Bhutan: A monsoon trip to the 'last Shangrila'

Within half an hour of our departure from the main bus terminal of the border town of Phuntsholing, the landscape changes dramatically. We come across the unparalleled scenic beauty of the Himalayan range. There is partial sunlight as the clouds cover the mountain tops. The Chir Pine forest is dense and misty with unpredictable drizzles of rain. The higher our mini bus climbed, the fresher the air felt, a rarity for those of us from the metros. The temperature drops as we drive up the misty hills, the weather a pleasant escape from the torrid heat in Delhi. It took us six hours to reach the capital city of Thimphu.

We spent the first morning in Thimphu walking around the city which has a population of around 150,000. The city landscape has a distinct character. All its buildings are designed in the typical Bhutanese architectural style. Among many attractions in the capital, one is the National Takin Reserve located in upper Thimphu. A cab hire from the main market would cost you around 150 Ngultrum. The reserve itself is not very impressive but the walk back to the city was lovely. Another attraction is the Buddha Viewpoint, a 50-meter tall gilded bronze statue of Buddha under consecration at the hilltop of Thimphu. The best time to visit is in the evening when you can see a panoramic view of the valley.

The next morning, the sky was lush blue and clear with snow-white clouds over the mountains. As we roamed the streets of Thimphu we realised that the deeply Buddhist country had embraced modern changes with cautious warmth. One could feel the blend of modernity and tradition in ‘the last Shangrila’ as they address it. It was the weekend, so a good time to visit the weekend market located on the banks of the Thimphu River. On the northern bank, the market offers a variety of traditional handicrafts. Vendors from all over the country come here to sell traditional jewelry, atsara, incense, praying flags, traditional bow and arrow, and clothes. Things in the market are of good quality and expensive, but you can always bargain.

After shopping, one can go to the nearby temple, the Zongo Perli Lhakhang located between the national stadium and the weekend market. The temple surrounded with prayers wheels with a replica of Guru Rimpoche is the most active temple of the region and devotees can be seen performing Kora and chanting Buddhist hymns. We spent our evening at the archery ground adjacent to the stadium watching local archers practicing their skill.

Nightlife options in the city are limited. The city sleeps as early as 9 pm. On weekends, however, there are several bars that will serve you till 1 pm. We went to a club called Draying, which means entertainment, a concept borrowed from Nepal. These are stuffy basement spaces where Bhutanese girls clad in traditional Kira serve beer and also dance for a sum of money. These clubs are safe and people observe basic club etiquette. After our night out in Thimpur, we packed our bags for Punakha, our next destination.

Punakha: the land of the ‘crazy monk’

In terms of natural beauty, the Punakha valley is much ahead of Paro and Thimphu which are comparatively more urbanised and populated towns. The erstwhile capital of the Kingdom is also the abode of the most beautiful dzong in Bhutan. The gorgeous dzong or monastic fort in Punakha is built at the confluence of the rivers Mo Chu and Pho Chu, meaning the mother and father rivers. The dzong is surrounded by jacaranda trees. Red and golden painted wooden covers stand on the white walls of the fort. The interior murals of the dzong depict the life of the Buddha. It was designed in a way to protect its inhabitants against the attack of enemies.

The second attraction in Punakha is Chimi Lhakhang, a temple located at the hillock at the centre of the valley. Built in the mid 15th century, the temple is the abode of the ‘divine madman’ or the ‘crazy monk’ as they locally call him. Also called the ‘monk of fertility’, childless couples come to the temple and spend a night there to seek “wang” (blessings) for a child. The yellow roofed temple is well-located, giving the best view of the valley below. The temple also has ponds with beautiful water lilies. The way to the temple is through a small village. All the walls of the village houses are painted with flying phalluses – symbolising fertility. The souvenir shops in the village also sell different sizes of Pinewood phalluses.

We then left for the Tiger’s Nest in Paro, the most famous tourist destination in the country.

Tiger’s Nest

Tiger’s Nest or the Taktsang, as it is locally called, was built in the 17th century on a cliff 900 meters above the Paro Valley. The place is a major pilgrimage site in Bhutan. It took us over 2 hours to reach there on foot. You can also hire a pony which usually takes around 3 hours. On the way you will see blooming red rhododendrons and a bird's eye view of the Paro Valley. Upon finally reaching there, one is mesmerised by the sheer sight of the temple’s location. A Lama in the temple explained to us that the second Buddha locally known as Guru Rimpoche, or Padamsambhava as known in Indian scriptures, came here on the back of a tigress in the 8th century. He mediated here for three years, three months and three days and blessed this place.

