Road Trip to BHUTAN

When you go on a road trip, the trip itself becomes a part of your story. Why fly when you can take control of the wheel and explore the world at your own pace?

You know what the best part about a road trip is? You have the freedom to explore not just your destination but all the beautiful places in your path. Just stop your bike, take a look around, click pictures and enjoy the moment.

This was my first international trip. And sometimes those unplanned trips turn out be one of your favourite. Yes you heard it right! My first international trip was UNPLANNED. This happened when I was in my hometown which is in Guwahati, Assam. Me and my cousin were talking and sharing each other’s travel experiences. And I just casually said that Bhutan is nearby, next time when I visit Assam we both will go to Bhutan. He replied, why next time? We will go there tomorrow. The next morning he was ready with his Royal Enfield and we started our journey.

Hitting the open road is a fine experience in itself. Riding through the mountains, cutting the wild winds. Such a scenic route! Guwahati to Bhutan Gate (Samdrup Jongkar) is about 105 kms (2 to 3 hours). We reached there in about 2 and a half hours. After reaching, you have to make an entry into the register.

And you’re in Bhutan. Who knew crossing international borders would be this simple.

For us Indians, entering Bhutan is very simple. No visa is required for Indian Nationals. You just need to have the following documents:

1. Driving License, or

2. Passport, or

3. Voter ID Card.

The Bhutanese officials are very polite. If you have any queries or doubts you may ask them. Also, I didn’t face any language barrier. Most of the people, the police men, shop owners, the locals they all knew Hindi very well.

By the way, did you know Bhutan is the only carbon negative country in the world, which means that it absorbs more carbon dioxide than it produces. Also, there is no traffic on the roads at all. In my entire trip I was never stuck in any traffic. In fact, the roads are mostly empty. Most of the people roaming are the tourists only. Also, there were hardly any potholes on the roads.

Let’s take a moment and appreciate the Bhutanese architecture. All the building was having almost the same architecture with vibrant colors. Take a look below. Bless your eyes.

The food here is very much affordable. Veg as well as non-veg both are available. We had Chicken Koka Noodles. It was damn tasty and a little spicy. It will satisfy both your hunger and your taste buds.

Fun Fact: The Bhutanese love to watch Bollywood movies. Because in most of the cafes you will see them playing bollywood songs and movies.

We also tried Bhutanese beer. Brewed by one of the oldest breweries in Bhutan. The Druk 11000 is the most popular among the locals. Mainly due to its strong taste and refreshing feel.The beer is made with natural Himalayan spring water which contributes to the crispness of the beer.If you are traveling to Bhutan and strong beer is your thing; then Druk 11000 is the one you should not miss.

For all the Indian travelers, you do not have to convert your currency. Bhutanese accepts Indian currencies at every place. So there is nothing to worry about the currency.

After having our brunch we decided to explore the local by walk. We entered a local market. In the market there are so many varieties of chillis. Unlike the rest of the world, in Bhutan chillies are not used as a spice to flavour food. Here chillies are used as a vegetable. The national dish of Bhutan is the chilli cheese curry. It is called ema datshi. Ema means chilli and datshi is cheese.

Then we visited Mani Dunkhor. It is a Buddhist temple in Samdrup Jongkhar, Bhutan. Such a nice and wonderful place in the heart of market. Look at some pictures below. 

I came across another tourist attraction. Suspension bridge, Samdrup Jongkhar, Bhutan. The river flowing down, prayer flags dancing and waving with the winds and the green tall mountains make it so appealing. Loved this place. Locals use this place regularly, so it's a request to all the tourists to respect their space and not crowd it up. 
Note: The name is not suspension bridge, but I searched it up on google and couldn't find whats it called. 

Your Bhutan trip is incomplete if you don't visit a monastery. We then visited Rabdey, Dratshang. A photogenic monastery in Samdrup Jongkhar. Such a holy place. Gives the feeling of Royal Bhutan. This Dratshang was only recently constructed next to the Dzong. It houses the monk body and has many new novices looked after by the religious functionaries.

Fun Fact: Bhutan does not believe in GDP as an indicator of economic growth and development. It has introduced another measurement known as Gross National Happiness. Bhutanese people have four pillars or quantitative indicators for the measure of Gross National Happiness, which are sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, good governance and a healthy environment. That was surely a happy fact about Bhutan!

Bhutan was a mesmerizing experience. The culture, the food, the people everyone was very kind and helpful. I will definitely visit Bhutan again and I would also recommend you all to add it to your bucket list. You will be amazed.

Take a look at my 1 Minute travel video of Bhutan. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5FB6yileVY/

Note: All the images are clicked by me and are subject to copyright.

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