Descending into Punakha after a journey of, primarily, pine-and-incline, is a sublime contrast. The village and surrounding countryside is spattered with plants that favour a semi-tropical climate and banana trees and oranges thrive here in rich abundance. The paddy fields are jadegreen and the fresh intensely aqua-hued river has an energetic pace that resounds throughout the valley. It is lush, exotic, and extremely picturesque.

Upon arrival, members of the Amankora ‘family’ walked towards us holding ‘our’ prayer flags on outstretched arms. With the wind rising we walked across the bridge stopping midway in order to pin our flags to the bridge’s rope. We made our wishes as they fluttered with new promise above the turquoise-blue Mo Chhu River.

A short buggy-ride up a hillside and we reached our lodge, set around an architecturally traditional and classic Bhutanese ‘palace’ belonging to the royal family. The air was pulsing with tropical nuances, the rich sun was dipping behind the valley, and the cicadas were starting their evening chorus together with a plethora of birdsong. Our first instinct was to sit beside a table on the terrace in front of the exquisite farmhouse-styled palatial home, with the valley’s breeze in our faces, and eulogise – we followed it forthwith.

Our suite was comfortingly familiar, like moving home with all your favourite belongings, and yet, with the valley outside, it was a whole new experience.

Breakfast on the terrace to the sounds of songbirds, rustling banana leaves, the dulcet tones from the distant river, and the entrancing view, is positively elating.

The rest of the day is very informal and we chose to stroll across paddy fields and farmland in order to hike up a hillock called Nyizergang to visit a chorten most sacred: Khamsum Yuelley Namgyal Chorten. We visited a typical farmhouse, walked around the village, and, of course, we visited the majestic Punakha Dzong. It is here that the Buddha puzzle gained many recognisable pieces for me. For this I thank Choke, my guide and teacher, for his patience, and the glorious temple for its exquisitely painted murals that span, in vibrant painterly detail, Buddha’s birth through to Nirvana. While the monks were reciting their evening prayers by the light of hundreds of butter lamps together with shafts of sunlight, in a temple of such extraordinary dazzle, I wished all my teachings in life had felt so profound.

That night at the lodge we feasted on sensational dishes of chicken curry, yak curry, mixed vegetables, red rice, wild mushrooms, braised yak with turnip greens, it seemed endless. As the night continued with much laughter we dined on the spirit of Punakha beside the glow of the fire and thanked Amankora for its spontaneous and superbly generous hospitality.

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