U.P. Teerth Yatra - Day 1

Trishakti Dham Temple

2025 started with almost half of India converging into Uttar Pradesh (UP) to be part of the rarest of rare Maha Kumbh. There was so much hype about this rare event and, as we had a fear of missing out, that we also decided to go. However, as we didn't want to go to one place alone, we decided to cover nearby places of pilgrimage also.

After seeing the airfares to Prayagraj shooting up on a daily basis with no respite, we felt it would be better to go via some other nearby city / town. We decided to fly down to Lucknow and return from the same city which was a round trip covering 5 important pilgrim spots.

On Day 1, we took an early morning flight which landed by 7.30 a.m. We had booked a car through Saavari.com based on a good reference from a friend. The car driver, who was scheduled to pick us at 8 a.m., arrived only at 9.30. As usual, the common excuse was shared for the delay - the allotted car met with an accident and we have given you a spare car. The driver, a young Sardar, informed us that it was his first day on this job.

From the airport, we left for Naimisharanya which was about 2 hours away. On the way, we halted for breakfast at a roadside restaurant. The hot Aloor Parathas we had with pickles was heavenly and so was the ginger (masala) tea.

Naimisharanya finds mention in the Ramayana and Mahabharata as well as in many Puranas / Kathas. Ved Vyas had His Ashram here and it is here where the Puranas were first narrated to a gathering of sages. It is a revered place in Hinduism and a cornerstone of spiritual enlightenment. The confluence of the Gomati, Yamuna, Saraswati, Sarayu, and Payaswini rivers in Naimisharanya is also considered a very holy place. 

We reached Naimisharanya by around 11.45 p.m. Some of the temples there close by 12 noon and we couldn't visit them. We took a local electric Auto and went around some temples as enumerated below.

Balaji Temple

The first place we went was to the Gomti River ghat, where I had a traditional dip after doing Sankalpam. It was quite breezy here and there were few others also having their bath here. The water was clear and flowing gently. I also did my afternoon prayers at the ghat itself.

After this, we went to a newly constructed temple called Trishakti Dham where there was a huge idol of Bhagavan Vishnu outside and the idols of Narasimha, Durga & Shiva inside. We didn't spend much time here as it is a modern temple.

We next went to the nearby Balaji Temple which is a traditional South Indian temple with a beautiful idol of Balaji. There was a group of devotees from Andhra who were sitting inside the temple and conducting an elaborate pooja. After a satisfying darshan here, we proceeded onwards.

Our next halt was Hanumanghari. This temple, also known as Bade Hanuman, has a huge 12 foot Hanuman idol. There is a mythological story about Hanuman emerging from the Patal Lok (nether world) after defeating Ahiravana and rescuing Lord Rama and Lakshman. The priests running this temple aggressively demand donations for Annadan - one needs to be aware & careful.

We also had a brief look at Pandav Qila (Fort) which is a place where the Pandavas stayed during their exile. There is a deep well nearby believed to have been dug out by the Pandavas. We did not go inside the fort which was re-constructed by a Hindu minister of Allaudin Khilji in 1305. Outside is a small shrine where one can see the idols of the five Pandavas along with Bhagavan Krishna/

We then visited Vyas Gaddhi (seat), the place where Ved Vyas composed all the Puranas. The Satyanarayan Temple is also near this. It was truly a special moment to come here and have a darshan of the holy place where He resided and wrote all the scriptures which forms a backbone for Sanatana Dharma. We also saw the nearby Havan Kund where all the sages used to conduct their religious activities.

Chakratirth

We then went to Chakratirth which is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites in Uttar Pradesh. It is believed to be the place where 8000 sages worshipped God and performed penance at the same time. According to a mythological tale, it is the same place where the wheel (chakra) of Lord Brahma made an opening in the earth, thereby resulting in the creation of an enormous body of water. A holy dip in the water of this pond is believed to sanctify one’s mind, body and soul. We contended ourselves by washing our hands & feet here and sprinkling some water on our heads. We also visited the small temples around this pond.

We finally went to Lalitha Devi temple which is a Shakti Peeth where the heart of Devi Sati fell. The temple was small and seemed crowded with devotees. The idol was decorated in the form of a heart and we felt thrilled to have this darshan on the first day of our yatra.

We then proceeded in our car towards Ayodhya after having lunch in a restaurant called 'Treat' located just outside Naimisharanya. The food was tolerable. We took a long time to reach Ayodhya because we spent quite some time locating a CNG gas station to fill up the gas tank of the car. At the gas station, I quickly managed to finish my evening Sandhya prayers. Along the way, we stopped at a roadside dhaba for a quick dinner. The food was served piping hot and was quite tasty. It has grown quite cold by this time.

