Bhutan

Have you ever heard of the country Bhutan ?

The people that I have talked it to referred Bhutan as the country that only has vegetarian food, is known for Buddhism, or that known for worshiping the Phallus.

These are all for the most part true, with the exception that Bhutan does have meat in their food, however killing anything is illegal in Bhutan. Because of this, they import all of their meat from neighboring countries such as India. The worshiping of the Phallus isn't sexual - in fact it's for fertility, and there's a fertility temple that has been known to allow couples with fertility issues to have children.

Some other interesting things I learned while in Bhutan are:

• Bhutan is currently a democratic country but influenced by the King.
• Every king of Bhutan is known for something in particular. The current king is known as the people's king since he visits citizens of Bhutan listening to what they need, as well as overseeing the democratization of Bhutan.
• Not everyone has to be of Buddhist religion, although the majority of Bhutan is Buddhist.
• Some of the most difficult hikes in the world are in Bhutan. Part of the difficulty is how remote some of these areas are without any easy type of help and rescue. Our tour guide said they took two men on a hike, but needed at least five people to support them due to the how dangerous the trek is.
• Some Bhutanese people still live a very simple way of life. For example, my group and I saw a mother carrying a log on her back while her daughter was walking along with her.
• There is a lot of construction happening in Thimphu, and it's quite interesting to see how construction works there compared to what we see here in America.
• Bhutan has good relations with India, and hires skilled labor from India for construction.
• Bhutanese people make their own version of moonshine. If you are curious to see what it tastes like, I would highly recommend trying some - it's actually decently smooth considering that it's homemade alcohol.

Great, so how do I get to Bhutan, and how much does it cost ?

• For anyone flying to Bhutan, outside of India, you can only get there from Singapore, Nepal, and Bangkok with a connecting flight through Kolkata, India.
• You can only visit Bhutan through a tour company. They all charge $250 / person / day which is mandated by the government. In case you're interested, the government charges American tourists $65, figure in about $50 for a hotel which includes breakfast and dinner, lunch at a location near where you are during the day ($5), and that leaves about $135 leftover to split between the driver, the car, the tour company, and the tour guide. 
• This is also a $40 visa fee, and keep in mind that Bhutan currently only grants 250 visas per day, so if you plan on visiting Bhutan, make sure you plan ahead.
• Other than the costs mentioned above, I withdrew $100, which allowed me to purchase mainly souvenirs. Most of my friends in my group withdrew $200, and was looking for excuses to finish spending all of the money the exchanged.
• For reference, you can buy soap or chap stick for about $2 each, a baby yak scarf for about $13, small key chain souvenirs for about $3-$4 each, and wooden Phalluses range anywhere from probably $15 to above a hundred dollars.
• The currency in Bhutan is called the Ngultrum, and the US exchange rate when I was there in Nov 2019 was approximately 70 to $1 USD.
• You can use Indian Rupees as well, and I believe the exchange rate is a lot better per US Dollar than exchanging for Ngultrums.

What kind of food is served in Bhutan for tourists ?

• Most if not all of the food you'll be eating in Bhutan is buffet style. 
• Usually, most of the food is home cooked style food, and is pretty healthy food for the most part.
• If you're lucky, you'll be able to try red rice, which is locally grown in Bhutan.
• Breakfast and dinner are usually served by the hotel you're staying at, and lunch is usually served near the area you are touring during the day.
• Beverages are usually water, coffee, tea, and optionally beer which is usually beer made locally called Druk.

My 7 day itinerary in Bhutan was:

Day 1 (11/20) : Paro to Thimphu

• Fly out from 6:30 AM, stopover on Kolkata at 7:45, flew out at 8:15, arrive at 9:55 in Paro.
• Flew in from Bangkok on Bhutan Airlines with a quick stopover in Kolkata, India to Paro, Bhutan. Passed by Mount Everest’s mountain peak.
• Exchanged currency, went through customs,, and getting our bags only took maybe 20 minutes.
• Greeted by Bhutanese tour company with scarves as a cultural tradition. Met tour company, had some tea / coffee in the airport’s cafeteria, and drove to Jangtsa Dumtseg Lhakhang.
• Afterwards, we went to the National Museum of Bhutan, Rinpung Dzong and then did a 1 hr 45 minute hike.
• Chuzom Bridge with 3 stupas to on the way to Thimphu. This is where the Thimphu and Paro rivers join or split.
• Lunch at Hotel Samden Norzen
• Hotel Phuntsho Pelri and wandered around to the stadium, clock tower, and to buy some souvenirs.
• A lot of new construction happening.
• Had dinner at the hotel (Hotel Phuntsho Pelri), and walked around a little bit more before going to bed.

