Never Go to Bhutan- You'll leave a part of yourself behind

Some trips change you as a person, this was one of them. We stay in Siliguri, 151 kms from Phuentsholing, the entry point for tourists to Bhutan yet for so many years this place stayed elusive. I remember visiting Bhutan as a kid but those memories are too faint to remember so it's been on my mind for years to visit this beautiful place. By the courtesy of my profession I have a lot of friends in Bhutan who were patients first but then the bond went beyond and every time we talked, it just grew inside me to visit their place. So here's how we spent a week in Druk Yul- The land of the Thunder Dragon. I have added the contacts of our Travel Agency, Guide and Driver for easy access . (Also the price mentioned doesn't include entry to museums, temples, parks and lunch . It included breakfast, dinner , stay, guide, car & driver for the entire trip & SDF )

We booked our trip through AV Tours & Travels after a lot of deliberations since when the choices are many, choosing the right one becomes difficult. I closely know "n" number of travel agents but I chose AV after the packages they were giving seemed honest and economical. On the 26th of September my wife Eepsa , 4 year old son Adriaan and I started our trip at 8:30 am and reached Jaigaon ( the last Indian town before Bhutan ) by 12 pm. At the AV Travels office right outside the Bhutan Gate we were greeted and also introduced to our guide Hari Kumar Gurung, a 22 year old courteous young man who would be there with us through the trip. ( It's mandatory in BHUTAN to have a guide and 2500 Nu is the daily charge for a guide, so if you're looking to save money on guides it's better to go in bigger groups ). It's really easy in Bhutan since they accept INR everywhere and the conversion rate is 1:1 and the best part, they accept UPI.

We were helped through immigration by Hari and inside the Bhutan gate the world just changed in a moment. There were no traffic lights yet everything was in order and car horns were a thing of the past, just beautiful people around. We were greeted with KHADA- scarf by our driver Karma Jamtsho. I'd just like to mention that we were extremely lucky to have Karma Daju and Hari as company through our trip . We were lucky to have clear skies on day 1 and we went on in the EV vehicle on the meandering roads . Our first stop was GEDU, where we had lunch and we saw the first stupa which depicted a part of bhutanese history . Then without wasting much time we went on bypassing the Wankha Waterfalls on the way where people were seen clicking photos with the falls as backdrop and we reached Thimphu at around 6:30 pm. We were pretty tired after the long day’s drive and we passed through the quiet Thimphu city and reached Ramada hotel Thimphu located right beside the Wang Chu river. We had an early dinner and my friend Choling joined us for dinner. We embraced the quietness of the night and a deep sleep ensued .

We woke up at leisure at 8 am and went for breakfast . The spread was small but quite filling and we started the day tour at 10 am . Our first stop was Buddha Point (Buddha Dordenma). The largest sitting Buddha Statue in the world, we were made aware of the history of Buddhism. The three forms of buddha namely Deepankara, Shakyamuni and Maitreyi . The entire monastery is filled with the various forms and disciples of Lord Gautam buddha and how Buddhism was established in the kingdom by the unifier in the 17th century. We went around the beautiful structure and proceeded to our next point the Durga Mandir, being Navratri and Durga Puja time we were happy to offer prayers to our goddess and were offered Prasad which we relished . We moved on to the Dzong View point which showed the secretariat area of Bhutan and a humble abode of the King Jigme Khesar Namgyal . One revelation I had during the trip was that most people love the king. There’s a difference between fear and love, I realised people have the latter for His Majesty. We then skipped the National Memorial Chorten - – an iconic stupa built in memory of the Third King. We proceeded to the “Simply Bhutan” museum . A fun and engaging activity place depicting the history of Bhutan- As we entered we were greeted with Ara - rice wine. We were taught by pretty bhutanese girls to offer prayers and have a sip, we aren’t aware of the flavour so it was a bit pungent for our taste, then we were described with a small dance of how m made by the villagers. We were then shown their traditional masks and musical instruments followed by a traditional dance performance and greetings with some Suja- Bhutanese butter tea . We also were briefed about the national game - Archery as we tried our hand, on hitting anywhere close to the target they do a celebratory dance . Eepsa was pretty close to the target so they did a celebratory performance for her . This was followed by a drive to the Royal Takin Preserve, where we saw the mythical Takin, the national animal of Bhutan. An amazing myth surrounding the creature with the head of a goat and body of a cow and how the Divine Madman created this creature. Post that we went for lunch at Baf restaurant at Thimphu where we had a short yet filling lunch. Post lunch we proceeded to the Rose garden beside the Wang Chu river, what a beauty this place is filled with various species of flowers and a calm setting, offers fantastic spots for photography with the flowers and majestic mountains and rivers as the backdrop. It was almost the last hour of sunlight and we went back to our hotel after the day’s trip. As the night ensued my friend Choling came to receive us from our hotel and took us to a majestic and traditional dinner at Babesa Village Restaurant. As soon as you enter the place you’ll feel the traditional aura all around with wooden and bamboo architecture and a low sitting diner . The menu is a culmination of the flavours of Bhutanese gastronomy. We had a filling dinner with some awesome Ema kam Datshi, Kewa Datshi, red rice and local trout curry. If you love tasting authentic food this is the place one shouldn’t miss. Choling took us to a view point which is kind of restricted but he being a local didn’t worry much, it was a place bypassing the Takin Preserve which took us to a hill top which gave us a mesmerising night view of Thimphu city .

