[ABHI_1512]

INTRODUCTION:

Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks, I will be right here waiting for you - Richard Marx

This waiting part was my yearning for the hills now that I am done waiting for my glory days.Forests and hills have their own unique charm.Having spent my childhood in the state where the sun rises first in the country, hills and forests have been with me forever. Cut to the present when I am in Calcutta, love for forests and hills remains undiminished. Now Darjeeling and North Bengal along with Sikkim are the eternal favourites of every Bengali I know off (dare I say everyone knows off ) , so this one time the bug bit during the summers last year to go beyond the usual places. Off came the idea of visiting the land of happiness and thus one fine day in April the idea came into existence and travel to BHUTAN became a reality.Bhutan as a place (both environmentally and climatically) is similar to what i have seen during my childhood days in Naharlagun - the other half of twin capital city of Arunachal Pradesh. I have always heard about the bhutanese way of life from my friends since Bhutan also shares it's border with Arunachal Pradesh. So there was this added incentive of visiting the land of the thunder dragon. Here's a picture that defines Bhutan to start with and one which is often the poster of Bhutan to the outside world.




PLANNING:

Bhutan is a country where almost 70% of land is covered by forests and that is quite incredible to say the least.The present dispensation has time and again said that they are more inclined towards sustainable environment development and not economic development per say which is commendable for a small country like Bhutan.The recent decision of levying sustainable fees on regional tourists including from India and Bangladesh who were previously exempted has also opened a can of worms.Only time will tell whether they finally implement the decision or not and if they do then what will be the repercussions.That's for later deliberation though
Now i was glad that we two didn't have to pay any sustainability fees and that visiting a so called "FOREIGN" nation will not put a hole in our pockets.Some friends who have visited the country previously though warned me about high food prices which i duly noted. It kind of helped that Indian currency was taken at par with the Bhutanese currency and the use widespread.So at the outset, we had around seven days to make the trip so the plan was decided thus:

DAY 1:Baikunthapur Forest
DAY 2:Phuntsholing
DAY 3:Thimphu
DAY 4:Thimphu
DAY 5:Lobesa
DAY 6:Paro
DAY 7:Paro

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 1: Saraswatipur Diaries

Now that the initial plan was in place, I had to make the hotel bookings since the summers are the best time to visit Bhutan and i was informed that there would be a rush. Okay, before that during the planning session itself I realized that our anniversary would criss-cross our travel itinerary and that would mean some alterations to the original plan.Hence came my first stop after much deliberation- a newly opened tea resort in the midst of tea gardens bordering the Baikunthapur Forest. Saraswatipur Tea Resort is a boutique property with all the material comfort. Had a talk with their Manager and the booking was made and a nice dinner was also planned. Hotel bookings for Bhutan were done individually and it took me around three days of mail correspondence to get my confirmation vouchers. The stunning part was that all the Bhutan hotels provided me the confirmation vouchers without any advance deposit in this day and age and that too for a foreign national and almost a month away from the date of actual travel.

Every hotel was happy to take cash/card upon arrival and that kind of enhanced my respect for the people of Bhutan even before going. Every hotel also took care of my parking fears

The D-Day came and as is the norm for me,we started on Friday evening around 8 from home and after negotiating some heavy traffic through the Vidyasagar Setu and Santragachi bridge, had our first stop at Hindusthan Dhaba near Palsit for dinner at around 10.30.For some strange reason, the Azad Hind Dhaba doesn't remain open through the night on this route and that is kind of a tragedy.Even the CCD Singur also closes by the night.What's the point of opening a coffee shop on a highway if it has to follow the normal city timings? CCD's down south remain open through the night and is such a relief to find clean washrooms and a cup of coffee every hour or so. Anyways, i have made peace with myself about the fact and now it hardly matters.So after dinner the usual route of SH-7 through Khargram and Kuli was followed with little fuss and we crossed Farakka at around 3 in the morning and entered through Botolbaari as usual.Crossing the Botolbaari stretch during the night or early morning has been my criteria since long because that is the best time to avoid the usual suspects like goats, hens and the blokes stopping cars for subscriptions of one festival or the other! Reached Islampur and stopped for some chai. There is a nice sweet shop near the bus stand of Islampur named KUNDU CABIN which serves some old school Bengali breakfast and chai. Made it a point to stop by the place every time on my way. Driving through the NH-34 these days is a breeze ever since the Malda bypass is operational and Farakka not dreaded anymore. Reached Ghoshpukur bypass and proceeded to take the Gazoldoba route.

