Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 17

12TH SEPTEMBER: ARRIVING IN BANGKOK Arrived in Bangkok for a night of transit as Druk Air only departs from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Aiport at 6.50am in the morning. We arrived at the airport on time and passing through immigration was a breeze. There was a shuttle bus which operates 24hrs and it took us directly to the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel which was only a 3 min drive away. Hotel was less than 2 yrs old, had a glass frontage and a very contemporary and open Lobby which made it very welcoming. The fittings of the rooms and corridors were less impressive than the lobby. Very tacky and cheaply made. Staff was hospitable. 13TH SEPTEMBER: FROM BANGKOK TO PARO The alarm went off at 4.30am. I always feel queasy and ill whenever I had to wake ... read more

So here is an update, finally! Our busy schedule and lack of reliable internet has made blogging pretty impossible. Sundays are our only free days, so weekly updates may be possible. A lot has happened since I arrived in Bhutan on June 1st, so a few highlights: I got my first glimpse of the snow capped Himalayas on the plane to Paro, where we landed on the country's only airstrip (and only straight stretch of pavement). Jigme, our wonderful driver for the program, picked me up and took me straight to the trailhead to the Tiger's Nest monastery, where the rest of the group was already hiking. The strenuous hike up was probably not the best thing to do right off the plane before getting acclimated, and unfortunately I did not have time to catch ... read more

“Only in Bhutan” is something I kept saying to myself again and again during my brief time (5 days) here, because this country really is like no other. It has its own beautiful style of architecture, its own very unique way of keeping away evil spirits, its own national dress, its own cuisine, weird national animal, it invented a new measure of national success, and more. It really is a special and wonderful place, having been completely isolated until recently. The 50 minute flight from Kathmandu passed over most of the Himalayan Mountain range. I was glad I took my guide’s wise advice and requested a window seat; the views were breathtaking. Druk Air, the national airline, is the only airline that flies into or out of Bhutan. Its fleet consists of two airplanes. An international ... read more

Today was the big day to trek to Takstang Monastery, also called Tiger's nest, arguably the most famous monastery of Bhutan. But a Friday night out literally wasted out our plans. Paro is a small town with nothing much to do. So at 6.30 pm yesterday we were in our hotel room watching the movie Dostana. Watching a hindi movie on a gay couple with two other guys on a laptop was certainly not our idea of explore Bhutan trip. So we just shut it down and got out of our hotel to check out the 'night scene' of Paro. There are a lot of bars in Paro that boast of 'bar, live music and snooker'. Our first stop was a bar named Khamsaa. It was 7 pm and and bar was almost empty except for ... read more

Today we planned to trek to the monasteries of Thangu and Cherry. A taxi costs you around Rs. 700 for a return trip. A bus leaves at 7.00 am from the city bus stand to Begana (ticket: Rs 20), 3 km from Dodeyna the base for the trek. No prizes for what option we took. We reached Begana at about 7.30 and walked to Dodeyna. We had our breakfast, Maggi and tea, at the shop right at the trail head. That was probably the most pathetic tea I have ever tasted. Thangu and Cherry are located on two adjacent hills and is a half hour trek from the base. We chose Cherry first, located midway on the hill with another monastery,Thangery, nestled right on the top. We decided to do both. Its an easy 30 min ... read more