Day
0 (Bang to Kolkata,4th Feb) :
Flying
to the land of Happiness was not as easy as we thought. Druk Air did a great
service but since there were no direct flights from Bangalore to Paro, we had
to take a d-tour via Kolkata. The overnight halt in Kolkata airport was the
most toughest part for almost 5 hrs (From 1.30 AM to 6 AM). There was an option
to rest in dormitory but paying 700/- each for 4 hrs was not recommended
mentally. So, we decided to roam around and met a fellow traveller who was from
Italy. Must say, he was a true Indian lover staying in Gokarna and working as a
teacher, he knew so much about Indian traditions and was still keen to learn
more ! Thanks to him since we managed to get along quite well with the time.
Our next flight to Paro was at 8.30 AM. Pizza and burger was really not
sufficient but Druk Air favoured us with it’s Breakfast box. During the journey
,we managed to also have a peek into Mt.Kanchenjunga as per the pilot’s
instructions.
Day
1 :
Our
guide Mr.Akash took us to White Tara Hotel in Thimphu which was a ride for
almost an hour . On the way we stopped to have a look at the Chhuzom
(Chhu means river and zom means join) is the place where Paro Chhu
and Wong Chhu meet.
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| Chuzzom point |
Peace was all we could feel.The feel of Bhutan entered
or senses.It was a drowsy journey since we lost sleep the previous day.Heading
towards Kuenselphodrang (commonly known as Buddha
Point) where the largest Buddha statue in the country is perched on the hillock
overlooking the Thimphu Valley, we had our lunch at a small hotel near the
clock tower and also tried noodles with chana !
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| Buddha Point |
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| Buddha Point |
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| Buddha Point |
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| Thimphu Valley |
Buddha point was interesting with
freezing cold weather . Later Akash took us to
Thimphu market which looked like similar kind of huts all placed in a
row with handloom and handicrafts.Shopping was not in our mind the first day.
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| Shopping Place |
I was too tired to even think about the
dinner and was also not aware what Bharath ordered ! Such was my sleepy gesture
that night !
Day 2 :The Thimphu day .
That was a fresh day to visit National Memorial Chorten- This
stupa was built in 1974 in the memory of Bhutan's third King, His Late Majesty,
King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, who is popularly regarded as Father of modern Bhutan
.
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| National Memorial Chorten |
Taking a round around the memorial, it was time to check out Chang Gangkha
Monastery, the oldest temple in the valley which was just 20 min from there.
Bhutanese usually get their kids for blessings.
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| Chang Gangkha Monastery |
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| Chang Gangkha Monastery |
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| Chang Gangkha Monastery |
It was almost 12 PM when we
reached Takin Zoo, Preserve center of
Takin – The National Animal of Bhutan.
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| Takin Zoo |
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| Takin Zoo |
From there we rode towards Changlimthang Stadium and watched youngsters
play football & also had a look at
the national game of Bhutan , Archery.We enjoyed sportsman targeting with
arrows.Later , it was time to move to The Jungshi handmade paper factory that uses
traditional methods to produce the authentic Bhutanese paper known as Deh-sho.It
was fun to watch the process of paper making.
Shopping there wasn’t cheap though
! It was almost 1 PM and surprisingly we weren’t hungry . Institute for Zorig
Chusum Commonly known as 13 Arts & Crafts School or Painting School was
closed ! So our driver took us to a place where Bhutanese local art and
traditions are depicted and described. It was fun to dance with the locals and
was great experience to learn Bhutanese culture.
On the way back
, we had a look at Tashichhoedzong which is a
Buddhist monastery and fortress on the northern edge of the city of Thimphu in
Bhutan, on the western bank of the Wang Chu. It has traditionally been the seat
of the Druk Desi (or "Dharma Raja"), the head of Bhutan's civil
government, an office which has been combined with the kingship since the
creation of the monarchy in 1907, and summer capital of the country.
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| Tashichhoedzong behind us |
Lunch
was in a hotel near the clock tower with some shopping as well which ended our
day in Thimphu.
