Bhutan's Paro Festival: Dancing Deities of the Dragon Kingdom

Bhutan is a country steeped in traditions and ancient practices, which are all put on show for the annual Paro Tsechu, the biggest festival in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon.

Hundreds of people gather in the cool mountain air at Paro Dzong, the ancient fortress-cum-monastery that is the centre of religious life in the small town. The historic building, officially called Rinchen Pung Dzong and built in 1644, is reputedly one of the country’s best examples of Bhutanese architecture, featuring robust walls and intricate designs.

Men, women and children come from all over the countryside dressed in their finest clothes for this event – men in their gho and women in their kira. Many Bhutanese people wear traditional clothing every day for work and social activities, but the festival is a great chance to show off new or special items.

The trumpets begin to drone and cymbals clash as the performances begin – monks dressed in elaborate brocade costumes take centre stage and begin their stylized dances. They pace, each step deliberate and carefully placed, raise their arms and flick their wrists, and leap into the air like athletes. Their dances are symbolic retellings of Tibetan Buddhist mythology or particular teachings, but to the uninitiated they make a colourful and mysterious spectacle.

Throughout the day several different dances are performed, each one with unique costumes and masks to indicate which demons or spirits the monks are portraying. The monks spend months preparing themselves for the performance, and don’t disappoint their audience who watch enraptured, certain that just by being in the crowd they are gaining spiritual merit.

A highlight of the festival for the pilgrims and spectators is the arrival of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), embodied by a costumed monk. Guru Rinpoche was a saint, or a second Buddha according to some believers, who is credited with firmly securing Buddhism’s place on the roof of the world in Tibet. The unique Tibetan form of Buddhism was also spread to Bhutan by Guru Rinpoche when he flew to the country on the back of a tiger and landed at the now famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery just outside Paro.

Finally, at dawn on the final day of the festival an enormous thangka (woven image depicting religious figures) is unveiled, completely covering the side of a building. The pious line up to make offerings or receive a blessing from the thangka, many believing that even just to see it ensures liberation from suffering. After a few short hours the thangka is once again carefully covered and stored inside the monastery building for another year until the next Paro Tsechu.

Paro town is like the cover of a chocolate box – its streets are full of colourfully painted wooden shop fronts, reminiscent of an Austrian or Swiss mountain village. Never colonised, Bhutan remained totally isolated until the mid-1970s, when its border slowly creaked open and tourists began trickling in. Strict regulations for tourism has ensured that the country retains its charm and quaint atmosphere even through the introduction of sealed roads, cars, telephones, and electricity in the 1960s.

The present-day government encourages tourism, but requires all visitors to join a tour company. It levies a tourist tax of US$65 (NZ$90) a day to help provide free education and healthcare for the entire population. Tourist numbers remain modest, with fewer than 23,000 visiting in the first half of 2016, which pales in comparison to Thailand’s whopping 16.5 million tourists for the same period.

Even at Paro Tsechu, an event that draws crowds from far and near for this once-a-year event, tourists are in the minority and can experience being totally immersed in the Bhutanese culture.

The Paro Festival is held annually in March or April. Find out more about travelling to Bhutan during Paro Tscechu.

Discovering The Real Tibet

A couple of years ago if someone had told me that I’d find more authentic Tibetan experiences outside of “Tibet” than inside it, I’d have laughed at them. But after travelling in the Kham region – an area that is in China’s modern day Sichuan and Yunnan provinces – my eyes have been opened to the untouched world of Tibetan culture and traditions that have been preserved in this remote corner of the Tibetan plateau.

Historically, Tibet was made up of three main provinces: U-Tsang (central Tibet), Amdo (northern Tibet), and Kham (eastern Tibet). These days, what we see marked as “Tibet” on our maps is in fact only central Tibet and is now called the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Provincial borders were drawn through Amdo and Kham to assimilate these regions into the Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces of modern China.

In Kham these lines on the map haven’t disturbed the strong Tibetan traditions that have been deeply rooted here for centuries. In fact, due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of many of the Tibetan villages in Kham, they’ve been left relatively untouched by the modern developments going on in Lhasa and central Tibet.

Khampas, as the people are known, are famous for being horsemen and proud warriors. You can see them strutting through small towns such as Tagong or Litang, patriotically adorned in their traditional clothes and jewellery. In the grasslands their horses graze alongside herds of yaks, beneath snow-capped mountains and perfect blue skies.

