My brother +Pratyush Raj was supposed to visit me earlier this month hence, I went on planning a holiday trip where we could take off together for a while. The reason I was very much looking forward to this trip is because it is difficult to say, when for the next time I can roam around places with him. Both of us are currently undergraduates studying in different colleges which makes our semester breaks completely un-synchronized and once we get over this student life, the life ahead can be even more un-syncronous.
 |
| From the Administrative Office premises of Thimpu, Bhutan |
Bhutan had always been on my list ever since few of my seniors went there last year. To visit a foreign land for the first time (actually second, the first time I stepped out of India border was when I was one year old and my brother was yet to be born) and that too with my brother was something very exciting. The only hurdle to this trip was my Mother, who would give us the clearance and the green signal. To our amazement she agreed without creating much of a havoc. :P
In total we were five people in this trip, perhaps that made my negotiations with my Mom smoother.
How to reach?
- Reach Alipurdwar or Jaigaon (the Indo-Bhutan Border).
- Go to Phuentsholing (the Jaigaon counterpart to Bhutan).
- Get all the clearances and permit from Custom Office which is just little ahead the border.
- Being an Indian traveler, passport and visa were not required for us. Simple College Identification Card or Driving License sufficed our need. If you have Voter's ID card or Passport, you can directly go to Custom's office, otherwise, first you have to go to Indian Embassy (which is little bit farther than the Customs Office) and fill up all the necessary details. Make sure that you carry all the documents needed along with recent passport size photographs of yourself.
How we reached
We started our journey from +IIT Guwahati and reached Alipurdwar Junction via Kamakhya Puri express. We kicked off in a perfect Bollywood style. There are two important railway stations in Guwahati namely, Guwahati Junction and Kamakhya. Our train was from Kamakhya but we didn't take much noticed that and reached Guwahati station instead. It was about 10:30 in the night, an hour earlier from our train to departure that we realized we are waiting for the train in the wrong place.
Thanks to +Tushar Behalpade who pointed out the mistake on time and then by 5 in the morning, we reached Alipurdwar Junction. From the railway station we took an auto rickshaw to the bus stand which then took us to Jaigaon. It is almost two and a half journey via bus.
If you're someone who is planning to go on a Holiday Trip, stop reading right now.
You're now in Bhutan.
Book a Cab and go exploring.
But if you're still in doubt whether or not, you should go; then Read Ahead.
 |
| The Sculpture outside the Restaurant where we had our first tryst with food in Bhutan |
We just had Masala Dosa at the Guwahati Railway Station (where we were not supposed to be) at night and then stayed awake almost the whole night and by the time we reached Bhutan, all of us were famished. So, by the time our permits were made, we had our lunch in the local restaurant.
 |
| The Gate that connects India and Bhutan. |
 |
| The building to the other side of the road which has Red Board on it is the Custom's Office. |
About the Food
Food is not a problem at all in the whole of Bhutan. You can find Indian Restaurants and Indian Dishes in every nook and corner of the city and food tastes similar at the price which are reasonable (almost the same as that of India). In Bhutan, Restaurants and Bar go hand in hand and Beef is served in almost every restaurants, in addition to that there is a common kitchen for both Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian which might pose problem for people who are easily irked by this practice.
People drink very often here but Smoking is prohibited. The King of Bhutan declared his kingdom to be Tobacco Free paradise and as a result there are very strict rules when it comes to Smoking.
Traditional Bhutanese Dishes are not very much different from Indian foods with almost the same spices and ingredients used. The difference lies in the way they are prepared. Red Rice is the staple food of the native population.
People here love chili. This place is an absolute delight for those who love to have extra chili flakes on their dishes. Even the complimentary chutney which are practically served for free are restaurant made chili sauce and not the ready made or bottled one. Chili is considered a vegetable and when you look at the size and diameter if the chili which are grown here, you won't be surprised at all as why they classified chili as a vegetable. I had a chance to visit the Vegetable Market in Thimpu and I was left awestruck by the cleanliness they maintained in the entire premises. [video link to sabzi market]
Himalayan Range and the forest at the foothills being extremely rich in natural vegetation allows farmers to grow a variety of crops but farming practices are different due to difference in terrain.
