Life lessons in Bhutan
July 16, 2024 - Bhutanese culture is strongly rooted in traditions and spiritual values, but it’s the nation’s progressive beliefs that leave a lasting impression. Life won’t look the same after you come to the Land of the Thunder Dragon, and neither will you want it to.
Bhutan is celebrating 50 years of opening its borders to sustainable tourism, a remarkable hospitality approach that attracts visitors who share its vision and values. This strategy protects its natural resources and cultural identity while supporting economic development, employment, education, and healthcare. The country’s infrastructure simply cannot support mass tourism, nor does the “happiest place on earth” want to.
Your Khamsa or “Royal Stroll” with Six Senses Bhutan, in which you’ll stay at up to five lodges along the way, is a total escape from unrelenting modernization. Even the capital Thimphu sees no need for fast food chains or traffic lights (there’s only one junction at times busy enough to warrant a flamboyant, white-gloved policeman to help you navigate the few passing cars and cows).
But this isn’t a journey back in time. The nation has been built on progressive thinking.
Bhutan’s education program, both modern and monastic, has been a success story. Its youth literacy rate stands at over 98 percent. It is the world’s first carbon-negative country, with around 70 percent of its land still under forest cover. His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s plans for the new Mindfulness City in Gelephu might just be the most brilliant approach to urban development, amplifying the Kingdom’s abundant biodiversity, appeal for its aspiring younger generations and potential to emerge as a viable and visible example of how economic success can be achieved without totally compromising environmental, societal and individual well-being.
What can we learn as guests? Around the world, all Six Senses properties come with a personal Guest Experience Maker. In Bhutan, however, you get two more absolute gems, your guide and your driver.
Our guide, Sonam Norbu, deeply spiritual, knowledgeable, philosophical about life and reincarnation, and patient to a tee, opened our minds to three lessons in the following out-of-the-ordinary experiences.
1. Being here: cranes, blessings, and a cow shed dinner
The winding drive to Six Senses Gangtey, passing summits adorned with prayer flags and dizzying drops, is a feast for the eyes as it opens to a valley of unmatched beauty. But Phobjikha Valley also seizes you by the soul. The arrival of the black-necked crane in winter coincides with auspicious dates of the Bhutanese calendar. To mark their departure, these “birds of heaven” circumambulate the 17th-century Gangtey Monastery three times before heading to their summer home in Tibet.
Our first lesson comes during evening prayers at the Damchen Lhakhang, one of the Kingdom’s oldest temples. Many say it dates back to the 14th century, but Sonam hints it might have been one of 108 temples built overnight in the 7th century by a Tibetian King to subdue a demoness. We spin the giant prayer wheels and ponder all those who have gone before us. Inside, we are greeted by exquisite ceiling paintings and wall murals along with three imposing Buddha statues. We light a butter lamp and listening to the hypnotic chants of the young novices, accompanied by blasts on the dung-chen (a long trumpet-like instrument) and bangs on the temple drum. If your mind is too restless for meditation, this moment – unlike anything we’ve perhaps described before – might simply stop it in its tracks. There’s nothing to do except be here. This is what Sonam means by living in the present moment to find happiness within.
Just next door, the intimate Cow Shed dinner, cooked over an open-fire clay oven in an ancient dwelling, is another experience that you absorb with all the senses, from the crunch of just-picked veg to the hit of chili, fiery ara, flicker of candlelight, and lyrical melodies sung by your Six Senses hosts.
2. Believing in the magic: medieval stone ruins and a tiger’s nest
Bhutan has a brand manifesto, summed up in the message “believe”. Carissa Nimah, CMO, Department of Tourism Bhutan, explains how “Restoring one’s sense of belief is the kingdom’s real gift to its visitors. The nation itself believes in a better future, led by wisdom from its past – a belief it is manifesting daily. What it represents is that we can believe in the potential, the possibilities, and the opportunities that Bhutan offers in a rapidly evolving world.”
There’s no better way to bring the past alive than the Stone Ruin Dinner at Six Senses Paro. Forget the predictable routine of a regular restaurant. This captivating spectacle blends the sizzle of the grill with the vibrant story of Bhutanese culture, set against the awe-inspiring ruins of the 15th-century Chubjakha Dzong. Prayer flags flutter in the wind, while whispers of a bygone era seem to linger in the air.
