Blogs from Bhutan, Asia

Friday, 17th January 2020 My last day in Bhutan was spent ascending up Tiger’s Nest or Taktsang Monastery. Separating us at the valley floor where we begun our journey to the summit is about 2000 feet or 610m. The climb involved lots of determination to complete especially in the high-altitude environment where W and I were clearly gasping for oxygen along the way. Eventually, we managed to make the hike in about 5 hours (including rest-stops and temple tour) which was quite efficient according to our guide who accompanied us throughout the trek. This was definitely one of the highlights of my Bhutan experience even though my favourite was still the nature hike in Phobjikha Valley. The icing in the cake at Tiger's Nest was that we were greeted by light snow when we approached the ... read more

Wednesday, 15th January 2020 We baded goodbye to Punakha today and made our way to the Gangtey Region, about 75km (3 hours) away. Before commencing on our drive proper, we caught a final glimpse of the Punakha Tzong from the easterly direction for some photo memories of the place. The Gantey Region is located some 3,000m above sea level (keep your pain-killers handy). Right at the heart of it lies the Phobjikha Valley where we would be spending a night at the iconic Dewachen Hotel. This is probably one of the most beautiful valleys in Bhutan. It is also in Phobjikha where the sacred Black-necked Cranes roam during the winter months to escape from the harsh weather conditions in the Tibetan Plateau. On the 11th November of every year, the annual Black-necked Crane Festival is held ... read more

Monday, 13th January 2020 After spending a night at Osel Hotel, it was time for me to check-out in the morning and continue with our journey to Punakha, about 85km away. By 9am, my guide U had arrived and the plan was to cover some sights in the city centre before proceeding with the long drive to Punakha in the afternoon. Barely 10 minutes into our journey, we reached our first stopping point for the morning - the National Memorial Chorten (Stupa). This was built in memory of the Third Druk of Bhutan, Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk in 1974. Together with my guide, we made three clockwise loops around the structure as this is the rule for any religious structures in Bhutan which I learned over the course of my stay in the country. On our ... read more

Sunday, 12th January 2020 From the time I first touch-based with Druk Asia on 8th November 2019 to the time I set foot to Bhutan took slightly more than two months. Travelling to Bhutan required engaging a travel agent who would take care of all the logistics on my behalf - air tickets, visa, accommodation, meals, a guide, a driver and admission fees. This was a fuss-free experience dealing with Druk Asia who would arrange all that. Two months on, I was ready at Changi Airport Terminal 1 to begin my six-hour flight to Paro, where the country's sole international airport is located. Given the limited seat capacity on my A319 flight, the air tickets did not come in cheap even after the 25 percent off-peak discount considering that I would be able to snatch a ... read more

Tijd om de hoofdstad van Bhutan te verlaten en richting de oude hoofdstad te rijden. Nog geen 15 minuten onderweg en we kwamen in één van de 10 nationale parken. In dit park ligt de pas waar we over moeten om naar Punakha te rijden. Op het hoogste punt van de pas ligt de Dochu La. Deze ligt op 3100m. Onderweg rijden we door de bergen. Overal waar je kan kijken een prachtig bos met watervalletjes en verschillende kleuren loofbomen en vele naaldbomen. Hier en daar zie je een huisje, maar dat is eerder niet dan wel. Onze gids vertelt ons over de parken. De 10 parken zijn allemaal met elkaar verbonden zodat de dieren overal heen kunnen. Want ook zij wonen op deze planeet en ze hebben even goed het recht om te gaan en ... read more