BLOGS

This was the summer of 2019, a summer getaway was on mind. A quick run through my Travel bucket list and I recalled how my friend had recommended me to visit Bhutan, while I was in Sikkim for my last vacation. So I went through web and to my surprise, I was impressed with all the information and images I came across. So what was the point in waiting? I quickly looked at my dates, number of days available and did my bookings.

I went through the recommendations on the Bhutan tour itinerary and few tips on things to do in Bhutan. My daughter and I couldn’t wait for our travel date. Finally the day came and we hopped onto our journey. The sight of the cadmium white peaks of Kanchenjunga quenched our thirst for travel.

If you plan to take a direct flight to Bhutan then you need to fly via Druk airways a direct flight from Delhi to Paro. However we took a flight to Bagdogra and a four hours road journey to Phuentsholing ahead. While you pass through Siliguri, you get to see a lot of Tea estates on your way. The moment you pass Jaigaon you come across a gate that welcomes you to Bhutan. It’s quite a different feeling to suddenly be a part of an altogether different culture.

Thus we begin a journey to the Bhutan Kingdom.

Day 1: Overnight stay at Pheuntsholing

As the road journey from Bagdogra to Pheuntsholing is more than four hours, it’s recommended to stay overnight at Pheuntsholing. Our hotel was great and food was equally awesome. Though we were tired, the pleasant view of moon and blowing wind rejuvenated us. We took a stroll outside our hotel at night. Early morning post breakfast we went to the immigration office and completed the immigration formalities.

By noon we headed to Thimpu.

Day 2: Settling in at Thimpu

It’s almost three and a half hours Journey from Pheuntsholing to Thimpu. This was certainly worth an experience as we just couldn’t take our eyes off those humongous mountains around and lush greenery. Lovely pathways, small stream of water flowing down the hill, clear sky, music and moving wheels. We reached Thimpu by late evening and of course, we were hungry! We had delicious dinner and took rest overnight.

Day 2: Nordzin Lam and Haa Valley

Post our breakfast, the first thing on our target list was to take a permit for Haa valley. So, we visited the immigration office at Nordzin Lam. It took some time, but our driver finally collected the permit. One thing about Bhutan is all the buildings has to adopt the traditional Bhutanese architecture and hence you will find a sense of uniformity in these buildings throughout Bhutan. Observing this colorful yet peaceful and scenic town we walked through the Nordzin market. Locals selling various products were wearing a traditional dress Gho and Kira.

Day 2: A glimpse of Bhutanese Art and Craft.

If you look at the Bhutanese Architecture closely you will realize it’s quite intricate. It’s a combination of design, color and art. Chokhi Traditional art school was marked on our itinerary, so how could we miss visiting this place! While we were on tour of this school, students with different skillsets awed us with their art. Painting, embroidery, wood carving, weaving, they’d mastered it all! This place was filled with bright posters, striking masks and lovely portraits of Lord Buddha. We could not resist but ended up shopping few artsy souvenirs made by the students.

Day 2: Visit Tashichho Dzong a top rated Bhutan attraction

Post lunch it was time to visit the well-known Tashichho Dzong in Thimpu. ‘Dzong’ means palace, however this Dzong covers places allocated as government offices. The ticket counter opens at 5:30 pm and tourists can buy tickets between 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. If you are not aware, Bhutan is a monarchy and not a colonized country. No wonder its traditions and culture have been well protected. The King and Queen here have tremendous respect, one could observe the unity here. It’s not like any other country but one can say it’s the epitome of peace. Monarchy was formed back in 1907, with the coronation of the first Druk Gyalpo (King of Bhutan) – Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuk.

We spent some-time in Dzong and the guide made us walk through the lane of history. After this we headed back to the Nordzin Lam. By now the town was glomming with twilight hues. The small streets and the colorful town had visitors and localities walking around. We were hunting for a good restaurant so we could relish local Bhutanese food. We landed into Bhutan Kitchen and this seemed to be a good decision as food here was delicious.

Day 3: Thimpu Local sightseeing and Visit to Dochulla Pass

Post breakfast we visited an Art Gallery known as Simply Bhutan. As a warm welcome they serve you butter tea which is a local drink of Bhutan. It’s quite an overwhelming experience as this place displays traditional old lifestyle of Bhutan. We, being Indians opted for the Hindi language, but the guide knew both English and Hindi. They also entertain you with a local Bhutanese dance in their traditional wear and you also get to play an archery game, which is quite interesting. It was so much fun here as there was a small group who visited along with us.

