Booking an international trip usually entails a few crucial things. First, you figure out where it is want to go, then you figure out the best way to get there. Airplane tickets are purchased online, if the country requires a visa, a visa is arranged, hotels are chosen and booked ahead… you’re basically almost there.
When I was planning my March Bhutan trip, I imagined things would be a bit tricky, but certainly not as difficult as it actually turned out to be. The start of my Bhutanese adventure? Simply organizing everything.
The Logistics:
Before you could even think about booking a flight into Bhutan’s one international airport, you needed to get a visa. In order to get a visa, you needed to contact a travel agent. You couldn't use any regular travel agent though, you needed to find a Bhutanese government pre-approved travel agent to do the visa, flight & hotel arrangements. Once you found this government approved travel agent, the agent then had to approve you to actually visit the country. Once this giant runaround was OK’d and the tickets, visa, hotels, services and foreigner “Presence Tax” were all added in (yes, non-Bhutanese are taxed for just being inside the country)… then came the payment. Credit Card? I wish it was that easy!
Paying for my trip to Bhutan felt like I was buying contraband on the black market. I had to make a down payment, which was to be wire transferred from my bank to another international bank, who then received the money with a message to bounce it off to another international bank, who apparently had Bhutanese government connections. Naturally, when I initiated this, my bank put up the big Red Flag and stopped the transaction IMMEDIATELY… which I then had to call to legitimatize, and hope that it all actually worked out.
For the rest of the payment? “Oh just bring clean, crisp US Dollars when you arrive into the country and you can pay us in cash.” Of course. Welcome to Bhutan.
With the logistics all squared away, I was finally ready to get into the country. Bhutan (not surprisingly) doesn’t have multiple flight options per day from Singapore, so my best bet was to fly out of Bangkok, which at least offers a daily flight. After having a few day’s adventure in Bangkok, I was ready for my journey to Bhutan.
Flying Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines (the only carrier that flies into Bhutan, with a modest fleet size of three!), I headed from bustling BKK (population: 6.4 million) to Paro, Bhutan (population: 40,000-50,000 depending on who you ask). After a serious dive through the clouds and mountains to make our landing in the small Paro Valley possible (with the mountains quite close to the wingtips of the plane), we touched down. I was finally in Bhutan!
When I stepped off the plane, there were a number of tour guides waiting for their customers. As I scanned the row of smiling, friendly faces and their name placards, there was only one that was missing: mine. Thinking maybe he was late, there was some confusion in timing or some other honest mistake, I decided to wait. As I looked around the Arrivals area, I noticed a sign for free SIM Cards. Using my travel savvy, I figured I’d get a SIM, call my travel agent and clear it all up- no problem.
All of a sudden, I was approached by a man in the traditional Bhutanese dress (the nation’s uniform, which practically every man and woman wears). He asked what the problem was, told me he was a tour guide, and that he could take care of everything for me. Naturally, my skeptical "Big City" instincts were screaming, “yea I’ve heard that line before…” and I politely declined.
All of a sudden, I was approached by a man in the traditional Bhutanese dress (the nation’s uniform, which practically every man and woman wears). He asked what the problem was, told me he was a tour guide, and that he could take care of everything for me. Naturally, my skeptical "Big City" instincts were screaming, “yea I’ve heard that line before…” and I politely declined.
After I bought the SIM, I realized it wasn’t going to fit into my iPhone without being clipped to size. As I’m standing there wondering what to do, the man approaches me again, this time asking me where I’m staying. When I relectuctantly respond "The Tiger's Nest Resort" , he responded “Oh! Someone is waiting over here for you!” As I walk over to the airport employee, they told me that my guide’s car broke down, and the company has arranged for me to go with this (pointing) tour guide instead. Who is he pointing to? The man who’s been with me the whole time. I laughed to myself at the irony and shady-nature of the whole situation, and decided to just go for it.
As it turns out (in a country that weighs its value by Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product), the guy was unbelievably friendly. He not only helped me get my SIM card situation fixed, he actually put his name and ID down as my guarantor to the cell phone company! In addition, he also turned out to be an amazing guide for the rest of the day!!
