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| Boys and chorten at Nabgang |
I ALWAYS THOUGHT Y2K was a problem with men’s briefs. So while a hysterical world awaited electronic meltdown and bankers watched their stocks by night, I bought six of the best in white cotton from Marks & Spencer and slipped away to the mountain kingdom of Bhutan, a place so remote the yaks have never drooled over Scarlett Johansson or puzzled over the financial dialectic of a dotcom. In fact, television was only officially permitted in Bhutan in 1999. The point is not that yaks are silly, shaggy creatures. They are. Nor is there a moral in my rampant purchase of underwear from Marks & Spencer. The point is that Bhutan is remote. It lies on the farthest fringes of imagination, closed to all but a privileged few, and that is how they like it over there. It works. Not much has changed since the advent of the new millennium. Yaks amble, and people yak, watched by benevolent snow-clad peaks. In March 2008, at the king's bidding, the country held its first elections – albeit reluctantly – to set up a democracy. The people favoured a royal succession, but the king, having announced his modernising intentions, stood firm. And a democracy it now is.
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About the size of Switzerland and with a population of just over 600,000, Bhutan is a breathtaking prospect and not just because at 10,000ft it can be a tad difficult to breathe. Here things are done slowly, at a leisurely pace. Perhaps those plodding yaks aren’t so stupid after all. The kingdom’s beauty lies in the fact that it has been painstakingly pickled with its fabulous mountains and monasteries intact. There’s little pollution, tree planting is in ample evidence and the quaint airport at Paro is squeaky clean. Barely 9,000 visitors trickle in each year on expensive guided tours. Compare that with over 20 million for Hong Kong and you get some idea of how it is possible to survive in the 21st century without “door close” buttons in elevators or indeed even elevators. Here you use things called stairs. Remember them?
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| Thimphu dzong early morning |
Perhaps the most incredible thing about Bhutan is the flight in from New Delhi (via Kathmandu) on Druk Air (www.drukair.com.bt). Druk Air (“druk” means dragon) also flies to Paro from Bangkok, Calcutta (now Kolkatta), Dhaka, and Bodhgaya, a network that keeps its small fleet of Airbus 319s (augmenting the two BAe-146s) fully occupied. My three-hour flight vaulted through laundered blue skies over eight of the mightiest peaks in the world including Everest, Kanchenjunga, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Bhutan’s very own Jumolhari. Once the peaks emerge, the window seat is very much public domain. You’ll discover people on your lap (not necessarily young and nubile) thrusting cameras of all description into your fumbling hands.
In Hong Kong they used to clap after the laundry-grazing touchdown at the old Kai Tak Airport. At Paro we just pushed our eyeballs back into their sockets. Pure Mahayana Buddhism is the official religion, a devotion well attuned to maintaining the ecological balance and harmonising with nature. Most of Bhutan remains virgin forest and there are a multitude of restrictions on hunting as well as fishing. With the advent of the monarchy in 1907, a succession of far-sighted, and popular, kings have steered the country towards a national ideal measured in terms of the “gross national happiness” (in preference to abstract GDP). If travellers are smiling, well, it’s just that GNH at work.
Picking up a Bhutan visa and getting there
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| Farmhouse outside Thimphu |
If you are heading for Thimphu the capital (at 8,000ft), it is a further two hours and 60km by road from Paro. Taxis charge around 8,000-10,000 Bhutanese ngultrum for the ride from the airport to Thimphu (US$1= 45.75 ngultrum). The Bhutanese ngultrum is roughly on parity with the Indian rupee (which is accepted everywhere).
Many groups, however, make Paro their base to save time. Why would you worry about time in an idyllic place like Bhutan? Simple. It costs around US$200 per person per day and the meter’s running as soon as you land. The minimum stay is three days. There is one exception. Indians can come and go freely as individuals, pick and choose their hotels and bargain for rates (which is never easy in the high season – March, April, May, September, October, November). Indians don't need a Bhutan visa either. Fortunately for Bhutan, a billion Indians are too busy watching b-grade Bollywood movies to consider levitating north.
