Thimphu, Bhutan



We have departed, Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries with almost no tourism for one of the least populated countries that heavily relies on tourism for their economy - Bhutan. Once again, a geography lesson. Bhutan is is South Asia on the Himalayas just south of Tibet, and north and east of Nepal and Bangladesh but separated by tiny fingers of northeast India. It is ruled by a king and a monarchy and tracks a GNH or Gross National Happiness factor.

The flight from Dhaka was about an hour and a half on a small 45 person flight.if you could see the lines on the ground, I would guess the finger of India ends just as the mountains begin to rise. In the distance we can see some of the towering snow covered peaks that rival Mt Everest. I'm guessing everyone on the plane is a tourist. The government strictly regulates the number of visas issued and they can be expensive as they are priced for each night stayed. We are working with a government licensed tour agency to assist us on the ground. It is only recently that you can travel here independently.

The international airport in Paro is a small valley between two mountains. Once we land you feel the stress of the chaos of Dhaka lift immediately. It is like flying into Nantucket used to be. We casually walk across the runway into the terminal building. Immigration is a snap with our visas in hand. And we land in the arrivals hall which almost to lovely and serene to describe.

Once outside, we are greeted by our guides, who go through the traditional welcome ceremony of a small cup of rice wine and the presentation of a white silk scarf. It is beautiful beyond words.

Once in the vans we make our way toward the capital of Thimphu. The road takes us along the river and is relatively uneventful. The landscape is rocky and dry. We stop at a Heritage House - which is really just an older traditional house that is being maintained for tourists with a few guest rooms and some food offerings.

As seen in many, many pictures, the traditional house is a fairly plain white box that usually steps out as it goes up. The windows on the upper floors jut out and are usually dark wood. And then the low flat roof extends well over the walls to create large eaves that along with all the other dark painted surfaces are adorned with all matters of colorfully painted symbols.

After a nice lunch of the traditional rice and curries, we finish our journey and get checked into the hotel. Another upscale choice. And it has been a long day already to everyone is excited to continue on.

Our evening stop is a Buddhist Astrology School. Based on our birth year, the teacher determines key elements of our life - animal, colors, number along with good day of the week for new projects and health and information on past lives and future incarnations. Perhaps the most interesting to an older group - danger year - a year that you need to be wary of surroundings and circumstances. In my case, it has already past!

Group dinner was at the hotel and included an extensive dining menu along with a cocktail menu. I opted for a bourbon and passion fruit martini, a pear salad and dried beef in a cheese sauce with chilies served over red rice (which is the traditional Bhutanese rice).

It was a great way to end our first day. And while we still don't have much info of the itinerary - we have an early start and are told to skip breakfast.

As I write this my GNH is somewhere around 98%.