When we reached Ayodhya, we were told to leave the car at a parking on the outskirts of the city. From here, we took an electric Auto to go to our hotel which was about 4 k.m.s away. It was very cold by this time and we were ill equipped in terms of warm clothing. By the time we reached near our hotel, it was nearly 10 p.m. and we were shivering and keen to get indoors.

The auto dropped us about 100 meters from our hotel as the roads were blocked by the police. Luckily, we were escorted and helped by a policeman to reach out hotel which was an uphill walk from the road.

After we checked into the hotel, we straightaway crashed to bed as we were dead tired & sleepy. It took us some time to get sleep thanks to some loud talking happening in the corridor outside. A group of yatris were moving around talking / arguing loudly and I had to open the door to request them to cool down. 

Thus ended a very long day 1 of our yatra.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 8 (Concluding Part)

Rinpung Dzong, Paro

We had a deep sleep the previous night as we were extremely tired after the previous day's trek to Tiger's Nest. We woke up refreshed and, surprisingly there was no hint of muscle pain anywhere. Normally, after such a strenuous trek, we have always experienced cramps & pain for 3 to 4 days while the muscles repair themselves. Seems that the hot stone water bath really worked wonders and we felt great without the need for any massages. It was really worth the price paid both in terms of the experience during the bath and the good feeling the next day.

The penultimate day of our stay in Bhutan was relaxed. After a lazy late breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and left the luggage in the cloak room. We then went to visit the Rinpung Dzong. This is a large Buddhist Monastery as well as Fortress located in Paro. The museum we visited couple of days ago, was originally the watch tower to guard this fortress located a couple of hundred meters above. Rinpung Dzong houses the local monastic body as well as the government administrative offices.

The majestic Dzong

Inside the Dzong are 14 shrines – not all can be visited by tourists. We did visit a few and also saw children learning the scriptures very much like the Ved Patasalas of India. After learning the scriptures, most of them become monks while some decide to get married and settle down as householders. The practices are similar to those found in Sanatana Dharma. Some of the children looked at us curiously as we walked around while some others were engrossed in their studies and didn’t get distracted. There were very few visitors at this time of the day.

We were astounded at the beauty of the monastery. To think that this imposing structure were built a few centuries ago and have survived the different kinds of natural disasters, which the Himalayan regions are prone to, is really admirable. The main building in which we did not see any pillars or beams is a stone structure and must be nearly 100 feet high and about 50 feet wide. Some of the smaller structures are made of wood and have lovely carvings adorning them.

Budding Monk

After spending an hour or so here, we came out and then drove back to the shop from where we had made purchases on the day of arrival at Paro. We finished last minute purchases of gift articles here and then came back to our hotel to pick up our luggage before bidding goodbye to Paro & proceeding towards Phutensholing. On the way, we saw a 600 year old iron bridge across the Paro river at Tachog Lhakang. This bridge was washed away and restored traditionally in 2005. The rest of the return journey was uneventful. We stopped at a roadside café for lunch on the way.

Flags behind us..

One thing that we observed all across Bhutan was the flags of different types installed alongside roads, mountain sides etc. The Bhutanese install flags for a variety of reasons like dedicating prayers for their deceased forefathers, to release prayers in the air, to get good fortune, happiness, long life & prosperity, to remove negative karma, welfare of all created beings etc. Flags are of different kinds - those fixed on poles or those hung on strings. Flags are also of different colours - each colour depicting a different purpose. For e.g. white is for purification of negative karma, blue is for health & longevity, red is for fulfillment of wishes and yellow is for overcoming obstacles. Each flag will have some sacred symbols, mantras or inscriptions from their scriptures, the most common being the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum".I give a couple of pictures of flags to help the reader understand this.

Another example of flags

As we approached Phutensholing, we were stopped at the check point where we had to show our passport & permit to the police personnel. They make sure that we are accompanied by the same guide and that we are returning as per schedule and update their records. It was nearly dusk when we reached Phutensholing. We checked into the same hotel “Ga Me Ga” where we had stayed on Day one. After evening prayers, we had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. The day ended thus.

White flags for ancestors

The next day, after breakfast we said our goodbyes to our guide and driver. We thanked them profusely for their help during the trip as well as gave them some tips for their services. Parting is always difficult especially when one has spent a few days together and had got to know them intimately as we had exchanged lots of personal information during the journey. We wished them well and then made our way to the immigration at the border check point. This time, we had to go along with our bags which were screened twice (once by Bhutanese & once by Indian authorities). After we came over to the Indian side, we were received by our Indian cab driver. Our phones started working and we were glad to be back.

