1. Paragliding
Bir is known for paragliding as Paris is know for the Eiffel Tower. Bir shot to fame when the Paragliding World Cup was held here in 2015. Since then, people have been thronging to Bir to fly like a bird. The paragliding infrastructure is really developed and there's no shortage of trained guides. Considering it's geography, weather and the accident free history, it is the safe place to Paraglide.
2. Monastery Hopping
Bir has a plethora of monasteries to choose from. The most prominent ones being Chokling Monastery, Paplung Sherabling monastery and the Deer Park Institute.
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| Deer Park Institute |
But it made me STOP and THINK. And that in itself is remarkable! With the sensory overload of every kind, we get jaded. Suddenly, a beautiful sunset isn't enough to make us happy. Or we don't even notice the weird shapes the clouds make! .
So I was really grateful to have this moment to stop and just be...
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| Chokling Monastery |
Each of these monasteries are a delight to the sense with their vibrant colors. They radiate a peaceful aura and also give you the chance to observe the life of monks. Our own experience at the Chokling Monastery was nothing short of magical.
The sun was beginning to wane. The clouds darkened overhead. A cheerful old monk was doing his circumambulations (Parikrama). A couple of teenage monks played football inside while a younger monk saw us and shyly hid behind his senior. We just sat silently and watched... like the giant chortens. And as we watched we noticed a lot of little things...Each chorten, though looked similar at first glance, had a unique design. There were 3 dogs in the monastery, 2 brown, 1 black. And I was undeniably envious of the monks and their peaceful smiles...What did they have that I didn't? But as I sat a while longer and a shred of their peace sank in me... I realized maybe it's not about what they have...but about what they don't.
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| Tsering Jong Monastery |
Hidden gem in Bir! Tsering Jong Monastery. We literally just stumbled across it while coming back from Kotli village. There was not a soul in sight. We were free to roam around and see everything at our own pace. We even had an adventurous encounter with a flock of geese! The monastery was like any other Buddhist Monastery- peaceful, colorful and vibrant. But it had a very unique architecture and strange stone statues in the front yard. Do check it out if u r ever in Bir. Just stay away from the geese
3. Cafe crawl
Like any backpacker destination, numerous cafes have mushroomed up in Bir as well, offeirng all kinds of international delicacies. Pancakes, waffles, banoffie pie, apple cake' you name it. Its hard to pick out the best one but there are 7 restaurants not to be missed when in Bir.
Do try the Garden Cafe if you are ever in Bir. The service is slow but what's the hurry anyway! So give your order, plop down with a book and experience 'dolce far niente' - the sweetness of doing nothing.
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| Chocolate Pancakes |
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| White sauce pasta with jalapeno and basil |
4. Mountain Cycling
There is this beautiful monastery 6kms outside Bir. People generally take cabs to get there. But we were like, "What's the fun in that!". So we rented mountain bikes for the day and decided to cycle there. We had heard the journey was breathtaking and let's just say... we were not disappointed! The path is through tea garden and forests with minimal traffic. The weather was great to be outdoors! Plus the views just kept getting better!
Off course the uphill parts were torture.😂 And the entire journey was bum-breaking (literally. Damn those cycle seats). But I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's one of the most fun things to do in Bir. Highly recommended. Do take a helmet though
Off course the uphill parts were torture.😂 And the entire journey was bum-breaking (literally. Damn those cycle seats). But I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's one of the most fun things to do in Bir. Highly recommended. Do take a helmet though
5. Hiking to Village Kotli
A traditional village house in Kotli Village, Bir Billing. Believe it or not, they were hard to come by! Kotli is a village in name only. The winds of change have left nothing untouched.
The houses are all modern cement ones with a lot of them having being turned into hotels. There are plenty of cars and motorbikes.
Our driver, who was a local told us about the dizzying pace of modernization that started after the Paragliding World Cup was held in Bir in 2015. Everyone here is involved in the tourism business in one way or another. This is hardly surprising since people come here from all over the world for paragliding.
Our driver was very happy with the the prosperity that the paragliding business had brought upon Bir. But he missed the peace and quiet of his childhood. He also said that the new cement houses are ill- suited for the region as they can't protect against the cold like traditional wooden houses.
The houses are all modern cement ones with a lot of them having being turned into hotels. There are plenty of cars and motorbikes.
Our driver, who was a local told us about the dizzying pace of modernization that started after the Paragliding World Cup was held in Bir in 2015. Everyone here is involved in the tourism business in one way or another. This is hardly surprising since people come here from all over the world for paragliding.
Our driver was very happy with the the prosperity that the paragliding business had brought upon Bir. But he missed the peace and quiet of his childhood. He also said that the new cement houses are ill- suited for the region as they can't protect against the cold like traditional wooden houses.
6. Witnessing the most majestic sunsets
On our last day in Bir, we found ourselves at the landing site. Again! 😂 We just needed to catch another of those gorgeous Bir sunsets. ❤️❤️❤️ I saw this gentleman clicking like a thousand pictures. From every angle possible. He bent, he knelt, he even waded right into those fields, muddy after last night's thunderstorm! Who can blame him though! Sometimes you just wanna freeze a moment forever in time. But the camera never does it justice, does it?
There's a peculiar kind of beauty that can only be experienced
with the innate knowledge that the moment is fleeting
and the most intense beauty can only be seen in
the presence of both light and shadows. - Alyssa Underwood.
with the innate knowledge that the moment is fleeting
and the most intense beauty can only be seen in
the presence of both light and shadows. - Alyssa Underwood.
Secret treasures abound in Bir. One just needs to know where to look. The glorious sun and a little imagination can make anything magical! A lone tree against the blue mountains with the white prayer flags flapping...seem like a portal to another world!
Bir is NOT pretty as a picture. Its pretty as a dream!! Golden fields, blue skies and sweet tranquility. ❤️❤️
When I try to recall my trip to Bir, I remember endless walks, unreal sunsets and the vast vast golden fields that took my breath away every single time!
When I try to recall my trip to Bir, I remember endless walks, unreal sunsets and the vast vast golden fields that took my breath away every single time!
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| It's a bird...It's a plane...It's a paraglider |
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| I can still remember the wind totally messing up my hair. The birds flying below and the paragliders flying above |
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