Paro Taktsang Perched about 900 metres (or 3,000 ft) above the Paro Valley, the Tiger’s Nest is a sacred Himalayan Buddhist temple complex.
A friend of mine is currently bicycling around Bhutan.
Bhutan! That magical, mysterious, land-locked country on the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas where happiness is valued and elevations range from 200 m (660 ft) to more than 7,000 m (23,000 ft). Cycling! What a wonderful, life-embracing, inspirational woman she is.
In spite of watching her progress with total awe and some envy, I haven’t been moved to ride my own bicycle for more than a toddle around the block. I was motivated, however, to revisit my Bhutanese photo-set from this time four years ago.
September is festival season in Bhutan: a wonderful period of colourful costumes, dancing and celebration – and that’s what we were there to photograph. (Two of the banner photos ([1], [2]) on this website are from one of Bhutanese festivals I attended while there – more about that some other time.) Our first complete day on the ground, however, was spent hiking up to The Tiger’s Nest – that sacred collection of monastery and temple buildings perched some 3,120 metres (10,240 ft) above sea level.
Our itinerary said the climb would take about two hours, and we’d be back in Paro for lunch. This seems, in retrospect, rather optimistic. Every travel site I’ve looked at suggests allowing 2-4 hours for the uphill portion, and doing it after you have acclimatised to the altitude.
I suppose we could (possibly?) have walked it faster than we did, but who would want to? It is a truly beautiful hike – even if rather more strenuous than the guide book suggested. We started trudging up, up, and more up, just before eight o’clock. The dirt path sets off gently enough through tall blue pine and it wasn’t long before we spotted our first stream tumbling downhill to meet us. Across the stream, gaily painted white-washed buildings (chorten) house water-driven prayer wheels. Large stones nearby are painted with prayers and images of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava, “The Lotus Born”).
Chorten Prayer wheels, driven by water-wheels in the running stream, sit inside white chorten or stupas.
Spinning, Spinning Prayer wheels spin inside their chorten – their speed determined by the stream waters.
Distant Monastery Clouds shroud the mountaintops above the cliff, where the monastery is barely visible.
Photographers in a Field We have climbed very little so far; it is still a long way up to the temple.
From a field off the trail, we were able to look up, way up, to where the Tiger’s Nest perches impossibly on a neighbouring mountain peak, 900 meters above the Paro Valley below. Wow! I got vertigo just looking at it.
Bronze Bell Religious items, jewellery and some souvenirs are for sale along the route.
Bhutanese Beauty
Streams and Trails
Selling Jewellery An old Bhutanese woman sits with her jewellery and trinkets.
Flags and Flowers Prayer flags blow in the breeze and flowers line our rocky, dusty path.
Cairns Memorials for the departed punctuate the trail.
As we continued the walk up hill, through birdlife and trees draped in Spanish Moss and prayer flags, we came to a sign: “Walk to Guru’s glory! … For here in this Kingdom rules an unparalleled benevolent King.” This is the realm of Guru Rinpoche who, in the form of Doriji Drakpo, one of his eight manifestations, flew to the top of this mountain on a flaming tigress, giving rise to the monastery name: “Taktshang” or “Tiger’s Nest”.
Up and up we tramped: past small stone cairns in memory of the dead; past trinket sellers with an abundance of yak bone and mountain-coral jewellery, and religious objects in silver and bronze; past wild flowers and prayer wheels; until we finally reached the half-way point – the cafeteria rest stop (2940) – by ten o’clock. I asked what time we were supposed to reach the top, and was told: “Fifteen minutes ago!” Hmm.
Already, one of our group of nine had resorted to riding one of the sturdy horses that service the lower half of the track. Now, it is true that none of us were particularly young and most of us had been living at sea level in Bangkok, and therefore were not used to the altitude, but seriously – two hours all the way up???
Prayer Wheel Our guide does the requisite three laps of the prayer wheel.
Wind Horse (Lung Ta) Flags Prayer flags are strung everywhere.
Trinkets in the Sun
Phallic Symbols for Sale Phallic symbols in Bhutan are vested with the power to ward off evil spirits.
Taktsang Cafeteria The cafeteria serves coffee and meals, and affords a great view of Tiger’s Nest.
Prayer Cloth According to legend, the Shakyamuni Buddha’s prayers were written on battle flags.
Flags to the Wheelhouse Horizontal lung ta and vertical darchor flags set off the golden pagoda.
Wind Horse Flags Lung ta flags spread prayers on the wind with the speed of a horse, apparently.
