Pastoral bridges - A fairy land
Quaint little bridges are a vital part of Bhutan’s landscape. In a rugged mountain terrain, they provide the only access across the tumbling rivers and streams that flow through deep valleys. Most of these are made of wooden planks and often without any protective railings. Others are suspension bridges that waltz in the wind or sway with any movement on them. A trek on any of these bridges is a wild and daunting experience.
The bridge spanning the churning waters of the river in Punakha was not more than 5 ft. wide and about 200 m across. However, it appeared to be much narrower and definitely a lot longer as I walked gingerly across the frail-looking pathway, seemingly suspended in space. My hands never left the twisted steel cables on both sides and my eyes stayed glued to the platform below me looking out for the many gaps and loose planks underfoot. The vision of beautiful landscape at the confluence of the two rivers, Mo Chu and Pho Chu, downstream was something I was willing to forego in favour of safety.
Midway across the bridge, I was faced with a major crisis when the suspended contraption started to sway violently. And the reason for its agitated movement was more than apparent - two mules, laden with supplies, were headed straight at me. I re-adjusted my grip and footing and let the animals squeeze past. My expression of concern was a matter of mild amusement to the two women herding the beasts of burden. Further down, I once again made way, this time with more finesse, for a man wheeling his motorbike across the bridge.
In Bhutan, bridges are a vital part of the landscape. Driving across the country, I soon realized that the rugged mountainous terrain demanded their presence. They provide the only access across the tumbling rivers and streams that sliced through the heart of each valley. And they come in all shapes and sizes. Besides their utility, they add to the pastoral beauty of the kingdom.
Invariably, most bridges in Bhutan are draped with prayer flags. More than just decorations, they serve as a wind tunnel of sorts and each flutter of the flag releases the prayer embossed upon it into the heavens.
One of the easiest ways to spot a bridge is to look for a settlement or huts on the far side of the river valley and, sure enough, there would be one across the river below. One is never far from the river straddled with bridges - solid traditional ones anchored by turret like towers on the two banks to small suspension spans that sway in the wind.
The bridge at the foot of the dzong in Paro is a typical example of a traditional Bhutanese bridge. Two sturdy rampart-like turrets, one on each bank, serve as the frame and support structure of the wide canopied pathway that link them across the river. A similar reassuringly stable structure spans the rushing waters at the foot of the trekking trail up to Cheri Gompa, a monastery just beyond the outskirts of Thimphu.
But, by far, the most common are the suspension bridges that sway to the whims of the fickle wind. Built on the same principle as the famous San Francisco Bay Bridge, admittedly on a much smaller scale, these bridges are designed in such a way that the entire weight of the structure is borne by the two steel cables that rest upon the towering support beams before being anchored in solid concrete blocks on the two banks of the river. Lines drop down from these main cables at regular intervals and hold a walkway made of planks.
A simpler version of the suspension bridge, like the one in Punakha, dispenses with the support beams and the relies solely on the concrete anchors on the two banks of the river to take the weight of the cables and the bridge. Occasionally, bridges have the additional support of cables running along its two sides; this is more to prevent the sideway swaying of the structure in strong winds.
The thick coiled ropes that formed the framework of the suspension bridge in earlier days have now largely been replaced by more reliable cables made of twisted steel. Yes, Bhutan is bridging the gap between its traditional roots and modern aspirations, yet not at a pace that compromises its identity.
And this uniqueness is best captured in the endearing little bridges of planks that straddle the little streams that snake across the country. Most bridges do not have any protective railings on their sides, which make them hazardous, especially for someone who may have had much to drink. A wrong step would result in a sobering dip in the waters below.
Indeed, a trek across one of Bhutan’s bridges, especially the one that waltz in the wind, is a daunting and wild adventure. It is on these wobbly, sometimes rickety, pathways you meet the people who call Bhutan their home - farmers, woodcutters, monks, school girls and boys, and tourist too.
Of more recent vintage are the larger steel and concrete bridges that carry vehicular traffic across the country. Like all traditional bridges, these too are showered with the devotion of fluttering prayer flags.
By: Gustasp Irani, Freelance travel writer.