Nomads’ black yak-hair tents dot the mountains. The warmth of their tents is only surpassed by their kindness, as you are welcomed into their home for a brew of tea or a taste of some local food – fresh yoghurt, dried meat jerky, and their staple tsampa. The food takes a little getting used to, as it’s simple and often lacking in flavour except for some chilli paste, but it’s hearty and what you need in the high altitude weather.

Appearing in brilliant contrast against the blue sky and green rolling hills is the golden glittering roof of a monastery. The grandeur of monasteries in Kham can be overwhelming at first as they are richly decorated with paintings and statues dripping in colour and gold. Is this really a place of renunciation? But then you see the modesty of the local pilgrims offering their prayers and money to the temple as they have done for centuries, and the monks humbly accepting it on behalf of all sentient beings for the purpose of bringing enlightenment to all. This is a place of real compassion.

Tibetan Buddhism has been able to flourish in Kham and Amdo in a way that it couldn’t possibly do in central Tibet. Because Kham and Amdo now belong to Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu province the regulations are far fewer – including a notable lack of permits required for foreigners to travel there. Visitors to central Tibet must acquire Tibet Travel Permits through a registered tour agency, and must be part of a guided tour for the duration of their time in the TAR, whereas in eastern Tibet these rules are relaxed and visitors can travel far more freely and easily.

The freedom of eastern Tibet allowed me to meet many more monks, nuns, nomads and ordinary Tibetan people than I ever did in central Tibet, and form good relationships with many of them. I was welcomed into their homes and hosted at their monasteries, taken with their families on pilgrimage and shown around their mountains and valleys that they call home.

Now, when people ask me about going to Tibet I tell them to head east – go to Kham and Amdo if you want to experience the real Tibetan culture, see the towering peaks of snow mountains, and explore the untouched land as it has been kept for hundreds of years. Even Tibetans have a saying: “You go to Lhasa for the monasteries, you go to Kham for the scenery”.

Yoga Journeys reach new heights

There has been a huge growth in the range of yoga retreats and holidays available to keen yoga students. There is now such a market for yoga trips that you could take your pick of destinations: Bali, Spain, Guatemala, Tuscany and now of course Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal with Beyond The Clouds.

Beyond The Clouds ran its first Yoga journey in 2012 with the lovely Maureen McKain from Nelson. We took Maureen and her yoga students to our project village where they spent a week helping at the project before exploring Pokhara and Chitwan National Park. Soon the number of groups increased and in more recent years, we have been offering Yoga Journeys in Bhutan. 

We have two yoga journeys scheduled in September/ October this year and our March 2018 Yoga Journey is already fully booked. So what is the attraction of a yoga holiday? It is a perfect way to combine travel with like minded people whilst furthering your yoga practice, relaxing and unwinding from the stresses of everyday life. Men are now joining their wives on these trips or a group of ladies head off together on an unforgettable yoga holiday.

Now Beyond The Clouds is starting Tibet Yoga Journeys staying in a stunning chain of Tibet owned and managed boutique lodges. Founding Director, Fionna Heiton says " Yoga journeys are our best selling trips. Someone books and suddenly their friends want to join them. They feel safe in our hands and can relax knowing that we will be with them every step of the way."

Beyond The Clouds is always on the look out for qualified yoga teachers interested in leading Yoga Journeys with them! 

The road to Shangri-La

{Part 7 - Our Founding Director Fionna Heiton is currently travelling in Tibet with her teenage twins}

We have almost reached the end of our Tibetan Journey and finally, after driving right across the Tibetan plateau, over high passes inhabited only by passing nomads and yaks, we have arrived at our final destination, Shangri-La! Nervous that it wouldn’t live up to its reputation, we stop first at Napa Lake. No need to worry, there are yaks and horses grazing by the grassy lakeside surrounded by mountains shimmering in the midday sun. It reminds me of Phewa Lake in Pokhara, Nepal in the 1980s before the hotels sprung up along the lakeside.

We stroll through the old town, which despite much of it being destroyed by a devastating fire in 2014, it has been rebuilt and is perfectly charming! We explore handicraft shops and have a wonderful Indian style meal at The Three Brothers Cafe. After dinner, we join around hundred local Tibetans at the nightly community dance. Tibetan circle dancing is not as easy as it looks. I felt like a contestant on the amazing race, trying to learn the steps before getting my next clue! It didn’t really seem to matter and they seemed delighted that we had joined in! Each dance was different, always in a circle and all quite exhausting in the thin 3,300 metre air.

