It is considerably smaller than Nepal with an overall population of about 650,000 people. It is a monarchy with a newly elected king in November. He is Bhutan’s 5th king and his father, King Four (easier to say that then his name which I could neither spell nor pronounce!), decided to let 60% of the country remain in a natural state. This was so successful that now 80% of Bhutan is in its natural state which means that the wildlife and flora are simply outstanding!
Architecture is uniform and beautiful. All houses are of a similar style and there are NO western type buildings. Even the newest buildings retain the Bhutanese flavor. Streams are clear and the roads are paved. There is electricity 24/7, the food is good and the people are very friendly.
The main tourists attractions are religious and the great “dzongs” or monasteries, cling to hillsides or dominate the towns and cities. In Thimpu you have a wonderful art school where painting, sculpting, embroidery, sewing, metal working, and drawing are taught. This is a really remarkable place and the students learn while hundreds of tourists pass through their classrooms taking pictures and chattering. A truly remarkable place! In addition there is a great textile museum with a marvelous video and an exhibit of ancient to modern textiles, all hand woven. You can see weavers at work and also buy from their museum store (naturally). In Paro, where you land, there is not as much to see but here there is the great Takinsang Dzong which is reached after a 2 and a half hour climb. Once there you can be blessed by a monk and take remarkable pictures standing atop this high mountain aerie.
In writing this I am back in these places, but I have to add some of the drawbacks in visiting this beautiful country. The government regulates the number of tourists who enter the country and we ask that if you are going to go to Bhutan you give us and our representatives in Bhutan at least 3 to 4 weeks to obtain your Visa. You can access Bhutan from several airports. DRUK Air, Bhutan’s only airline and only airline into the country, flies daily out of Bangkok and twice a week from Delhi to Kathmandu to Paro.
The planes are new, AirBus 319, and extremely clean. Your trip into Bhutan must be paid in full at around $200USD a day or more, depending on what you choose to do.. That may seem high, but that price includes hotel, a car and driver, a guide and three meals a day, and also all entrance fees to monasteries and other places.Our representative in Bhutan provides excellent people and nice vehicles also. The other drawback is that you cannot pay with a credit card anywhere and there are no ATM machines to ease that difficulty. We spoke to the Minister of Tourism and he indicated they are working on it, but nothing yet. Lastly, immigration at the airport is slow and very frustrating. No computers and they take about 5 to 8 minutes per person. We spent 80 minutes in line and the flight from Kathmandu was only 55 minutes.
