Bhutan - Land of the Thunder Dragon

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At the eastern end of the Himalayas lies a once forbidden Kingdom - Bhutan! It is a country the size of Switzerland with 700,000 inhabitants who are 99% Buddhist. Hence all the temples, chortans, and dzongs (fortress monasteries). The King's father, the 4th King of Bhutan, abdicated in favor of his son about 4 years ago, and had declared Gross National Happiness was more important than GNP. It is now a democracy with the 5th King as figurehead. The Royal Family are loved and revered.

Currently you can only enter by air with Druk Air, the government airline, although a private competitor has been recently approved. Tashi Airlines may be operating later this year. You must enter or leave via the airline, so if not flying in you enter by car from 3 points in India. Travel into Bhutan is tightly controlled by the government. Any arrangements must be conducted through a government approved travel agency and big fees apply. For example it will cost at least $225 USD per day for each member of a group. This provides a guide, driver, transport within the country, accommodations and meals, visa and entry fees to temples, etc. Your flight in is extra (about $400 USD). At the moment flights only come in from 5 cities - Calcutta, Delhi, Kathmandu, Bangkok and Dakha. So it is an expensive destination.

The best part of travel to Bhutan is it is not crowded and you are cared for whether you stay in hotels or are on a camping trek. (the price above is the same whether camping or hotels!) The country is pristine and temples are being cared for, renovated and maintained. There have been a number of earthquakes in recent years (last major one in 2011) which damaged many buildings including the National Museum in Paro.

The Bhutanese men dress in a Goh, a knee-length dress worn with stockings and the women wear a Kira, an ankle length dress worn with a short jacket. It is required dress for students, workers and when conducting any business in government offices. Favorite foods include chili cheese, a spicy taste of green chillies sauteed with cheese. As this is a Buddhist country, no animals are killed to eat. All chicken, beef, pork, etc is butchered in India and trucked into Bhutan frozen for consumption. It is an agrarian society, farming mostly vegetables, barley, wheat, buckwheat and apples.

An amazing hike to Taktsang Monastery awaits the traveller to Bhutan. A short drive from Paro west up the valley leads to a trail which takes you to the monastery in about 2 hours. It is 900 meters up to the "Tiger's nest" - the monastery perched on the side of a cliff. It is said that Guru Rinpoche rode a Tigress to this place and meditated there for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days. Well worth the effort.

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Photos

Taktsang Monastery - 'Tiger's nest'

Druk Airlines

Jomolhari Peak

Kiychu Monastery - oldest in Bhutan

Eastern end of Himalayas

Punakha Dzong (fortress)

Trongsa