There are two routes to take when it comes to reach Saraswatipur Tea Resort.One goes through the forest for around 15 kms and the road is not paved and another one is that reaches Gazoldoba tourist complex and from there it's around 2kms of drive through Saraswatipur tea estate.The lure of adventure was too good to be missed and hence the route through the forest was taken and boy, what a beautiful track it was.

The tea resort is where i had decided to spend the anniversary and i kept the place as a surprise for my better half to enjoy and it was a memorable experience.The manager and the chef went out of their way to make our stay memorable.The rooms open into the tea gardens and the fragrance of the fresh tea leaves in the morning mist feel heavenly. The food is a highlight here and the chef even made us an anniversary cake and caramel custard for dessert and it really tasted heavenly.There is a nicely curated Gazebo in the lawn where one can sit and laze around. Anniversary went off well and the next morning we were treated to a humongous breakfast. Lazed around the tea gardens and went around visiting a temple nearby. All in all it was a nice experience before starting our Bhutan journey.Picked up some nice tea boxes from the estate factory and they were really good.The breakfast was done leisurely and then we proceeded to Phuntsholing for our real start of the trip.

Some pictures from the resort and its surroundings..

The road inside the Baikhuntapur forest which goes to Saraswatipur


Baahon soaking in the atmosphere after the night drive


This lovely stretch through Botolbaari route is picturesque


Baahon never felt happier posing


The room inside the property which opens upto the garden was fantastic


The temple inside the garden premises


The dining area had superb all round views of the tea garden


This area is a weekend Haat, best part everything is natural


Baahon posing on a wooden bridge just before entering the gardens


Caramel custard for the dessert


Chicken sizzler


The morning breakfast spread was humongous


The Sunday haat at full swing


The resort also has cycles which the guests can use to move around the nearby places


The wooden bridge which can be found en route


The Gazebo in the lawn is a perfect sit out for chit-chats


The resort with the night view


Baahon showing up

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 2: Moments from tea gardens and pizza joints

After a delightful stay at Saraswatipur, it was time to proceed towards Phuntsholing. The road is straightforward through Oodlabaari-Malbazaar-Birpara-Hasimara-Jaigaon-Phuntsholing. This road which passes through wildlife corridors of Dooars is one of the most picturesque drives passing through lush green forests and tea gardens.The road surface is brilliant until you reach Jaigaon. Mandatory stop at Tea Moments Malbazaar for some tea and cookies and the rest of the journey was uneventful until you reach Jaigaon where the last 100 meters before the entry to Bhutan will make you cringe. I wonder why is cleanliness such a difficult thing to manage when you can see the other side of the gate spanking clean!

Now Phuntsholing is the entry point of Bhutan by road from the Bengal side, not much a place in terms of sight seeing and all but there are some places worthy of a visit like the Karbandi Monastery. Since we were entering Bhutan on a sunday,it made sense to stay the night at Phuntsholing and get the permits done first thing in the morning.The booking was for Hotel Druk for the night and it was chosen as for the proximity to the Immigration Office.In fact, I could literally see the office from my hotel window since the hotel and the office shared their walls!

We reached Phuntsholing at around 4 in the evening because there was no urgency to reach early. The first startling thing came when i saw two ladies came to pick our luggage's as soon as i parked my car. Now I had heard about this part earlier but to see two young ladies hauling suitcases was not a pretty sight to me at least. And hence i offered to take the heavier ones myself and keep the lighter ones with them. Fun part-the hotel doesn't have a lift and our room was at the second floor!

Check-in completed and we decided to walk around the hotel after freshening up. Bhutan is 30 minutes ahead of IST and hence the first thing you need to do is adjust your watch timings. Walked around a bit and saw a nice cafeteria named KIZOM CAFE. I have a special weakness for anything baked and this place caught my eye since it mentioned Pizzeria and Bakery. Also, I have heard of this place from one of BHPian BLACKPEARL'S Bhutan travelogues. The place was really nice and served brilliant thin crust pizzas and we had a gala time sipping coffee. Bang opposite to the cafe is a little monastery and a park where local folks were lazing around. Kizom cafe was indeed a fulfilling experience and after walking around a bit it was already 9 in the evening and the roads have become empty. Skipped the dinner and retired for the night at the hotel with the hope that the immigration doesn't take much time and we could be on our way to Thimpu as soon as possible.

