The month of December had been quite a hectic time for me, what with my semester exams and my maa’s illness. I was dying for a change of scenery. Luckily Bhutan came to the rescue and on a cold night in the last week of December, along with a group of fifty souls, we set off on an amazing journey to a beautiful and freezing land.
We boarded the Kanchankanya Express and reached Hashimara next day. From there, we took prebooked cabs to Jaygaon , which is the bordertown town of India and Phuentsholing, which is the border town of Bhutan. We had to get permission from the Bhutan immigration office to enter Bhutan. Since the office stays open till 3pm everyday and we reached after 3pm, we had to halt for the night in Jaygaon. Next day we quickly got our permission and set off for Bhutan.
Our first destination was Paro which was approximately 6hours away. As we drove up the mountain towards our first stop Paro, the weather turned chilly and downright freezing. Even getting out of our car for a bathroom break turned out to be an ordeal for us. Paro is an essentially small town with beautiful landscapes.
There were quite a few places for sightseeing. Our first spot was Chelela Pass. As we drove further up, the weather was absolutely freezing. We could see snow from last night’s shower lying on the side of the road. Water streams were frozen. We also visited the museum of Bhutan. Sadly photography was not allowed there and the Bhutanese are very strict about it.
The Chelela Pass was super windy and super cold. But the early rays of the sun tempered the chill. The view was absolutely mesmerizing. Anyone who has ever been there will always want to go back.
Th museum held a big part of Bhutanese history as well as world history. Each and every section was enlightening. Since photography was not allowed inside (we literally had leave our phones with the museum officials before entering), we settled for photography outside.
Having spent two days in Paro, we came down to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. Though Thimphu was at lower altitude, I felt it was colder here than Paro though the other families disagreed. The main plaza of Bhutan was nothing short of what you see in movies. A big clock tower surrounded by amphitheatre style steps where you can sit and see the world go by.
What I loved about Bhutanese was their respect for rules. Even though the common people wore regular clothes, all the government officials were in their national dresses. In the time we spent in Bhutan, not once did we hear honking. They don’t even have traffic signals. Each and every person follows the zebra crossing. Its an amazing experience to see the cars halt the moment you step on the zebra crossing. The Dochula Pass was a marvellous place. The temperature was -4degree cold. So you know how we must have been feeling. Going out without atleast 2-3 sweaters, gloves, scarves were out of the question. And even then it wasn’t enough. The cold would seep into our legs through the jeans. The Buddha Point was another amazing spot. A huge statue of Buddha sitting on the a building which itself is filled with small buddha statues. It was said to be gifted by Thailand. The views were breathtaking.
There were so greenery in Bhutan that you will want to stay back just to experience it. Sadly we couldn’t trek to Tiger’s Nest because we were short of time. Punakha was beautiful too especially Dzong.
Besides these, a trip to Bhutan is incomplete without a visit to a host of monasteries and we did just that.
And can we even dare to come back without tasting the bhutanese delicacies? Ofcourse not. So, on our last day in Bhutan, my sister and I tried out Shakam Datsi which is dried beef in a cheesy sauce and back in our hotel, we tried the kawa Datsi, which is potato in chilli and cheese sauce. We also brought back their local peach wine. It was good, though more of an acquired taste.
What I will remember from this vacation the most is the scenic beauty of Bhutan and its greenery. Having visited most of the hill stations of Northern India, I can say that the vegetation we witnessed in Bhutan, we don’t have that in India.
It was good, though more of an acquired taste. What I will remember from this vacation the most is the scenic beauty of Bhutan and its greenery. Having visited most of the hill stations of Northern India, I can say that the vegetation we witnessed in Bhutan, we don’t have that in India.