We drove through smooth roads but in warm weather all the way to Bagdogra airport. About a kilometre before the airport we stopped at a pure veg restaurant for a late lunch. The name of the restaurant is Gour Nitai Mistanna Bhander and they serve all dishes without onion & garlic. We had a sumptuous lunch, and it cost us just Rs. 750/-. The flights were on time, and we landed safely back in Mumbai by evening.

Tachog Lhakang bridge

Thus ended our lovely trip to Beautiful Bhutan. I would recommend Bhutan as a holiday to anyone who is keen to visit hilly terrain. It is beautiful, the weather is fantastic, its people are nice, and the country is very tourist friendly. It is possible to get visit permits issued even from India. It is preferable to go through travel agencies who operate out of Bhutan. Indian travel agents only facilitate the arrangements with some local operator, and this means extra expenses to cover two agencies. If one has contacts, one can also directly engage driver, car & hotel. However, to be on safer side, it is better to go through a good local agency. If anyone wants any guidance or contacts, I will be more than happy to help. Please let me know in your comments..

That’s it from me for now.

Watch this space for yet another lovely trip coming up soon..

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 7

On Day 6, we had a light breakfast before going on a short drive towards the starting point of our trek to Tigers Nest. This is one of the most popular activities of tourists visiting Bhutan. We started around 8 a.m. but it might be advisable to start earlier especially for slow climbers. It can get quite warm on the way up if it is sunny. Now for some information on Tigers Nest. 

Tiger’s Nest is the most iconic image of Bhutan. It is a monastery that requires a 5 km. hike through a well laid out trail – Fit people can do this trek in 2-2.5 hours, we took almost 4 hours as we walked slowly and took frequent breaks. Before starting, we had rented a hiking pole for support during the trek – cost Rs. 100 per pole. We also had to purchase entry tickets costing Rs. 1000/- per person for entering the monastery at the top. Tickets can be purchased either before starting the trek or at the top after reaching.

The Monastery is situated at a height of about 3100 meters above sea level and the height gain from the starting point of the trek is about 700 meters. However, as we near the monastery, we need to go down about 15 storeys and climb up again about 20 storeys to reach it. There are actual steps at this point – both for climbing down and for the climb up. This is the most challenging part as once the body gets used to climbing down, it does not want to climb up again.

According to legend, Guru Rinpoche, or Guru Padmasambhava, is said to have reached Bhutan from Tibet by riding on the back of a tigress (hence the name Tiger’s Nest). He explored numerous caves and cliffs, meditating to conquer local demons. Most of his time was dedicated to the mountainside overlooking the Paro Valley, where he blessed the area that eventually evolved into one of Bhutan’s most sacred monasteries—Paro Taktsang, also known as Tiger’s Nest.

There were many tourists trekking that day but most of them were younger and were moving quickly. We took time off to enjoy the scenery, click some pictures etc. Around the half way mark, there is a restaurant and a halting / resting point. This spot also provides a stunning view of the monastery up above. After halting awhile, we moved forward. Our guide, Pema walked slowly along and kept filling us with the stories and titbits about this place as well as Bhutan in general.

When we reached the top, it was an exhilarating feeling. Comprising four temples and residential shelters for monks, the monastery features a unique design that gracefully rests on the mountainside. Wooden bridges and stairs intricately carved into the mountain link the structures, each boasting a balcony offering breathtaking views of the Paro Valley below. We had to leave behind our mobile phones etc. at a safe deposit locker before entering the temples. The temples are small and compact. There are many paintings depicting the history of the temple as well of the deities. One can sit and meditate or walk around and have darshan of the deities. One can also make offerings in cash – local currency or Indian Rupees or even USD.

Then we started on our long walk back to the starting point. On the way, we met our friends from India about whom I had mentioned in the earlier blog. We had a good company as their walking speed matched with ours. By the time we came down, it was nearly dusk. We had become desperate to reach the end as the walk was looking endless.

After reaching down, we got back in our cars that were waiting and returned to our hotels. The after a refreshing bath and little rest we went for a unique experience. On our way down, our Indian couple mentioned that they are going for a hot stone water bath. We hadn’t even heard about this before. Our guide told us that this is a must do experience and will be worth it especially as it will do wonders to our tired muscles after the trek. He arranged with a place in a village situated about 10 kms away.