As we planned to head to Punakha the most interesting sight on our way was Dochulla pass. Our driver suggested to us that we should have lunch at Dochulla pass as this sight also has a lovely cafe and restaurant. Dochulla pass is not the highest mountain pass, but I must say its beauty is splendid and the panoramic view around will fill your heart with immense joy. My eyes were glued to the scenery, and the weather here kept changing. If the sky is clear you can also see some part of Tibet. However it was cloudy, misty, but this weather was one of a kind of experience for us. Dochulla pass is made of 108 memorial chortens or stupas known as “Druk Wangyal Chortens”. As we reached Dochulla pass sky was clear for a while but suddenly the weather changed. It became windy and soon the mist covered the mountains. We rushed to the café cum restaurant and had a filling lunch. It was a sight to our eyes as we sat close by the window looking those misty mountains around.

Day 4: Visit to Punakha Dzong.

After a heavy lunch we headed to Punakha, our overnight stay was at a small village named Wangchuk. It’s a beautiful village and our hotel had an awesome view with a river ahead. The only reason to stay at Punakha was to visit the most beautiful palace (Dzong) of Bhutan, known as Pungthang Dewa chhenbi Phodrang (meaning “the palace of great happiness or bliss”).

Post breakfast we headed to this palace. As already seen in the images on web this palace is splendidly beautiful. It’s a tranquil feel while you cross the wooden bridge to reach the dzong. Access to the dzong is across the Bazam bridge, which was rebuilt in 2008 as the original one from 17th century had washed away in floods in 1958. The river confluence adds to the beauty of this Bridge and Dzong. It really feels like a fairy tale, a river, bridge, colorful flowers and the beautiful palace standing in midst of it.

Everyone gets a guide who walks you through each corner of the palace, leaving no stone unturned of the history, giving you every minute detail. The chatter of the guide was certainly interesting, but we decided to have fun in our own way, and clicked some fun pics. When you walk out of the palace you will see small building ahead with few steps. Do not forget to explore this place, as you climb up you get to see a beautiful view of the surrounding and palace. With this refreshing and heart filling palace visit we headed to Paro.

Day 4: Overnight stay at Paro

By now you will be aware of the fact that Bhutan is nothing but nature’s basket. It’s surrounded with so much greenery that your mind gets overwhelmed with the beauty around and you don’t really feel the tiredness of the journey. We stayed in Shin Chula Villa in the Paro valley away from the humdrum of the busy town area. We could actually hear the chirping of the birds and the whirring of the crickets.

Day 5: A visit to Haa Valley

Early morning we had a heavy breakfast and we headed to the Haa Valley. Since this was a 70 Km drive we started early morning, and planned to return on the same day. Those hilly roads, mountains, past tall conifers and Buddhist temples on our way kept us awed. We reached Chele la pass, the highest motorable pass in Bhutan. We refreshed ourselves with hot tea admiring the Himalayan vistas around. We were at Haa valley, believe me the world here was so serene and light, this place gives you a tranquilizing feeling. We visited the Haa dzong here which now serves as a base for the Indian army. We also visited the Lakhang Karpo temple based at the foothills. This valley is located at a mere 13 miles distance from the disputed India China border in Doklam. It has a strategic importance.

It’s also popular for its stunning outdoors and also known as a hiker’s delight. Haa has so much to offer to nomads like us, homestay, lush green surroundings, delectable local cuisines and architectures from the medieval times. Now it was time for us to rush back so we quickly had lunch and headed back to Paro. The drive way back was scenic enough to lift our spirits.

Day 6 Hiking up Tigers Nest:

Tigers nest was listed as the mainstay of Bhutan attractions. We certainly were curious about hiking, at the same time we had to restore our energy levels knowing it was a considerable effort trekking up and down the steep hill. On our way our driver told us the story about this scared place. Guru Rinpoche arrived at this spot on the back of a tigress to fight with the evil spirits in this locality. He transformed the place into a sacred one and meditated here for three years, three months, three weeks, three days and three hours in the 8th century. This place is also known as “Taktshang” – Tiger’s Lair. It clings to the rock towering 800 meters and is 9678 feet above the sea level. It takes about 2 hours walk to reach the monastery.

With this we had to bid a goodbye to our most memorable holiday in Bhutan. This is the glory of travel as we get to experience a different place, different culture, food, and people and moreover this time a lot of peace and happiness. After all Bhutan is known to be a land of happiness.