Everyone else needs a visa for Bhutan and a “package holiday”. The good news is the rate covers everything – lodging, transport, visa fees and food. You’ll pay $200 per day regardless of whether you’re in a tent up in a blustery mountain pass or in the royal suite at a cosy resort. You can ask your agent to prefer certain hotels but it’s not a done deal. In the high season consider yourself plain lucky to just have a room. The low season rate is $165 per person per day but bear in mind these rates apply to “groups” of three or more persons. If you have opted for a “package” as an individual “with your own specially tailored itinerary), it is likely there will be a daily surcharge. Kids under 12 get a substantial discount as do students.
A quick geography lesson and roads
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| Amankora Paro/ photo: Amanresorts |
So there it was, Bhutan. The Land of the Thunder Dragon. Armed with a good Bhutan Map we coasted along the bottom of a valley following the icy blue-green waters of the Paro Chu (from where the Wong Chu rushes south to the Indian border at Phuntsholing) and then snaked onwards to the capital. Fresh off the North Indian roads where survival, not arrival, is the main focus, it came as a surprise to see the Bhutanese drivers doing a diligent 30km crawl, slower cars giving way for any tailback to overtake. These are first generation drivers imbued with equal measure of Buddhist courtesy and common sense. In the late Seventies when the first cars appeared, awestruck villagers would make offerings to the metal beasts and their drivers. Today cars are everywhere, the favoured models being four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruisers and the ubiquitous Indian-made Marutis. In Thimphu of an evening you may even spot a modest traffic jam.
The hill stretches are far emptier. All things considered, the vertiginous ribbons of road looping through Bhutan’s gorgeous, daunting terrain, are very good indeed. They are built and maintained at elevations of up to 13,000ft and temperatures well below zero in winter by Dantak (Indian border roads), whose signs exhorting you to drive safely will confront you at most challenging corners. This, however, is academic. Most visitors will either be in the hands of a tour driver, or on foot. Treks are popular and the routes impressive. Bhutan has more options than you can shake a stick at. Pick from tropical teak forests, alpine meadows fringed with poplar and oak or high, desolate glacial valleys. The tallest peaks (several above 23,000ft) jut upward from the east-west Himalayas to the far north and have long provided a natural border with Tibet. Jumolhari (also Chomolhari) lies on the northwest fringe.
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| Bridge in upper Thimphu Valley |
Moving broadly west to east, the key districts are Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Trongsa, Bumthang and Trashigang, most of these in parallel valleys running more or less north to south. The solitary highway runs east-west crossing some majestic passes along the way. Dochu La (pass), at 12,000ft en route from Thimphu to Punakha offers spectacular views of snow-clad ranges, best viewed early morning before clouds move in. Brightly coloured prayer flags flutter on banners clustered on dizzying spurs importuning the gods on the breeze while travellers burn juniper twigs to seek safe passage. The pass is about 45 minutes from Thimphu. See our Map of Bhutan.
Bhutan hotels, Paro and surrounds
Getting around will not be a problem. The Bhutanese speak Dzongkha (literally “language of the dzongs” in a Tibetan script) but English is widely understood at most Bhutan hotels, as is Hindi. The dzongs are monasteries-cum-administration centres, several fortified, and you will see them perched on impossible crags – great for recluses, terrible for government officials in a hurry. Get those legs in shape. The only way up is the hard way while you frequently pause (supposedly to enjoy the view) and fully appreciate why this is a country of such incredibly hardly people.
One of the first dzongs you’ll encounter should you make Paro your initial base, is the vertiginous Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest), clinging to a sheer cliff. This is where the revered Guru Rimpoche was said to have arrived from Tibet in the first century, riding on the back of a tiger. Picturesque Paro Dzong was featured in the movie Little Buddha.
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| Hotel Olathang room/ photo: hotel |
Bhutan hotels have moved upscale in recent years with the arrival of the pioneering Amanresorts – which runs a string of intimate lodgings – and the Uma Paro by COMO Hotels & Resorts, where rooms could go for over US$1,000 a night. The hermit kingdom of Bhutan will eventually host six Amans all under the Amankora name. Amankora lodges are currently located in Paro, Thimphu, Punakha and Phobchikha (also Phobjikha), offering guests the ability to tailor a unique “Amankora Journey” through some of Bhutan’s most scenic and mystical valleys. Amankora derives its names from the twinning of the Sanskrit word “aman” (meaning other worldliness or peace) and “kora” (describing the circular Buddhist pilgrimage in Dzongkha).