This bath is like soaking in a hot tub – except that the water is heated in a unique way. What they do is they take stones from the river flowing nearby (each stone about the size of a large coconut with the husk attached). They heat the stones over logs of wood and drop it in the tub which is filled with water. Apparently, these stones have lots of minerals in them which gets released into the water and this has the effect of soothing our tired muscles. The tub is placed in a room with one half jutting outside the room (through an opening in the bottom of the wall) and partitioned in such a way that water is connected. The stones are dropped on the other side whereas the side where you are sitting has a tap to add more water in the tub in case of need. If you feel that the water needs more heating, you must tap on the partition and loudly shout “Hot stones please”. The person outside the room will carry hot stones directly from the fire (holding it in a pair of tongs) and drop it into your tub from the other side. Immediately, you can hear the water boiling / heating up and soon the warmth spreads across your body.

We were advised not to be inside the tub continuously for more that 10 minutes. We were to take short 2-3 minute breaks by coming out of the tub and only soaking the feet at that time. We were provided with water bottle to stay hydrated and were told to keep sipping it. Initially, it felt very hot (just like the hot springs in some hill stations) and after a while the body gets used to it. We were given a room which had 2 tubs. We were also provided with towels to dry up in the end before wearing our clothes again. The whole experience lasted about 45-50 minutes. In the end, when we got out we were feeling a little dizzy and the cold breeze was welcome. Lalitha felt nauseous and vomited whatever little she had in her stomach. The price for this experience was Rs. 1500 per person whereas the same thing is available at double the price depending on the property.

After this, we drove back to our hotel and had a light dinner before crashing in our beds totally exhausted and drained out. That night we slept like a log. This was easily one of the best days of our trip.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 6

Stopped on the way 

Waking up leisurely and after packing our bags, we went for breakfast at the restaurant attached to the hotel. They were kind enough to give us some Poha and Paratha accompanied by fruits, bread toast, cornflakes etc. By 9 a.m., we left Punakha and proceeded towards Paro which was 115 kms away. We had to go all the way back to Thimphu and then take a detour towards Paro. We stopped enroute near a river and took some photos at that scenic spot.

On the way, we saw the same sights that we saw while coming to Punakha – the 108 Stupas at Dochula pass, the Sitting Buddha at Thimphu etc. It took us about 3.5 hours to reach Paro and as we approached the town, we could see the International Airport which was not very busy. We were put up at Paro Grand hotel which was beside a small river. This is a very good hotel although the rooms are compact compared to other hotels that we stayed in this trip. From our hotel, we could get a view of the flights as they took off from the airport.

View from our hotel at Paro

After resting a while, we had lunch at the restaurant in the hotel. The food was good and even here we were provided with Satvik food specially prepared for us. The cook turned out to be an Indian from Rajasthan who knew the taste of tourists from India (especially Jains who insist on food without onion & garlic). Speaking of food, the Bhutanese people are mostly non-vegetarians – they eat everything from poultry to seafood to meat. However, one interesting thing is that there are no slaughter houses in Bhutan as it goes against their philosophy of Ahimsa or non-violence. All non-veg raw stuff here is imported from other countries (mainly India). I wonder how they reconcile themselves to eat non-veg while professing to be against all kinds of violence.

View from our hotel at Paro

In the afternoon, we went to the National Museum of Bhutan which is actually located inside a refurbished old watch tower. This old watch tower was once used to keep a watch over the Rinpung Dzong (monastery) above which it is built. Now converted into a museum, this houses a large number of artifacts dating back to over 1500 years. It captures the history, culture, costumes etc. of Bhutan in a very nice way. One can also read about the royal family and the important monks of Bhutan. There is a nominal entry fee to visit this museum to take care of the expenses of maintaining the place. We spent a good hour here exploring the various rooms which are at different levels.

Restaurant in hotel

After this we visited the marketplace where we did some window shopping. The place was good to spend some time walking around. More than 50 well maintained shops are here but most of them sell the same kinds of articles. There are also some nice restaurants here including pure veg places. We discovered a shop which was located slightly away from the market but which seemed to be a big hit with tourists. Here we went and purchased some items to be given as gifts to our friends.

Then we returned to our hotel for dinner after completing evening prayers. Dinner was as excellent as the lunch was. We decided to sleep early as the next day was going to be quite eventful with a long trek in the morning. More about it in my next blog.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 5

At Dochu La Pass

On Day 4 of our trip, after our morning ablutions, as it was Amavasya, I had an extra activity of offering Tarpanam for my forefathers which I did in the hotel room itself. Then we went down to the restaurant for another special satvik breakfast. After this, we checked out of the hotel and proceeded towards Punakha which was at a distance of about 75 kms.