Emphasising the significance of the temple, the Lama explained further that there are only seven Buddhist pilgrimage sites where holy energy is said to emanate. The Tiger’s Nest is one among them. The temple was burnt in a fire in 1998 and rebuilt in 2005.

Surprises on the trip!

Locals in Bhutan eat red rice, cigarette selling is illegal and fishing is not allowed. I came across more such surprises during my stay in the country.

Bhutan is known for its policy of Gross National Happiness. Not open to all, Bhutan allows only a measured amount of tourists to visit the country. Apart from a few countries, most tourists have to pay a tourist tariff of $250 per day. As Indian tourists, we are exempt from this fee.

One of the facts I was not aware of was that there are no traffic lights here! Yes, that's right. The country is free of traffic-lights. 

Another surprise awaited us in Paro. Here we met the Bhutanese Prime Minister in a restaurant. Clad in the traditional dress, the PM was having food with his family with minimal security arrangements and humbled us as he conversed with us for a while, shook our hand and wishing us luck for our stay in Bhutan.

Apart from its scenic beauty and the serenity of Buddhist sites, Bhutan also impressed us with its culture and austerity. In all the towns we visited we saw women and men wearing the traditional Bhutanese dress Kira and Gho respectively. Bhutanese people – shopkeepers, drivers, monks and passersby – are all very soft-spoken, forthcoming and welcome you with smiles. There is no culture of cheating tourists and no difference in prices of products on the basis of one’s nationality.

Life here moves at a relaxed pace and one can feel that materialism has a long way to go to make inroads in the land of happiness.

General information: 

Although Indian tourists are exempt from visa requirement, they do need to acquire an entry permit from the immigration office situated at Phuntsholing. To get the permit (its free of cost) a traveler needs to carry two passport size photographs and an identity proof. A voter card or Aadhar card should be sufficient. The process takes around 3 hours and the office is in bad shape so it is advised to go early in the morning. Another good thing for Indian travelers is that the Indian currency is acceptable on equal value and currency exchange is not required. Avoid carrying currency notes of value higher than 500. It is important to remember that it is not possible to make outgoing calls with an Indian SIM and you would require a local connection. If you travel during the monsoon do not forget to carry your raincoat and umbrella as the rains are quite frequent and unpredictable. Carry your sunglasses and sunscreen as the sunlight is stronger at higher altitudes.

Getting There: There are two ways to reach the Kingdom of Bhutan. The easiest is to take a Druk Air flight from New Delhi or Kolkata. It will save lot of time but will cost a hefty Rs 30,000 for return airfair. For a budget traveler, the best way is to board a train from Delhi and get down at New Jalpaiguri station. From here, there are two ways to reach Jaigaon – the Indian border town from where you can enter Bhutan. The first option is to take a shared auto from outside the station and reach the Siliguri bus terminal. Take a local roadways bus from here to Jaigaon, a one-way ticket would cost you Rs 90 and will take over four hours. From Jaigaon, Bhutan is just a 10 minute walk away. The second option recommended is to catch an intercity train at New Jalpaiguri station and get down at Hasimara station. The train journey will cost you Rs 50 and take 3 hours. It will be more comfortable than the bus journey. From Hasimara station take shared auto for Rs 25 per person. The auto takes around 20 minutes to reach Phuntsholing. From Phuntsholing take a mini bus for Thimphu, the journey takes around 6 hours and would cost around Rs 250.

Staying There: Phuntsholing offers a range of hotels for budget travelers. A good double standard room costs Rs 600-700. In Thimphu there are more options and hotel conditions are much better; a double standard room would cost around Rs 1000. In Punakha and Paro, the hotels are relatively expensive but there are good discounts during the off season. In Paro, try Hotel Taktsang View an all-women managed three star hotel located near the Tiger’s Nest‘s parking lot. It offers hot-stone bath at affordable price with fine hospitality. Food options are limited in Bhutan. You will find mostly Indian and Chinese delicacies. A must try Bhutanese dish is Ema datshi, a local dish made of local chillies and Yak cheese. Street butter momos are another must in Bhutan. My last suggestion for a monsoon traveler would be to pack something for the rains and travel light with washable cloths.