Our gorgeous Tibetan owned boutique hotel is set in a small village overlooking the Songzanlin Monastery, Yunnan’s largest monastery. Modelled on the Potala Palace, construction began in 1679. Filled with treasures, it once housed 3,000 monks.

The head lama has just died and thousands of locals come to pay their respects, wearing their colourful regional dress. We watch monks praying and debating and chat to an elderly monk about his life. Back at the hotel, we learn that by staying there we are not only helping to employ local Tibetans but that the hotel also supports anyone from the village wishing to go to a higher education institute. The hotel group is opening in Lhasa soon and we meet young Tibetans aspiring to be chefs and restaurant managers. This is a wonderful way of supporting over 300 Tibetans. I join morning meditation class looking out on the monastery before feasting on a wonderful buffet breakfast. We save some bread and cheese for a picnic lunch overlooking the monastery.

The next morning, we join pilgrims pushing the worlds largest prayer wheel which was so heavy it took at least 10 people tugging on ropes to make it move. Our journey in Kham has been a wonderful and highly authentic cultural experience.

We wish we could stay on or continue across the Tibetan plateau but sadly it is time to return to New Zealand, cherishing memories of this very special place. We visit one last monastery, turning prayer wheels for one last Om Mani Hum.

View all our Tibet journeys here

Lost Horizons

{Part 6 - Our Founding Director Fionna Heiton is currently travelling in Tibet with her teenage twins}

James Hilton wrote Lost Horizons in 1933. He in fact travelled extensively in Kham before writing Lost Horizons which would go onto become one of the most famous books on Tibet. Although very dated, it tells of a plane that crashes on the Tibetan Plateau. The passengers meet a monk who takes them to a beautiful place, Shangri La.  Since then, people have searched for Shangri La. Some say it exists only in your mind. For me, I think it can be anywhere that you find special. The day I travelled from Yading down from the plateau, I think I found my Shangri La. The road from Xiangcheng climbed steeply affording incredible views as we reached high passes. Mile after mile, we travelled through forests and empty valleys. Any plane crashing here would indeed be lost.  Dropping down into yet another valley, we were amazed to find only a village or two. We were miles from anywhere and glad that our driver knew the way.

Eventually a larger village had a small Tibetan restaurant. We devoured the fried rice before continuing towards the Yunnan border. We have booked into a hotel just outside Benzilan for the night. Benzilan was one of the key places on the old tea and horse trading route connecting Tibet and India. With 15 kilometres to go, we look forward to a hot shower and dinner. However road works on the Yangtse River Gorge, meant a 2 hour delay. We reach our accommodation for the night in time for a lovely dinner.

Looking out on a small temple the exquisite boutique hotel was authentically Tibetan in style, service and management. Sun poured through colourful stained glass and fruit trees flourished in the garden. The days journey melted away.

Want to find Shangri-La?  Find out more about our Road to Shangri-La Joruney here

Heavy snow on the plateau

{Part 5 - Our Founding Director Fionna Heiton is currently travelling in Tibet with her teenage twins}

Yading National Park is renowned for its outstanding natural beauty, turquoise lakes and snow capped mountains. The pictures I had seen were stunning and my excitement grew as we drew closer. We check into a stunning brand new hotel to be greeted by Khampas who turned out to be nomads tempted by the easy job of greeting and singing to guests! The guys have enough English to explain that they come from the plateau near Lijang and will get 4 days off a month to visit their families. They seem delighted with their new roles which seems a lot easier than tending yaks.

The next morning, the weather does not look good. Rain turns to snow. Determined to visit the national Park we head to the ticket office to catch the shuttle bus to the national park. We have forgotten our passports and officials refuse to let us go until we quote our passport numbers. Luckily the hotel has our passport information and we head up the mountain accompanied by excited Chinese tourists who have never seen snow before.

The snow gets deeper and deeper as we reach the entrance to the park. It is freezing and are glad of our thermals, down jackets, hats and gloves. Visibility is poor, yet there is a great beauty in the pristine snow scenes.

We discover a brand new monastery being built and head in out of the cold. Artists from a nearby town have been commissioned to paint Buddhist murals.

We warm ourselves by their electric heating ring and chat about their work. Outside the snow piles down and locals invite us to join them around a roaring open fire. The atmosphere is wonderful and we linger with these generous folk. However away from the fire, it is bitterly cold and we return to the hotel to warm up. We may not have seen the stunning views of Yading National Park but we did have a unique Tibetan experience that we wouldn’t have swapped for anything!