The drive was long and the sights along the way were refreshingly green. The weather was clear and the air was crisp and cool. Along the way, we halted for a while at a beautiful spot in the Dochu La pass which is at a height of about 3100 meters above sea level. This is where the Bhutan government has built 108 stupas to commemorate the victory of the Bhutanese army in a battle over the Assamese rebels who had tried to occupy Bhutan. Besides this, there is also a monastery called the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang. The place is very nice and hundreds of tourist cars were parked here to enjoy the scenery as well as the weather. We too halted here for a while, took some pictures and walked around absorbing the atmosphere which was peaceful and quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed the panoramic view of the Himalayas from here although some clouds did come to play spoilsport.

View from our room

After this, we proceeded to Punakha which is at a lower altitude (about 1200 meters above sea level). We reached Punakha by afternoon with a total drive time of about 2 hours. Our hotel (called Hotel River Valley) was at a scenic spot, slightly away from the town and overlooking the Sankosh river that flows here. The hotel was clean, and the rooms were large. We rested for some time in the room and ate some Theplas that we had carried from Mumbai.

Punakha Dzong

In the early afternoon, we drove down to the Punakha Dzong, a beautiful fortress and monastery. This is the administrative centre of the Punakha district and is the second oldest and second largest Dzongs in Bhutan. Before Thimphu became the capital of Bhutan, this was the seat of the government of Bhutan. It houses the sacred relics of the southern Drukpa lineage of the kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the sacred remains of Ngawang Namgyal (the monk credited with unifying Bhutan and with creating a unique Bhutanese cultural identity different from the Tibetan culture). This place is a must visit for all tourists coming to Bhutan as it is beautiful, well preserved and awe-inspiring.We spent a little over an hour here taking pictures and visiting all the places inside the monastery. We saw the traditional prayers offered by the monks who are residents here as well as the place where they stay. In Bhutan religion and governance are closely interlinked and this provides for a very Dharmic type of government. We could see the government administrative office co-located with the places of worship.

After this, we visited the suspension bridge which is a pedestrian hanging bridge over the Po Chhu river. There are two rivers called the Po Chhu (father) and Mo Chhu (mother) which have a confluence at Punakha. After this, the river is called Sankosh. The suspension bridge is made of steel cables and hangs about 30 meters above the river. The length of the bridge is about 160 meters while the breadth is 1.2 meters. We had to walk about 15 minutes from the Punakha Dzong to reach the bridge. It was windy here as the whole area is open. As we walked over to the other side, we could feel the sway of the bridge. It was slightly scary as only a couple of months earlier a similar suspension bridge had collapsed in Gujarat killing many people. This Bhutanese bridge is, of course, built very sturdy and safe. On the other side of the bridge is a village which has a few shops to cater to the tourists. One can buy some snacks or tea and even some provisions like the local rice.

During our trip, we had made friends with another couple from Bengaluru, whose trip schedule was the same as ours.  As they had booked through another travel agency, the hotels were different. So, we kept meeting them every day at the tourist spots and it was great to have their company. They were with us at the suspension bridge walk also.

After this, we drove back to our hotel and after evening prayers, we had an early dinner. Again we were provided with Satvik and fresh dinner which was very appetising and filling. After dinner, we went to sleep in our room overlooking the river. The weather being good, fans were sufficient to keep us comfortable.

Thus ended Day 4 of our trip to Bhutan.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 4

Durga temple, Thimphu

On Day 3 of our trip, we woke up a bit late and after finishing our morning prayers etc., we went to the restaurant and had a leisurely breakfast. Ariya hotel is good and the breakfast they served was sumptuous. We met an Indian couple from Muscat who were there for a holiday and, while talking and exchanging notes, we discovered that we had mutual friends back in India.

After breakfast, our first port of halt was a Durga temple constructed by the King to cater to the Hindu citizens and visitors. It was a short drive away from our hotel and situated on the top of a hillock. It was very chilly when we arrived with very few visitors at that time of the day. We went inside, offered our prayers and then went around the temple complex. It was neat & well-kept with a Yagashala (place to conduct havans / yagnas) within the premises. After taking the customary pictures, we proceeded to the famous tourist spot of the Sitting Buddha.