As it turns out (in a country that weighs its value by Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product), the guy was unbelievably friendly. He not only helped me get my SIM card situation fixed, he actually put his name and ID down as my guarantor to the cell phone company! In addition, he also turned out to be an amazing guide for the rest of the day!!
Over my first day in Bhutan, my new guide brought me around town to show me all the sites. Though the town itself wasn’t very big (despite being the country’s 'international hub'), it was still interesting and extremely picturesque. We visited the stunning Rinpung Dzong Fortress, tried some delicious Bhutanese food, and he told me quite a bit about life in Bhutan.
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| Rinpung Dzong Fortress |
Bhutan Fun Facts:
-Almost all men and women follow a national dress code: Men wear what’s called a Gho and women, a Kira… occupations that require a uniform are exempt (note the police officer in the traffic photo below)
-Because there are so few people, cars and almost no congestion in Bhutan, there are NO traffic lights in the entire country!!
-Thanks to their Gross National Happiness, Bhutan is Asia’s “happiest” country, and the 9th happiest in the world!
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| Tiger's Nest Resort Hotel- Situated at the foot of the Tiger's Nest Mountain! |
After a day of touring and a BIG second day about to come, I was ready to call it a night. I headed to my Tiger’s Nest Resort Hotel (a great stay in Paro with an amazing view of the monastery), settled in and got ready for some shut eye… This is of course after my tour guide personally called me to make sure I was comfortable and pleased with the day’s tour… so nice!
Day Two in Bhutan: Hiking the Tiger’s Nest Monastery. From the 6-mile grueling uphill hike and the mystical, still-functioning monastery to the slippery decline back down… check out the separate post all about my Tiger's Nest Journey Here.
After my rewarding hike to the Tiger’s Nest Monastery, I still had some time to explore Bhutan. Matched up with the guide I was first expecting, we headed for the largest city of Bhutan, Thimphu. With almost 100,000 people, an actual town square and more than two main streets, this was as urban as it gets. Still no traffic lights, but there was one intersection!!
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| As Close to a Traffic Light as it gets in Bhutan! |
One of the most stunning aspects of Thimphu was the giant bronze Buddha statue. Over 55 meters tall, this towering Buddha is (intentionally) visible from every single part of town.
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| Thimphu's Giant Shakyamuni Buddha Statue |
Also home to a really cool main street, the Tashichho Dzong Fortress, and of course an impressive array of monasteries, visiting Thimphu was a great way to top off my trip.
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| Tashichho Fortress |
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| Thimphu's Not So Busy Town Square |
Despite the organizational hassles, the comical “taxes” and the general travel hiccups, visiting Bhutan was one of my favorite trips to date. From its incredibly authentic culture, total religious reverence and ultra-friendly/helpful locals, it’s absolutely a unique place to visit. The towns and scenery were extremely beautiful, the food and culture was remarkable and the Tiger’s Nest Monastery is just one of those life experiences that you shouldn't miss!
Bhutan Highlights:
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| Buddhist Prayer Wheels |
Found all over the country, these prayer wheels were especially prevalent on the hike up to the Tiger's Nest. Covered in Buddhist mantras, every time you spin these wheels it brings good karma upon yourself and everyone around you. So naturally, I spun every consecutive one and made sure to do it in the "proper" clockwise direction!
Prayer Flags: During the Tiger's Nest hike the only sound you could hear was a small stream of water running nearby and the flap of these Prayer Flags in the wind. In fact, the prayer flags were all over town. A really cool experience. Every time these flags blow, they are supposed to spread the messages of peace and good karma that are inscribed on them.
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| A Typical Bhutanese Lunch Spread |
The food in Bhutan was awesome, sort of a mixture between Indian and Chinese cuisine. The funniest thing about eating in Bhutan was the lack of menus; I simply sat down in every restaurant. The waiter would promptly notice I was a foreigner, turned on the charm and just brought out whatever dishes they were cooking at the time (Always rice, plus Indian subji's, Chinese noodles, curries, etc.)
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| The General "City" Atmosphere |
The Atmosphere in Bhutan was unlike anywhere else that I've experienced. With such a small population that was isolated from the rest of the world for most of its modern existence, the whole country is quite literally 'in a world of its own'.
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| The Tiger's Nest Monastery |
Cheers,
== T.J.==
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