Bhutan
Telling people I was going to Bhutan, the first response was “Wow!”, swiftly followed by “Where is it?”. And that sums it up really.
It sums up the success of Bhutan’s strong desire to preserve its culture by being isolationist and keeping a low profile.
Even as it has opened up to tourism (now the second biggest income generator), the country strictly controls how tourism takes place, with guides compulsory and a substantial sustainable development fee that must be paid.
This in sharp contrast to Japan which is somewhat overrun with tourists.
Geographically it sits between India and China; think of Nepal on the map and move your finger to the right and you’ve found it.
Some random facts:
- Within its borders is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world (mountains are sacred so they don’t climb all over them)
- It cares more about the happiness of its people than it does it’s wealth
- it is the world’s first and only carbon-negative country
- There are no traffic lights in the country. Junctions are all controlled by police.
I flew to Bhutan from Bangkok where I had spent a few days to get used to the time difference.
I must have been allocated the only Grab driver in Bangkok who did not appear to have ever been to the airport. Took me all around the perimeter and eventually I had to ask her just to stop so I could find my own way to departures.
On aeroplanes I usually book an aisle seat but on this occasion, I booked a window seat in order to see the spectacular view of the Himalayas on approach to Paro airport that everyone talks about. Sadly this didn’t materialise due to high cloud cover, so I ended up squished in for absolutely nothing. Oh well…
On departing the aircraft, I was almost at the bottom of the steps when I heard a shriek followed by a clattering sound as a girl’s cabin bag slid down the steps, fortunately reaching me just as I stepped off. A few steps higher up and I could well have been sent flying. And I thought the most dangerous thing was going to be the approach to the airport which is navigated by sight between the mountains and not by radar. Our flight was delayed and only just made the landing before dark descended.
The airport is quite small and pretty efficient. They actually had e-gates that worked, something the UK barely manages and which British people are denied the use of in Europe due to Brexit punishment measures.
The taxi driver was waiting to greet me, a delightfully friendly chap with pretty good English. We talked about Bhutan customs, the price of petrol, the way of life all while he drove along the road carefully avoiding all manner of animals which seemed oblivious to the metal boxes on wheels whizzing along.
Then time to catch a very tasty meal at the hotel with other members of the group who had arrived on earlier flights.
The Bhutan adventure had begun.