Bhutan

Bhutan officially known as the Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia between India and China. It is known as the happiest country in the world and “Switzerland of Asia”. This Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge, is known for its monasteries, fortresses (or dzongs) and dramatic landscapes that range from subtropical plains to steep mountains and valleys.

My Trip

• 2019 January 18 to 23 (6 Days): I travelled to Bhutan from Qatar through India with a friend for a one week trip and visited some major attractions there. Experiencing the unique culture of simplicity where people are never in a hurry was equally fulfilling as the splendid scenery and trekking experiences.

Visited Places/Attractions

• Thimphu (Memorial Chortan, Buddha Dordenma, Royal Takin Preserve, Trashichho Dzong, Library, Museum, Bazar, etc.)
• Punakha (Dochula pass, Chimmi Lhakhang, Punakha Dzong, Mo Chu (White Water Rafting), etc.)
• Paro (Chuzom, Tiger's Nest monastery, Rinpung Dzong monastery, Ta Dzong (National Museum of Bhutan), Kyichu Lhakhang (Buddhist temple), etc.)

Day plans

• 1. 2019-Jan-17, Thu
  Evening flight from Doha, Qatar to Kolkata, India.
• 2. 2019-Jan-18, Fri
  Morning flight from Kolkata to Paro, Bhutan.
  Transfer to Thimphu 65 Km 1 hrs drive.
  Overnight stay at Thimphu.
• 3. 2019-Jan-19, Sat
  Thimphu sight seeing (Chorten, Takin Zoo, Trashichho Dzong, Library, Museum, Bazar, etc.)
  Overnight stay at Thimphu.
• 4. 2019-Jan-20, Sun
  Thimphu to Punakha 71 km 3 hrs drive.
  Visit Dochula pass, Chimmi Lhakhang, Punakha Dzong, etc.
  Overnight stay at Punakha.
• 5. 2019-Jan-21, Mon
  Punakha to Paro 145 km 4 hrs drive.
  Visit Chunzom bridge, Rinpung Dzong, Ta Dzong, Kyichu Lhakhang, etc.
  Overnight stay at Paro.
• 6. 2019-Jan-22, Tue
  Paro hike to Tiger Nest.
  Shopping at Paro.
  Overnight stay at Paro.
• 7. 2019-Jan-23, Wed
  Dropping at Paro airport by 11 AM
  Afternoon flight from Paro, Bhutan to Kolkata, India.
  Kolkata city night tours.
  Overnight stay at Kolkata.
• 8. 2019-Jan-24, Thu
  Kolkata sight seeing.
  Overnight stay at Kolkata.
• 9. 2019-Jan-25, Fri
  Kolkata sight seeing.
  Night to airport.
• 10. 2019-Jan-26, Sat
  Early morning flight from Kolkata to Doha, Qatar.

Travelogue

1. 2019-Jan-17, Thu

There was not much time after work and the weather was dusty and windy with a sandstorm. Got ready fast and went to airport. The Qatar Airways flight to Kolkata from Doha took off on time after 7 PM despite the sandstorm and arrived there after 11 PM. Completed the immigration formalities and got out of the airport. Spent some time outside and got back into the airport and slept in the chairs waiting for our early morning flight.

2. 2019-Jan-18, Fri

Started from Kolkata airport at morning by Bhutanese national airline Druk Air to Paro city in Bhutan. Journey through beautiful mountains. Himalayas were visible at far. Landed after 1:15 hours. Airport was small and beautiful situated in a valley in between mountains. Took lots of photos. No issues. Easy immigration. Just hotel name and date of return and permit stamped on passport. Took local sim. Driver and guide DK was outside. Nice man. Teacher. Masters from Australia. Good English. Talking all through drive.

Stopped at Chuzom. Chu means water or river and that was Confluence of Thimpu River (Wong Chu) & Paro river (Pa Chu). Took many pics and met some locals. By noon reached Thimphu. Not a large city even though capital. No traffic signals. Old style traffic islands with police hand signals. Buildings all similar style. Mandatory architecture. No building taller than 5 stories. First task was to get permit for Punakha which was a restricted place before weekend start tomorrow. Applied at a immigration office with Passport copy. Needed one hour. So went for lunch.

Tried Bhutanese dishes. Rice and chicken and veg curries. Very good. Prices were less. 1 liter water bottle cost 40 Rupees and a masala tea 60 at good restaurants. After, walked through city. Bought some souvenir magnets. All people wearing same style national dress. Men looked bit awkward with Scottish style skirt and top. People are very courteous and soft spoken. The young King and Queen well respected and loved and photos everywhere. Even they have the same dress. DK collected permits and we checked into our Hotel White Tara bit away from centre of city. 3 star. Very good. Big room with heater. Very cold at 11 degrees. Night minus 6. Slept for few hours. At night went out walking. Small grocery shops and restaurants were there. Bought dried coconut pieces (Kopra) for 5 Rupees per piece. All accept Indian Rupees. Bhutanese currency Ngultrum has equal value of Indian Rupee and shops give out changes in their currency. Most shops closed by 9 PM and city was empty by then as it was very cold. So we returned back to room by 9:30.

