The reason I had to go Bhutan, was to answer a strong spiritual call

I am not a religious person. In fact I am an Atheist. You who is reading this would probably be wondering why then did I go to Bhutan, a famously staunch Buddhist country full of Buddhist temples? The reason I had to go Bhutan, was to answer a strong spiritual call. Yes, I traveled solo to Bhutan from Sg. I had no idea what to expect, not knowing much about the country except that the people were happier than anywhere else in the world. I have no experience in hiking (typical spoilt Singaporean!), trekking, not been in high altitudes or any environment that ain't "clean". I admit I was apprehensive about the trip and almost called it off last minute. Boy am I glad I didn't! Chencho (my guide) and Tshering (my driver) were exceptionally professional in their job. Below are some of Chencho and Tshering's superhuman qualities that I believe should be called out: Chencho (the Guide & my Hero/photog) 

 

1) Chencho was incredibly patient with me. I was slow, irrationally fearful of heights and suspension bridges, whiney and whingey about every little thing. 

 

2) He must be a Saint for putting up with me every step of the way for the 7days duration. Reassuring and encouraging me whenever I freaked out. 

 

3) Chencho made sure I knew he was not going to let me fall, and even walked backwards many times just so he can hold my hand when the trail got challenging for me. 

 

4) Guy can hike the mountains backwards! You can thus imagine how familiar he is with the trails! (This is definitely the guy you would want by your side if you ever get stranded in the wild!) Meanwhile, I am freaking out at the slightest steep incline....What kept him from pushing me off the cliff (he had many chances lol), I would never know! 

 

5) Chencho made me feel safe and protected. He was thoughtful, constantly checking to make sure I was ok and comfortable in the numerous car rides with windy roads. 

 

6) Chencho was extremely professional, always checked if I was happy with the hotel rooms, and never fail to ensure I had the most enjoyable stay. He would have the hotel staff send hot tea with biscuits before meals were ready so I won't ever go hungry. 

 

7) Chencho was unbelievably knowledgeable. He provided lots of information of the places and temples we visited and even knew all the names of plants and trees I pointed out! And no, he didn't have to google them! 

 

8) Chencho went above and beyond and held space for me to do unconventional woowoo stuff such as channeling and downloads, even when things got pretty intense for me. This is probably the part I am most grateful for (as mentioned, this trip was a "calling" I had to answer) Those who know what I mean by "downloads" would understand how incredibly rare it is for someone to be able to hold space and be a powerful observer when that happens. 

 

Words cannot express how grateful I am that Chencho was my guide for this incredible Bhutan experience. Am sure the above don't do him justice but there are just too much to list! Tshering (the driver) 

 

1) Tshering's driving skills were God-like! He didn't need any navigation devices. He knew where to go! Not once did we get lost or had to make any detours 

 

2) Tshering was very cautious with all the windy turns, he made sure safety was no. 1 priority (the most important quality of a driver if you ask me) 

 

3) Tshering was super patient and did not complain about how slow I was or how long I took to complete the trails with Chencho. In fact he checked up on us multiple occasions when we took longer than usual to meet up with him. Yes he had to go hungry on many occasions while waiting for the useless tourist to crawl back down from the mountains! 

 

4) Both Chencho and Tshering were extremely punctual. They were always early to pick me up to start the day. 

 

5) they were very flexible and were more than willing to modify the itinerary to accomodate last minute changes when I received a private invitation to a temple that was not part of the itinerary. Needless to say, I would definitely hire them again the next time I visit Bhutan. 

 

I would strongly recommend you to do the same 😉