[Chevy_lover]

We then visited the Dechen Phodrang monastery. It too had some very beautiful prayer wheels. There is a big Buddha statue inside the monastery. Photography is strictly prohibited inside.

[Chevy_lover]

We then went up to the broadcasting tower to get a panoramic view of Thimphu town. Seeing the small city from the top of the hill was an amazing experience. Tashichho Dzong, where the King lives, can be seen clearly from the top of the hill.

On the way back, we stopped by a forest reserve to see one the most endangered and rarest species of animals in the world, known as Takin, which is also the National animal of Bhutan.

[Chevy_lover]

We then went to Dochula Pass, situated at a height of 10,000 feet. We could see the Himalayas very close from Dochula. It was terribly cold there and it is usually covered in snow during winters. But sadly, we could not see any snow in Jan 2006. There is a memorial complex of 108 Stupas in Dochula Pass. These were built to commemorate the success of the Bhutanese army against Indian rebels, who had taken refuge inside Bhutan. It was an amazing experience seeing all the Stupas and a small temple there.

We returned back to Thimpu, very satisfied and happy. We spent the rest of the day shopping and roaming around the city. We had an awesome dinner in a Chinese restaurant. Can you imagine how much sizzlers cost there? Rs. 80!!!!

[Chevy_lover]

Day 6;

This was our last day in Thimpu. We decided to explore the city on foot. We went to the lower part of the city and were lucky to witness an Archery competition going on in full swing. There were about 15 contestants and the competition was very close. While the men were fighting it out, women were dancing and singing near the arena. The men also sang and danced in between the competition.

I was told that archery was a costly sport and the bow could cost up to to $1000!!!

[khan_sultan]

@Chevy_Lover, this post makes me nostalgic. My father was posted in Bhutan for a few years and we used to visit him during our holidays.

Few things I still remember: Amazing flora & Fauna. I still vividly remember the most beautiful butterflies there.. big, bright and colorful.

The postage stamps. I think Bhutan has the most beautiful stamps in the world.

The obsession with 'archery' -- I think it's their national game. Everyone just loves archery and yes, football also.

Very very warm & friendly people.. A must visit place for enthusiasts.

[Chevy_lover]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

That's a great travelogue and very nice photos! Thanks for posting.

If you have some photos of the vistas and the breathtaking scenery around Bhutan, please do post them.

@Anup, I will be posting more pics soon. Thanks for your comments.

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

@Chevy_Lover, this post makes me nostalgic. My father was posted in Bhutan for a few years and we used to visit him during our holidays.

Few things I still remember: Amazing flora & Fauna. I still vividly remember the most beautiful butterflies there.. big, bright and colorful.

The postage stamps. I think Bhutan has the most beautiful stamps in the world.

The obsession with 'archery' -- I think it's their national game. Everyone just loves archery and yes, football also.

Very very warm & friendly people.. A must visit place for enthusiasts.

I totally agree with you, Sultan_khan. Bhutan is an amazing country and I will surely recommend it to anyone.

Yes, Bhutanese stamps are really beautiful! We could see a football match also in the ground near the Post office. Do you remember all the places???

Originally Posted by amtak

I see a Hyundai Tuscon there! I guess it was exported from here. Nice trip buddy!

@ amtak, we saw almost all types of SUVs in Thimpu. The most common was the Pajero and Kia. As I mentioned in my post, there is no import duty on cars. So Pajeros, Prados, Range Rovers, Tucsons, etc, are imported mainly from Thailand.

[ramkya1]

Hai Chevy lover,

That's an awesome piclogue.... thanks for posting that.

Lots of tit-bits and useful inforamtion about the country makes it worth a read. Keep them coming... awaiting some photos of vistas if you have.....

Happy Driving,

-Ramky

==========

[Chevy_lover]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Hai Chevy lover,

That's an awesome piclogue.... thanks for posting that.

Lots of tit-bits and useful inforamtion about the country makes it worth a read. Keep them coming... awaiting some photos of vistas if you have.....

Happy Driving,

-Ramky

==========

Thanks Ramky. In my travelouge, Thimpu is almost over. Coming up next is Paro. Paro is famous for natural beauty. Lots more pics coming up. I am sure you will enjoy it!

[visu03]

Originally Posted by Chevy_lover

@ amtak, we saw almost all types of SUVs in Thimpu. The most common was the Pajero and Kia. As I mentioned in my post, there is no import duty on cars. So Pajeros, Prados, Range Rovers, Tucsons, etc, are imported mainly from Thailand.

May be we can buy a Prado in Bhutan and drive it in India

[mezereo]

hey chevy_lover, fantastic travelogue and pics.
good write up and information buddy. your post indeed made me to think of having a vacation there.
keep it continued.

