We departed our hotel pretty much on time at 06:30 and were escorted by Gaurab, our Nepal visit coordinator to the airport where we said our farewells. Especially significant and sad was having to say goodbye to Om who had been our driver for the last eleven days. He played a major role in ensuring our visit to Nepal was interesting, well organised and unquestionably safe.
The usual routine sequence of checking-in luggage, security checks, visa checks and customs all proceeded smoothly and we arrived in the departure area with at least an hour before our flight was to leave for Bhutan.
The hotel had kindly provided of us with a take-away ‘breakfast bag’ which had sandwiches, a boiled egg, croissant, cake and fruit. We ate some of the breakfast take-aways and offered the rest to some back-packers in the airport departure lounge. They were grateful!
During the plane’s ascent we took photos of the sprawling expanse of Kathmandu city below.
Kathmandu from plane
Kathmandu from plane
By the time we’d reached cruising altitude we were above cloud and the Himalayan mountains were visible from the the left side of the plane which fortunately was where we were all seated.
Himalayan Muntains
To identify each peak individually at the time was impossible for us without a map and once we reached the Sagarmatha National Park, the Himalayas became a more or less continual mountain range with vast, jagged snow capped peaks of spectacular beauty creating an awe inspiring scene below.
Cho Oyo (8,201 m) was probably the highest of the first peaks we observed but before too long were were passing Everest (Domolangma Feng 8,850 m). We were thrilled to have such perfect viewing conditions as this magnificent mountain was bathed in sunshine and was crystal clear apart from a tiny waft of cloud emanating from the frozen summit.
Mt Everest
Another superb sight was the near perfect pyramidal peak of Makalu (8,481 m) with its two neighbouring pyramidal peaks on either side.
Mt Makalu
The excitement amongst tourists in the plane during this quarter hour period of extraordinary viewing was palpable whereas for the local Bhutanese passengers this was ‘just another day flying along the Himalayas’!
We then commenced our descent into Paro and a whole new level of adventure began to develop. The plane tracks a course such that much of the final ten minutes of flight is within a narrow gorge and then valley with trees and rocky outcrops within close distance of our plane’s wings on either side! The pilot then made a pretty tight left hand turn and our Airbus-319 entered the final approach to the landing strip.
Map showing where we took photos approaching Pro airport in Bhutan
Flying into Paro, Bhutan
Flying into Paro, Bhutan
Flying into Paro, Bhutan
The pilot’s skills were probably routine procedures although, for us seemingly amazing. We heard that landing at Paro Airport is regarded as amongst the most dangerous landings in the world. Pilots need to have special training and not all are sufficiently skilled to gain the required landing endorsement.
Our Bhutan Airline plane, Paro Airport
Para Airport was not at all crowded and one immediately gained the impression that there was something rather special about our new location. There was no litter, the facilities looked well cared for and everyone seemed to be happy and greeted us with broad smiles and ‘kuzuzangbo las’ (hellos).
We went through customs and did the immigration visa check and then collected our luggage before meeting up with our Bhutanese guide Dendup.
We have a Toyota Coaster van and our driver for the next week will be Tenzin.
Our Toyota Coaster van, Paro
The drive from Paro to Thimphu nominally takes around ninety minutes but we decided to have lunch break on the way. Although we didn’t stop there was a point of interest along the way near Chuzom where we crossed a bridge over the confluence of the Thimpu and Paro rivers.
Crossing the bridge to the monastery, Paro
Iron bridge at confluence of the Thimpu and Paro rivers, Paro
We had lunch at a three hundred year old restaurant called the Heritage Home Babesa. Its architecture involved ancient timbers including small logs for ceiling beams and roof support. Irregular shaped sawn boards were used for the flooring. The Bhutanese meal we had was spicy and enjoyable except possibly the butter tea.
Heritage Home Babesa restaurant, Thimphu
Lunch at Heritage Home Babesa, restaurant, Thimphu
We booked into the Hotel Druk in Thimphu and an hour later after settling in we rejoined our guide Dendup for the afternoon.
Hotel Druk, Thimphu
Our first site to visit was the Trashi Choo Dzong (Fortress of the Glorious Religion) undoubtedly Thimphu’s most impressive building. This incredibly large structure serves as the seat of the Druk Desi, the head of the secular government and incorporates Buddhist temples, numerous general government offices as well as support facilities associated with the king’s day to day role as head of government. It was also the site of the lavish formal coronation of Bhutan’s fifth king in 2008.
Trashi Chho Dzong, Thimphu
This building replaces the original dzong erected in 1216 and the larger dzong which was destroyed by fire in 1771. The dzong’s whitewashed perimeter walls are guarded by three-storey towers at each corner capped by red and gold triple tiered roofs.
Inside palace, Trashi Chho Dzong
Garuda (mythical protective animal) on temple, Trashi Chho Dzong
The dzong’s rose garden runs along the 150 m eastern walkway and was in full flower. The thousands of rose bushes were perfectly pruned and pristine in every regard.
We walked some of the way back from the Palace seeking out an ATM and a pharmacy. We were intrigued to see a police officer on ‘point-duty’ at one of the major street intersections. The officer stands in a central, elevated and covered box to give his instructions to traffic by waving long white gloved arms. Thimphu claims to be the only capital city in the world that does not have any traffic lights.
Point-duty officer at intersection, Thimphu
After our gentle afternoon stroll though central Thimphu on arrival back at our hotel were interested to find nearby that a three day competition was occurring to identify the best masons, wood carvers, sculptors, plumbers, thangka painters and ‘apps’ developers. The various teams were very busy and totally preoccupied with the tasks at hand. Judges for each project were keeping a close eye on the action and making notes as they wandered amongst the competing teams.
Masonry competitor, National Skills Competition, Thimphu
Competitor, Lhadri (Thangka Painting), National Skills Competition, Thimphu
We had pre-dinner drinks in the hotel’s bar bad enjoyed a buffet meal before having an early night.
Bar, Hotel Druk
This day has been memorable in so much as we saw the stunning sights of the the Himalayas in full splendour and we’ve been introduced to this fascinating and generally isolated kingdom of Bhutan.
Tomorrow we explore more of the sights in and around Thimphu.