3. 2019-Jan-19, Sat

Had a good breakfast from hotel and walked around the neighbourhood watching people catching taxis and public buses.

DK picked us after 10 AM and we paid him the full tour cash of 40,500 INR.

Today we did sightseeing in and around Thimphu. First stop was Memorial Chortan, a Buddhist Stupa worship place built in memory of third king.

Next was Buddha Dordenma, one of the largest statues of Buddha in the world. It is made of bronze and gilded in gold. And there were thousands of smaller Buddha statues inside the housing and they have also been cast in bronze and gilded in gold.

There was unmelt snow from few weeks before on the way to this mountain peak. We also had a short walk in the surrounding forest and stopped at view points on our way down to get panoramic views of Thimphu city in the valleys.

Royal Takin Preserve was our next destination to see the Bhutan national animal takin which looks like a mix between goat and cow. But the fenced areas were large and we could see them only from very far. We had a good long walk though.

We then had lunch of rices and curries and a short walk in the bazar areas.

Went to folk heritage museum after that but it was not that interesting. So returned without entering inside.

We then walked through the town center watching the landmark clock tower and shopping for curios. I bought a small bronze statue of rhino, a Bhutanese stamp and got 20 one Ngultrum notes to give to friends.

Returned to room by 4 PM, took a nap and went out with DK again at 6 PM. He showed us the government center lit in red lights and the nearby palace.

After, had dinner from The Zone restaurant and returned back to room before 9 PM.

4. 2019-Jan-20, Sun

A crazy guru once challenged all social norms and displayed various imageries of his phallus to symbolise the discomfort that society experiences when facing truth. Years later, people still paint their house and shop walls with them to drive away the evil eye. Punakha, the former capital and center of this guru was our destination today.

Had buffet breakfast and checked out from the hotel after 8 AM. DK picked us for the long drive to Punakha. After half an hour reached check point where we got our permit entry stamped. By 9, we reached the Dochula peak on top of the pass with scenic views of Himalayas. Temperature was zero degrees and we spent more than an hour walking through the areas watching some sacred monuments and taking photos and finally having coffee and biscuits from a cafe there.

We started the descent of this mountain pass and even with slow driving of maximum 60 kms per hour and stopping at various places for photos, we reached our destination of Punakha valley by 12 noon. We then walked through the villages and farms to a sacred Buddhist temple known for fertility.

We also did white water rafting for more than an hour through Mo Chu (female river) covering a distance of 13 kms.

5. 2019-Jan-21, Mon
After breakfast and checking out from the resort, we started our return trip to Paro by 8:30 AM.

Our driver's both parents had died in a car crash few months back while his sister was driving them home. So he was extremely cautious while driving and the average speed was 35 kms per hour. Accidents are rare in Bhutan as the maximum speed limit is 50km/hr on highways.

Today we started our return trip from Punakha to Paro covering 130 kms and it took around 4 hours. The scenic views compensated for the otherwise boring slow drive. We saw one accident just minutes after it happened and luckily there were no major injuries. The driver lost control on the sticky ices left over the road after a snow fall.

We spent the afternoon visiting few landmarks in Paro and trying out the traditional costume before settling in the hotel by evening.

6. 2019-Jan-22, Tue

Hiking to the mystical Tiger's Nest monastery on top of a mountain cliff was our last adventure in the world's last Shangri-La. It took more than 2 hours to reach the top walking through steep slopes. But it was all worth it. The route to there, monastery, and the views from there... all had a magical feel to it.

After returning, we tried the typical Bhutanese lunch. Chum (red rice) with ema datshi (chili peppers and cheese), Shamoo datshi (mushrooms and cheese), and paa (chicken, chilly, spinach). It was very spicy but really tasty.

We also wanted to see a typical Bhutanese home and our guide took us to one in a farming village just outside the town. A young boy, his grandmother and her mother were there. We had bought some sweets and fruits for them and were well received. There was a big prayer hall decorated with colourful Buddhist symbols besides two bedrooms and a kitchen. Bhutanese generally do not use any furniture and we were asked to sit on mats on the wooden floor of prayer hall. Grandma then gave us tea and some home made sweet snack. Great grandma sat with us and kept talking a lot and our guide translated them to us.

So that's all for now. Really enjoyed the Bhutanese experience and "Happiness is a place" indeed. We will fly back tomorrow to India.

Expenses

• Doha - Kolkata Return air ticket = 1,515 QAR
• Kolkata - Paro Return air ticket = 871 QAR
• Bhutan Tour package with hotel = 1,000 QAR
• Total = 3,386 QAR