Its day 3 on our trip . It was time to move to Punakha known for its beautiful valleys and rice fields. on the way our guide briefed us about the history of Punakha being the first capital of BHUTAN and the relics of their ancestors are kept preserved in Punakha Dzong. We started at aroun 10 and saw numerous apple trees on the way still laden with apples and the plucking season almost over .We were headed to the Dochula Pass which gives majestic views of the snow capped mountains but the weather wasnt favorable and the clouds hindered our vision of the peaks, we still stopped for some coffee and had a glimpse of the stupa built in honour of the previous King Jigme Singe Wangchuck. We then stopped at the Royal Bhutan Park at Lampelri.It is a recreational park and the proposed site for the country's first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Located near Dochula Pass, it's known for its extensive rhododendron gardens, diverse flora and fauna, and various outdoor activities like hiking, boating, and bird watching.It was a sunday and people were having small picnics and it was a fantastic time my son enjoyed boating, running in the vast greens and feeding the numerous trouts in the lake. He made us promise him that we will bring him back there the next day too on our way to PARO. We then stopped by for lunch at Ku Kham restaurant which provided us a great Bhutanese buffet. Post that we moved on towards Punakha named after the Punakha river made by the confluence of Po chhu and Mo chhu Rivers . Punakha i'd say was the favourite for me, the place looks just out of the postcards and scenery frames. We stopped at the Punakha Dzong and climbed the steps to the sacred place. After a short history of the place and clicking some awe inspiring pics we went to the longest suspension bridge in Bhutan. It was a different adventure with a bit of anxiety yet challenge since i was with my son as my wife walked ahead, the bridge swayed in the wind at times and moved a bit too much at times, looking down walking over the river gives a different kind of thrill. We did a to and fro over the bridge with cautious steps and i was happy it ended :). The day was about to be over so our car stopped by the Po chhu river where myth says that the river has magical powers and one gets healed by a small knee dip. We went and stood in the chilly water till we couldn't stand the cold water anymore and we proceeded to our hotel. When we crossed the Punakha town, it was a small settlement of shops selling necessary utilitites and our hotel was about 500 mts from the market. As we entered our stop for the day, Hotel Lobesa was one of the best we could get which has a fantastic location. We were greeted by courteous staff who offered us tea after the days hectic schedule and the reception was a small curio of bhutanese culture . We finally settled down for the day and had dinner at 8:30 pm and treated ourselves with some Bhutanese Red wine namely Takin Reserve and Vintria Shiraz .

I woke up at 6 in the morning to get the best views of the place and as I went into the balcony I was mesmerised by the vastness of the place, it was green farms all around with the majestic mountains as backdrop, less people no noise all you hear is the sound of crickets, birds and nature all around, i went to take a walk and clicked some pics of the hotel and surroundings. Spoke to a japanese tourist living in the same property with the trip being an expensive affair for them with a daily 300 US dollar tourist tax. I felt lucky to be a neighbour to this country who just pays 1200 rupees per day as a visitor.

Our last day of the trip. We googled about the the Takhtsang ( Tiger's Nest) hike about the challenges with our 4 year old accompanying us. Adriaan had it as a challenge to atleast reach half way to the hike, that's the Takhtsang cafe. He as if set it as his goal and we too made it ours. The hike is through streams, muddy terrains and steep steps. having rained the previous night the mud was still wet but thankfully the skies were clear. Hari was a constant companion raising our spirits and he kept tell us the history on the way as how the Furious one defeated demons in the form of a Tiger and the face is inscribed on the mountain. The history of Taktsang Monastery in Bhutan begins with Guru Rinpoche (Padma Sambhava) in the 8th century, who is said to have meditated in a sacred cave at the site, after flying there on a tiger. The monastery itself, also known as the Tiger's Nest, was built in 1692 by King Tenzin Rabgye. We had to take quite a few breaks and we were honestly inspired by how Adriaan trodded those steep steps alongside us and we finally reached half way to the hike. We took a break at the cafe but before we could make our mind up whether to climb further or not it started drizzling so considering the safety factors we dropped the idea of a further climb and trekked downhill with caution. We finished the halfway hike in 3 hours with a hope of visiting again. Adriaan was extremely tired and slept off enroute the National Museum of Bhutan. I stayed back in the car with Adriaan sleeping while Eepsa went on to take a tour since she has a keen interest in history .After that we stopped by at the market and we had some delicious momo at the Paro town Square. We bought some memorabilia to take back home. The hectic day ended and we went back to our hotel. Later my friends Choling and Tashi Gyeltshen visited me at the hotel and took me along to have a delicious Bhutanese dinner at a friend's cafe - Mountain Cafe, located right at the heart of Paro town Square.It would be incomplete without speaking about Karma Chime, the owner of Mountain cafe who is a coffee planter and doing revolutionary work in roasting home grown coffee. I'd say the coffee he is producing maybe better than many established brands in the market and just needs to be introduced more to the people in India and around the world. it will sure trigger the gastronomic senses. Sharing a small link about him for your read

https://mountaincafe.bt/local-coffee-cafe-thrive-churning-high-quality-brews/.

I was amazed by the hospitality of all of these friends who started as being my patients who underwent dental implants and ended up as such good friends. They are all very accomplished people of Bhutan. They were so courteous that I was touched by their nature and humility . The fantastic day ended with us chatting at the hotel parking and stargazing while the river Paa chhu flowed beside us making the gushing sounds. That's how the day ended .

It was Nabami, the 9th day of Durga Puja and we had to get back home . It was an early start to the day and we had a filling breakfast and went down to say goodbye and prayers to the Pachu River streaming beside our hotel. We then proceeded towards the last view point of Paro, the airport point as we went ahead to our home with a desire to return to the land of thunder - Druk Yul.

AV Tours & Travels : Sunil-+91 97359 07558

Karma Jamtsho ( Driver ) - +975 1766 6706

Hari Kumar Gurung ( Guide ) - +975 1724 8090