Hiking towards the famous Tiger Nest monastery.
I missed my alarm and woke up at 3:05 am. The taxi was already waiting downstairs to leave for my 5 a.m. flight to Paro. I slept the whole way and mercifully missed the landing at one of the world’s most dangerous airports—a combination of low visibility, very tall mountains, and a narrow valley where only ~20 pilots are licensed to land.
I didn’t do any research before the trip (very unlike me) because this was my first guided trip. Around 30 people from all over the world joined Edge City Bhutan, an expedition from an organization I hold dear.
I figured I’d trust the experts to explain the place as we moved through it. And they delivered.
Bhutan has a long history of doing its own thing
Our first visit was to Rinpung Dzong, a 17th-century monastery-fortress built on a hill overlooking the Paro valley. Its central tower is surrounded by a courtyard with intricate wooden balconies. This building holds both a monastic body and Paro district’s administration.
Rinpung Dzong
Dzongs illustrate the ancient political philosophy of cho-sid-nyi—the dual system—where religious and secular powers share authority over the territory. This dual system originated in Tibet, spread through the Himalayan kingdoms, but now only survives in Bhutan.
Each district (Dzongkhag) in Bhutan has its own dzong to serve as the religious, military, and administrative center, so they’re still actively used by both monks and government officials. This blending of spiritual and secular life is very much a part of Bhutan’s way of life.
We visited many monasteries high in the mountains, including the world-famous Tiger’s Nest (and yes, I was guided through the steep stairs by two friends on either side like a horse with blinkers, counting to five, pretending there wasn’t a 500-meter vertical drop right next to me).
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