Amankora Paro is a 30-minute drive from Paro near Balakha Village about 2,250m above sea level. Broad views take in the ruins of the historic Drukyel Dzong as well as majestic Jumolhari. Typically understated but nonetheless lavish in its resounding simplicity, Amankora Paro’s design is unobtrusive and faithfully Bhutanese, with rammed-earth walls, gently sloping roofs and wood-panelled interiors typical of the region. The luxury lodge has 24 suites. In addition to a large and chic central fireplace warming the lounge, rooms have individual wood-burning “bukharis” or stoves. After a day of trudging about absorbing stupendous views and chill mountain air, guests will enjoy the two-floor Spa replete with sauna, steam rooms, and a yoga suite. (Amankora features in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
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| Uma Paro/ photo: hotel |
The charmingly rustic Uma Paro is set on a ridge above the town and was formerly the home of a local nobleman. The place remains true to Bhutanese architecture and form right from its earthy exteriors to the shingle roof kept in place by large rocks. Interior floors deviate modestly – smooth black marble underfoot along with cool timber planks. Deck chairs overlook blue pines and, beyond, steps lead to hot stone bathhouses. Alternatively, guests can pop into the group’s very own Shambhala Spa, that will stretch the limbs and imagination working through a range of regimens covering yoga, rubs, and treatments. Conveniently sited near Paro Airport, Uma looks the perfect country lodge, its 20 rooms arrayed around a cobblestone courtyard, with a few private villas nestled amidst 38 acres of hillside.
For a local-style experience, Hotel Olathang is a charming option, set amidst a forest and flower-strewn paths. Here guests will be handed out tiny keys on giant six-inch brass key-holders. Young women in traditional kiras will whisk your bags away in seconds as you wander in to peruse a large portrait of His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The king’s benevolent gaze will follow you at most hotels, restaurants and shops around the country. It was the king’s coronation in 1974 that prompted the opening of this 59-room hotel that hosted invitees for the event. Choose from colourful Bhutanese rooms or larger cottages set amidst 28 acres of woodland.
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| Gangtey Palace Hotel/ photo: hotel |
Look at the pleasant and spread out Kyichu Resort (they also operate a resort in Wangdi). Expect simple, clean surrounds, an unhurried atmosphere and indigenous decor. Just 15 minutes from the airport, Kyichu Resort (sometimes misspelled Kichu) offers an attractive five-acre natural setting with lovely lawns, flowers and a riverside location. Other options may include Tiger’s Nest Resort (11 small cottages with commanding views of the monastery as well as Chomolhari peak, heating, laundry and IDD phones), and the traditional 100-year-old Gangtey Palace hotel. Gangtey Palace belonged to the royal family until mid 1930 when it passed into lesser hands, albeit still aristocratic. Enjoy cinemascope views and visit the centrepiece altar room to view the Shambhala fresco. There are 20 acres of garden for strolls, cameras, honeymooners and those communing with inner children or more. Have a mid-life crisis here unmolested by traffic or mobile phones.
Thimphu hotels, shopping, dining and sights
Thimphu is a small town in a picturesque valley with a main street boasting a supermarket, a movie theatre, general stores and handicrafts. Traffic of sorts, ambles along, unimpeded by modern contrivances like traffic lights. This is yak country that would do any harmonica-playing Marlboro pony proud.
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| King's throne in the Assembly |
Taxis in the form of Maruti minivans ply the streets and these can be hired for short trips within the city. taxis are metered though drivers prefer to haggle. Fix a rate before setting out. It is common to share a taxi on a fixed route. If you need a private vehicle, companies like the Bhutan Tourism Corporation Ltd (or BTCL, Thimphu tel: [975-2] 322647, www.kingdomofbhutan.com) can assist with a car. It is unlikely you will need wheels, however, as your package includes a car and driver or at least a van and driver. Alternatively, hop on a yak, point the beast in the right direction, and have a snooze for about a week.
On Saturdays and Sundays the colourful weekend market is worth a trawl for curios and clothes. The place is overwhelmed with vegetables, some rather appetizing, so you’ll have to dig around. The best places for traditional items are the government-run Handicraft Emporium which has reasonable prices and the tad more expensive Bhutan Arts & Crafts Centre. The craft centre has decent tankhas (Tantric cloth paintings) starting at around Rs9,000 or dearer. Better pieces are well over three or four times that. The Bhutanese ngultrum is on parity with the Indian rupee (which is accepted everywhere). Embroidered kiras, the traditional women’s gowns, sell from Rs20,000 to Rs50,000 (in silk) and up. Interestingly, many Bhutanese ladies prefer to buy the silk for their kiras at the Yue Hwa department store in Hong Kong.
