I AM THANKING MY MOTHER a thousand times on getting back home," said Chimi, the 60-plus-year-old tourism guide. Years ago, her mom had walked a part of the trail to Punakha Valley from their farms in Paro, which took close to three days, while she was pregnant with Chimi, and a simple three-hour-long hike made us realise that it was no easy feat. Like her, most of the locals of Bhutan have grown up with tales surrounding the Trans Bhutan Trail. It was closed in the 1960s when Bhutan introduced its national road system, until September 2022. Almost six decades later, the people of Bhutan are taking to the trail again. Along with them are tourists who want to experience a slice of history.
Tourism in Bhutan opened on September 23, 2022 after a long pandemic lockdown. I was one of the first foreigners to enter the country. But what made it truly special was the reopened Trans Bhutan Trail. A 403-kilometre-long route that starts from the district of Haa in the west of Bhutan to Trashigang in the east, the trail connected different fortresses, called dzongs, to each other and was also the route that monks took to travel from one district to another. Garps or post messengers used the trail to carry messages and mail on foot, aiding in uniting many provinces, ultimately initiating the birth of Bhutan as a nation in 1907. Until 2020, the trail that dates back to the 16th century, was in ruins with overgrown flora, collapsed wooden bridges, and a highly treachorous terrain. The project envisioned by His Royal Highness, the fifth King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck came to life when the Bhutan Canada Foundation and Tourism Board of Bhutan joined hands.
ãã®èšäºã¯ Travel+Leisure India ã® November 2022 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Travel+Leisure India ã® November 2022 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã9,000 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
Lunching In Leh
Turtuk, the last town of India in Ladakh, is having a culinary and hospitality renaissance, discovers Harsh Surti
The Medieval Charm of Elsinore
Elsinore, in eastern Denmark, is a charming city full of surprises, such as its interesting link to Shakespeare, discovers Ami Bhat
Natural Selection
In other parts of the world, natural wine production can be raw, wild, and a little messy. But a road trip through southeastern Austria reveals that, in a land where order and understatement reign, even the low-intervention bottles are elegant and refined.
Where the Wild Things Are
Uncovering Rwanda's natural treasures-and the gift of multigenerational travel
FROM THE VOICE WITHIN
A hit new season of a cult show, a brand new production venture, and a baby girl-it seems Ali Fazal is on top of the world right now. Amid a new parenting journey, the actor talks to SAMREEN TUNGEKAR about his travel persona, his instincts, and what feeds the artiste within him
MONSOON IN THE WILD
For nature lovers craving the lush serenity of monsoon forests, off-season safaris in national park buffer zones offer rare rewards and vital support to local economies, discovers Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay.
Ray of Sunshine
Getting diagnosed with life-threatening ailments can spell doom, but for actor Lisa Ray, it became a testament to her resilience. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2009, the former model maintained a positive outlook, blossomed into a vocal advocate for cancer awareness and support, and turned author with a book chronicling her story. In a chat with Bayar Jain, she gets candid about her journey of hope and healing
Championing Change with Conversations That Matter
Aditi Mayer is a responsible storyteller who likes to look at fashion through a lens of social and environmental justice. She tells Samreen Tungekar about how she manages her own mental health and wellness despite work that promotes positive change and requires mental bandwidth
Travelling Through Conscious Well-Being
In the ever-evolving landscape of wellness, where data meets intuition and science aligns with ancient practices, Deepak Chopra stands as a unique bridge between these worlds. Chopra talks to Dipali Patwa about how travel, when intertwined with wellness, becomes a powerful catalyst for personal transformation.
Transcending The 'Trend'
For Rimzim Dadu, the creation of a collection is about lending the pieces a timeless quality. Samreen Tungekar talks to the designer about her creative process, and how her travels intersperse with her approach to design