Some pictures from through the day:


Hotel Druk at Phuntsholing and which shares its walls with the Bhutan Immigration Office as well



The colours along the route , this road is gorgeous in terms of surface and scenery


This curated cycle at Tea moments Malbazaar is a wonderful idea of recycling things literally


Thin crust chicken barbecue pizza at Kizom cafe ,just melts in the mouth I say


Kizom cafe as it looks from the other side of the road


The actual entry gate to Bhutan though it is now used as an out gate for vehicles


The bakery menu in full bloom at the Kizom cafe

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 3: Misty roads and fresh oxygen

Phuntsholing is a bustling town every Monday morning since the immigration office opens after two days of closure.It was quite a sight to see the queues very early in the morning and I began to worry since the gates were yet to open. I frantically made a dash to the immigration office just to gauge the line which I saw from the hotel room. Turned out, there are separate queues for tourists and for those who want to work in Bhutan. Relieved after making sure that all our papers were in order and we finally queued up after having a hearty breakfast at the hotel. The documents for the permit procedure required:

1. One passport size photo
2. Hotel booking voucher
3. Passport/Voter card
4. Itinerary(a rough route map will suffice)
5. Form issued by the office duly filled up and which can be obtained from nearby shops or even the hotel.

The permit process was a smooth affair with little difficulty and we got ours by 11 in the morning despite the Monday morning blues.We checked out of our hotel by 11.30 and proceeded to the RSTA Office for the vehicle permit.This process is even more streamlined here and hardly took thirty minutes. The documents for the car permit includes the usual car documents like Driver's license,Registration,Pollution certificate,Tax token and the personal permit.There is a charge of 100 NU for each day of driving in Bhutan.The behaviour of the officers in issuing the permits at both the places was exemplary to say the least.So armed with both the permits(which were for seven days), we started for Thimphu at around half past noon and were soon at the first check point of Royal Bhutan Police and the stamping done on the permits..It was a foggy afternoon when we reached the DANTAK CANTEEN .After some coffee and snacks, it was time for Gedu and Chukha. The second check post is at Chukha and the permits were duly stamped again.Some pictures en route -

The mighty RSTA office in Phuntsholing


Start of the journey


Foggy Gedu kind of evokes a sense of serenity


Gedu university en route


Dantak canteen


This brilliant road is a dream to drive with its winding curves


We took many pictures en route since you can click pictures by the dozens all along the route. The road is peppered with scenic beauty with water streams and rivers flowing at their own sweet pace.The journey was smooth and we finally entered Thimphu by the evening. It makes sense to stay at Thimphu first and not Paro if one intends to go beyond Thimphu to places like Phobjika, Wangdue, Bumthang since you need to extend your permits from Thimphu only.If the idea is to visit only Thimpu and Paro then no need to extend the permits at all.

Our booking was at Osel Hotel Thimpu and it was chosen carefully after hearing of the dreaded dog menace. Osel was situated just 5 minutes away from the Immigration office which I had to visit the next day for extending our permits.Check in was smooth and the guys were very helpful throughout our stay.The evening was spent in the in house coffee shop and it was wonderful.Went for a short drive of the city and parked the car bang opposite to the Clock tower. The clock tower and its surrounding areas are best enjoyed walking. Came back to the hotel and had a delicious meal for the dinner. I would have never thought that of all the places on earth I would find the best Gobhi masala in a hotel at Thimpu! Walked around a bit and retired for the day with the anticipation of glorious weather the next day.

