Image of Tiger's Nest Monastery with prayer flags in Bhutan

Who can resist the tale of Guru Rinpoche flying in on the back of a tigress to meditate in a cave above Paro, Bhutan? So at 7:30 a.m., all 13 of us on WT’s Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Bhutan trip started the two- to three-hour climb to the Taktsang Palphug Monastery, also known as the Tiger’s Nest. As we plodded up, we had tantalizing glimpses through the trees of a tiny cluster of white buildings apparently glued to sheer rock. By the time we reached the tea-house with its view across valleys to the site, we were all charmed. Taktsang clung so precariously and appeared still totally inaccessible—except by flying tiger!

Woman drawing the Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan with cat watching.

So I pulled out my watercolor pad and drawing pen. Aided by a cup of tea and watched closely by a cat, I did a 10-minute sketch of the monastery before stuffing it away in my backpack and trekking on up and down and up and down and…

Anne Gray_TigersNest_Bhutan_Painting

After I got home, the memory of the monastery was still so clear that I watercolored the picture as a reminder to me of a day of great beauty and intense physical workout (well, I am 70!).

–Text and painting by 11-time WT adventurer Anne Gray, Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Bhutan

–Photo of Anne Gray working on painting by WT Trip Leader Hashmat Singh

2 Comments

  1. What a great way to keep the memory fresh in your mind – in our minds!

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