The Great Buddha Dordenma is a huge golden statue of the sitting Buddha constructed to commemorate the 60^th Anniversary of the 4^th King of Bhutan in the year 2015. Situated on the top of a hill, it is about 175 feet tall and has within its premises more than a lakh of miniature Buddhas. Earlier they used to charge a ticket for entry to recover the costs of the construction but subsequently, it was waived to encourage more visitors & tourists. It is a beautiful structure and offers a glimpse into the country’s culture and religion. Inside the premises, one can read about various monks who have installed and nurtured Buddhism in Bhutan. One can also sit inside and do some meditation. Outside, one has plenty of stunning photo opportunities. The bright colours of the premises and the exteriors makes for a great setting to take pictures. The sitting Buddha can be seen from long distances and one feels blessed and classful when viewing it from afar.

We had driven to the entry gate situated on the top of the hill. On the way back, we decided to walk down the steps (approx. 290 steps) to the road below where our driver got the car for us to proceed to the next halt.

The guide recommended that we visit a place called ‘Simply Bhutan’ which he insisted was a must visit place. We went there and found that the entry tickets were priced steeply at Rs. 1000 per person. We still went in as we were told that we will get the experience of life in Bhutan here. The tour inside this small place starts with a drink of rice wine manufactured locally. We learnt that it is very common to drink this in Bhutan and is offered to all guests and used during festivals and family gatherings. We also learnt that one must offer the drink to one’s friends / loved ones who are not present. This is done by dipping our finger into the drink and sprinkling the drink in the air by twitching the wet fingers.

After this, we went into different rooms where every aspect of Bhutanese history and life was displayed – the monarchy, the weapons used in war, implements used in agriculture, cooking etc. One gets an opportunity to see traditional Bhutanese singing and dancing – visitors are also encouraged to dance along. We were also treated with local tea, snacks etc. One can visit souvenir stalls, wear traditional dress and take pictures or even try a hand at archery (one of the national pastimes & sports of Bhutan). Overall, we spent about an hour here and when we came out we had gathered some idea about the life in Bhutan. In terms of value for money, I would not recommend Simply Bhutan as the information and experience was short of our expectations.

After this we went to the Royal Takin Preserve (national preserve of Takin - the national animal of Bhutan). This is a strange animal which has the head of a goat and the body of a cow. A Bhutanese belief is that many hundred years ago, a Tibetan monk miraculously grafted the head of a goat on a cow’s body and brought it to life with a snap of his fingers. He did this on a request of locals to perform a miracle in front of them.  It thus became a revered animal which is found mainly only in Bhutan. It is generally lazy with restricted movements. This preserve was once meant to be a mini zoo but later converted into a preserve for this animal. There is an entry fee of Rs. 250 to enter this preserve. One must walk around the place on specially constructed walkways where one can observe the animals in the open without the risk of physically going near them. After spending about 45 minutes here, we decided to go for lunch.

After searching on google for a vegetarian restaurant, we located one where Indian meals are available. We drove to the place which was virtually deserted. As we were not sure about the quality we asked for some safe items like chappati and dal and potato bhaji. The food was tolerable. Here too we noticed that although we were eating were meagrely, the restaurant gave a full meal to our driver and guide duo free of charge. Only when we insisted they accepted money for the meal of the duo. The waitress who served us knew Hindi and we had an interesting conversatio9n with her to know about her background and aspirations etc. She informed us that she has not had much education but is keen to get one and build a career in IT / allied field. It is a pity that education facilities are limited in Bhutan as are employment opportunities. Hopefully, the government will take steps to fill this soon.

Thimphu contains some of the most important political buildings in Bhutan. Post lunch, we went around in the car and saw some of these from outside. We also witnessed at couple of places, people enjoying their holiday playing their favourite sports - Khuru (a type of large darts) and Archery. In both the games, there are two teams (of 8-12 people in each team) which compete with each other in trying to hit the target most number of times. Each player has a certain number of chances to have a go at the target. The distance for the target is quite high (about 50 meters for Khuru and about 150 meters for Archery) and hitting the target is not easy. Once a target is hit, the team holds a ceremonial dance accompanied by singing. The atmosphere is very friendly and competition is not fierce. Overall very enjoyable to watch.

Khuru game in progress

 After this, we went to the Clock Tower Square. We spent an hour or so walking around and doing window shopping. This is a beautiful place for spending time leisurely. It is wide and open and very pedestrian friendly. There is also a large square near the clock where one can hold public meetings. Many small restaurants dot the area as also shops selling everything one needs for day to day life.

Then we returned to our hotel to spend the evening relaxing. We had an early dinner in the hotel – special satvik food served for us as per our request placed earlier. After dinner, we returned to our room to end Day 3 on a happy note.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 3

Delicious green banana

On the second day of our trip, we finished our morning ablutions and had breakfast at the restaurant attached to the hotel. Breakfast was quite delicious and the chef took great care to serve us special freshly prepared Satvik (no onion or garlic) vegetarian dish (Poha). One noticeable thing was the bananas that were kept in the buffet – there had green skin and looked unripe for we are used to artificially ripened yellow skins in India. The bananas in Bhutan were organic and tasted delicious. The rest of the breakfast was standard – toast, butter, jam, tea / coffee etc.

