Bhutan

March 17, 2025 · by Dano · in Paro

Had probably the worst nights sleep ever. The hotel we stayed at in Kathmandu was right on the street and had no insulating qualities. From 8:00pm to 4:30am there was nothing but non-stop motorcycles, cars, trucks, people, drunks, you name it, on the road right outside our window. Why is it when you have to get up early, there is no rest, but when you can sleep in till 9, all quiet on the western front! Finally decided to just get up around 4:45am to get ready for our flight to Bhutan. We ordered a private car for the ride to the airport because they are the only vehicles that have seat belts. Taxis have 1 seat belt for the driver and are really sketchy so we paid the extra $4 for a private ride.

Got to the airport 3.5 hrs before our flight only to find that no one is at the check in counter until 2.5hrs before the flight. Fun, now we’ll just stand here for the next hour.

Got checked in, made it through security and found our gate, Gate 2. But, as luck would have it in Kathmandu, our flight was delayed for 2 hrs. This is a very common event in Kathmandu. For some unexplained reason, air traffic control is non-existent. I think planes just show up and then there is a coin toss or something to see which one has to circle for the next 30-60 minutes. In the mean time, more planes show up and they have to circle. Not unusual to have a plane delayed 1,2 or 3 hours due to traffic.

At last, on the plane and only had to wait another 30 minutes to push back because another plane was landing. For a 45-minute flight to Paro, Bhutan, it took close to 7 hours from start to finish.

Now, here we are in Paro, Bhutan. Our tour driver and guide met us at the airport and started touring right away. The driver, Needu, and guide, Sam, both are native of Bhutan but from different districts. Both speak very good English which is nice since my Bhutanese is a little rusty. First impressions of Bhutan are that this is a very clean country, absolutely no trash or graffiti anywhere; roads are paved and in great condition; people are polite and courteous; and the weather is perfect, right around 70F, clear skies and slight breeze.

Paro, Bhutan

But before we can tour, we had to stop for lunch. Since our flight was so late, it was now lunch time and everyone was hungry. Our tour includes not only the sites of Bhutan, but also our lodging and meals. The only thing we have to pay for are entrance fees and personal items, everything else is included in the $2400.00 tour cost (for 6 days).

Lunch!

Lunch at MoMo Corner. I think it was Sam’s cousin’s place but who cares, the food was pretty good and it didn’t cost anything extra. Didn’t go for momo’s , had chicken, rice, mixed veggies, deep fried egg plant, and a cabbage and mushroom salad. Not like Mom used to make but good enough.

Wrapped up lunch and headed out for our first site, the Kyichu Lhakhang temple. This is an Himalayan Buddhist temple that has a bit of a story. The temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, originally built in the 7th century by the Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo, the 33rd King of the Yarlung dynasty, who ruled Tibet for much of the first millennium. Legend has it the king was task with building 108 temples in one day to subdue the Demoness Sin Mo. It was believed that no one could accomplish this task and the demoness would be free to rule the world. But, they didn’t know about Gampo (Gampy to his Himalayan buds) and the number of followers he had. He tasked his followers to build 108 temples in one day and darn if they didn’t get it done. The temple in Paro is one of these 108 temples built in a single day in the 7^th century.

Temple pagoda

Prayer bells

The Temple

OK, some were nothing more than a foundation but that still counted. Today the temple is the scene of hundreds of followers circling the grounds in a clock-wise direction to receive peace and compassion. The more times you circle the temple the greater the reward.

We were allowed to enter the temple after removing our shoes and putting the camera away. The basic rule is if you have to remove your shoes, photography is not allowed. As we entered, there were 10 monks chanting in front of a statue of Buddha. Sam said the monks have probably been there since early morning chanting; it was 3:00pm. That’s dedication!

That’s a wrap for today. Needu dropped us off at our hotel / resort where we will spend the next 2 days exploring the area. The hotel is nice, but surprisingly we are the only guests. Close to 100 rooms and we’re the only people staying here. That’s a bit different. Checked into our room, made dinner and breakfast reservations and called it a day. Tomorrow is a full day of touring.