Rice being the staple food acquires larger area than any other crops. The picture to the left is taken along the road to Paro ( a beautiful small town in Bhutan). Unlike Thimpu, Paro has stretch of land which are more planar which makes it an ideal place for cultivation. I think that is the reason why the only functioning Airport in Bhutan is in Paro and not in Thimpu, even though Thimpu is the capital.
Although, Paro is very much planar but still it is not as plain as the Northern Plains of India which makes the use of tractors an obstacle rather than an usage. This is the miniature form of tractor that one can easily find roaming along the countryside of Bhutan.
Water is clean here and we never needed to buy Mineral Water. However, if you're very much sensitive then you might need to carry bottle of your own.
Soft Drinks are heavily priced. I think the reason behind this is there is no filling station in the area of higher altitude. There is a filling station in Pheuntsholing and from there, Thimpu is 175 kilometers of uphill climb. This can of 350 ml of Coco Cola was of Nu 50/- which is same as Rs. 50
Currency
Ngultrum is the national currency of Bhutan but Indian currency is readily acceptable (even preferred most of the times). Nu has been standardized against Indian Rupee i.e.,
1 Nu = 1 INR
Some of the people prefer Indian Currency and are always willing to exchange because most of the trade is done through Indian border and these Indian traders charge 7% cut when paid in Bhutanese currency. As a traveler, it doesn't matter to us at all, but people who frequently do cross border business prefer Indian Currency.
Roads
Roads are perhaps the best feature of the entire trip. Driving along the Himalayan range and taking in clouds in your every breathe refreshes senses and the whole world stands still for a while. While beginning the journey you'll find clouds overhead and then in no time you'll find yourself floating in one of those clouds.
Like any other roads in the mountainous region, the roads are dangerous with innumerable turns and twists at every few meters. But then there is one single road to serve all purpose, whether this trade route or travel route, the roads are very well maintained. Due to nonavailability of Rail route in Bhutan, all kind of heavy vehicles also take the same route which advises smaller vehicles to be more cautious.
But no matter how cautious one is, these roads can be dangerous because of shooting stones and sinking area. The big boulder shown in the left side fell down on the road while we were going. Immediately, the bulldozer came and cleared off the road. The best part of our journey was the Road Trip. Both from Pheuntsholing to Thimpu and Thimpu to Paro.
Places to Visit
Now we have arrived to the most important part of Travelling but I don't have much to tell under this subheading.
My Personal favorites are Tiger's Nest and Buddha Point.
The entire journey of scaling 3000 ft. on foot makes this place worthwhile. All of us were completely exhausted by the time we reached. Read more about it on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paro_Taktsang
Traditional Bhutanese Dishes are not very much different from Indian foods with almost the same spices and ingredients used. The difference lies in the way they are prepared. Red Rice is the staple food of the native population.
People here love chili. This place is an absolute delight for those who love to have extra chili flakes on their dishes. Even the complimentary chutney which are practically served for free are restaurant made chili sauce and not the ready made or bottled one. Chili is considered a vegetable and when you look at the size and diameter if the chili which are grown here, you won't be surprised at all as why they classified chili as a vegetable. I had a chance to visit the Vegetable Market in Thimpu and I was left awestruck by the cleanliness they maintained in the entire premises. [video link to sabzi market]
Himalayan Range and the forest at the foothills being extremely rich in natural vegetation allows farmers to grow a variety of crops but farming practices are different due to difference in terrain.
Although, Paro is very much planar but still it is not as plain as the Northern Plains of India which makes the use of tractors an obstacle rather than an usage. This is the miniature form of tractor that one can easily find roaming along the countryside of Bhutan.
