Bhutan - the last Shangri la inded
5 peaceful days had just slipped me by..but memories of it will be forever etched on my mind. Solo trip to an unknown destination. And not just some major city but remote Bhutan with one nite camping under the stars too.
Bhutan is indeed the last Shangri la, still unspoiled by civilization.
It's fall, so no blooming flowers along the hike, but the mountains n valleys are still captivating even without that. Weather for the past few days were perfect for my hikes. A bit chilly in the nite but that's expected. At this point I've totally agree with Jessica from Country Holiday, CNN weather forecast is not reliable. At least not for remote Bhutan.
Now I am saying really remote. There is only one bank in Bhutan; Bhutan National Bank. So if u pay for your purchase with credit card, it will have to be during banking hour in order to get an authorization. And of course only in major establishment like 5 stars hotels. No shopping mall here. So when Bhutanese travels abroad, they can only carries hard cash or traveller's cheque. There is also a restriction as to how much they can takes with them.
No traffic lights on the streets of Thimpu and Paro. There is no need. Cars are few. People are few too. Population is less than a million!
Life in Bhutan is very simple. Television only arrived in Bhutan during the late 90s. Think it was 98.
To visit, one must have an accompanied guide. Only exception is if u are being invited by the royal family or some big shot politician.
English is the major language spoken here. So there's no problem with communication. Service are impeccable.
I did the cultural tour, visiting monasteries, druk, temples etc. But I also did the Bumdrag trek. Bum means thousands n drag means caves. Yes I was in one of the cave!
Time to board the train. Will post photos once I get home.
Bhutan is indeed the last Shangri la, still unspoiled by civilization.
It's fall, so no blooming flowers along the hike, but the mountains n valleys are still captivating even without that. Weather for the past few days were perfect for my hikes. A bit chilly in the nite but that's expected. At this point I've totally agree with Jessica from Country Holiday, CNN weather forecast is not reliable. At least not for remote Bhutan.
Now I am saying really remote. There is only one bank in Bhutan; Bhutan National Bank. So if u pay for your purchase with credit card, it will have to be during banking hour in order to get an authorization. And of course only in major establishment like 5 stars hotels. No shopping mall here. So when Bhutanese travels abroad, they can only carries hard cash or traveller's cheque. There is also a restriction as to how much they can takes with them.
No traffic lights on the streets of Thimpu and Paro. There is no need. Cars are few. People are few too. Population is less than a million!
Life in Bhutan is very simple. Television only arrived in Bhutan during the late 90s. Think it was 98.
To visit, one must have an accompanied guide. Only exception is if u are being invited by the royal family or some big shot politician.
English is the major language spoken here. So there's no problem with communication. Service are impeccable.
I did the cultural tour, visiting monasteries, druk, temples etc. But I also did the Bumdrag trek. Bum means thousands n drag means caves. Yes I was in one of the cave!
Time to board the train. Will post photos once I get home.
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