The Land of the Thunder Dragon

How do I begin to describe the kingdom of Bhutan? It's without a doubt the most extraordinary country I have visited. Forget everything you think you know about Asia - there's no honking of horns here, no humidity, no bustling crowds. Bhutan has pristine landscapes, fresh clean air and a fascinating cultural heritage based on myths and magic. To the Bhutanese people the country is known as Druk Yal: the Land of the Thunder Dragon.

Druk Yal

One of the most important influences on life here, is the government's philosophy of "Gross National Happiness". It has been decreed that the peace and happiness of the people of Bhutan is more important than the country's commercial richness. So you won't find any Starbucks or McDonalds here for a start! In a bid to preserve their unique culture, they have also limited tourism (or rather, restricted it to "high value, low impact tourism") by stipulating that all tourists must spend $250/ day for the duration of their visit. Yes it's a lot of money, but as a result you get to truly experience the local culture without it being over-run with other foreigners! The daily fee also covers all accommodation (3-4* hotels), food, transport, entrance tickets and your own personal guide (you have to take a guided tour, but you don't need to join a group - the $250 is enough for you to have your own guide and driver). So all in all it seemed a worthwhile investment to be able to get a glimpse into this mysterious and somewhat closed-off kingdom. 

Firstly I should mention the flight from Kathmandu to Paro (in Bhutan) which was the most amazing flight I've ever taken, in terms of views. Having had such bad luck with the mountain views in Nepal, we were finally rewarded with the most incredible, clear outlook over the Himalayas, including Mount Everest. 

Himalayan views... at last

Paro airport is nestled in a valley encircled by steep mountains and is known to be one of the most dangerous airports in the world for take-offs and landings. I was a little apprehensive and there were a few sharp turns, but all in all it was a very smooth descent and we were treated to some spectacular views of Bhutan's Himalayan ranges. Rather than landing in a big sprawling city we touched down in the midst of mountains and fields. By the time we stepped off the plane I already had a really good feeling about this country. Even the airport building was beautiful and everyone was stopping to take photos of it, and the DrukAir planes (only the National Carrier is allowed to fly in and out of Bhutan). 

Paro Airport: better-looking than the average airport!

Don't worry, I haven't become a plane-spotter... this is a one off

We were welcomed by our guide for the week, Ring, and our driver, Ten. Both were wearing the traditional "gho": a long gown belted at the waist (the women wear "kira"; a hand-woven, ankle-length dress). Unlike other countries I've visited, where only country-folk or indigenous people wear traditional dress, (with the exception of India of course!), here the overwhelming majority of people wear the gho and kira. In fact its compulsory for the Bhutanese to wear this national dress when they enter important monasteries and monuments. School uniforms also take this form. 

As we drove out of the airport the contrast with Nepal was striking. The air was fresh and cool, the sky was clear and blue with no pollution and there were hardly any other cars on the roads. I don't think I'd realised it but spending 10 weeks in India and Nepal had drained me a little and it felt good to be back somewhere clean and calm! 

We headed straight to the National Museum of Bhutan, which was really interesting and a great introduction to the country. The first room was full of decorative masks which are worn for dances during Bhutan's numerous festivals. Bhutan is a deeply Buddhist country and at its core are a number of mystical stories, involving deities and demons, dragons and flying tigers. It was intriguing to see these depicted as fact in the national museum... but that's Bhutan! 

We couldn't photograph the masks in the museum, but here are some in a shop!

There was also a natural history display which was really interesting. Maintaining a pristine natural environment is a key pillar of Gross National Happiness and over 72% of Bhutan is forest (higher than any other nation). It's illegal to kill animals here (all meat and fish is imported from India). As a side note, smoking has also been completely banned. TV and internet were only introduced in 1999.  A more amusing anecdote is that there are no traffic lights - apparently they were trialled once but people found them too impersonal so they reverted back to white-gloved traffic wardens. Driving is not allowed on Tuesdays. 

The National Museum, Paro

The museum was located in a former watchtower, overlooking Rinpung Dzong (a kind of fortress). There are 20 districts in Bhutan and each has its own Dzong, which is the centre of civil and religious authority. The architecture is unique and very beautiful. We walked up the long flight of stone steps to the entrance and started practicing our Dzongkha (the Bhutanese language) by greeting the monks with a cheery "kuzu zam pola!". 

Near the entrance, the corridors were decorated with a series of paintings depicting various stories and important figures, such as the Guardians of the North, South, East and West (to whom you pray when going on a journey), the Four Friends, and the Buddhist Wheel of Life. The monastery itself was really beautiful. Monks were sitting on the floor gently rocking as they studied. Ring prostrated three times in front of the teacher's chair, and then in front of the image of Buddha. 

Rinpung Dzong

The inner walls of the Dzong

After that we headed to a local restaurant for our first taste of Bhutanese food. The main food here is chillies, which are eaten as a vegetable rather than a seasoning! The most common dish is "ema datshi" (chilli with cheese). We were keen to give it a try and asked the waitress to bring us a dish but when I saw Emmeline take her first bite and then start choking, crying and laughing simultaneously I realised we may have bitten off more than we could chew, so to speak! I tried a little piece myself and my lips and throat were instantly on fire and my eyes streaming! Wow! We both really like spicy food though (and love cheese) so we resolved to continue ordering it with the aim of building up a resistance by the end of the week!

Chillies + Cheese... mmm!

After lunch we went to watch a local archery tournament. Archery is the national sport here and is taken very seriously indeed (later in the day many people were driving through town honking their horns and cheering loudly at the results of a local tournament!). It was really nice to experience the passion of the players and spectators. Every time someone hit target their team-mates did a little ceremonial dance in front of it!

Taking aim...

Doing a little dance after their team-mate hits target (oh... and this is the national dress!)

Later we drove on to Thimpu, the capital city, where we were to spend our first two nights. On the way we stopped at an iron-chain bridge built in the 14th century by a Tibetan saint known as the "Iron Man". 

The iron chain bridge

The bridge was covered in colourful prayer flags, fluttering in the breeze. These flags (known as "Lung Ta", or "Wind Horse") are bound together on a string and typically hung on high passes, bridges and beside rivers - wherever there's good wind. There are mantras written on the flags and these are activated when the wind blows through them. Those who are then touched by that wind, receive good luck.

The sides of the bridge are smothered in prayer flags

Thimpu is the capital city, but it felt more like a medium-sized town. There are only 700,000 people in Bhutan, which gives you a sense of how peaceful and uncongested it is! We stopped for a cup of tea before wandering around a weekend fair in the town centre. 

At this point, Emm was taking her (new-ish) Digital SLR camera out of her bag and managed to drop it on the pavement. Devastatingly, although it then turned on, it wouldn't take photos. We hastily searched for a repair shop (thank goodness we had the guides!) and finally managed to find a repairman in his workshop above a photo development lab. He said he'd take a look at it and when we came back 30 minutes later to get the verdict, not only had he managed to repair it (a tiny cog in the lens had become dislodged), but he refused to accept any payment! This would NEVER happen in Nepal! It was such a breath of fresh air to be reminded that sometimes people want to help each other out of the goodness of their hearts, with no ulterior motive! It was like good karma and gave me a very good feeling about this country! A great start to our visit!

Day 1: instantly loving Bhutan