Water is clean here and we never needed to buy Mineral Water. However, if you're very much sensitive then you might need to carry bottle of your own.
Soft Drinks are heavily priced. I think the reason behind this is there is no filling station in the area of higher altitude. There is a filling station in Pheuntsholing and from there, Thimpu is 175 kilometers of uphill climb. This can of 350 ml of Coco Cola was of Nu 50/- which is same as Rs. 50
Currency
Ngultrum is the national currency of Bhutan but Indian currency is readily acceptable (even preferred most of the times). Nu has been standardized against Indian Rupee i.e.,
1 Nu = 1 INR
Some of the people prefer Indian Currency and are always willing to exchange because most of the trade is done through Indian border and these Indian traders charge 7% cut when paid in Bhutanese currency. As a traveler, it doesn't matter to us at all, but people who frequently do cross border business prefer Indian Currency.
Roads
Roads are perhaps the best feature of the entire trip. Driving along the Himalayan range and taking in clouds in your every breathe refreshes senses and the whole world stands still for a while. While beginning the journey you'll find clouds overhead and then in no time you'll find yourself floating in one of those clouds.
Like any other roads in the mountainous region, the roads are dangerous with innumerable turns and twists at every few meters. But then there is one single road to serve all purpose, whether this trade route or travel route, the roads are very well maintained. Due to nonavailability of Rail route in Bhutan, all kind of heavy vehicles also take the same route which advises smaller vehicles to be more cautious.
But no matter how cautious one is, these roads can be dangerous because of shooting stones and sinking area. The big boulder shown in the left side fell down on the road while we were going. Immediately, the bulldozer came and cleared off the road. The best part of our journey was the Road Trip. Both from Pheuntsholing to Thimpu and Thimpu to Paro.
Now we have arrived to the most important part of Travelling but I don't have much to tell under this subheading.
- Monastery in Thimpu
- Monastery in the Administrative Office of Thimpu
- Buddha Point
- Tiger's Nest in Paro
- Old Fort in Paro (I don't remember the exact name)
- National Museum in Paro
- Monastery in Pheuntsholing
My Personal favorites are Tiger's Nest and Buddha Point.
 |
| Tiger's Nest |
 |
| Buddha Point |
Just like Rio de Janeiro has Jesus watching over the whole city, Thimpu has Lord Buddha watching over the entire city. This grand structure has been completely made but construction work is still going around to develop the whole of place as a tourist spot. It is situated high in the hills which makes this place a proper view point too.
Art, Architecture and Construction Practices
I'm not much of a history student so I won't be able to do justice to this heading. All I can do is to ornament every sentence with a few adjectives and let the photos speak for themselves.
This is how buildings looks like in Bhutan. They looks almost similar structure wise from outside and it's not allowed to erect buildings in any other way or shape. One can have maximum of five floors.
Our cab driver told us that the cost of building a house comes around 85 lakhs to 1 crore and just the same is for purchasing the land.
The Land of Thunder Dragon
Bhutan is also known as the land of thunder dragon and you can see dragons floating around everywhere. No not the real dragons but the handicrafts, paintings, sculptures and in embroidery.
The Dragon Shaped Door Handle. This was "DaiChee Restaurant" where he had our dinner in Thimpu. It was located in the first floor of the building where we stayed.
The Dragon Shaped Guardian guarding the monastery in Thimpu. They were four such structures which circles the main building of monastery in Thimpu.
Pictures from inside the Monastery located in the Administrative Office premises.
Handicrafts
Bhutanese traditional Handicrafts are the major attraction of this place. Most of these items are made in a traditional way which makes all the items very expensive. But then, these things look so beautiful that they seem like a good value for money. Wood Carving and Masks are readily available in every handicraft shops.
Prayer Wheels
Prayer Wheels are the first thing that come to our mind when we talk about Monasteries. Here is a video of large Prayer Wheels:
National Sports
Archery : The National Sports of Bhutan.
Dart is also very popular in Bhutan.
