68
Paro Taktsang is a Buddhist monastery located in the upper Paro valley of Bhutan (2018)
(upload.wikimedia.org)
Also known as the Taktsang Palphug Monastery and the Tiger's Nest, it is located in the cliffside of a mountain, around a cave where Guru Padmasambhava is believed to have meditated and practiced Vajrayana Buddhism in the early 9th century. The monastery was built in 1692 by 4th Druk Desi Tenzin Rabgey.
Photographer: Nina R
I loved the place. I was there in 2008, and the insane road up from India was being improved - it was so dangerous it was only open during daylight hours. You have to be part of an organised group, and have a Bhutanese guide - ours was great. The idea is to prevent the kind of over-tourism you see in a lot of places, not to control us. We were free to do our own thing if we wished.
Re the politics, one memorable quote was: "Most of us didn't want democracy, but the king insisted, so we went along with it."
Another great thing was the custom of polygamy - men and women can have multiple wives/husbands. I asked our guide how people organised their lives, and he said it was up to the individuals. Some people might live with one partner and visit the other. Some lived part-time with each partner. He himself found that one wife was plenty.