(Also read : 7 Interesting things about Bhutan you probably didn't know!)

This is why Bhutan is called the last Shangri-La! Look at the mist covered mountains and monasteries perched on impossible cliffs. Woke up to this view for 3 days and it will never cease to amaze me - a perfect memory from a beautiful country.

Beautiful Rhododendron bloom welcoming me in Bhutan as well. I had seen these flowers adorn the forests of Sikkim (Goecha La Trek) just the month before and couldn't get enough of it. Luckily, the season was still on and I got to see much more of these pretty flowers during my time in Bhutan.

This is where fairies must be living or probably this is the Shire! Clusters of pretty houses in a narrow valley between pine covered mountain slopes. I was impressed by how well the wilderness areas were protected in Bhutan. They have, after all, vowed to keep at least 60% of the country under forest cover.

Bhutan is primarily an Agrarian country and this is why you will find lush green fields everywhere you go. In the monsoons, it is a sight to behold as you can see.

My tryst with the forests of Bhutan was fleeting and nominal because trekking in Bhutan will burn a deep hole in my pocket. So I had to suffice with the roadside stops to peer into the lush greenery. But you can imagine how beautiful the country is, if I could get views like this just from the road!

Okay, you don't need me to tell you how pretty this scene is. Instead, tell me, so who wants to live here? ;)

Bhutan, the last Shangri-La and a beautiful Himalayan Kingdom, was once reclusive but now charms visitors with its unique culture, history and a whole lot of natural beauty. Earlier this month I spent a week in this magical land and was quite taken by this country and its many fascinating peculiarities. Here are 7 things you probably didn’t know about Bhutan.

One cold morning, I was languidly walking on a trail at Chele La(3700m). Prayer flags fluttered ferociously as the mountain gust forced its way over the pass. Yet I walked absentmindedly, when a brilliant blue flower suddenly stopped me in my tracks. The petals of the clearest blue were gently hanging from a yellow center and a long stem. It was mesmerising.

That afternoon, I came to know that the gorgeous flower was Blue Poppy (Meconopsis Grandis) and that it is the national flower of Bhutan! Perfectly makes sense, a beautiful national flower for a beautiful country. But what I didn’t know was that this is a super rare flower, thought to be a Himalayan myth like the Yeti for several years because only a handful had ever reported seeing it. And if you are batman fan, you know that rare blue flower that grows on eastern slopes that Ra’s-al-ghul wanted Bruce Wayne to find so he can join the Shadow of the Leagues? Yup, this is the one! But that’s not all; this plant grows only in the barren high altitudes from 3000m to 5000m for several years before blooming only once and then dies. Oh if that’s not exclusive enough, it blooms only during a short window during early monsoons (Late May to July).

Talk about luck, that I walk about on some random hilltop and find the exotic rarity, the iconic Blue Poppy! (P.S - Still can’t wrap my head around it, that I saw something so rare)

And giving the national flower tough competition in the exotic category is the national animal, Takin! It’s a weird cross between goat and cow, both the face and the height falls somewhere between these two animals. It’s found only in Bhutan and parts of China and northeastern India.

The legend goes something like this; there was once a “Divine Madman” who introduced Buddhism to Bhutan. He was asked to perform a miracle during one of his lectures, to which he obliged but only if he was provided lunch – a full cow and goat. After his sumptuous meal, he rearranged the left out bones of the cow and goat, goat’s head on a cow’s body. With a click, the strange chimera was bought to life and it started grazing the pastures. Since this animal had many references in Bhutan’s folklore, the king deemed it fit to be a national animal. It was declared so in 1995.

Also, the National Bird is a raven!
Three eyed raven anyone?

So have you been to Bhutan? Did you like the Land of Thunder Dragon? I, for one, have fallen head over heels in love with this wildly beautiful and well preserved country!

Also this marks the first international trip post on this blog.
The Wandering Soul is ready to go beyond India. Read this, I'll explain why now soon.
The world is my playground now! :)