Thimphu is awfully compact and most distances can be covered on foot. While the city is uniformly charming in a modest way, the Bhutan Arts & Crafts Centre is at the very hub of things not least because of its location next to the popular Swiss Bakery, a favourite hangout for foreigners and locals alike. Here, culture-shocked expats can pick up a reassuring Swiss roll for a few rupees. The place is awash with “what’s on” notices and it’s a good spot to acclimatize in before starting out.
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| Thimphu from Changangkha |
Venture forth to the Hotel Druk (for Indian), the Hotel Tandin (for Continental) and the Rabtan Apartments (for Bhutanese) where a lot of the city’s VSOs (voluntary services overseas personnel) end up. Or try popular restaurants and pit stops like the conveniently located Plums Café, sandwich shop Art Café, Khamsa Coffee, and Bhutan Kitchen, (often patronised by the royals). I encountered the Crown Prince on more than one occasion, his tough, steely-eyed security detail gazing unwaveringly – at him. Local dishes, often spicy, include paksba paa (pork with red rice), Bhumtbang puta (buckwheat noodles) and mengye (a sort of rice pizza). After hours, which is as soon as the sun sets or even before, Thimphu goes to sleep, but not entirely. The city has a few lights on but those strolling the outskirts will have to navigate by starlight (which is abundant) and the occasional headlights cutting through the inky black. This is when discos and music lounges like All Stars, Destiny, and Gravity get going, attracting a young, Westernised set. There’s no formality here. Knock, enter, smile, and smile some more. Royals, foreign dignitaries and local folk mix amiably at these melting pots, getting into their groove.
Changankha monastery above Thimphu in the Motithang area is responsible for the guardian deity of children. Things can get all too fertile if the deity is pleased so keep an eye on your date. Families make a regular pilgrimage here to spin prayer wheels – a wonderfully mechanised way to keep in touch with spirits – thank the Gods and get their fortunes told with the roll of a dice. Should you not wish to tempt fate, step outside to take pictures. The relentless blue skies and crisp winter weather especially during winter will keep your camera clicking fingers busy.
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| Nabgang village mansion |
Thimphu’s impressive and stately Tashicho Dzong is the country’s main administrative centre and not far from it is Bhutan’s only official golf course. Upriver from Thimphu the road follows the stream north passing Dechchen-Choling (where the Royal Family live at the palace), terminating after a 25-minute drive at the base of the Tangu monastery. An old cantilever bridge spans the brook, depositing visitors onto a picturesque meadow and a path that climbs straight up to the dzongs. This is a nice spot for a picnic if you haven’t the time to venture farther.
The BTCL runs a fine property near the Changankha monastery called the Motithang Hotel. It is traditional in style, modern in finish with lots of wood panelling and local touches. The views are tremendous, the curries good enough to bring a pink tingle to the cheeks, and the rooms luxurious by local standards. It is a bit of stretch from here to town though. Most properties in Bhutan are traditional in appearance, décor and management. That is to say they are welcoming but not always the most modern when it comes to hot water and plumbing. Motithang scores well though with reliable electricity and enough hot water to slough off the day’s crud and more.
The top choice in this picturesque Motithang area if your wallet will stretch is Amankora Thimphu (one of four simple yet stylish Amanresorts lodges). Its architecture mimics the local dzongs and their high, brilliantly laundered whitewashed stone walls, and courtyards welcoming of visitors and eye-squinting sunlight. There are 16 suites with ample room, twin vanities, and the warming “bukhari” stove, and the Spa offers three treatment rooms. The Amankora Journey is a circuit worth considering, sweeping you from one magnificent vista to another. (Amankora features in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
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| Taktsang Monastery/ photo: Mandip Singh |
Hotel Druk, smack in the heart of the business district downtown offers good service, attentive staff and clean rooms. You can pretty much walk from here to any point within the city. Not much in the way of views here unless you can wrangle high-floor rooms facing the archery field and the river. The Jumolhari Hotel has nice décor, friendly staff and quality rooms. The library is an added bonus. If you are so inclined you can even try out the aromatherapy at their health club. For decent views you might try the more “modern” Riverview Hotel, which actually lives up to its name. The place offers refuge from the city’s incessantly barking dogs and nice wooded river views. As with the more “modern” establishments though, staff may occasionally forget to smile. Our guess is they’re being “professional”. The homely Pinewood Hotel (also Pinewood Lodge) lies up on a wooded spur while other lodging choices could include Hotel Taktshang, and Jambayang Resort just outside Thimphu.