National Dress
The concept of having National Dress was something very alien to me. Being an Indian and India being such a vast country and having so much of diversity in itself, never made me think that there can be anything like National Dress. But then I liked the concept of National Dress.
Everyone in the National Offices are to be strictly in their complete National Dress. However, Police and Army Personnel have to wear regular uniforms and not the National Dress. Everyone else is expected to wear the National Dress at all times whether it's school going children or elderly people.
You can know more about Bhutan by visiting this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Bhutan
National Museum
The National Museum of Paro is a must visit place. It houses all the things that you need to know about this country, right from dances, masks to flora and fauna.
This is the older structure of Museum which was severely damaged in the Earthquake of 2009. As of now, this area is closed for visitors.
Kids
Bhutanese Kids are just adorable. They are super cute. And as for kids all over the world, you can watch them play the whole day.
Girls
Coming to the most important part of the entire journey. Bhutanese Girls are beautiful. I'll write about them in my next blog.
What else should I say?
Bhutan is a paradise with all it's greenness and natural beauty. Do visit this place at least once in your lifetime. In my subsequent blog, may be I'll talk more about my visit. As of now, the blog about girls of Bhutan is still pending.
Pure Natural Bliss.
I'd certainly want to come here once again and this time with my parents. :)
Art, Architecture and Construction Practices
I'm not much of a history student so I won't be able to do justice to this heading. All I can do is to ornament every sentence with a few adjectives and let the photos speak for themselves.
Our cab driver told us that the cost of building a house comes around 85 lakhs to 1 crore and just the same is for purchasing the land.
The Land of Thunder Dragon
Bhutan is also known as the land of thunder dragon and you can see dragons floating around everywhere. No not the real dragons but the handicrafts, paintings, sculptures and in embroidery.
The Dragon Shaped Door Handle. This was "DaiChee Restaurant" where he had our dinner in Thimpu. It was located in the first floor of the building where we stayed.
The Dragon Shaped Guardian guarding the monastery in Thimpu. They were four such structures which circles the main building of monastery in Thimpu.
Pictures from inside the Monastery located in the Administrative Office premises.
Handicrafts
Bhutanese traditional Handicrafts are the major attraction of this place. Most of these items are made in a traditional way which makes all the items very expensive. But then, these things look so beautiful that they seem like a good value for money. Wood Carving and Masks are readily available in every handicraft shops.
Prayer Wheels
Prayer Wheels are the first thing that come to our mind when we talk about Monasteries. Here is a video of large Prayer Wheels:
National Sports
Archery : The National Sports of Bhutan.
Dart is also very popular in Bhutan.
National Dress
The concept of having National Dress was something very alien to me. Being an Indian and India being such a vast country and having so much of diversity in itself, never made me think that there can be anything like National Dress. But then I liked the concept of National Dress.
 |
| You are, What you Wear |
You can know more about Bhutan by visiting this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Bhutan
National Museum
The National Museum of Paro is a must visit place. It houses all the things that you need to know about this country, right from dances, masks to flora and fauna.
This is the older structure of Museum which was severely damaged in the Earthquake of 2009. As of now, this area is closed for visitors.
Kids
Bhutanese Kids are just adorable. They are super cute. And as for kids all over the world, you can watch them play the whole day.
Girls
Coming to the most important part of the entire journey. Bhutanese Girls are beautiful. I'll write about them in my next blog.
What else should I say?
Bhutan is a paradise with all it's greenness and natural beauty. Do visit this place at least once in your lifetime. In my subsequent blog, may be I'll talk more about my visit. As of now, the blog about girls of Bhutan is still pending.
And one more thing, Bhutan seemed to be more like India rather than a different country.
- Indian currency is accepted and has the same value.
- People speak Hindi. Certainly better communication than visiting South India.
- Indian Dishes and Cuisines easily available at reasonable rates.
 |
| Clock Square, Thimpu |
Pure Natural Bliss.
I'd certainly want to come here once again and this time with my parents. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment