Mountains always call, and here I am in the woods again!
A day hike to Drakeypangtsho—a sacred lake resting in the lap of Jowo Drake—starting from Bjana Goenpa, a monastery perched on a cliff in the distant wilderness above Drugyel Dzong, is considered moderate to difficult. Sonam Lhendup, a young monk from Bjana Goenpa (originally from Wangdue Dzongkhag), kindly volunteered to be our guide.
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| Sonam Lhendup, a young monk from Bjana Goenpa |
Legend has it that this lake witnessed a supernatural event akin to Mebartsho in Bumthang. The lake was offered to Guru Rinpoche by Jowo Drake, the local deity of the Paro valley, and Guru Rinpoche hid many sacred treasures within and around it. Later, Yongdra Gyatsho, the 5th Dharma master of Shakangdrago tradition, leapt into the lake, stayed underwater for seven days, and emerged with his clothes still dry, holding sacred treasures in hand with his butter lamp still burning brightly. This miraculous event is why Drakeypangtsho is revered as one of Bhutan's most sacred lakes.
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| Yongdra Gyatsho, the 5th Dharma master of Shakangdrago tradition, |
Before nature unveils its breathtaking beauty, you have to toil through a 6-hour uphill climb from Bjana Goenpa. Traversing rugged hills and pine forests, the trail is mostly muddy and wet. You often have to pave your own path—sometimes crawling on all fours—just to keep moving forward.
The journey was tough! I kept telling myself, "If not now, when?"—giving myself pep talks about past hikes across the woods of central and western Bhutan.
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| YumTsho |
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| DrakeyPangtsho in the mid-ground |
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| YumTsho in the Mid ground |
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| Banana Slug- snail found in high altitude only. |
As challenging as the ascent was, the descent was equally grueling. While the breathtaking views nourished the soul, the trail delivered a true knee-breaking workout on the way back down to Bjana Goenpa.
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| Beautiful waterfall in the premise of Bjana Goenpa |
Hikes like this offer a subtle yet powerful lesson: there is no free lunch. To experience something truly extraordinary in life, we must endure hardship, embrace difficulty, and step through the fear of the unknown.
