An Adventure in Bhutan and onward to Darjeeling, Vietnam
and Thailand with John Delp.

The Bae-146-100 Druk Air jet swooped over the Himalayas like an eagle searching for prey and then locked in on its target, made a great circle, began the descent between the peaks until we were approaching the Paro Valley with snow-covered peaks above us just off the wing tips on both sides, dipped and glided further into the valley, made a turn to the left, dipped again dropping quickly and then a sharp further dip downward and the wheels touched perfectly onto the runway and the aircraft was sharply halted. Good thing as there stood a stately mountain at the end of the runway!

For the most impressive experience, be sure to book yourself in business class for a better view of the approach to Paro Airport.

The sole airport for Bhutan was constructed only in 1983 and is served by the two 72 passenger Bae-146-100 jets owned by the national carrier, Druk Air. Druk stands for Thunder Dragon in the Bhutanese language. This is the sole airline service to Bhutan from Bangkok, Dacca, Calcutta, Delhi and Kathmandu. According to a pilot, you could actually land a 737 at Paro, but you could not fly it out! The capital Thimpu lies 40 miles (64km), about 2 hours' drive, away. Travelling over Bhutan's twisty highway system, I asked the driver what was the longest straight section of highway in Bhutan. His reply, "The airport runway."

The environmentally pristine and culturally rich kingdom of about 600,000 population is sandwiched in between two of the world's most populated countries, India and China. These two bordering countries serve to besiege Bhutan with problems. Long islolated, this country is roughly the size of Switzerland, or Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Of the total population, approximately 30,000 reside in Thimpu and 20,000 in the Paro District. Unique to the country is the king's requirement that all citizens wear the national dress, the "Goh" for men and the "Kiras" for ladies. The kiras is a floor-length, kimono-like covering and the goh a knee-length, almost Japanese yukata-like garment, with a cloth belt that goes around twice and is tightly secured around the waist. There is thus created a fold of extra material kept around the middle that is used as a large store-it-all pocket.

The king has four wives with a total of ten children. The wives are all sisters and each lives in her own private residence. The king has no palace, just a two-room, modest cabin on the edge of Thimpu. He has a Toyota Landrover for his official car and has been known to drive it himself.

Having more than one wife is common, more than two is not unusual and it is even known for two brothers to share a wife.

Formerly a group of princely states, Bhutan was unified in 1616. The use of money came to Bhutan only in the 19th century, partly replacing the barter system. Runners between settlements and monasteries were replaced by the first postal system in 1960.

Chimneys are now being introduced with government assistance. Smoke from cooking fires in the home vented through roof openings, caused ungainly, black, soot-covered interiors of the cooking areas of the home.

Until recent years, there was no high school education in Bhutan, so all qualified students were sent to neighboring India or Sikkim for education above the jr. high school level. Those who qualified went further afield to Europe and the U.S.A. Now, there is high school education within the country and a university at Tashika, just north of the capital, Thimpu. Education is free and, in the countryside, free even down to such basics as pencils, primarily to keep the young people from moving to the cities.

All medical care is provided by the government free of charge, even if this requires overseas treatment.

Until 1961, it had taken six days on foot, with a mule to carry the supplies, to cover the distance of 127 miles (204km) from Phuntsholing (Phuentsholing), on the border with India, to Thimpu. That year, with most of the construction help from India, the road was completed for jeep travel. Today, with the road still maintained by India, the journey can be completed by car in a comfortable six hours. The government of India helped build a network of nearly 2,000 miles (3,220km) of asphalt roads that are decently maintained. The Bhutanese are now proud to claim maintenance of most roads east of Thimpu.

One may be surprised to learn that a major export from Bhutan is fruit to India. Not only fruit such as apples, but also citrus fruit. The areas of Bhutan bordering India are sub-tropical, allowing orchards of oranges and other citrus fruits which are processed in Bhutan to jams and preserves, as well as juices. Hydro-electric power is the next category of exports to power-thirsty India. A discussion at dinner also revealed a growing export of Matsutake mushrooms to Japan. These prized delicacies sell for upwards of US$100 for a box of two modest stems when they first come on the Japan market each year. "You must be joking!" replied the local travel service manager, "Ten stems would equal the cost of a yak!" The conversation led to - if a yak was worth ten Matsutake mushroom, how much would a cow cost? Answer, about six!

Travel for sightseeing is by newly-imported Toyotas over generally smooth asphalt roads, with few bridges and no tunnels through these Himalayan ranges. Motion sickness medication is a must. I was met on arrival at Paro and driven the 1 hour 40 minutes direct to Thimpu. Having made the trip on a previous occasion and considering the short distance, I unwisely skipped the Dramamine. This was a mistake. I spent a miserable few hours trying to regain my composure on arrival in Thimpu.

I was a guest of the state on this trip, so was met on arrival at the Druk Hotel in Thimpu by management of the travel and hotel industry. Sorry guys - as I ignored them all and took a direct jump to the lobby men's room! No more of this putting aside the motion sickness medication. I then took it regularly throughout the trip prior to all drives and had no further problems.

