Birthday Trip to Bhutan

Every year I take a trip on my birthday, preferably a solo trip.

And this year I went to Bhutan - The land of Happiness as they say.

What a beautiful country !

Although I will not lie, as an Indian I did not feel away from home for even a minute.

One of the easiest abroad trips for any Indian!

  • No Visa requirement

  • Everyone watches Bollywood (that’s always a plus right?)

  • Indian food available everywhere (& literally at the same rates)

But I will urge you to try their local food as well. Ema Datshi & Koka were my favourites in particular.

PS: I’d recommend having a veg Koka as they add fried chicken pieces in the non veg ones which are too hard & chewy so it’s better to have a veg one.

Although I have to acknowledge that the country is far far cleaner than India & people there are really good citizens.

The country is carbon negative which is nearly impossible for any country to even imagine!

They are also the most kind & sweet hosts I have ever come across, having travelled to 10 other countries. No matter what you ask them & when you ask them, they will do anything for you with the sweetest smile that really fills your heart!

Want to share 2 small incidents here:

  1. The day we reached, our hotel told us that dinner time is till 9. I walked in at 845 for dinner & the place was all empty, buffet was gone. I asked what happened & the person told me that the time was up. I asked that it is only 845 & then the person showed me their watch which displayed 915. (Bhutan is half an hour ahead of India & my watch was on India time, hence the confusion). These lovely people then told me to take a seat & brought me all the food there was at the buffet. I genuinely was so hesitant for them to go through all that trouble for 1 person but was so touched that they were ready to serve me even when I hadn’t told them the time mixup.

  1. It was my birthday & I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. We were dropped back to our hotel in Thimphu at 6pm & because our hotel was a little away from city centre I asked our guide if there was anything nearby to do. He was joking a bit so I had to reveal to him that it was my birthday. (My plan was to go out & spend time with myself) He then told me to wait for a bit & went to call back our driver uncle who had already left 10 minutes ago.

The guide also called another lady guide (to make me comfortable.) The guide, driver uncle & the lady guide then got me a cake & celebrated the evening with me. This is hands down the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.

Coming back, the trip does not burn a hole in your pocket if planned well or through a good agent, which is a must as a guide is mandatory in Bhutan. No one is allowed to enter or go around without a guide.

About the trip:

  1. All organisers will mostly ask you to book your own flights from your respective city. You will be given a time slot to reach Bagdogra Airport, Siliguri. You are then taken to the Bhutan border by road which is around 3-4 hours away. It is at Jaigaon.

  2. At the Border, you are asked to get off & cross on foot. There is an immigration office you have to go through. You are asked to preferably carry your passport (as a tourist + you get a stamp so why not ? :stuck_out_tongue: ). You can carry your voter ID if passport is not available. There are separate counters for workers & tourists. It may be crowded depending on the time of the day.

  3. Entry fees of Rs. 10 has to be paid. Indian currency is accepted everywhere. You can carry all denominations as payment everywhere is with cash.

  4. You are given a sim card there which also has calling to India.

  5. You are then taken to your hotel atPhuentsholing & next day you are taken for the rest of your trip as is your itinerary with your organisers :blush:

  6. There is an entry fees of at least Rs. 500-1500 at every temple or heritage site you visit. You can pay this with 500 rupee notes. The reason I am mentioning this is because our organisers told us they do not accept 500 rupee notes whereas they do.

  7. Please ensure you are dressed modestly as most of the attractions there are temples & usually there are people praying & processions will be on. You can carry scarves & jackets to cover yourselves up whenever necessary.

  8. All the people speak fluent Hindi & English.

I really urge anyone & everyone to go to Bhutan & take a sip out of their butter tea, beautifully rich culture, clear skies & their lovely hospitality :hugs: Couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate a milestone birthday.

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@Revolver_Rane I loved your trip and the information you brought with it.
Come here more often with more experiences.

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Thank you so much @GasparKaren it really means a lot to me. I will definitely try to be more active here :grin:

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@Revolver_Rane

Es ist sehr interessant und eine schöne Erzählung mit Bildern

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Vielen Dank, Liebling

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belated happy birthday @Revolver_Rane nice post about bhutan thank you for sharing with us…

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First of all, happy belatedbirthday @Revolver_Rane ! It sounds like you had an amazing trip to Bhutan and I’m so glad you shared your experience with us. From the beautiful scenery to the hospitable people, it truly sounds like a magical place. I especially love that they are a carbon-negative country, which is something that more countries should strive for. Your small incidents truly show how kind and gracious the people of Bhutan are. It’s great to know about the buffet being kept open just for you and the special birthday celebration they planned for you. These are the best moments that truly make traveling memorable. Thank you for the tips and recommendations as well. I’ve always been interested in visiting Bhutan, but after reading your post, it has definitely moved up on my travel bucket list. Once again, belated happy birthday and thank you for sharing your journey with us.

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Welcome back to LG Connect after several years @Revolver_Rane :pray:

Nicely captured photos from Bhutan and excellent travel tips that makes LG Connect a truly wonderful place.

You probably used a mobile device; the photo appears much smaller on a desktop or laptop.
I suggest you change the settings to ‘Larger’.

Here’s a post by @TravellerG that shows the steps:
https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/TechNotes-02-How-to-Publish-Photos-in-Full-Screen-in-PC-using/td-p/2833337

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Thank you so much

Thank you, means a lot

Hi @TusharSuradkar

I have written this on laptop & have set the images to medium on purpose :blush:

Thank you so much for the wishes

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SUPER OBJAVA @Revolver_Rane :1st_place_medal: IN VSE NAJBOLJŠE ZA ROJSTNI DAN :iphone: :watch:

ZANIMIVO PRI MENI JE ~ ŠE NIKOLI NISEM PREJEL TORTE ZA ROJSTNI DAN ALI 55X BREZ …

LEP POZDRAV IZ SLOVENIJE

@Perko :slightly_smiling_face:

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Wonderful @Revolver_Rane

I like your emotional story seems touched.

I recalled my day when i used to go every week to bhutan :bhutan: yes minimum twice in month due to free entry from jaygaon phunsulling border due to job there watch the monk bakhu dress and butter tea :tea: so cheap to visit contry economy not cheap haha .

I enjoyed the same vibe today reading to your post.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards

Anil

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Oh WOW that’s a wonderful experience you had in Bhutan @Revolver_Rane and belated birthday wishes!

You made a good point there about the adjustment of the watch when you reach there. I will keep that in mind while visiting there. It’s on my bucket list!

Cheers!

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