THE JOURNEY134 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | MAY 2018
EYESWIDEOPEN/CONTRIBUTOR/GETTY IMAGES NEWS/GETTY IMAGES(PRAYER WHEEL),RUMELA BASU(DRAYANG)bar, there’s music, and there is a small stage. The entire place is
lit in neon lights. The servers, all dressed in ghos and kiras are,
in fact, both servers and dancers. As is the norm in drayangs,
our group is approached by one of the women to request and
pay for a song; a Bollywood number is lined up for me.
“Those cost a little more, about Nu 250 (`250), as opposed
to 200 for a local song, or a folk number.” Folk dance in a pub?
Apparently, it is true. Sadly, the Bhutanese song that plays
now is not a folk number but a film song. Not knowing what to
expect I am pleasantly surprised by the young girl’s casual, fun
demeanour—no complicated choreography, affected gyrations
or cheering from the crowd. As the night progresses, requests
pour in for Bollywood, Nepali and Bhutanese songs and the
drayang’s staff—both men and women—get on stage,
sometimes solo, sometimes in pairs and even in
groups. As I leave, I thank the girl who danced
to the Bollywood number. She’s smoking a
cigarette with a group right outside the door:
it is the only time I have seen anyone smoke
in public in Bhutan. Chuckling, I recall a
fellow passenger paying 100 per cent tax
to bring his two packs of Marlboro into
Bhutan—tobacco is not sold here.
The next day, I stroll past exhibits
at Paro’s National Museum, a far cry
from my surreal drayang experience. The
original museum and many artefacts were
destroyed in the 2009 earthquake, but enough
has been saved and the museum moved to a
different building. It is small but engaging. There is a room
of ceremonial masks—demons, gods, animals and jesters, all
bestowed with human charac-teristics of benevolence, wrath,
cunning, even stupidity. There are centuries-old thangkas,
ancient relics and statues of different forms of Buddha, Vishnu
and their consorts, and an entire floor is dedicated to flora and
fauna. It seems a fitting end to my stay. Except, according to
Sajan, one of Paro’s best experiences await me in the evening.
Soaking in a wooden bathtub filled with mineral spring
water, otherwise known as a hot stone bath, I have to agree.
Only areas with mineral spring water have these baths and
Paro is one of them. A perforated panel creates a small section
in the tub into which red-hot stones are dropped, gradually
heating all the water in the tub. I emerge about an hour
later with jelly legs and soothed muscles.
The next day, looking out of the flight window
at snow-clad Himalayan peaks—you can see
Everest and Nanda Devi—I think back to the
word “quaint.” During my trip, I’ve been
humbled by people’s faith, intrigued by
legends, impressed by eco-conservation
laws, and surprised by hidden urban
spaces. Yet, in all its wonder and with
globalisation trickling in, the country
still has an endearing simplicity. Yes,
I am inclined to add the word “surprising”
to list of Bhutan’s best descriptors but
“quaint” feels just right. Bhutan has shown me
the best possible description of the word.¾Built into a sheer 3,000-foot cliff face in Paro Valley, the Taktsang Lhakhang or Tiger’s Nest Temple, where Guru Rinpoche
(or Padmasambhava) is said to have meditated, is Bhutan’s most important religious site; Drayangs, or local dance bars
(b ot to m), are the country’s best-kept urban secret.