Some months back, during the course of making travel arrangements for December in Bhutan for several travelers, a fax arrived asking me to come for a visit as a guest of the state. It was time for an up-date, so I sketched out a travel plan and here I was. I wondered why the invitation, but was now to find that it was to show me that travel to Bhutan during the winter months was a good time to visit. The first two days of my stay, I was to find I was one of only two foreign tourists in the country.
 

The capitol buildings in Thimpu, Bhutan. Prayer flags flutter in the foreground.

Christmas Day dawned cold and gray, which is to be expected here in the Thimpu Valley. A brisk walk around the city at 7AM required a flannel shirt, sweater and winter coat. By 9AM we were at the Dochu La Pass, at 3,116 meters (10,220ft). This is a panoramic view point on the road to Punaka, about 45 minutes' drive from Thimpu. Here the towering peaks of some of the Himalayas most impressive ranges thrust upward in a sweeping panoramic view. Prayer flags flutter in the gusting winds and seasonal high altitude mountain flowers poke through patches of snow and frost.

Back in Thimpu, the temperature climbed to 23C (70F) and the coat and sweater went into the trunk of the car. So much for the idea of Arctic cold winters in Bhutan. It stays warm until about 4PM when it again cools off to the 40'sF (5C) each night. Definitely, long underwear, neck scarves, gloves and fur-lined boots are not required.

The hotels now have installed wall to wall, wool carpeting and new electric fan heaters, making the accommodation pleasant throughout the winter. Hotels are set up to add an extra bed, or even two beds to make a family accommodation.

Do you recall the national sport of Bhutan? Recall the Bhutan delegation of one at the Olympics. Archery. Do you know the number two national sport brought to Bhutan by the King? Basketball. One sees Chicago Bulls tee shirts, jackets and hats. My 1997 NBA Bulls wristwatch was a real eye grabber. Well, it did help that I kept pulling up my shirt sleeve to let the glass crystal catch the sunlight!

From a previous visit, I recalled that the national library had a large rose garden suffering from a leaf disease. I therefore packed a bag of powered chemical concentrate and a sprayer as my gift to Bhutan. The head librarian met me, and with the gardener, gladly accepted my gift. He was also pleased to accpet a copy of Donald Richie's book, "The Honorable Visitors", and a copy of "East is West" for the English language book section which covered nearly all of the main floor of the library. English is widely spoken and read throughout Bhutan. Many of the courses at all levels of education are taught in English.

While TV's may be displayed in shop windows, Bhutan has no television broadcasts. The sets are to watch videos and rental shops are found along Thimpu's main street. In fact, in reality, Thimpu has only one main street, less than a mile long. There is a radio broadcast a few hours each evening and the newspaper, Kuensei, published first in 1986, comes out each weekend in both Bhutanese and English.

With the car, driver and English-speaking guide at my service, the same services as provided to my clients, I drove the 40 miles (65km) back to Paro and the Paro Druk Hotel, set on the side of a mountain overlooking the city. You won't have to plead with the driver in Bhutan to slow down. The smooth but winding mountain roads restrict the maximum driving speed to about 35 miles (56km) per hour. When traveling in this part of the world, overland by car, be sure to limit the amount of luggage you carry to fit into the trunk of a car. Families sometimes fail to remember this and end up with luggage on their laps!
 

Tiger's Nest, not far from Paro, is indeed a challenge to reach.

 I had long wanted to make the trek to the Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, one of the most sacred places in Bhutan and a pilgrimage that every Bhutanese dreams of accomplishing. The monastery looks to be precariously glued to a rock ledge at 3,000 meters (9,840 ft), overlooking the Paro valley. Consult with your guide, but here again I overdressed. The early morning is cold, but by mid-morning you are likely to be very comfortable in shirt sleeves.

The trip up to the Tiger's Nest offers an option, horseback or hiking. I chose the obvious, horseback, and enjoyed the two-hour trek up from the starting point to the final viewpoint. For those extra energetic types, you may continue onward over a precarious trail to a close-up point, but that's another 30 minutes each way. I passed on that! After a light lunch, I began the descent with the guide. It is too dangerous to try this downward trek by horseback as the horses have enough problems with getting a firm foothold without a load, so we walked the 1 1/2 hours down. Here good trekking shoes or athletic shoes are a must. It's very warm most winter days, so even a sweater is not normally required.

Winding our way again by car towards the Indian border, one traverses a maximum pass of 2,500 meters (8,200 ft), and then drops down to Phuntsholing. This semi-tropical city shares the border with Jaigoan, India. The Queen Mother of Bhutan maintains a small palace here in which to reside during the winter months. The lovely tropical gardens are open to the public.

A formal border gate separates India from Bhutan at Phuntsholing, but one is able to walk freely across and back again. Other areas of the border have only a low ridge a few inches high to show the border separation. Locals and myself alike step across freely at any point. The contrast of neat, clean, slow-paced Bhutan clashes with that of India, only a step away. Bedlam, throngs of people, dust and honking horns of trucks and motorbikes, shriek for attention to announce arrival in India.

	LEFT: With no tunnels and few bridges, roads in Bhutan twist and turn. Taking a rest en route to the Indian border. ABOVE: Standard twin room in the Druk Hotel in Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan.