their Grandmother.

On another memorable day, a farmer's wife invited my our tour group into her home to see what life inside a farm house was like. She offered us tea and showed us her beautiful shrine room.  Such generosity of spirit is beautiful, and I could only wonder what would happen if eighteen interested strangers appeared on your doorstep in Australia, keen to see how you lived. 

And most memorable of all, sharing Bhutan with my son. 

The more I get to know Bhutan, the more I appreciate it. It has much to teach the rest of the world, if the world would only listen.  

There is a change inevitably coming to Bhutan.  It’s proximity to China and the associated geopolitics of the region worries me.  Soon, our little tour company will again take Australian's to Bhutan, when Covid allows it. Aussies have a genuine love of the great outdoors, appreciate a good sense of humour and hard work.  

I feel deep gratitude to my Bhutanese friends and am humbled to be welcomed back each time I visit. I never leave without immediately imagining the next visit. 

To everyone who ever dreamed, I say 'just do it'.