With our car outside hotel

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and came down to the lobby where we met our guide. A young guy called Pema (which means Lotus). In Bhutan, the rule is no tourist can go around unless accompanied by a licenced guide. This rule is to ensure that visitors know and follow the rules and don’t get into any trouble or mischief which sometimes can happen with youngsters. Having a guide is also useful to get clarifications on just about anything – be it places of interest, history, culture etc. Guides need to get a local licence to operate as a guide. As many qualified guides have migrated for better opportunities, there are shortages during peak season and hence very expensive to hire one. For us the cost was about Rs. 1500 per day for the guide but it can go up to Rs. 5000 per day during peak season.

Bhutan is 30 minutes ahead of India time. So, we had to adjust our watches. We got a lovely Creta vehicle with a driver named Tashi (which means Good Fortune). As roads in Bhutan are excellent, one may be tempted to drive in own car from India. However, the permit cost for a car is Rs. 4500 per day making it very difficult to consider. Local cars are of very good quality as are the drivers. Hence it makes economic sense to hire a car in Bhutan rather than drive down from India. If one is very keen and stays in Bengal or nearby states, one can plan to bring own car and park it in Jaigaon (the border town).  

We first went to the immigration office. As per Bhutanese rules, one does not need a Visa / permit to visit the border town. For going inside Bhutan, one needs to take a permit costing Rs. 1200/- per day per person. The process of getting the permit prepared took almost an hour due to the crowd. After this, we proceeded in our vehicle inside Bhutan.

At Dharma Kaya Stupas

Within a short time, we left the town and were going uphill. The weather kept improving with cool breeze blowing. The scenery was also lovely with lush green forests in the mountainous terrain. We soon reached the first check point where polite policemen checked our permit & passports and made a record in their register about our entry into Bhutan. After that, we proceeded directly towards the capital city of Thimphu which was about 150 kms away.

Dharma Kaya Stupas 

Along the way, we stopped at a lovely site with multiple Stupas. These are the eight Dharma Kaya Stupas each of which represents the important events in the life and works of Buddha Shakyamuni. They represent the Buddha’s body, speech & mind. This was near the town of Gedu – well known for its educational institutes where youth from all over Bhutan come and stay to complete various courses. We took some pictures near the Stupas and proceeded further. After some time, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant which had a lovely view of a dam. All restaurants in Bhutan provide free food to the guides & drivers – irrespective of whether the tourists eat there or not. They take good care of their people, and it is something very nice to observe.

Our room at Hotel Ariya

We reached Thimphu by evening. It is a fairly large city with a population of about 1.5 Lakh people. It is at an elevation of 2400 meters above sea level which made it cool and very pleasant. The temperature hovered around 13-14 Celsius. Our hotel was called Ariya and it was excellent. The rooms were very spacious and well furnished. After, resting for some time and finishing our evening prayers etc., we went out for some shopping. It was around 7 p.m. when we left the hotel but it was quite dark at that time with a hint of rain. The wind chill factor made it very cold. Most of the shops were closed but we found a good shop where we purchased some stuff and got a very good price too. Bhutanese currency is Ngultrum which has the same value as the Indian rupee. All shops in Bhutan accept Indian currency. Hence, there is no need to carry USD. However, cards are not accepted in most places.

After that, we came back to the hotel and had dinner. Here too, we were served special freshly made Satvik food which was very nice. The preparations were all Indian type as most of the tourists who come here are Indians and the cooks, hotel staff etc. all know our culture, habits and language. After dinner we wen to our room, checked our messages / mails etc. and then hit the snooze button to end Day 2 of our trip.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 2

Inside Bhutan after crossing gate

There are three ways of entering Bhutan from India. One is to fly directly to Paro which is the international airport. The other two ways are by road. One is to drive down from Guwahati, Assam. The other is to drive down from Bagdogra, West Bengal. The Guwahati route takes about 12 hours and the Bagdogra route takes about 5 hours. We chose to take the Bagdogra route as direct flight to Paro was expensive.

The peak tourist season in Bhutan coincides with summer vacation in India which is roughly from mid-April till early June.  During this time, it gets very crowded which makes everything expensive – whether it is hotels, cars or guides. So, it is advisable to go a bit early or after monsoon which is in September / October.

