[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

That is exactly what I had apprehensions about when you mentioned that KSM-VTec is driving his own car to Thimphu. I did mention the fact in a post of mine early on.

I missed that part of your mail!

Anyway, they had big plans to drive not only to Thimphu and Paro but also Punakha, Wangdue and Trongsa.

A note here for intending travellers: Bhutan closes its borders with India at 10pm BST (9:30 pm IST) to ALL vehicular traffic, whether Indian or Bhutanese registered, whether entering or exiting. The gates reopen at 6 am BST (5:30 am IST). Only emergency vehicles like ambulances are allowed across. Pedestrian traffic, esp. Indian citizens, entering Bhutan is also not allowed during this time.

That is an improvement, last year it was 830 pm. I arrived at 9 pm at Jaigaon and the gates were already closed, had to stay in a horrible hotel in the shittiest town of Jaigaon. Luckily for KSM-VTEC, he was also allowed in although he arrived after 830 pm and he stayed at P'ling last night.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

I arrived at 9 pm at Jaigaon and the gates were already closed, had to stay in a horrible hotel in the shittiest town of Jaigaon.

Indeed, Jaigaon is as nasty a place as any of the worst towns of India. People are out to fleece you, and the amount of garbage on the roads is amazing. Add the rain to that, and Jaigaon looks like a pigsty compared to Phuentsholing.

Anyway, to continue...

Tuesday, 23 March, 2010:
We are in the land of happiness, and we are ready to explore what's on offer.


We have the full day today to explore in and around Thimphu. Our Kia Pregio with Pema at the wheel turns up at 9:30 am, and we venture out for breakfast. After a few false starts (including a visit to a cafe where a sandwich costs 180 Nu. and a burger costs 230 Nu.), we are taken to this quaint little cafe near the UNICEF building on the outskirts of Thimphu.







Tea in Bhutan (and Sikkim) is served in these covered cups, and it's a great way to keep the liquid warm.



Beef and pork form the staple non-veg diet of Bhutan, and the bird flu scare has made egg prices soar to 10 Nu. each in the retail market - so you get 2 boiled eggs for as much as 50 Nu. at the cheapest restaurant.



The ubiquitous room-heater-cum-stove occupies the centre of the room, and this one is a kerosene-fired model that costs about 10,000 Nu.

[SS-Traveller]

Presenting here a set of photos of sights in and around Thimphu.

Our first destination is the BBS Tower, for a bird's eye view of Thimphu from above.








































Prayer flags abound everywhere, and there are small offerings to the Gods in nooks and crannies of the hillside.

[SS-Traveller]

Our next stop is a sanctuary for the takin, the national animal of Bhutan.


















































Bored of takins? Here's a couple of Bhutanese dogs!!!

[SS-Traveller]

Some more driving around Thimphu, taking in the sights...






...and a trip to the National Library, where we get to see the world's largest book.








Bhutanese stamps are famous, esp. the 3-D variety, so we stop at the Post Office. 3-D stamps are not on sale, but you can have your own picture clicked and made into a stamp for 120 Nu. These are legal tender, and can be stuck to an envelope and posted!



















We also go hunting for 3-D stamps, but a shop asked for 4000 Nu. for a set of 10. And look what we find available in a restaurant alongside that shop!






Another short stop at the National Textile Museum. No photography allowed inside.








Then we decide to head for the Dochu La.

Dochu La (3050m) from where one can have a spectacular view of the Himalayas to the north when the sky is clear. The pass is marked by 108 chortens (Stupa) which are Buddhist reliquaries, memorials to the teachings of the Buddha. Sometimes actual relics of the Buddha or revered monks are inserted into the dome of the stupa, but whether or not there are relics inside, the stupas mark the landscape with reminders of the Buddhas teachings.

[SS-Traveller]

Now, Dochu La is on the way to Punakha, and we don't have a permit to go that way. A friend in IMTRAT tells us the Immigration people will let us go up to Dochu La and come back in a couple of hours.

At the Immigration check post the officials retain our permits and ask us to return within 1-2 hours. And we drive up to the pass through beautiful foggy and misty roads, to be greeted by dense fog up there!







We don't get to see much, but a tour of the monastery with a friendly monk lifts our mood...
















... as do some beautiful red rhododendrons in full bloom.

