Writers and artists embark on a creative journey in Bhutan.

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Creative In Bhutan

3 min readSep 3, 2016

We are just back from 12 days in Bhutan, riding the wild mountain roads from west to east, writing and making art as we went. Twelve of us from different places, different walks of life, different sensibilities. One guide: Rinchen, and two drivers: Tenzin and Tenzin who looked after us so well, greeting us with katak (holy white scarves) on our arrival in Paro.

First stop apples!

then on to the Memorial Stupa in Thimphu to do a few rounds of the chorten with the local lay practitioners.

This place is busy all day long with young and old circumnabulating as they recite mantras Om Mani Padme Hum in the mornings and Om Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum in the evenings. Young people on their way to work drop of their olds do a few rounds and come back at the end of the working day to pick them up and do a few more.

It is a most important meeting place and touchstone for all Bhutanese when they visit the capital, Thimphu.

It was built in 1974 to honor the third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1928–1972),

After a night in Thimphu we headed for Dochala pass, where we glimpsed the Himalayas before they dissapeared in cloud and noticed a stand of white prayer flags which are erected in a place with a view, after a family member has passed away (more about this later).

Our guide Rinchen was reunited with his dog who is cared for by the chef.

Then on to Pobjhika. After our first taste of rock ‘n roll Bhutan roads (and I don’t mean it in the musical sense),this glorious glacial valley stretched out before us giving such a feeling of peace and calm that some of us said let’s just stay here! Our guest house was designed perfectly for writers and artists with a bench for writing or sketching on facing the serene view.