Day 1 of our tour was a direct flight to Bagdogra from Mumbai. It was a direct flight which took us about 2.5 hours. After landing at Bagdogra airport, we were picked up by a taxi (prearranged through a travel agent). This was a Swift Dezire AC car which was comfortable, and the roads too were excellent. On the way, we stopped at a roadside restaurant for tea. The place looked unclean, but the tea was excellent. 

From here, we drove directly to a border town called Jaigaon. Along the way, we saw miles & miles of tea estates almost as if it was a hill station. However, we came to know that although it was not at a high altitude, the weather & ground conditions were ideal to grow tea. So, it was a refreshing view for most of the second leg of our journey. Jaigaon is adjacent to the Bhutanese town called Phutensholing (pronounced as Phinsholing). On arrival, we were picked up by the travel agent’s guy and had to walk across the border gate to the Bhutan side while our driver drove over along with our baggage to the hotel. The hotel was less than 100 meters from the gate. This is some strange process which they follow, and I couldn’t understand the logic behind it.

Our room at Ga-Me-Ga

We were put up at a hotel called Ga-Me-Ga which was decent. The rooms were clean, AC worked well, and service was decent. The view from the hotel was not much to talk about. As it was already evening when we reached, we had a quick shower, finished evening prayers and then went for a walk around the hotel. As it was dark, most shops had already closed for the day. We saw a small park adjoining a Buddhist temple nearby where some locals as well as tourists were lazing around. We also found, to our delight, a pure veg restaurant serving South India dishes. We went in and had some milk – no dinner as it was Ekadashi.

After that we came back to our room and went to bed early as we were tired with all the travel done during the day. Thus ended Day 1 of our Bhutan trip.

Beautiful Bhutan - Part 1

Punakha Dzong (Palace of Bliss)

 It has been some time since my wife & I visited the beautiful country of Bhutan, and I thought I will write a short blog to capture our experiences for the benefit of people who plan to visit.

At the outset let me heartily recommend a visit to this lovely country which is India’s neighbour on the Northern side, and which has Gross National Happiness (GNH) as its goal rather than GDP. It has a benevolent Monarchy and its young King, HM Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, has taken a lot of efforts to developing the country and, at the same time, maintain its culture & values. One example of his love for his subjects is that during Covid lockdown, when tourism the mainstay of the nation was not there, he provided free monthly payouts and rations from his pocket (not from Government Treasury).

The first thing that strikes us when we enter the country is its cleanliness – no one can be seen littering or spitting or urinating or defecating or otherwise spoiling the environment. Very few people smoke here while drinking is common and, although a few also chew betel leaves, none spits out the contents. The other noticeable thing is that there is almost zero noise pollution – during our entire stay of a week, we must have heard only a handful of car honks.

People are patient and pleasant. One incident which I recall was we had gone to a restaurant to have our lunch and when we returned, we found a car parked behind ours making it difficult for us to move. Our driver and guide were not perturbed and waited for the other guy to come at his time. When he came, I was surprised to see that there was no exchange of harsh words. In fact, they exchanged pleasantries, and both apologised to each other for the trouble caused. Unthinkable to ever experience that in India or, for that matter, in any other country.

With Pema Wang, our Guide

People are also courteous to each other. Give respect and exchange greetings as a natural habit. One can sense a feel of comraderies among all its citizens which a very unique and interesting. There are very few opportunities for careers / jobs within the country and income levels are rather low, but people don’t seem to be too depressed or unhappy about it. Few of them have migrated to US / Europe / Australia in search of livelihood but most of them end up doing menial jobs there as they are not highly educated.

Bhutan’s size is a about 38K square Kilometers which roughly the same size of Kerala in India. Most of the country’s natural beauty has been maintained with a strong sense of protecting the environment even at the cost of development which is in line with the GNH philosophy. There are only 3 main urban areas in Bhutan and only one international airport at Paro. The rest of the country is beautiful mountains, valleys, rivers, forests etc. Perfect getaway for tourists who prefer natural beauty.

Indian tourists please note that Indian SIM card does not work here. If you prefer to stay connected all the time, you may need to purchase a Bhutanese SIM card (easily available for short periods) and subscribe for data plans which are slightly pricey. All hotels have free Wifi which are fairly good and takes care of file downloads / uploads. Indian currency notes of all denominations are welcome in Bhutan and one need not carry dollars.

There is no requirement for VISA for Indians to visit Bhutan. One can go there with either passport or Election Voters ID and one needs to take a permit which is described in more detail in following blogs.

Will write more about the trip in the following blogs. Keep following for more about Bhutan.