Day
3 :Thimphu -Paro
Day 4 : Paro
We were informed to start for Tiger’s nest hike early in the
morning as heat would turn up later.Soon after breakfast , we left by 7.30 AM
and reached the base of the Tiger’s nest .It is one of the Butan’s most
religious sacred sites. the bejeweled crown of
Bhutan. This splendid monastery is the landmark of this Himalayan kingdom.
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| Tiger's Nest Base |
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| Tiger's Nest Base |
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| Mid point |
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| The very famous Photo point |
One visualizes the sensuous soft-cotton-wool mist that envelopes everything in
this environment. Visibility is near zero but still that does not deter one's
enthusiasm and one strives hard to get a sneak peek of the Tiger Nest Monastery
in Bhutan. The Tiger Nest monastery in Bhutan is counted as one of the
fascinating sights in the world. This is the first thing which comes to the
cognizance of any mortal while talking about famous monasteries. Why? It is all
coz of its splendid visual appeal. An interesting story goes around regarding
the name of this monastery. It is said guru Rinpoche or Padmasambhava flew onto
this cliff riding a tigress and meditated in the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave for
time immemorial. Thereafter, he anointed this place to be the sacred of all and
hence came up this Tiger Nest Monastery.
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| Just before reaching the destination |
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| On the way behind us |
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| Temple base |
It wasn’t as tough as we
thought.We reached the top in almost 2 hrs time and were mesmerised by the
construction of the temple in between the rocky hill.The view was superb with
cool breeze all over.Our driver was surprised by the speed we took to climb all
the way and reach back to the base.It was 1.30 PM when we finished shopping in
the base area and moved to our room.Evening we took a stroll in Paro market to
buy some souvenirs.The dinner was Ema Datshi (Chili-Cheese), the national dish
of Bhutan which we enjoyed with Red Rice !
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| Ema Datshi |
Day 5:Phuentsholing
Phuentsholing is Indo Bhutan border city which takes 5 hrs from
Paro covering a distance of 170 km.On the way we stopped to see Kharbandi
Gonepa, a buddhist temple.We reached Phuentsholing at 3 PM and stayed in a
hotel over night since we chose road way to reach India back.
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| Kharbandi Gonepa |
Next day morning
our driver had arranged a vehicle from the border to Bagdogra which took 5 hrs
.From there it was a 3 hr flight journey to Bangalore with hell lot of memories
for a life time.
Some interesting facts about Bhutan that I came across:
1.There is no traffic signals in the entire country and it looks
so cool to see Traffic police all across.
2.People who walk by the Zebra crossing are given more preference
that the vehicles do stop for them .
3. Bhutan is the only nation in
the world where the sale of tobacco and plastic is banned.
4. Anyone found guilty of
killing a highly endangered and culturally sacred black-necked crane could be
sentenced to life in prison.
5. Bhutan is one of the last
countries in the world to introduce television to its people. The government
lifted a ban on TV—and on the Internet—only 11 years ago.
6. The word “Bhutan” translates
to “Land of the Thunder Dragon.” It earned the nickname because of the fierce
storms that often roll in from the Himalayas.
7. Bhutan is the first country
in the world with specific constitutional obligations on its people to protect
the environment. Among its requirements: At least 60 percent of the nation must
remain under forest cover at all times.
8. At 24,840 feet, Gangkhar
Puensum is the highest point in Bhutan—and the highest unclimbed mountain in
the world.
9. Bhutan is the world’s only carbon sink, that is; it absorbs
more CO2 than it gives out.
10. It sells
hydro-electrical power, making it the only country whose largest export is
renewable energy.
11. Rather than using the
GDP as an economic index, Bhutan measures its overall “health” through the four
pillars: sustainable development, environmental protection, cultural
preservation, and good governance, which together form the Gross National
Happiness or GNH.
12. Plastic bags have been
banned in Bhutan since 1999.
National Animal-Takin
National Bird-Raven
National dish-Ema datshi
(Ema-Chili,Datshi-Cheese)
National Sport-Archery
Language-Dzongkha
Currency-Ngultrum
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