Bhutan and the mysteries of spirituality – 03/06/2024 – Robson Jesus

All these experiences that I have been talking about began close to the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, in June 2022. Many countries were still under restrictions, or in a state of quarantine. However, I was already in India and, due to this context, the best option was to go to Bhutan. Known as the country of happiness, it seemed to be a great option for my mental health at that time.

In order to limit the number of tourists, its government established a daily fee of approximately US$250 dollars. Possibly, this is the main measure that preserved the
Bhutan of mass tourism. Given those circumstances in the world, as soon as I arrived at the airport I had to spend five days in quarantine in a hotel in the middle of the forest, and every day I re-took the coronavirus test.

Well, from the sixth day onwards my vision began to expand. Thimpu, the country’s capital, which until then had been limited to an isolation room, now showed me its city hall building and I was able to gain access to the few offenders in the region by visiting the forum.

Watching the trials in real time caught my attention because I had in mind that Bhutan was 100% safe. After all, the country itself became famous for implementing an index called “GNH” (Gross Domestic Happiness), a type of census that diagnoses the level of happiness of residents based on their interpretations of everyday situations.

As a result, I began to mature my perspective, now rejecting the idea that “happiness” was only related to public safety. My curiosity was to know if people were actually happy, and walking in the streets I started asking about the subject.

It was unanimous! People said they felt happy and admitted this, claiming that the main reason was that the “country works”. That is, its basic services, such as schools, hospitals, transport and even public environments, including parks, were in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants.

After I was informed that the ministers’ children attended the same schools as the population and that they all used the same hospitals, I began to accept that the situation was real. But so that there were no doubts, I carried out the PCR test using this hospital service and was able to verify the quality as a whole.

After I left quarantine, I stayed in a five-star hotel because it was the only tour package available on that date. However, on my eighth day I met Mr. Jigme, a super friendly and attentive person. During our conversation I asked if I could spend a night at his house with his family and explained that my goal was to experience a little of the local residents’ routine. He informed me that he lived on a farm and that he might not have the comforts that were available to me. Even so, he continued saying that if I really wanted to, I would be well received.

Honestly, it was a surreal night! Because of the moments with that family, I was able to have more direct contact with local cuisine, tradition and habits. In fact, I even took a bath with hot stones in a bathtub made of wood!

The next day, we woke up early and walked for four hours to the country’s main tourist attraction, the Tigers’ Nest, on Paro mountain. It is a still active monastery, which has a rich history and at the same time has its mysteries. As usual, before entering the Temple it was necessary to store our cell phones in the lockers made available to us. In addition to this and other guidelines, we were asked to wear pants to cover our knees.

Inside, due to the large amount of money being offered, banknotes were flying across the floor. The magic of the moment made all the effort of the climb worth it, and the scenes I saw reached my heart.

The spirituality of that place is inexplicable…. In total, I spent ten days in the country, but I believe
I can understand why Bhutan is considered the country of happiness.

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