Bhutan is a once in a lifetime trip

Bhutan is a once in a lifetime trip that probably won’t be repeated but not to be missed. This is from a non-Buddhist point of view. But for Buddhists, it is a haven for the entire spiritual needs. And you have to be a fit outdoor person to enjoy Bhutan or are prepared to control your mind to do all the uphill climbing, trekking and ‘downhill braking’. This is hard-core trekking. And the scenery breathe taking. Bhutanese are used to these terrain as after all Bhutan is located in the Himalayas so walking up and down mountain tracks are their daily normal routine but for Singaporeans, this is far from the normal pampered modern city life. So be prepared!

The permanent fixtures for every settlement we visit the Dzongs, fortresses in the past but now turned into monasteries and government administrative centers, temples and museums. In between settlements are passes, snow-capped mountain sceneries and deep valleys, flowering apple and pear trees, rhododendrons, jacarandas and so many other beautiful flowers. What a sight!

Royal family photographs are everywhere. Shows how much the Bhutanese love their Kings and Queens. We as visitors love them too. We were very intrigued and eager to hear about the royal families from the locals.

Although the trip to Bumthang, Central Bhutan and sebsequently to URA valley is perceived to be a let down, I see it from a different angle where everything is just so natural (not commercialized). It’s a festival in its raw form. We even got a treat to go visit a home in the URA valley and were served a local ‘feast’. An eye opener indeed!

Because it wasn’t the season for the black neck cranes the trip to URA via Bumthang beame exceptionally long and hence would not recommend going to Bumthang when it’s not the season for the black neck cranes. A 5-7 days trip to western Bhutan would be a better choice. Tiger’s Nest near Paro is the highlight of the trip. No other place can beat the sight of Tiger Nest. Punakha Dzong with the full bloom jacarandas came 2nd for me.

Chencho Bull, our tour guide catches teases and jokes faster than anyone else. His instantaneous ‘huh eh’ endears him to us. He is so witty, quick and blends in and encompasses our group that we are still in communications with him on what’s app 2 weeks since we got back. That’s what influence he had on us. We all love him and miss him! He knows his job very well, very knowledgeable, executes it professionally and we thank him for the excellent guided tours and passionate deliveries. He also double up as a pony handier for the faint hearted that squirms at riding ponies up tiger’s nest and carried the tired up 2 long flights of stairs to reach the restaurant. All executed willingly and had fun along the way. So accommodating! What more can you ask for? Because we all moaned when told of treks he must have cut down the number of treks orginally planned. So smart!

Hotel check-ins, check-outs and luggage handling were handled without any hiccups. Hotels are clean and tidy so choice of hotels was spot on too for the group. No shortage of drinking water. Thank you for the non-restricted supply. I think that is very important. However, in most of the hotels, there is a lack of power points. We have digital camera, phones, ipads, ipods, blackberries etc. that needs charging but the lack of wall sockets makes it a challenge to recharge for the next day.

Joker, our driver, so skillful, so sure and so careful that he instills in us confidence that we are in safe hands. Imagine driving on snaking uphill downhill mountain roads where you can only travel at an average of 20 km/hour. After 3 days of similar road conditions we began to wonder if there are any straight roads. The answer is no. There are only slightly less crooked road that you can drive straight for about 5 minutes or so. Even the roads leading to the airport is not straight. Driving on the edge of cliffs, narrow one-lane roads with passing bays every now and again in common. Excellent driver out Joker! Thank you for bringing us home safely. Another observation was that the van was cleaned and tidied daily so it was in tip top condition every morning. Awesome service!

In general, the trip was very well organized both before and during the trip. We were very well informed on the next day’s program on a daily basis but due to unpredictable weather conditions, it’s advisable to be prepared for all 4 season plus rain and muddy slippery walking conditions. Not sure whaat else can be included in the itinerary for Bhutan but the sheer number of dzongs, monasteries and temples are mind-boggling and makes us confused which is which except Tger’s Nest. The final descend and climb to Tiger’s nest must not be missed. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime.

Druk Asia has done an excellent job in organizing this trip, sp Kudos to Chenchu, Joker and Chris