Heading east to Punakha and beyond
Lying about 60km and two-and-a-half hours to the east, Punakha, the old capital makes an interesting visit. Its impressive dzong (built in 1637 AD) at the confluence of the Pho Chu (male river) and the Mo Chu (female river) has been through major renovation. What’s additionally impressive about Punakha Valley is that is lies almost at sea level and you can briefly fill your lungs with oxygen before the tour moves up into other more rarefied environs. About 30 minutes up the valley wall is the important Talo monastery (built in 1764 AD). The last few miles are on a dirt track passing through terraced rice fields and lush firs.
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| Amankora Punakha suite/ photo: Amanresorts |
About 20 minutes along the same ridge but at a slightly lower elevation is the pretty little village of Nabgang with a few orderly houses and bright red splashes of poinsettia. You can buy oranges here for almost nothing and they’ll beat Sunkist anytime. Nobgang’s claim to fame is that Bhutan’s current queens (all sisters) came from here. Amankora Punakha offers a stately home away from home here with eight suites, north of the dzong.
Two decent hotels in the general vicinity are Dragon’s Nest in Wangdi, and the Zangtopelri (also Zangtho Pelri) in Punakha with 45 rooms (attached bath and hot running water). Another nice spot near Wangdi (on the Thimphu-Punakha road) is the small Kyichu Resort with cottages right on the river. (Kyichu also runs a splendid family resort in Paro.) This is where you might overnight en route to the picturesque high valley of Phobchikha, home to rare black-necked Siberian cranes in winter. There is rough-and-ready accommodation at the beautifully preserved Gantey monastery overlooking the valley, but this might be too basic for some and far too cold. Fortunately, the Amankora Gangtey is at hand with eight comfortable suites and the obligatory bukhari.
Bhutan trekking tours and options
Trekking in Bhutan is extremely popular and there are a number of stunning options ranging from three days to three weeks. A Jumolhari trek going up to 10,000ft will take at least six days while the Druk Path crossing a series of ridges with rhododendron forests and lakes from Thimphu to Paro (or the other way around) is a brisk four-day hike and one of the more popular all-age Bhutan treks. Gasa, the district immediately to the north of Punakha offers in-your-face close-ups of the Himalayas. The Laya-Gasa trek from Jumolhari to Laya is a nice wilderness option and the more ambitious can try the Punakha-Lunana high-altitude trek, an instant slimmer through the rugged Karkachu La (pass) into one of Bhutan’s more remote districts.
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| The splendid Punakha Dzong |
Etho Metho Tours run up to 21-day foot-scorchers through the stark inner Himalayan valleys offering itineraries to Bumthang at the other end of the country, Laya, Chomolhari (also Jumolhari) and even Punakha in winter. If this is too aerobic for your liking, there are gentler low altitude options like Gantey (in the stunning Phobchikha Valley) taking in meadows, magnolia and the charming monastery. Other circuits can be tailor-made for you if there are special requests or needs.
What if those spirits sabotage your trip?
Bhutanese friends had warned me about the tashigacha or inauspicious days for journeys, but the sheer joy of visa-free travel on an otherwise much abused Indian passport proved too much and I headed off in all directions regardless. Fortunately, it turned out that week was fine. I did burn some juniper twigs up at Dochu La for good measure. And I washed my underwear vigorously.
There are other more ominous periods like the “Confluence of Nine Evils” which are said to be particularly dodgy. But then again, if you’re really keen to send your mother-in-law up some death-defying pass on a hobbled mule, who’s to say no. The Bhutanese realize this could put a serious crimp in your plans and they have they perfect solution. They pack their bags and head off a day before the actual journey to “trick” the spirits. Then they return home with stealth, which is still possible in this land of well spread-out neighbours, to actually leave the next day. The kindly mountain spirits fall for this ruse every time.
Perhaps they’re distracted by the paintings on village houses featuring large male organs. Don’t be alarmed. These are fertility symbols. Go on, take the high road. But first take a deep breath, at sea level.
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