View to the Tiger’s Nest As the trail winds upward, there are regular glimpses of the temple.
Spanish Moss The pine forest is draped with lacy moss.
Meditation House The deep, rumbling sounds of of a monk chanting came from this little house as we passed.
After drinking cups of tea or coffee and stripping off excess clothing, those of us who continued to the top took plenty of pictures, pausing regularly as we wended our way up, up, and more up. This was not only as an excuse to stop and breathe – it really was one of the nicest trails I have ever trekked.
It is true what they say: at the lookout, you feel you as if you could reach out and touch the monastery across the ravine. The bad news is that to actually get to it, you need to climb down and up again on the other side. It probably isn’t that far, but it is steep and I wasn’t the only one gasping for air!
The Tiger’s Lair It looks so close you could reach out and touch it!
Waterfall The path from the viewpoint to the temple drops down over a 60 meter fall.
Look Up… Way Up… The entry to the temple is decorated in traditional Bhutanese manner.
Monks at Tiger’s Nest
Stone Stairs
Looking back at Taktsang
Prayers on the Wind
Yellow Wildflowers
Another Beauty
Fallen Prayer Flag
After visiting various altar rooms in the monastery (without our shoes, hats or cameras, as per requirements), we set off back down the hill to collect our missing group members at the coffee house.
One of the hallmarks of the Bhutanese has to be their flexibility; when it became clear we were going to be nowhere near Paro by lunch time, our guide arranged for our lunch to come to us! Once we had finally made our way back down the hill, our food was waiting, and mid-afternoon, seated on cushions in a field, we finally ate our well-deserved meal.
There is a real risk when going back to old photos: they were taken with an old camera and processed with an old version of Lightroom, so everything had to be re-edited. Then, looking at the framing or aperture or lack of clarity, there were all those “What was I thinking??” moments…
But, I loved Bhutan when I was there, and I enjoyed revisiting some of my photos from this happiest of Himalayan Kingdoms.
[…] first full day in the country was spent hiking to Tiger’s Nest, high over the Paro Valley. Then it was time to hop in a minibus, and cross some of the rugged […]ReplyCancel
A Shot of Jack Sculpture in the gardens, Jack Daniels Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee
“… and you can have a shot of Jack Daniel’s,” our guide told us as we set off on our tour around the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
It was a joke, of course – a pun on the word “shot”: a jigger of alcohol or a picture.
No free tastings were available, as Lynchburg is still in a dry county – a holdover from the state-wide prohibition laws passed in 1910.
Even without a “shot” of the world-famous sour mash Tennessee whiskey, the guided walk around the premises, established as a distillery on this site in 1875, is an interesting and entertaining experience.
The House that Jack Built OK – so it is really the Visitor Center, completed in 1999, and filled with memorabilia.
Gentleman Jack Center stage inside the Visitor Center is a statue of the man himself.
Small in stature but with a story larger than life, Jack Daniel himself is mythologised as a symbol of independence and pride in craftsmanship.
Born in a September, sometime between 1846 and 1850, Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel was the one of ten or thirteen children fathered by Calaway Daniel with Lucinda Cook Daniel before she died in 1847. Calaway remarried and had several more children before he, too, died.
Ingredients Corn, rye and wheat mash are mixed with spring water and filtered through sugar-maple charcoal.
Checkers Making good whiskey takes time, so the story goes…
Guitars, Banjoes and Fiddles … and that time is spent fiddling, whittling, playing checkers, or just sitting.
Jack was independent from a young age, and stories abound about how he started distilling. Accepted wisdom is that at age seven he apprenticed himself to Dan Call, a local preacher and storekeeper in Lincoln County, who also made and sold whiskey. When Jack was 13, Call was forced by his wife and congregation to choose between ministry and distilling; he chose the former, selling Jack the still and the rights to the whisky business.
Some time later, as the business grew, Jack found and established the current location in Moore County, with it’s limestone spring water and abundant maple trees: perfect for the charcoal-filterering process Call had developed. The Jack Daniel’s Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in America.
Whiskey Jugs Jack was the first to stamp his jugs with a brand name.
The earliest Tennessee whisky was sold in earthenware jugs, painted with “xxx”. Jack, however, was a clever marketer, keenly aware of branding. He was the first to stencil the distillery name onto the jugs, in effect promising a consistent standard and quality.
The move to glass bottles came soon and numerous bottle designs from over the years are on display in the visitor centre. In 1895, Jack was impressed with a prototype square bottle, quickly realizing that it was both distinctive and practical. It was also symbolic of his desired image as an honest and “square” dealer.