Day 2 (11/21): Thimphu

• Had breakfast at hotel. 
• National Memorial Chhorten
• Buddha Dordenmo/Buddha Point - Singaporean Billionaire spent 100 million. May become the 8th wonder of the world.
• Kunselphodrang Nature Park
• Royal Takin Preserve 
• National Institute for Zorig Chusum
• Gagyel Lhundrup Weaving Centre
• Bhutan Handicraft Shopping Centre
• Folk Heritage Museum Kawajangsa
• Tashichho Dzong
• Dinner at hotel, and walked around Thimphu again 

Day 3 (11/22): Punahka

• Dochula pass
• Stopped in Mendrelgang for some snacks
• Chimi Lhakang (fertility temple)
• Passed by phallus shops
• Punakha - Rice Fields
• Divine Cafeteria for lunch
• Punahka Dzong 
• Punakha Suspension Bridge
• Stay at Kingaling Hotel
• Kuenselphodrang Recreation Park
• Sanchen Chokhor Monastery

Day 4 (11/23): Paro

• Bridge by Mochu Rafting River
• Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Choeten
• Menchuna Restaurant
• Back through Dochula pass
• Drove back to Paro
• Went to Paro Vegetable Market
• Deki Homestay

Day 5 (11/24): Overnight camping

• Sangchen Chokhor Monastery
• Lunch at Choechosi
• 7 hour hike up to Bumdrak Monastery
• Got there around 3-4 PM. Ate dinner there, and stayed the night.
• No heat, no showers so be prepared.
• Pic of stars / sunrise
• Hiked up the mountain to Bumdrak Monastery, had dinner there, and stayed the night.

Day 6 (11/25): Paro

• Oselgang Monastery
• Ugyen Tesmo
• Taktsang To Peri
• Zangdok Pelri Temple
• Tiger’s Nest Viewpoint
• Tiger’s Nest
• Lunch at Taktsang Cafeteria
• Stayed at Olathang Hotel and had dinner

Day 7 (11/26) 

• Flew out of the airport at 10:35, stopover at 11:15 in Kolkata, and arrived in Bangkok at 4:05 PM

Now onto what you've been waiting for, pictures !

The full gallery of the pictures in this blog can be viewed at the link below. 

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https://alexanderchengcom.shootproof.com/gallery/bhutan

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The most interesting building I saw at The National Museum of Bhutan.

View of Paro from The National Museum of Bhutan

A close up shot of the prayer wheels inside of a temple.

A wide angle shot of the prayer wheels we saw at Rinpung Dzong.

The walkway down from Rinpung Dzong.

Some of the stupas on the top of Dochula Pass.

A wide angle shot of the stupas at Dochula Pass.

The stone work around a big tree at Dochula Pass.

An upwards view of the centerpiece tree.

The National Memorial Chhorten in Thimpu.

This is a picture of the gate that leads up stairs to Great Buddha Dordenma.

Great Buddha Dordenma. This temple / statue was completed in 2015, and cost approximately $100 million to build.

 A side shot of Great Buddha Dordenma.

At Chuzom Bridge where two major rivers split / meet.

A photo of Tashichho Dzong

The walking bridge that takes you into Tashichho Dzong

Yet another view of the city.

Stairs that goes over a fence to walk to the longest walking bridge in Bhutan.

Punakha Suspension Bridge - This is the longest walking bridge in Bhutan that locals use to get across the river daily.

Side view of the same bridge.

One of many dogs you see in Bhutan !

Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Choeten

The walls surrounding Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Choeten

A photo from the back entrance of the temple.

Views during our hike up to our overnight camp.

A picture of the trees in November.

A view of the mountains and valleys of  Bhutan.

Another view of what should be Paro.

This is where the two big rivers of Western Bhutan split off. 

A view of rice fields in Punakha while hiking through Bhutan.

Another view of some rice fields in Punakha while hiking around Bhutan.

This is what the stores look like when you are walking through Thimphu. It's very different that what you see in the western world, and notice the piece of wood on the ground in the bottom left of the photo which is used to cover up the windows.

This is the stadium in Thimphu where sporting events are held.

I thought the arrangement of these stones were pretty cool. We saw this at a viewpoint for Tiger's Nest.

Rice fields as we did a short hike through Bhutan.

View at 5am of the stars and sun ray slowly coming up over the horizon at our overnight point. The sun rays only show with a long exposure shot - You won't see them with the naked eye.

Morning view of the clouds from our overnight point on the way down to Tiger's Nest.

A view of one of the many mountainous roads in Bhutan.

Some of the stone work that surrounds a big tree at Dochula Pass.

A view of one of the rivers that runs through Bhutan. 

If my memory serves me correctly, this is a view of the city of Paro.

Some of the many prayer wheels we saw in Bhutan. In Bhutan, these wheels are usually spun in multiples of 3 at a time in a clockwise direction.

Walking towards a viewpoint on the way down to Tiger's Nest.

A gorgeous view of Tiger's Nest.

Another photo of Tiger's Nest !

I hope you enjoyed this post and the saw some of the beauty of Bhutan !

If you have any questions or I missed something, comment below !

If anyone else has been to Bhutan, I would love to hear about your experiences there !

Which city or country would you like to hear about next ?? Let me know !