Want to experience Tibet for yourself?  Find out more about our Road to Shangri-La Joruney here

Mountains, Myth & Magic

{Part 4 - Our Founding Director Fionna Heiton is currently travelling in Tibet with her teenage twins}

The drive from Danba to Tagong is spectacular. Rushing rivers and forests give way to rocky outcrops and eventually climbing to the plateau home to Tibetan nomads and their herds of yaks. Every corner offers breath-taking views of snow- capped mountains, as we climbed back to the grasslands at an altitude of 3700 metres.

Tagong Monastery is one of the most important in Eastern Tibet and pilgrims flock here, particularly those unable to afford the trip to Lhasa. The monastery was founded when the Tang Princess, Wencheng who was to be married to the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo was passing through Tagong en route to Lhasa in the 7th century. A statue of Jowo Sakya–Muni Buddha fell at the exact spot where the monastery stands today. A replica of that statue remains today (the original is in Lhasa) attracting pilgrims. Inside the monastery, an unusual key and lock are believed to heal ailments. My guide taps it on my sore shoulder and I have to say, it did seem to make a difference!

Leaving Tagong we pass beautiful rock paintings depicting Buddha adorned with prayer flags. Our stop for the night is in traditional Tibetan castle style boutique hotel! The deluxe Tibetan style rooms offer comfortable beds, quality linen and even a steam machine to help increase the oxygen in the room. Dinner is Tibetan style thukpa, a kind of soup with noodles. Our host Norbu plays the guitar and sings Tibetan folk songs beautifully as we sit around the fire until the embers die down. We fall asleep inside our cosy room trying not to forget this amazing experience.

Want to experience Tibet for yourself?  Find out more about our Mountains, Myth & Magic Journey here.  

Discovering Danba

{Part 3 - Our Founding Director Fionna Heiton is currently travelling in Tibet with her teenage twins}

Nestled above a deep valley, the glorious remote villages of Danba settle above a large array of dramatic mountain slopes. Attracting many artists and photographers, Danba is also known as the ‘Kingdom of Watchtowers’ and ‘Valley of Beauty’. It is one of those unique destinations offering tranquility, picturesque scenes and friendly welcoming people.

We stayed at Pema’s homestay, munching on fresh steamed bread with eggs for breakfast. Her welcoming hospitality made our stay much more special.

Above the house we followed tree lined paths, offering shade from the sun. As we climbed above the village under endless blue skies, the views were simply stunning of the ancient watch towers and traditional houses dotted throughout the landscape.

It would be nice to think that Danba can retain its charm well into the future, as more people discover this village paradise.

For more information on our Tibet trips, click here.

Kangding...gateway to Eastern Tibet

{Part 2 - Our Founding Director Fionna Heiton is currently travelling in Tibet with her teenage twins}

Set in a deep valley on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, the sprawling town of Kangding initially appears to be just another ugly Chinese development of high rise concrete blocks. However, a few days in Kangding not only helps to acclimatize before climbing to the Tibetan plateau but has much more to offer. Staying at Zhilam hostel, owned by an American family, rooms are tastefully decorated in Tibetan style. We enjoy excellent meals and look out on Paoma Mountain lit up at night.

Cable cars take us up Paoma Mountain the next morning. We are literally pushed by Chinese attendants into the rather dilapidated compartment and are soon dangling over the forest adorned with prayer flags. At the top, an elderly Tibetan couple invite us in from the cold, to sit and watch as they make traditional Tibetan tents. We climb further to visit the yellow painted temple offering a peaceful place to meditate.

The highlight of our visit to Kangding was visiting Nanwu Monastery which has a fascinating complex of prayer halls. Belonging to the Gelugpa (yellow hat) sect of Buddhism, the monastery is one of the most active in the area with about 80 monks We witness monks debating and meet elderly Tibetan residents turning prayer wheels chanting Om Mani Padme Hum.

Kangding has a surprisingly good range of places to eat. At one of the towns best Tibetan restaurants we tuck into vegetable momos and thukpa. To our surprise we also discover the Himalayan coffee shop serving huge mugs of freshly brewed coffee and slices of homemade carrot cake! The night before we leave, we abandon our plan to join the community dance as heavy snow is falling. We wake to a picture postcard view of deep white snow all over the town. Our adventure on the Tibetan Plateau is about to begin!