Bottles and Medals The Distillery is rightfully proud of its awards and medals.
No one knows for sure what the now-famous “No. 7” stands for. The tale I heard was that it was the number on the only cask rescued from a river-transport accident; the more likely, but less engaging story is that it was the original district tax-assessment number for the distillery. Either way, like so much else about Jack Daniel, it is now part of the myth, and the number seven recurs in the story of the product and its sponsorships.
Jack always said his whisky was first rate. In 1904, he entered it in the St. Louis World’s Fair and won the Gold Medal for the Best Whiskey in the World against more established European products. After winning a magic seventh gold medal in 1981, this time from the Institut Pour Les Selections De La Qualite, Amsterdam, the distillery stopped entering competitions: “because it’s a number we happen to like.”
Always Dapper Jack was never seen without his trademark knee length black frock coat and a broad-brimmed hat.
Jack branded himself as carefully as his product. Because he only grew to five foot one, he was often mistaken for a youngster. To counter this, he grew the goatee and drooping moustache that we see in all the pictures and sculptures. Carrying his silver-tipped walking stick, he dressed and acted the part of the southern gentleman.
But, he clearly loved his trade, and his passion for fine sipping whiskey has been passed on to those who work at the distillery today.
The Rickyard “Ricks” of maple wait to be turned into charcoal.
Sugar Maple Charcoal
A Face in the Crowd Non-tasting tours are open to all ages.
Old Fire Truck Just in case!
Our Guide A bit of story, a bit of truth, a bit of legend…
… a bit of Heritage.
That Safe! According to the story, Jack kicked this safe when he couldn’t remember the combination.
Music is Part of the Legend “Jack” has always been a part of the music…
Sugar Maple The maple is used for charcoal. The sugary smoke that turns the tree trunks black is a sure sign that distilling is happening near by!
Lynchburg There is a barrel in the centre of the square.
Lynchburg Town Hall It’s a quiet, clean town – totally supported by the distillery.
Glasses Lynchburg stores are full of souvenirs and “Jack” memorabilia.
Gas Station It’s as if nothing changes in Lynchburg, home of Jack Daniels.
The moral of Jack’s story is: Never be the first person at work!
According to lore, when he beat his accountant in to work one morning, he couldn’t get the safe open because he had forgotten the code. He kicked the safe in frustration, broke his toe, and gangrene set in, eventually killing him in 1911.
The more mundane story is that he had diabetes… Contributed to by his alcohol consumption? The price of his pursuit of taste-testing excellence? Oh dear!
These days, of course, as is the case with the Irish Guinness, faceless corporate giants have taken over. But, the Jack Daniels employees assured us that they have been left to do things in the timeless, old-fashioned way – on the surface, at least. Just last month, it was announced that parent company Brown-Forman Corp. was investing $100 million to expand its distillery operations to meet increasing demand. Who knows what changes this will bring.
Although Lynchburg is a dry county, we were able to buy some commemorative Jack Daniel’s bottles after our tour…
Just our luck, they contained some fine sipping whiskey.
About an hour into our trip south across the English Chanel from the Bailiwick of Jersey to Brittany, France, everything outside the ferry windows disappeared. It didn’t seem an auspicious start to our day trip to Saint-Malo, the mediaeval walled city of explorers, privateers, and pirates.
But, just like magic, dolphins appeared – leaping and diving along-side the boat – and we exited the fog bank. There it was: a fairy-tale city, with the sun glinting off the golden beaches and the cathedral steeple rising high above the ancient walls.
Saint-Malo Once we are out of the fog we can see through the wet windows to the medieval city in the sun.
Saint Malo is an easy trip from Saint Helier in the south of Jersey where my daughter has been working on contract. So, yesterday, to celebrate her last day off before returning to England, she and I took the morning trip across – knowing the afternoon ferry back would have us “home” in time for dinner.
While that leaves very little time on the ground, the old port city on its island, fortified during the Middle Ages, is very compact. We were easily able to walk around the walls to take in the magnificent views – and still have time for stops for coffees, savoury galettes, sweet crêpes, wine, and to browse the countless shops that line the narrow cobbled streets.
Rue de Dinan Old cobbles lead into the walled city…
Window-Pots … while colourful flowers hang everywhere overhead.
Cathédrale Saint-Vincent-de-Saragosse de Saint-Malo This gothic cathedral dates to the 13th Century – the original monastery on the site goes back to 1108.