[hvkumar]

Personalised stamps - that is something new!
Will try to upload pix of some of the stamps I picked up in my 1994 and 2009 trips, some good ones, including 3D stamps, etc

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Now, Dochu La is on the way to Punakha, and we don't have a permit to go that way. A friend in IMTRAT tells us the Immigration people will let us go up to Dochu La and come back in a couple of hours.

At the Immigration check post the officials retain our permits and ask us to return within 1-2 hours. And we drive up to the pass through beautiful foggy and misty roads, to be greeted by dense fog up there!

Since I had taken permits for East Bhutan, I had no problem, showed my permits and moved on.

BTW, how much did the taxis cost you?

[SS-Traveller]

We are ravenously hungry on the way back, and stop at the checkpost to collect our permits as well as pick up some fruits on sale there. Unfortunately these are prohibitively expensive, and neither are the shopkeepers interested to sell.










The only affordable edible item there is the chhurpi, a dried hard cheese made of yak's milk.






Our driver promises us a tea stop at Simtokha, on the way back to Thimphu.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Since I had taken permits for East Bhutan, I had no problem, showed my permits and moved on.

BTW, how much did the taxis cost you?

We initially planned to get permits and go to Punakha, but given the bad weather, we decided to give it a miss.

This was the same microbus that brought us from P'ling, and he asked for 1800 INR/Nu. for the full day, going around Thimphu as well as up to the Dochu La. The next day's charge was the same again, for our trip to Paro and drop back to P'ling in the evening.

[Saurabh M]

Very nice pictorial tour of Thimpu. The hard cheese look like rock formations

Its sad that Dochu La was foggy, but nice shot of the 108 chortens. We got a clear view of the snow peaks from Dochu La in Feb, with temp hovering around -2 degC.

The apples look indeed delicious, but as you mentioned, most things are prohibitively costly in Bhutan.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Saurabh M

The apples look indeed delicious, but as you mentioned, most things are prohibitively costly in Bhutan.

Not really. The locals get to buy stuff from the markets at much lower prices, and it is only the tourist who has to pay. We as Indians get away cheaply when travelling to Bhutan, but the European/American traveller has to compulsorily prepare his itinerary through a Bhutanese travel agent, and agree to pay a minimum sum per day. We met this German gentleman who was on a 7-day trip to Bhutan, and was paying 180 USD per day for a package (including visa, accommodation, food, transport and guide) - and he was happy because he met other Europeans who are paying 250 USD per person per day!!!

Just an interesting bit of information: The total population of Bhutan is 700,000 people, and the population of Jaigaon is 400,000.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Our driver promises us a tea stop at Simtokha, on the way back to Thimphu.

So we stop to have tea,








and get entertained by this cute kid and the dog.








Right in the middle of the road is this gigantic prayer wheel.



Next stop: the National Chorten.

[SS-Traveller]

The building of this chorten was originally the idea of Bhutan's third king, H.M. Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (“the father of modern Bhutan”), who had wished to erect a monument to world peace and prosperity, but was unable to give shape to his idea in his lifetime due to pressures of state. After His Majesty’s untimely death in 1972, the Royal Family and Cabinet resolved to fulfill his wishes and erect a memorial that would perpetuate his memory and also serve as a monument to peace. The National Memorial Chorten was consecrated on July 28, 1974. The finely executed wall paintings and delicately fashioned statues within the monument provide a deep insight into Buddhist philosophy.

The Memorial Chorten is an impressive monument with its golden spires shining in the sun, its bells tinkling in the wind and an endless procession of elderly people circling around it. The Memorial Chorten was built in 1974 in memory of the third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. There are no mortal remains of the King inside the Chorten. There is only a photograph draped in ceremonial scarves on the ground floor. The ceilings of the small porches that grace all four sides of the Chorten are painted on the south with the mandala of the Buddha Ratnasambhava, on the west with that of Hayagriya, on the north with the mandala of Phurba and on the east with that of Vajrasattava. The Memorial Chorten is an excellent introduction to Trantic Buddhism.

In the center, the most visible religious structure is the National Memorial Chorten containing numerous sacred religious paintings and tantric statues. For many, this is the focus of their daily worship and people circumambulate the chorten throughout the day.

This is what we stop to visit as the dusk sets in.



















@ hvkumar: I remembered your comment about ice-cream not being available in Bhutan. Well, it is, now! We found this at the Plum's Cafe at the corner of the crossing with the sole traffic policeman.

[rideon]

An absolutely marvellous travelogue indeed! Like v&v mentioned let's get meetup and gather some more insight to the trip