Blogs from Bhutan, Asia - page 5

(I published a blog a couple of days ago but for some reason it didn't send an email out so read that one first if you haven't seen it!) The morning we left Thimphu I woke with the lurgy that every traveller dreads when they're going on a long journey and actually feeling pretty rough. I didn't want to spoil the trip so said we should set off and hoped that it would settle down as a short term thing. Unfortunately it was not to be and to cut a boring traveller's tummy story short, after a visit to Punakha hospital I came away with 2 lots of antibiotics and we stayed 2 nights in Punakha while I improved a bit. H therefore has the story and pictures for Punakha so I will leave it to ... read more

The road from Paro to Haa is over a switchback pass called Cheli La. As we climbed up through the forest, we started to find snow along the edges of the road and then on the road making us very pleased we were in a 4 wheel drive. We knew that we were supposed to do a walk near to a nunnery but didn't realise this meant turning off the paved road and onto a very bumpy unpaved road with more sharp bends until we arrived just below the small nunnery, Kila Goempa. Dendup wasn't sure whether it would be ok to do the walk as it was through the trees and possible that there was still quite a lot of snow. We were happy to try if he was but first he decided we should ... read more

Our flight from hectic Kathmandu to Bhutan was probably one of our most spectacular flights ever. It was a crystal clear day and we had amazing views of Mt Everest and The Himalayas - sadly it only lasted 1 hour. After the polluted streets of Kathmandu it was a perfect antidote. The landing into Paro airport was as equally impressive as the plane had to deftly manoeuvre between the steep-sided mountains onto the valley floor. Certainly not a landing for the faint-hearted, but a great experience nevertheless. Bhutan is such an interesting destination, it is difficult to know where to start: Until the 1960’s it had no roads, automobiles, telephone, postal system or electricity, and the first foreign tourists were not allowed in until 1974. It is regarded as one of the most isolated nations in ... read more

Norzim Lam Norzim lam is one of the most important roads in Thimphu where you find most of the hotels and important official buildings. There are many shops and shopping malls in this area. While most part of Thimphu becomes silent after evening, this place remains very active even in the late evening. img=https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6msaH3VJn1s/VLJ5r98MO_I/AAAAAAAAQPA/6GRag3ASnaM/w702-h527-no/Norzim%2BLam%2B%28thimphu%29%2B17.JPG The above picture shows the entrance to Norzim lam from bus stand side. You can find the clock tower on this road. This road goes straight towards Tashicho dzong. The immigration office is also on this road. There are many shops, shopping malls in the city, mostly around Norzim lam. Plenty of garments, handicrafts, traditional and modern things to buy. (I felt price is higher than India). I was particularly impressed with de... read more

It was a long pending tour for the most vibrant telecom brand Banglalink’s Team Marketing! On 21st Nov 2014 we started our journey for Bhutan with Druk Air flight # KB 301 at 1200 and reached Paro, Bhutan at 1320 (local time). The flight in was beautiful – the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas appear above the roof of clouds in to blue skies - an amazing sight to see if you are sitting on the left hand side of the plane. Some of those peaks are over 7300 meters! The plane itself flies into the narrow Paro valley, twisting quickly this way and that, and the pilot gets a resounding round of applause once we touchdown. Everyone seems to be grateful we made it! Sorry, should I not have taken that for granted?! Our guide ... read more