Commemorative Plaque An integral part of the history books I grew up on, Jacques Cartier (December 31, 1491 – September 1, 1557) set sail from his native Saint-Malo in 1534 and again in 1535 and 1541, exploring what is now Newfoundland and into the St. Lawrence River, leaving a small colony and claiming the lands for the French.
Gothic Ceiling The inside of the old cathedral is quite beautiful, with vaulted roofs, lovely stained glass …
Altar … and some stunning, modern-looking additions.
Candles This is still a strongly Roman Catholic community, and many candles are burned for loved ones.
Place Jean de Chatillon Back outside, tourists and students on their lunch break enjoy the sun …
Place Jean de Chatillon … while I admire the architecture.
War Memorial
La Houxaie Mentioned in writings from the 15th Century onwards, La Houxaie is the oldest surviving house in Saint-Malo.
The Next Generation The next street across, a group of young people with their iPods and cigarettes chat in a doorway.
Fort National On one of the tidal islands, Fort National sits a few hundred metres away from the wall.
Fort Royal Built in 1689 under the direction of military architect Vauban, it was originally called Fort Royal.
Seagull When the tides are out, the beach is popular with sun bakers and seagulls.
Low Tide The bay of Saint Malo has the highest tidal range in Europe; when it is out, the “islands” join up.
Telescope The views from the wall are beautiful …
Roofs and Balconies … in both directions!
The Wall
Battlements
Robert Surcouf Robert Surcouf (1773 – 1827), privateer and slave trader, was another of Saint-Malo’s famous sons.
Buildings from the Wall
Old Cannon
Ermine Back at street level, we notice the ermine wearing a scarf, which is part of the city’s Coat of Arms and flag.
The Château of Saint-Malo
Madonna in the Wall
Calvados and Vin Chaud Time for some last minute shopping?
It is a charming town, and I could have spent a lot more time there.
I had wanted to visit a few of the sites outside the walled city –
As John Denver knew, there is something truly magic about the Rocky Mountains. I can’t help humming or singing whenever I think of them – and Denver’s song “Rocky Mountain Suite (Cold Nights in Canada)“ fits the bill perfectly.
Banff National Park was an integral part of my childhood and I never pass up the opportunity to spend time there. This year, however, we decided to venture further north: to Jasper National Park. It was a fortuitous choice, really, as major flooding from torrential rainfall plus snow-melt in the area just days before our arrival forced the evacuation of numerous southern Albertan cities. Mudslides and flooding cut Banff off from the east, so we would not have been able to enter.
Although it rained much our drive west from Edmonton along the Yellowhead Highway, we were relieved to meet perfectly dry roads and clear skies as the mountains came into view and we neared the boundaries of Jasper.
Jasper Mountains Looking west along the Yellowhead Highway, east of Jasper National Park, Alberta, magnificent mountains come into view.
Bull Elk We had no sooner entered the park than we met our first elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis). He’s so close we can see the velvet on this season’s antlers.
Young Elk Just down the road, a younger male grazes.
“White Rump” Herd animals, the Wapiti (“White rump” in Shawnee and Cree) graze in small groups in the fading light.
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
Path to Sunwapta Falls Morning sun peaks through western red cedar and lodgepole pine.
White Waters The fast-moving Sunwapta River roars along side the path…
Sunwapta Rapids … crashing over rocks as it rushes downstream…
Sunwapta Falls … and over the lower falls.
Fairy Slippers (Calypso bulbosa) Tiny orchids grow on the forest floor.
Tumbled Trees and Tumbling Waters
Bridge over Upper Sunwapta Falls
Upper Sunwapta Falls White waters roar down in splashing torrents.
Red Paintbrush (Castilleja Miniata) Everywhere we walked or drove, the meadows and verges were alive with colour.
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Our Canadian friends get pretty blasé about the black bears which can be nuisance around garbages…
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) … but I still get excited seeing them in the wild.
Mountain Roads The roads were pretty quiet ~ although the park seemed to have plenty of European visitors.
Elk / Wapiti (Cervus elaphus) We were told that elk numbers were diminishing in the park, but we saw many powerful bulls.
Portrait of a Bull Wapiti This fellow may not be that old: apparently Alberta’s elk mature quickly and three-year-old bulls can sport large racks.
Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) I am used to having to scour the mountain ridges to see these animals – never before have I met them on the road!
Portrait: Male Bighorn Unconcerned by our presence, the sheep walked straight past our car windows. Medicine Lake, Jasper.
Bighorn Family As we drove back along Medicine Lake in the late afternoon, a family group were scrambling along the slope.
