Himalayas & China 2005: 18 - Thimphu & Paro to Dhaka, Bangladesh

Sunday, October 30, 2005

After stopping to get Tim's postcards away and for Marilynn to photograph her goldsmith, we visited the Sunday market. It is primarily a food market, but there were a surprising number of tables of handicrafts and antiques, so Jeanna was in her element. If we had more space in our suitcases and did not face a 20 kg weight limit on departure we would have been more serious buyers!

Sonam arranged a cultural show of regional songs and dances in a small theatre that is not quite completed. The theatre is being done well, with sculptures of dragons and other mythical creatures nearing completion. The beautifully costumed performers greatly outnumbered the six of us, counting Sonam and Chimi, but the show was great. For a small country the diversity in regional song, dance and costume were remarkable.

On the hour and a half driver to Paro we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine. While travelling along a river valley Jeanna shouted that there were Langurs on the other side of the valley. Chimi quickly stopped, and were there ever Langurs! We estimate around 50 of them travelling in the same direction as us on the opposite riverbank and hillside. They were easy to see, as this is an arid area with scrub vegetation and scattered pine trees that did little to hide them.

All cameras were in action, with Marilynn taking some 200 photos. Even with the naked eye it was possible to see the langur's black faces peering out of the surrounding parka-like grey fur, and their long, long tails that curve over their backs when walking. They are very organized, with the large leader in front and another big fellow bringing up the rear. When they reached a suspension foot-bridge across the river three crossed to take up sentry positions on our side, while others stood guard on the high and low sides of the flow of animals. Many mothers were carrying babies in the procession. We followed them down the river on foot for some distance while Chimi kept abreast of us with the van. It made for a very exciting end to the morning!

Lunch was at a local second floor restaurant in downtown Paro, a pretty little town on the bank of a river. The food and beer were good. After having our fill Chimi drove us up the valley to try to see 7,314 m (23,990') Jumolhari Peak, but the only big cloud in the sky hid it. We retreated to what used to be a guard tower perched high on a hill above the Paro Dzong. It is now a quite good museum with six floors of treasures on display and a temple at the top. The temple was unusual in that the centrepiece is in the shape of a tree representing the Buddhist family.

It was election day for the local administration, and a polling station we passed was crowded and active, with circles of friends meeting on the front lawn to drink tea and trade news. Lots of chairs where place on the lawn, so this would appear to be an election day tradition.

Our choice was not to visit the Dzong today, as we were all getting tired, so we headed for the Gangtey Palace hotel. Although we are about 250 meters below Thimphu here, we could feel the altitude. The hotel is great; a two story high building that was formerly the palace of the governor. It is built around an interior courtyard and beautifully finished in the traditional style with decorative artwork. Our spacious second floor room looked out onto the courtyard on one side and directly across at the watchtower and Dzong on the other side. Below were the town and river.

Over drinks in the comfortable bar Sonam presented me with our plane tickets to Calcutta, and Dhaka. The departure time of the flight on Druk Airlines has been changed from 9:30 AM until 11:15 AM, which is going to make our connection with Indian Airlines in Calcutta tight. We'll have to hope they do not have any further delays! Delays are something for which the government owned airline, the only one permitted to fly into Bhutan, is famous, although in their defence many flights are cancelled as they must have clear weather to zigzag through the mountains to the airport.

Monday, October 31, 2005

This morning started with low cloud, dark and grey, however by the time we had finished breakfast the sun had broken through and the cloud was rapidly burning off. We drove to the point where we had tried to see Jumolhari Peak yesterday and were rewarded by a perfect view of the snow-clad mountain against a clear blue sky.

Jeanna is trying to fight off her persistent cold, so stayed back at the hotel while the rest of us drove to the bottom of the mountain upon which the famous Taktshang Monastery is built. The Monastery is perched on a ledge in a cliff with a sheer drop of 900 meters (3,000') to the floor of the Paro Valley. It is revered as one of the most sacred places for Buddhists, a destination for great saints from other countries to visit on pilgrimage. Every Bhutanese tries to visit here at least once in a lifetime.