At the doorstep of entering Thimpu with Paro on the left


Entry towards Thimpu


Driving through the streets of Thimpu towards the city center



Our stay in Thimpu


Clock tower as seen through the night


The coffee shop of Osel hotel shot from outside , it was windy that evening but the picture came out nice nevertheless


Baahon proudly posing on the streets of Thimpu


This wonderful baked thing was pure love and served at the in house coffee shop in Osel hotel, pure bliss


Scenes like this are a plenty - what a beautiful country

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 4- A day in the life of Thimphu

A brand new day in the capital city of Thimphu greeted us with bright sunshine.It was very windy early in the morning and we kind of were caught off guard with all the wind gushing around. The breakfast needed to be done right since it was going to be a day of travel and so it was. The first thing to do in the morning was to visit the Immigration office to extend our permits for further travel towards Phobjika and Bumthang. Walked up to the office and submitted the copies of our initial permit issued from Phuntsholing. We were told to come back after two hours to collect our permits. So from here we decided to visit the giant Buddha Statue first since that was the farthest from the city. En route the National Memorial Chorten is also there but we saw it from outside without entering the premises. The National Memorial Chhorten is built in the memory of His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuk and is considered sacred to the local populace. After around half an hour of driving through winding road, we ended up at the mighty Buddha Statue. The Buddha Statue is considered one of the greatest in the world which is made of bronze and gilded with gold. It is more majestic than the ones I have seen at Ravangla(Sikkim) and Tawang(Arunachal Pradesh). The entire Buddha Dordenma statue and the surrounding area overlooks the Thimphu valley and is quite an imposing structure. It's very windy up there and should you decide to take the steps to reach the Dordenma, then be prepared for a real hike

The love for the king permeates every strata of the society and that is heartwarming to see all across the country


Area surrounding the Buddha Dordenma


That's the stairs part of the Buddha Dordenma


After spending some time going around the statue, it was time for the return and collect our permits which did not take time at all.By the time we returned we scrolled through the permits to find ours and went straight to the clock tower area for lunch.There is a nice fine dining restaurant named GA-WA and we ended up having a sumptuous lunch.Post lunch we went straight to the RSTA office Thimphu for extending the car permit.The duty officer took five minutes to endorse the same vehicle permit issued from Phuntsholing for our further travel.The efficiency of the government offices in Bhutan was an eye opener, wish something of that sort happened in our offices too !

Personal and vehicle permits done and we went to see the seat of power in Bhutan-Trashichho Dzong. It is the main administrative complex of the country and the main government offices run from here only.It is also called the Fortress of Glorious Religion. The entry ticket costs 300NU each and the services of a guide comes free along with it, just that folks who don't have guide with them will be bunched up together and tagged along a single guide! The guide is a worthy addition to the whole experience since he provides every bit information about the place and it's history. The tour around the Dzong was fantastic in every sense and one gets to know lot many things about the culture and traditions of the country as a whole. Once the tour around the Dzong is over the lights come on, the illuminated Dzong is a sight to behold.We ended up going up to the view point again just to see the illuminated Dzong from a distance. It was almost past seven when we decided to call off the day and return to the hotel.The day went off well with the dinner being the less attractive of all events for the day .

Here are some pictures through the day:

The pork and egg thali at the GA-WA restaurant


Thimphu valley seen from the Buddha Dordenma


This picture is clicked for a specific reason and I don’t know how many of good people will be able to find out


The National Memorial Chhorten


April-May is the best time to visit Bhutan only for the colours that you get to see all around


The Buddha Dordenma - one of a kind in the whole world


Rich and vibrant colours all around the King’s palace


The other side of the Trashichho Dzong which goes directly to the King’s palace as told by the security personnel’s


The lit up Dzong from up close


And the lit up Dzong from the view point


The General post office building Thimphu


Another view of the Trashichho Dzong

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 5: Dochula, Lobesa and Punakha escapade

A new day and a day to further our journey to Lobesa. The place was chosen for stay because of the accessibility from both Punakha and Phobjika. It takes around an hour or so to reach Punakha from Lobesa plus Lobesa also boasts of having the Chimi Lakhang temple or the 'Fertility temple' as it is known to outside people like us.More on that for later. We checked out at around 9 in the morning after breakfast and proceeded towards Dochula pass. On a good day, you can see many mountain ranges right from Dochula pass. We were not that lucky as it was foggy all around. The place was swarming with tourists and it was kind of a mini India right there at Dochula. Even the Dochula cafe was filled up and we had to wait for a table. We used the opportunity to take a walk around the Dochula pass as well as the little monastery up the hill beside the cafe. Worked up some appetite and returned after clicking some pictures and fortunately got a table to have some coffee and some snacks. The cafe is a proper restaurant which serves buffet breakfast and lunch as well. Spending some time and off we went to reach Lobesa around 1 in the afternoon.There was one check post where our permits needed to be stamped. Our hotel in Lobesa was Hotel Vara which got high recommendations across Trip adviser and the hotel itself looked quite nice.