Swathed in the elegant folds of a Gho (for men) or a Kira (for women) – Bhutan's national dress – you'll instantly feel the magic that comes with wearing these clothes, along with a deeper connection to the land and its people. As skilled chefs work wonders with fresh ingredients and fragrant herbs, a symphony of sights and sounds adds another layer to the sensory adventure. The Joenpa Legso, a traditional Bhutanese song played at the start of any grand event, carries auspicious tones, its melody acting as a warm welcome, setting the stage for a feast designed for sharing; a celebration of flavors meant to be enjoyed together. It's a culinary journey that fuses international favorites with the soul-satisfying flavors of Bhutan. Succulent cuts and seasonal produce are cooked to perfection over an open flame. A touch of tradition arrives with ema datsi, a rich Bhutanese chili cheese, while a hint of international flair comes with a chimichurri drizzle. You become an active participant in this immersive experience, forging lasting bonds with the others who can say, “I was there”.
Bhutan’s history is recounted in a way that the line between myth and fact is blurred. The distinction does not seem to bother anyone. The Indian saint Padmasambhava or “Guru Rinpoche” fled from Tibet in the 8th century on the back of his consort Yeshe Tsogyel, who had changed herself into a tigress, meditating at what is now the world-renowned Tiger’s Nest (Taktsang) before introducing Buddhism to Bhutan. Although our trust issues were deepening about Sonam’s “not far”, “not spicy”, and “not high”, his advice to “wake early” and climb to Taktsang at sunrise was well founded to enjoy time to ourselves within the four main temples, whose cliff-edge perches defy the laws of gravity.
3. Following your own path: beyond the destination into the discovery
There are, in the heart of the Himalayas, some strange marketplaces where one can barter the whirlwind of life for infinite wisdom (Jetsun Milarepa, Tibetan yogi). How you go about this is your own path to follow. Perhaps you don a heavy iron cloak to circumambulate the temple at Tamshing Monastery three times to absolve yourself of a few sins. Maybe you soak in a Dotsho at Six Senses Bumthang, a time-honored ritual, deeply woven into Bhutanese culture, which celebrates the healing power of nature one hot stone at a time.
Or possibly we can take inspiration from the words shared by celebrated Bhutanese writer Aum Kunzang Choden as we sat in the garden of her beautiful ancestral manor, now Ogyen Choling museum: “I feel it is really important to realize that this world doesn’t belong to one or other of us, it belongs to all of us. We all have to be responsible for it and conscious of the well-being of all living things, seen and unseen, so that we can all be well and protected. The Mindfulness City is very timely. When the leader of our small country said we can never keep up with material productivity, but we can hold on to our happiness, it made heads turn. Now the time has come for mindfulness. It isn’t something you can buy but people might say there is something in this. It isn’t just about more, and more, and more. After all, life on earth is just temporary. You come with nothing, and you leave with nothing. A clear vision of what’s enough makes a lot of sense.”
Four years ago, we published an article about sharing breakfast with young novices at the Chorten Ningpo monastery, high on a Himalayan hill, around a 2-hour hike from Six Senses Punakha. We couldn’t finish our Khamsa without catching up on progress, thanks in part due to funding by our guests, which includes additional classes up to the university level, the completion of a new dormitory, and a library under construction. The novices’ eagerness to share their world and learn about the world beyond the monastery walls – including the words to Happy Birthday – sparked a beautiful bridge between cultures, a reminder of the universal human desire for connection.
The novices’ eagerness to share their world and learn about the world beyond the monastery walls – including the words to Happy Birthday to sing to our sisters – sparked a beautiful bridge between cultures and a reminder of the universal human desire for connection.
This isn’t just a travel memory. It is a profound reminder of the power of unexpected encounters. Not just going through the motions, but emotions. That’s when you know you’ve been deeply moved.
Jessica Swales traveled and toured through Bhutan with Six Senses guide Sonam Norbu, and Wahyu Kelsall, Marketing Communications Manager at Six Senses Bhutan. For all queries and to design your own out-of-the-ordinary experience, please email reservations-bhutan@sixsenses.com.