Horses were arranged for Tim, Marilynn and I. We found that most envious climbers did not know horses were available! They carried us up a steep trail through pine forest to a cafeteria that looks directly across at the monastery from the next hill. It is apparently difficult, but possible, to get permission to visit the monastery. A visit requires an additional steep climb to the top of the hill we were on, a descent into a gorge separating us from the monastery, and an ascent up a steep path along the side of the cliff. It wasn't a trek we would even consider, although it can apparently be done in about three hours.

Tim rode back down, while Marilynn and I walked, something that my knees have been punishing me for ever since. There had been a miscommunication between Sonam and the driver, who thought we were lunching at the cafeteria on top. Sonam was unable to contact the driver as the rough terrain made communication impossible, so he and I walked down to another temple where Sonam located a mini-van taxi. We were better than half way back when we met Chimi on the way to pick us up.

Lunch was soup and grilled cheese sandwiches chased down by a couple of beer on the balcony of our hotel in warm sunshine. It was really pleasant to sit there to enjoy the warmth and the view.

Later all of us drove to explore the Rinpung Dzong, including wandering through a room of chanting monks. Each Dzong has its own style and personality, and this one was beautifully done. The Rinpung Dzong was built in 1646 and was seat of the national assembly before the Thimphu Tashichoedzong was completed. It is still the seat of the district administration, district court and a monastic body. It can be entered by way of a beautiful old cantilever bridge called Nemi Zam.

Marilynn, Jeanna, Sonam and I walked down from the Dzong and across the cantilevered bridge while Chimi and Tim drove around. The two ladies did a shopping walk down Paro's main street while I sent emails to confirm our airport pick up for tomorrow in Dhaka and for Kuala Lumpur.

Back at the hotel I presented our driver Chimi with my video camera, spare tapes, batteries and manual. He has four children aged 5 to 13 and I thought he could make good use of it. It had been getting temperamental lately, not something with which I have a great deal of patience!

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

Sonam & Chimi escorted us to the beautifully decorated Paro airport, the only airport in Bhutan. It looks much more like a deluxe hotel than an airport! No one, including guides, is permitted beyond the door into the airport, so we said fond goodbyes to both of them outside. Sonam had become as much of a friend as a guide!

Sonam had said we would have to pay 500 ngultrums for a departure tax, but when Marilynn asked in the airport she was told that the tax was included in the price of the ticket, so she headed into the gift shop and spent the tax money. At the ticket counter it turned out that, as usual, Sonam was right - the tax had to be paid, so it had to be done with a combination of ngultrums and US dollars. They accept both.

The airport, including the washrooms, is very clean. Security was tight, but all staff were friendly and helpful. They did not rely only on metal detectors, but went over everybody with hand held wands. It was necessary to identify each piece of luggage outside before it was put on the plane, which in a way is a comfort, as we knew the luggage was with us. The system was thorough and efficient.

On the plane Jeanna was good enough to switch seats with me, as she had a bulkhead seat with legroom and I had drawn an ordinary seat I couldn't get into. The fight was only 55 minutes, but lunch and drinks were served. The plane was a new Airbus 319 - the steward said it was 385 days old. The flight was on time, so after saying goodbye to Tim and Jeanna, who will continue to Bangkok on the same plane, we deplaned in Calcutta, where the flight crew had arranged assistance in making our connection to Indian Airlines. The pilot personally saw us to the bottom of the ramp and assured us we had lots of time for our connection.

At immigration we were asked to take a seat to wait for someone to guide us through the process. Several employees asked what we were doing, and when told said the same thing - "please wait". Eventually the right fellow came along, took our luggage claim tags and returned with our luggage on a cart, then motioned for us to follow him out the door to the airfield side of the terminal. A police sergeant promptly stopped him, and a serious yelling match developed. Other staff tried to referee the match, but our fellow out yelled the sergeant and we headed on through, with our leader still shouting insults over his shoulder. When we re-entered another area of the building he went to everyone he could find in uniform to complain about his experience with the sergeant and how he should be disciplined for not knowing the regulations! He was obviously not a fellow to be trifled with!

