After a seemingly endless trip, our plane circled over a verdant river valley below, protected by a fortress of mountains, some with snow on their peaks. Looking out our windows, we got an aerial view of Thimphu, the tiny capital city of Bhutan, nestled next to a river in the valley below. The plane continued down the river valley that lies between two mountains until it arrived at the airport town of Paro.

Our Druk (Dragon) Airline plane approaches our landing site. What we see from our window confirms what we read that 90% of Bhutan is mountainous and 70% of the country is covered by native trees.

We landed right in front of what looked like a giant medieval monastery. To my surprise, the beautiful structure was the town’s airport, built several decades ago.

 

 

Very friendly officials checked our passports at this beautiful security counter. It’s been a long time since navigating an airport was so pleasurable. The painting is of the fifth king of the Kingdom of Peace.

As we exited the airport, our guide, 38-year-old Sangay Dendup, met us with a warm smile and a white silk Khatas scarf he gently placed around our necks. A khata symbolizes compassion and purity. The white color represents the pure heart of the giver of the scarf.

It felt good to be traveling with my dear friend, Heidi. We are definitely kindred spirits. Coincidentally, both of us had Swiss mothers, which made some of our quirks very familiar to each other.

Our first stop on our way to Thimphu was at the river monastery and chorten marking the auspicious meeting of the Paro and Thimphu rivers. We crossed the wooden bridge next to an centuries-old chain link bridge said to have been placed there by supernatural powers. We learned the ritual of turning the prayer wheels, large and small, that we encountered everywhere in Bhutan.

One of the many chortens with prayer wheels we see throughout the country.

Sangay turns the prayer wheel while chanting Om Mani Padme Om, meaning “Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus.”

The prayer flags are seen through the country. The prayer flags have multiple purposes, including sending good fortune with the wind, and the white ones to honor the dead

One of the countless monastery dotting the hillsides and ridge tops throughout the land.

 

Our first night at the Druk (Dragon) Hotel on the town square. The hotel gave the appearance that it was built several centuries ago, but was actually built in the 1960s. The architecture throughout Bhutan is unique and strikingly handsome, including new construction. In spite of the intermittent electricity and internet problems we had, we felt like royalty in our beautiful room and the delicious food served to us in the dining area.

 

.This This painting is the first time we met the royal family of the fifth Druk Gyalpa (Dragon King), who accompany visitors everywhere throughout Bhutan.

Depictions of this beloved and revered royal family are among the many reminders  of the extraordinary promise and delivery of happiness for all citizens, made by the 4^th king, who is still alive and well, happily bicycling throughout the country. One of his many visions for his country resulted in the Gross National Happiness development philosophy, in contradistinction to the Gross Domestic Product which measure productivity.

We are told that the king and his father are humble leaders with a deep commitment to the wellbeing of their people, as measured by a happiness index. This Peaceful Kingdom is rich in the things that matter the most–health of the individual, health of the environment, sustainable economic development, preservation and promotion of culture and good governance.

Thimphu, the capital city of 100,000 inhabitants, famously known as the capital city without any traffic lights.

The stupa built in honor of the 4th king, the father of the current king.

The women preparing their vegetables for cooking engage me with smiles and a sense of humor.,

Red chilis are a favorite food in Bhutan and grows in abundance. Here the chilis are spread out on the rooftops to dry.

Sangay had told us that we would need to change our planned morning visit to a nearby monastery because all the monks in the country were convening at a month-long retreat for a special chanting of the texts of Buddha by the head abbot. Our disappointment quickly vanished when he told us that, in fact, we would now be hiking to the location of their retreat – at the feet of the 60-foot golden Buddha looking over Thimphu—and that we could attend and listen on our way. The Buddha was built in honor of the country’s beloved fourth king.

The monks from the entire region gathered daily for the teachings of the Buddha, chanted continuously by the head Abbott.

After listening to the chanting of the Buddha’s teachings, we took a hike, circumnavigating the enormous statue of the Buddha built on top of a high ridge overlooking the entire valley of Thimphu, seen from every direction. Along the way, Sangay, at out request, sang hauntingly beautiful songs. We begged him to keep singing. One of the songs he sang was from the movie, “A Yak in the Classroom,” about a farmer whose beloved yak died and how sad he was and what he did to honor his animal friend.

We toured the museum of natural medicine. Sangay suggested I come back to Bhutan to volunteer as a teacher of integrative medicine for a year.

We visited the School of Handicrafts. The handiwork was exquisitely beautiful.

 Traditional wood carving class

Sangay Dendup got is name given to him by monks in a monastery. where his parents brought him after birth. Sangay means a concept like Buddha or The Enlightened One, and Dendup means Achiever. Sangay has certainly lived up to his name in that he has devoted his life to service of others and lives devotedly by Buddhist principles.One of the things he taught us on the trip is that every moment is an opportunity to practice coming into the NOW. He taught us about the history of his country, about precepts of Buddhism, and what touched us the most is his example that hr lives every moment.

Addendum:

Dear Dr. Erica  M. Elliott,

On behalf of American Airlines, please accept our company’s formal thank you for the assistance you provided aboard flight 61 on October 30, 2022. We are all grateful that you were on board and freely offered your medical expertise when it was needed most. Dr. Elliott, without a doubt, you greatly improved a difficult situation.

As a tangible expression of our appreciation for volunteering your time and experience, we have added 30,000 bonus miles to your AAdvantage® account. This mileage adjustment should appear in your account in a few days. You can view your account via http://www.aa.com/aadvantage.

We realize your offer of assistance was not motivated by any potential reward. Nevertheless, we wanted you to know how much your efforts were appreciated — and that we look forward to serving you again soon. Dr. Elliott, we wish you well and value your AAdvantage® loyalty and support. It will be our privilege to welcome you aboard American when your plans call for travel by air.

Sincerely,

Natasha Narayan, MD, MPH
Corporate Medical Director 
American Airlines
Premise Health