[Chevy_lover]

Originally Posted by mezereo

hey chevy_lover, fantastic travelogue and pics.
good write up and information buddy. your post indeed made me to think of having a vacation there.
keep it continued.

Thanks buddy. Next post coming up shortly. Pics will be posted late at night, from my laptop.

Keep reading!

[faithless_1984]

Amazing travelogue chevy_lover....very well written.!
Looking forward to more pics/posts.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Jaigaon, 150 kms from Siliguri

Thanks, that is what I remember it to be, even though it is neary 14 years since I'd planned to go there! I guess it is pronounced as 'Joy gaon' by locals.

[Chevy_lover]

The Thimpu experience continued....

Day 6;

We had a very touching experience on our last day, Jan 2nd, in Thimpu. I will come to that later.

We decided to spend our last day in Thimpu, exploring the city and shopping. We spent the entire day walking around the city. We also got the opportunity to watch two football matches, between local clubs. We were lucky enough to see the finals too! I think a club from Punakha region won. I was very impressed with the soccer skills of Bhutanese youth. One club team even had a foreign coach!
Football is a passion for Bhutanese!

The archery competition was also going on in full swing on a ground adjacent to the football stadium.

Later, we went to some supermarkets and bought some imported Thai goods. We could see that most of the shops in Bhutan stock Thai and Chinese products the most!!! Indian products come a close third!

We explored different restaurants and tried new cuisines. I must say that the food was simply awesome! Food was quite cheap too!

As I mentioned earlier, all hotels and restaurants close down in Bhutan by 10 pm. Some pubs and discotheques remain open till 1 am. During our window shopping, we saw an advertisement about a pub with live music. We decided to try it out.

That evening, we went to ‘Boomerang’ pub. It had a great rock band. The pub was very good and it had Snooker tables also. Almost all international brands of liquor was available and it was cheap too. The rock band was really good and we enjoyed their music thoroughly. They sang almost all the hottest English rock songs.

We spent some quality time there and had supper and drinks. We were so engrossed in the lovely, pulsating music, that we totally forgot about the time factor. We had forgotten to inform our hotel that we would be coming late.

We reached our hotel by 10.15 pm and to our shock, we found that the main door was closed! We rung the bell and kept on knocking on the door for half an hour. Still no one heard or answered us. The hotel owner and family stay on the third floor and they were probably asleep! We saw that all the lights were out.

We spent the next hour yelling and knocking on the door. But no one heard us. The worst part was that we were freezing in the stinging cold weather! The whole street was deserted and we were the the only people outside. My mobile was latching on to Bhutan Telecom network, but I was not allowed to make calls. We saw that all phone booths on that street had closed down. We found a small shop with a telephone, but the owner was not willing to allow us to make a call to the hotel!! We explained our predicament to her in all the languages that we knew! But still she said, “Shop close”. I still cannot understand why she refused to help us!!!

As a last resort, we went back to the pub and told about our plight to the pub owner, who also did the work of the bar man. He was very kind and immediately called up the hotel’s number, which was on my room key. But no one answered. By this time, we had accepted the fact that we may have to sleep in the pub!!!

There was no one else in the Pub, other than the band boys and the owner and his wife. They were getting ready to wind up and have dinner. The rock band’s drummer heard our story and immediately offered to help us. He was a young guy of about 18. We were so happy and gladly accepted his offer.

He came with us all the way to our hotel, which was about a kilometer away from the pub, and started shouting along with us in Bhutanese language. By now the time was 1am. The area behind the hotel was a small hill, about two stories high. I asked my wifey to keep on knocking at the door. The drummer boy and I went to the top of the the hill, in an attempt to wake up the owner’s family. But we were chased away by street dogs and we had to run back to the street. The drummer boy used his mobile to call the hotel's landline.

After a lot of shouting and banging on the door, the owner’s daughter opened the third floor window and said "No Room". We had a tough time making her understand that we already had rooms there!!! Finally she came down and opened the door for us. The only expression on her face, was a silly smile!

We will never be able to express the relief we felt to be inside the hotel. We thanked the drummer boy as earnestly as we could. He did not even wait to tell me his name and ran off. I really think God sent him to help us!

This was an example of the friendliness and sincerity of Bhutanese people.


Coming up later tonight, pics of "Boomerang" and journey to Paro...
One of the most amazing scenes ever caught on film!!! Do check this thread!!

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Chevy_lover

One of the most amazing scenes ever caught on film!!! Do check this thread!!

Gosh, Chevy_lover, we are all following this thread eagerly and you still thought it necessary to throw in suspense!
At least don't keep us waiting too long!