Travelogue: Journey through the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

By John Tauro, Mangalore
Bellevision Media Network

Mangalore, 28 May 2014: Travelling has been one of my favourite pastime not only when i was working in Kuwait, but more so after my retirement and settling down in Mangalore. While working in Kuwait, i had visited practically all of the Gulf Countries and even Europe.

 

After having retired and settled down in Mangalore, my interest in travelling reignited and after the busy schedule of covering pictorial reports of campaigning and election for Bellevision.com, i felt that i should have some break in the form of travelling. As i had not been to the Himalayan countries which are known for mountains, forests and natural beauty, i chose these countries especially Bhutan and Nepal for my latest travelling experience.

 

As i could not undertake journey to the Himalayan countries by my own, i decided to approach one of the travelling agencies based in Mumbai with its branch at Mangalore and got the arrangements made for the tour.

 

As per the schedule of the tour, i was asked to be present at Gate No. 2 of the Mumbai Chatrapati International Airport at Terminal 2 on 15 May 2014 at 9 am. Gradually, tourists booked with the travel agency arrived at the Gate No.2 one by one making a total of 35 tourists. The tour manager handed over tickets of Royal Bhutan Airline’Drukair’ and asked us to proceed to the respective counters for clearance. As i walked through the airport, i could see the excellent and wonderful Terminal 2 comparable with best of the European airports. I clicked few pictures of the interior of the Terminal 2 as i queued up for luggage check and boarding pass.

 

Having acquired the boarding pass all of us proceeded to Gate No. 67 and sat down in the departure lounge waiting for our call to board the aircraft. After a short wait there was a call to board the aircraft Airbus A319.

 

The aircraft departed from Mumbai at 12.30 pm and after nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes of flight time the aircraft descended to the Paro International Airport in Bhutan. After completing the simple visa procedure. Coming out of the Paro Airport we boarded the bus arranged by the local guide and proceeded to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan at a distance of 60 kilometres from the airport and reached the hotel.

 

Having acquired the key to the hotel room from the tour manager, i found that my colleague in the room was Dr. Pakhare an Ophthalmologist who also happened to be the President of the Ophthalmological Society of Maharashtra and soon we became good friends.

 

The tour manager asked us to meet at the dining room at 8 pm. It was the familiarisation session as he introduced himself and also the Bhutanese guide who could speak in fluent Hindi as well as English. Likewise we introduced ourselves to other tourists. Practically, the entire tourist group belonged to Maharashtra and i was the lone person from Mangalore-Karnataka. However, i made it a point to be familiar with other members of the group.  The tour manager asked us to be ready early in the morning the next day for sightseeing.

 

The Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia located at the eastern end of the Himalayas. It is bordered to the north by China and to the south, east and west by India. To the west, it is separated from Nepal by the Indian state of Sikkim, while further south it is separated from Bangladesh by the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal. Bhutan’s capital and largest city is Thimphu.

 

Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring fiefdoms until the early 17th century, when the lama and military leader Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, fleeing religious persecution in Tibet, unified the area and cultivated a distinct Bhutanese identity. Later, in the early 20th century, Bhutan came into contact with the British Empire and retained strong bilateral relations with India upon its independence. In 2006, based on a global survey, Business Week rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest in the world.

 

Bhutan’s landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan heights in the north, where some peaks exceed7,000 metres (23,000 ft). Its total area was reported as approximately 46,500 km2 (18,000 sq mi) in 1997 and 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi) in 2002. Bhutan’s state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism and the population, now (as of 2012/2013) estimated to be nearly three-quarters of a million, is predominantly Buddhist. Hinduism is the second-largest religion in Bhutan.

 

In 2008, Bhutan made the transition from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy and held its first general election. As well as being a member of the United Nations, Bhutan is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and hosted SAARC’s sixteenth summit in April 2010.

 

 

On the second day of our tour, we enjoyed the city tour of Thimphu, the capital of  the Kingdom of Bhutan.

 

Tourist Attractions in Thimphu:

The various tourist attractions in Thimphu are Tashicho Dzong, Simtokha Dzong and Stupa.

 

Tashichho Dzong:

Tashicho Dzong, the main secretariat building, houses the main government departments, all the Ministries, the National Assembly Hall, the office of the King and the Throne Room and summer headquarters of the Central Monastic Body. It is also the summer residence of the monk body and the religious chief, the Je Khempo. This dzong was first built in 1661, and dominates the town of Thimphu. Except the central keep, the entire structure was rebuilt in 1961-62. In the National Assembly Hall, there is the two-storey high statue of Lord Buddha, wall paintings which depicts the twelve stages of Buddhahood and columns of Kanju and Tenju that depicts the supremacy of religion over politics. The yearly Thimphu Festival is held in the courtyard directly in front of the National Assembly Hall. The two largest Thankas are housed in the Uchi, the tall citadel-type temple in the middle of two courtyards. These thankas are displayed to the public only once in 25 years. During the renovation of Tashicho Dzong, the Uchi was left undisturbed.

 

Simtokha Dzong:

The Simtokha Dzong is situated on a lofty ridge, about 8 kms from Thimphu. This dzong was built in 1627 by Shabdrung Nawang Namgyel, the first king of Bhutan. This dzong is the oldest Dzong in Thimphu and gateway to the Thimphu Valley. This dzong still enjoys the strategic importance as it did in 1627. The Dzong houses Rigney School for Dzongkha and monastic studies. There are beautiful frescos and slate carvings in Simtokha.

 

Streets of Thimphu:

The most enjoyable experience of being in Thimphu is to taking strolls around the streets here. Weekend markets of Thimphu sell everything under the sun that is being created in Bhutan. Hordes of villagers sell vegetables, newspapers, red chillies, traditional Bhutanese masks, and carpets.

 

Stupa:

The stupa-styled monument is also situated in Thimphu. This monument is dedicated to the late King, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the father of modern Bhutan. The paintings and statues inside the stupa provide a rare insight into Buddhist philosophy.

 

Other Attractions:

Other important attractions in the city include the new National Library, the High Court, the Royal Bhutan Golf Course,
Convention Centre, the School of Arts and Crafts, the Weekend market, the Changlimithang Stadium, and the National Institute of Traditional Medicine.