View of the Lobesa valley from Hotel Vara

108 chhortens at Dochula


Dochula pass as seen from the hilltop monastery


Face of a true believer


View of the valley from the restaurant at Hotel Vara


View of the upper cottages from the restaurant


Now that’s one picture I say


Baahon showing up at Dochula pass


Hotel Vara has the best view rooms at the first floor with exclusive balconies to boot.


Dochula cafe presents such a vibrant atmosphere


View from the Dochula cafe


Roads were never this brilliant which brought a smile every time I looked around


Contemplating something may be this gentleman is!


After having a nice lunch consisting of fresh vegetables, we decided to visit Punakha Dzong and its surroundings. Now Punakha Dzong is arguably the most beautiful Dzong across Bhutan and also the seat of power during the winters when the whole administration shifts to Punakha. Since time was at a premium we decided not to enter the Dzong but view it from outside and probably that turned out to be the best decision in the hindsight. Saved some money as well in the process

We went around the Punakha Dzong and it was surrounded by bougainvillea flowers of every hue and colour. The views were simply outstanding and after soaking in the atmosphere around,off we went looking for the suspension bridge. My partner in crime decided not to take the hike to the suspension bridge and instead caught some moments of her afternoon siesta right in the car! I ended up going till the end of the suspension bridge and then returned and wondered whether it was worth the effort or not since I have been seeing this kind of suspension bridges all across Arunachal Pradesh right from my childhood. I could laugh at the futility of the exercise though. Returned to base and started our return journey towards Lobesa. There is this small opening of a road near the Punakha Dzong that goes towards the river and we promptly took it and the next moment Baahon was standing at the river bed. The water felt nice and some pictures later we were back to Lobesa to the lap of our hotel. Spent the evening relaxing and planning for the next day at Phobjika and our return to Paro. This was the only evening during the entire drive which we spent totally at the hotel without going anywhere!

Some pictures through the day:

Punakha Dzong main entry from the front


Punakha Dzong


Suspension bridge at Punakha


These four monks agreed to be photographed gladly with one even asking me to make him look good in the picture


Punakha Dzong from the Punakha chu


Blooming bougainvillea with all its might

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 6: Daring escape to the Airport city

The holiday was going very well and the morning at Lobesa it occurred to me that we only had two more days to enjoy Bhutan. On the previous evening,due to paucity of time and too much crowd, we couldn't visit the Chimi Lakhang temple while returning from Punakha.

Now the temple has a history behind it. Lam Drukpa Kuenley was an enlightened Buddhist master who personified crazy wisdom which is the profound wisdom that transcends the mundane cultures of religion.Devotees fondly call him the 'Divine Madman' because of his non conventional and outrageous style of teaching. He was a social critic who taunted the hypocrisy of the established orders including the monastic order. Thus the use of 'Phallus' as a weapon symbolises the discomfort that the society experiences while facing the truth. Lam Drukpa Kuenley liberated generation after generation of Buddhists from cyclic existence and is a revered figure for Buddhists all over the world. So this being the story, I decided to visit this temple very early in the morning. One has to walk through farming fields for considerable amount of time to reach the top of the temple. Now after reaching the top I was greeted by the GANG OF DOGS with their ferocious teeth since I was early and the temple hadn't opened officially and it was supposedly the study time for the students inside the temple. It took a kind lama from the temple to rescue me from the ordeal that I was able to at least get inside the temple! Fifteen minutes and I was done praying, I don't remember what I prayed for that day, such was the ferociousness of the attack


Trekking route to the temple passing through paddy fields



This small village surrounding the temple is also known as the Chimi lakhang village