He looked after the customs part of things, and then took us up an elevator where we were passed to another person who took us to the check in counter where we were ticketed and the baggage checked in. This fellow escorted us to security, where he left us to make our own way. The security fellow had difficulty understanding that we were in transit, but finally his boss managed to clear things away.

The Indian love of bureaucracy was evident in the number of steps in the procedure that were duplicated, but in the end we successfully arrived at the departure gate without having gone through immigration. We had good legroom in bulkhead seats on the 30-minute flight, and even on this short hop a snack and drinks were served.

In Bangladesh there were lots of immigration staff on duty, so no line-ups. All procedures were quick and painless, and two Sheraton employees were there to greet us. We were soon in a comfortable limo headed into town. I had ordered a less expensive car, but apparently the powers to be laid on the more expensive vehicle at half the price as a welcome!

The driver mentioned that staying away from buses was a good idea, as they apparently crunch into each other and anything else on the road with regularity. The battered corners and sides verified this - there was not a bus on the road without most paint and a fair bit of metal scrapped off.

There are a lot of beggars. Every time we stopped processions of them would come by tapping on the car windows. There was the full range - handicapped, elderly and lots of women with babies. The driver explained that often these women rent babies to use for the day. This is an advantage to the mother as she receives free day care and also a small amount of money for the rent, but it is pretty tough on the babies! Poverty is evident and inevitable in this country of 150 million people. Dhaka alone has a population of around 15 million, with nowhere near that number of jobs. The city is divided into territories ruled by criminal gangs, and beggars pay a fee to them for the right to beg in their area.

It was a pleasure to arrive at the Sheraton, which is said to be the best hotel in the city, although the Pan Pacific may dispute that. The leaders of the seven South East Asian countries will be staying here for a conference for a few days from September 11, at which time the hotel will be closed to other guests.

After settling in we headed down to dinner. Some restaurants were closed, as Ramadan is in effect until later this week, but we had a fabulous dinner of imported New Zealand steak at the Italian restaurant. That settled a craving that had been building over the last month where our diet has been largely rice, noodles and chicken. It was heavenly to sink into the wondrously soft mattress at the hotel - it is the first really soft mattress we have enjoyed in a long time!

Bhutan Summary

* Bhutan is locally known as Druk-Yul, meaning the land of the thunder dragon. It covers 46,500 sq. km. and is 150 km from north to south and 300 km east to west.

* It varies in height from 100 meters (328') above sea level in the south to 7,500 meters (24,600') in the northern highlands, which gives three distinct climates, hot and humid in the south, temperate in the centre and severe alpine climate in the north. The deep valleys are semi tropical, and seldom have snow in winter.

* 79% of the population is rural and 21% is urban. Subsistence agriculture is still the main way of life. 80% of the population is Buddhist and 20% is Hindu.

* There is only one airport in the country, at Paro. A new helicopter service has recently started to ferry people between valleys.

* Most tourists we saw were from the US, although Japan is number one for Bhutanese tourism. There is a $200 per day minimum for each tourist, of which $45 goes to the government. The government also charges the operators tax on the balance. Tourism without a local tour operator is not permitted. There are some high-end hotels in Paro and Thimphu. To stay in them requires a supplementary payment. There are currently less than 10,000 tourists per year visiting Bhutan, and in many areas of the interior there is still little tourism infrastructure, although there is a steady increase in tourist accommodation.

* The wearing of traditional clothing is normal. Men wear a gho, a robe tied at the waist by a belt called a kera. Women wear kiras, which are long skirts. The principal language is called "dzongkha".

We booked our trip through Nirvana Expeditions at the recommendation of Han Iluk. I owe him a sincere thank you, as Sonam Dorjee did a remarkable job of looking after us. He was not only easy going and totally flexible on schedule, he quickly noted our likes and dislikes and ensured that the hotels where we stayed catered to them. At times he was putting wine and beer on ice to chill, taking plates of lukewarm food to the kitchen to microwave them, adding or deleting items from menus to suit our tastes - I could go on and on naming tasks quietly performed to make our trip as pleasant and comfortable as possible. Needless to say, his company gets as high a recommendation as I could give it.