Feet on the ground in Punakha, it was time to hike and see a temple.
First, a Bridge
The hike kicked off by crossing a bridge adorned with prayer flags. We learned from Jamyang that the colors of prayer flags symbolize the five elements (that created us): fire, water, wind, air and earth. Prayer flags help take away negative thoughts & spirits. They're ALL over Bhutan. And are a beautiful spiritual expression across the country.
Through the Rice Terraces
The trail weaved through rice terraces in every direction for the better part of an hour. Rice had been harvested just weeks before our visit, so we missed seeing the gorgeous green terraced rice fields. Even though they were dry and the color of sand, the terraced rice fields were still beautiful. We could see locals actively working in the fields to cut the rice and carry it off in clumps. The rice fields are VAST. Seeing them up close gave us an appreciation for the massive amount of hard labor & time that it takes to harvest the fields in full.
Destination: Beautiful Temple
We reached our destination, a beautiful Buddhist temple. I don't recall the name of it; but also not sure I ever learned it. After asking Jamyang, I got clear (or at least I think I did) on the distinctions between different religious structures:
Stupa/Chorten: Where people walk around and say prayers
Temple: People go to pray + make offerings
Fortress: Big monument where hundreds of monks live and central administration offices are held; people can also come and pray/make offerings
Aside from one other couple with their guide, we were the only ones at the temple. It was even more stunning shrouded in puffy white clouds & greyish blue skies.
Resourceful Jamyang
Jamyang wanted to show us the interior of the temple but apparently one of the few monks there had fallen ill and they had closed the temple to visitors. Jamyang disappeared for a short while and then reappeared with a monk by his side. He had managed to find another monk that was willing to come over during his break and open the temple for us. The monk left us to enter on our own, and we followed Jamyang up the 3+ flights of steep stairs until we reached the roof. The temple interior was beautiful, colorful and serene. And the roof opened up to sprawling views of rice terraces, the river and clusters of local homes.
On the return walk we paused to buy fresh guavas from a gentleman seated on the side of the trail. We were also trailed by a monk returning back to the village from the temple :)
In those few hours it felt like we had Bhutan to ourselves. One of the perks to going just past peak season!
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