Chimi Lakhang temple


Flaming thunderbolts depicted on a wall of a house of this tiny village


The local shops selling ‘Phallus’ of different size and colours



After this early morning adventure , returned back to the hotel and was glad that I lived to tell the tale to my better half! Breakfast was done in a jiffy and we checked out for Phobjika. The roads were butter smooth till Gangtay and till the turn where one has to drive towards Phobjika. The last 5-7 kms were little dodgy in terms of road surface but then that was nothing to worry about. There is a check post after Wangdue where the same drill of stamping is done for the permits. The police were real friendly in Bhutan - something that our folks can learn from them here in India. Reached Phobjika valley some time after noon and it was a sight to behold. The Phobjika valley is famous for the migratory black necked cranes but we were happy with the swing the valley itself. Spent some time around visiting the valley where you can even count the houses situated ! After spending some time , returned through the same route and visited the Gangtay Monastary. It looked more beautiful from a distance than it was from close proximity. Although we couldn’t visit the Wangdue monastery due to paucity of time, didn’t miss the place that much since the place was under renovation. Now for the last stop of our travel, we started for Paro. Stopped for some quick bites at Dochula Cafe again and spent some time there lazying since the crowd was less in the afternoon than what we encountered the previous day morning

It was around 6 in the evening that we reached our last stop at Paro - Gangtay Palace. The hotel is parched upon a hill and used to be the residence of the erstwhile Governor in its earlier avatar. It is the only palace converted to a hotel now. The rooms were quirky according to the authentic Bhutanese architecture but the palace gave some jaw inspiring views of the Paro valley and the Paro Dzong( specially at night). The dining room itself provides superlative views of the Dzong during the day and night. The food was good since the chef was from Siliguri and was mighty pleased to get the chance of speaking Bangla with us

Some pictures through the day :

Wangdue river gushing by the highway to Phobjika


Baahon with Phobjika valley in front


The magnificent Phobjika valley with its quaint little cottages


Gangtay Monastary from up close


Gangtay Monastary from a distance and it looked so good


Who thinks about the destination when the roads are like this !


First view of the snow capped mountain peaks


Wangdue monastery from the distance


Gangtay palace just when we entered the property oblivious of the beauty coming up in the morning


The Paro Dzong as visible from the room


And the Dzong view from the dining hall


The Majestic Paro Dzong clicked from the palace

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 7: Process of knowing your 206 type ka haddi

This day was going to be the test of the limbs and to know the strength of your legs. Yes, we both woke up early and set off for the Tiger’s Nest. It was still dark when we left our hotel and after some thirty minutes of driving we reached the base of the trek and parked our car. Now one more anecdote - we reached very early around 5.45 in the morning and the ticket counter was to open at 7 am, so instead of waiting for the counter to open we decided to climb up anyways. Now the trek to Takshang Gompa is said to be little tough for people who don't usually walk for long. At the base of the trek, there are ponies around to drop people up to the half way mark. The porters usually charge around 700-1000 NU per pony and its upon you to bargain for the right price. Now, Sanchita, my better half had recently undergone a torn ligament surgery and it was really tough for her to climb the trek. Hired a pony to carry her but it was almost a heart coming to my mouth moment every time the pony climbed up. I was following closely behind but after some distance the pony was no where to find! Kept up the pace for some time and then slowed down to conserve energy since the trek was getting difficult with with passing time.The trek requires concentration and fitness otherwise it becomes laborious after some time.


Views you get during the trek


Inside area of Gangtay Palace


I was carrying the hiking stick with me and it really came in handy.Do not attempt to trek up without a stick, in fact one can rent a stick for 50NU from the base of the trek where sticks of various sizes were being rented out. Trust me when i say that you will require the stick during the trek ,more so when coming down because the slopes can get real tricky. Meanwhile, reached the halfway mark of the cafeteria and rested for some time. Sanchita decided not to go up further but i was kind of eager to go the whole hog and I did go up to the Gompa. I did not have the ticket but a group from Maharashtra accommodated me into theirs since they had excess tickets and some from the group opted out.All in all, everything kind of fell in place. The trek took around 6 hours to get completed and by afternoon we were both at the hotel and yearning for some stone massage which we duly got at the hotel itself. Let the pictures do the talking for the trek :

The surface of the trek after a while becomes like the one in the picture


And gets even better as you go up


The first real close view of Tiger's Nest from the first point of stairs


I clicked a plethora of pictures while trekking to the Tiger's nest and along the way if one is diligent to carry the camera gears around, there are a variety of birds to be clicked.There is a small market at the base of the Gompa and I found the place the cheapest of the lot of all the places across Bhutan. We bought some tit bits here and there and got back to the hotel. The evening was spent by taking care of the calf muscles and the foot. we also visited the Paro market and spent some time at a nice coffee shop appropriately named the 'Mountain cafe'. The coffee shop part was consistent throughout our travel. A wonderful driving holiday came to an end with a promise to visit the eastern part of Bhutan soon enough.