Bighorn Sheep & Car For some reason, the whole group decided to lick the backend of another car stopped on the road. Our vehicle was of no interest!
Baby Bighorn Sheep A little one gives up, and crosses back over the roadway.
Encounter with a Bull A photographer with a large lens shoots photos of a male elk.
Bull Elk The bull, weighing in at between 320 and 330 kg (710 to 730 lb), stares back.
Cold nights in Canada and icy blue winds
The man and the mountains are brothers again
Clear waters are laughing, they sing to the sky
The Rockies are living, they never will die
Quiet Time on U-Bein Bridge, Amarapura, Myanmar (For you purists out there, the purple cast is the result of a little artistic licence and Lightroom split-toning, rather than pure nature.)
Does originality matter any more?
That was the question posed today by a photographer who’s Facebook feed I look in on from time to time. He was lamenting the fact that a picture awarded a first place for “Sports Action” by World Press Photo was an image he considered unoriginal, by virtue of the fact that other photographers had previously taken similar pictures from similar points of view.
Personally, I think it depends, at least partially, on one’s purpose. An artist should aim to be original, so for photographic contests, one can rightfully expect that originality would be part of the criteria.
My work is not particularly original. Although I keep trying to ground my photographic technique and to stretch my artistic eye, I will never be a pace-setter.
Nor am I a trail-blazer. Most of the places I visit are also on other people’s itineraries; they have been seen and documented before. For example, the U-Bein Teak Bridge over Taungthaman Lake, south of Mandalay, has been photographed so often at sunset that it is one of Myanmar’s most iconic images.
That didn’t stop me from wanting to see it and photograph it myself.
Wooden Boats Waiting The best way to photograph those iconic silhouettes is from a hired boat on Taungthaman Lake.
Cameras Ready! With Taungthaman Lake filling up with tourists and photographers, the likelihood of getting a shot like no other reduces considerably.
I visited the bridge on two successive evenings last September as part of a photographic tour facilitated by photographer Karl Grobl and guide Mr MM. And, my nine travel-companions and myself were not alone in carrying camera equipment. A truly original image might be hard to come by!
Fading Light The 1.2km bridge, built from teak timbers recovered from the Amarapura palace when King Mindon relocated to Mandalay in 1852, is in daily use as means of crossing the big lake.
Heading Home
Comings and Goings
Last Light
Restaurant on the Shore There are a number of places on the lake’s shore where you can watch the light fade over the famous bridge.
Teak Posts On my second visit, I opted to walk out over the lake.
Monks on the Bridge
Still Waters Taungthaman Lake is quiet on the far side of the bridge.
Spiral Temple On the shore, a Buddhist temple is reflected in the waters of the lake.
Taungthaman Lake A tourist boat works its way past fishermen wading in the shallow waters.
Fisherman Under the bridge, a fisherman prepares to come in for the day. At regular intervals, there are stairs up and down from the water.
Life on the Bridge I took a boat from the middle of the lake for the remains of the evening.
Monks on the Bridge
Monks on the Bridge Like other tourists on the bridge, visiting monks take pictures of themselves.
Sunset Silhouettes As the sun goes down, the crowd on the bridge grows in number.
Young Couple
The Blue Hour
Last Light
Back to Shore
“Original” or not, the experience is as important to me as the outcome. I love the travel, and the chance to see places for myself, especially those iconic and oft-visited places that have been photographed many, many times before.
I absolutely your pictures Ursula.
They are so professional and the title at the bottom of each photo has a nice touch.
You obviously love what you do.
No wonder you two travel so much.
Thank you…ReplyCancel
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
But, I loved Bhutan when I was there, and I enjoyed revisiting some of my photos from this happiest of Himalayan Kingdoms.
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It is a charming town, and I could have spent a lot more time there.
“Original” or not, the experience is as important to me as the outcome. I love the travel, and the chance to see places for myself, especially those iconic and oft-visited places that have been photographed many, many times before.
Beautiful photos & and your usual beautiful writing. Enjoyed it.
Thanks to my #1 fan! 😀
Nice article Ursula, Bhutan remains on my bucket list. One day!
PS: Is that Gavin Gough’s umbrella in one shot? 🙂
Hey, Kevin! That’s not Gavin’s umbrella (too colourful for a Brit!) but his back is in one shot. 🙂
[…] first full day in the country was spent hiking to Tiger’s Nest, high over the Paro Valley. Then it was time to hop in a minibus, and cross some of the rugged […]