 |
| Road trip through Bhutan with my 500cc Bullet |
Bhutan is a very beautiful country, relatively undisturbed by outside influences. Almost no deforestation takes place. The mountains and forests are sacred and the common man is not permitted to explore.
My Journey
Day 1 took me from Gangtok to Pheuntsholing, the border town of Bhutan and its commercial hub. It lay right next to Jaigaon, the Indian border town. This route was fairly uneventful, except for some short bursts of rain. The highway passed through numerous tea gardens of north Bengal and Chapramari and Mahananda wildlife sanctuaries. Most of this route was in the plains of north Bengal, passing through towns with exotic names like Bagrakote, Oodlabari, Binnaguri, Mal, Hashimara, Nagarkata, Birpara, Madarihat etc. Finally, after a drive of about 8 hours, I reached Pheuntsholing.
 |
| Trashichoe dzong, Thimphu |
After an overnight stay, I proceeded towards Thimphu after collecting permits for myself and my bike. This was entirely a hill ride. Luckily, the journey was devoid of much rain, as was most of my Bhutan trip. One thing outstanding about the Bhutan BRO ) and for most part are impeccable. The 50 km stretch before Thimphu is the best example of a hill road I have ever seen. It’s a wide two lane highway where one can speed up to 60-90 kmph. The ride is along the river Wang Chu and is simply breathtaking for those willing to go slow.
Thimphu is a well laid out town, neat and clean with sparse population for a capital city. Civic infrastructure is comparable to any western country with an architecture that is entirely Buddhist. Locals seem happy and content, they are quite warm and helpful, even the policemen. The National dress is mandatory for locals, though I did see many people in western clothes. I rode on from the beautifully located land of Thimpu onward to Dochula Pass .[P1] Dochula is at 10,000 ft and was under an envelope of clouds when I arrived there. The 108 chortens there looked ghostly but enchanting. The surrounding snowy peaks were not visible. I spent some time there and then drove back to Thimphu before nightfall. The Dochula Resort is highly recommended for stay.
Day 3
The next day’s destination was Paro, the airport town of Bhutan. Paro is located in a picturesque valley that is relatively flat, along the river Paro Chu. It is surrounded by paddy fields. The town is small and unremarkable. The airstrip is small, but the surroundings are awesome. The must-do in Paro is the trek to Tiger’s nest monastery (Taktsang monastery). It is located on the edge of a cliff that is absolutely vertical and seemingly un climbable. The route is not so bad, but steep nonetheless. The conquest feels great and the view from the monastery is breathtaking. Thereafter, I drove around aimlessly among the beautiful alpine landscape and retired for the night.
Day 4
 |
| Tiger's nest monastary |
I had a choice between riding back to Gangtok, which was achievable in a day or going round about via a pretty little town called Haa onwards towards Pheuntsholing, thereby losing 6 hours. I know what I should have done but the adventure bug had bitten me and in a moment of madness, I chose to ride towards Haa. So there I was, driving through the plains of north Bengal in the dark. The road was patchy and slowed me considerably. I did not think that time was a constraint. Even a late night arrival in Gangtok was not an issue. But then the inevitable happened.
It started as a drizzle and gradually intensified into a downpour. I had my rain gear on, and the luggage was well protected. I drove on through pitch darkness, and a deserted highway that did not seem to lead anywhere. To make things worse, I was passing through wildlife sanctuaries and tea estates at 10 pm . I then decided to drive towards Siliguri, a diversion of about 50 km , but my only hope. So I drove on through the downpour. I finally reached Siliguri at midnight. But my ordeal did not end there. All hotels had closed for the night. Finally, I checked into a hotel after one hour, thanked my lucky stars and retired for the night.
Opportunities for adventure sports and recreation in Bhutan are very limited and one would be better advised to explore India and Nepal for that purpose. Hotels and fuel in Bhutan are relatively cheap, but the food is terribly expensive. The best time to visit I’d say is between October and March, though there is a romance about off season solitude.
All in all, for me Bhutan has wonderful landscape to offer and that in my opinion is best experienced while driving. So when in Bhutan, drive.
(Image and Text Courtesy Abhijeet Bhatia)
No comments:
Post a Comment