Gangtay Palace


Colors of the summers


Paro valley as it looks from the compound of the palace


Another view of the snow capped mountains from the same compound


The dining room has 360 degree view of the entire Paro valley and the Dzong


Some brilliant colors on display


Someone was desperate for some coffee after the six hour trek


Baahon parked on the streets of Paro,and it was raining continuously


Now this was a true indicator of the nature of people in Bhutan

[ABHI_1512]

Chapter 8:End of the journey

And finally the morning came when our Bhutan sojourn came to an end as we started our return journey from Paro to Calcutta. Plan was to visit the Chelela pass in the morning along our return path but then the plan got shelved due to continuous rain. It was raining the previous night and continued raining through the morning as well. After having a sumptuous breakfast we started for Calcutta amidst the rains by around 11.30 am. No surprises throughout the route and finally reached Calcutta by around 7.30 the next morning with the mandatory food stops and breakfast at Shaktigarh.

Bhutan will remain with us for its people and the simplistic and holistic way of life that they follow. Its not for nothing that the small country is called the "Land of Happiness. Before finishing, I would like to leave you all with some pictures along the way :


Paro Dzong


A view of the runway of the Paro airport


Streets of Paro wore a deserted look in the rains


Washed up roads looked beautiful in the rains


Paro chu flowing alongside the main highway looked ethereal


This bridge had BRO written all over it



So till the next time, cheers
Abhishek

[BlackPearl]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues section. Thanks for sharing!

[Samfromindia]

Well you joined TeamBhp last month and this already your 2nd Travelogue ! Nicely narrated write up with a memorable location & the car i love is bound to pull my heart string Rated *****

[Jeroen]

Thanks for sharing. Amazing journey, well narrated and some lovely photography.

Jeroen

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Bhutan will remain with us for its people and the simplistic and holistic way of life that they follow. Its not for nothing that the small country is called the "Land of Happiness.

This is exactly the thought I carried back from there few years ago. (In the land of the thunder dragon - Driving Hondas from West Bengal to Bhutan!)Read More.

Bhutan is the kind of place where one needs to spend enough time to see those landscapes and meet those beautiful people. We had a very short time to enjoy the country properly. But that's always the case with any media drive.

Very well covered and lovely photographs. Thanks for sharing.

[Sujoy76]

Nice travelogue. You just tinkled my memory with your lovely travelogue. Coincidently I too stayed at Hotel vara and both of us clicked some photos from the same angle Loved the way you narrated the events and specially the photos at Saraswatipur Tea Resort.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Well you joined TeamBhp last month and this already your 2nd Travelogue ! Nicely narrated write up with a memorable location & the car i love is bound to pull my heart string Rated *****

Thanks much Samfromindia, making up for the lost time I guess. Thanks for rating and now that you know, we both are pulled by the same strings of heart.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Thanks for sharing. Amazing journey, well narrated and some lovely photography.

Jeroen

Thank you Jeroen, much appreciated

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

This is exactly the thought I carried back from there few years ago. (In the land of the thunder dragon - Driving Hondas from West Bengal to Bhutan!)Read More.

Bhutan is the kind of place where one needs to spend enough time to see those landscapes and meet those beautiful people. We had a very short time to enjoy the country properly. But that's always the case with any media drive.

Very well covered and lovely photographs. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you Rudra, it’s amazing how Bhutanese people have made simplicity inculcated into their way of life. One should definitely spend time with them, will come out richer for sure. By the way, followed your media drive back then and it’s nice to hear from you here

Originally Posted by Sujoy76

Nice travelogue. You just tinkled my memory with your lovely travelogue. Coincidently I too stayed at Hotel vara and both of us clicked some photos from the same angle Loved the way you narrated the events and specially the photos at Saraswatipur Tea Resort.

Thanks much Sujoy76, Vara is located fantastically isn’t it? Enjoyed your recent Agra travelogue, keep motoring.