Bhutan: hidden treasures or tidbits to share?
 

Hi there,
we are going to Bhutan in November and are very excited about visiting this mystical, intriguing country. Just looking for insights, observations and comments from any of you who have been - for instance, something that perhaps the guidebooks don't say. Anything to share? I welcome everyone's comments!

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There are only a few people on this board who have been to Bhutan. Have you done a search on previous posts?

Kathie,
Yes I've done a search, I have been using Fodor's for some time. I've read everything thus far, but thought my question might pose enough interest that someone would reply.

Hi wanderlust, I just came back from a 10 day trip to Bhutan in late Dec./early Jan. I'm in the middle of writing it up. I'll post my trip report here sometime in the next week or two. Do you have any specific questions? I've never seen a long and detailed trip report about Bhutan on this board, so I think mine will be the first.

Have you found a good local agent to work with? One of my top recommendations is to find a good local agent and be very specific with your requests and interests. Anything can be arranged, depending on your interests. If you don't specify, then you'll be taken to all the usual tourist places along the usual route. I did quite a lot of reading beforehand and found specific places I wanted to visit that were a bit off the beaten track. Also, I recommend eating in local restaurants as much as possible and avoid eating hotel buffets or set menus for every meal because they are usually pretty bland.

Full trip report coming soon...

Thanks for our reply! I am booked with OAT for the Bhutan trip, and have 3 books on Bhutan so far, including "Beyond the Sky and Earth" a memoir written by a Canadian woman who taught there for three years. I look forward to your report! You were obviously there during COLD weather...we'll be there the first week of November so anticipate chilly weather as well.

I liked the book "Beyond the Sky and Earth." I also recommend the films "Travelers and Magicians" and "The Other Final." They are both excellent. I'm sure you can find them on Amazon.

It wasn't as cold as you'd imagine in winter. The days were warm and sunny, no coat needed, just a long sleeved shirt or light sweater. The nights were cold though. The big advantage to traveling in winter is the clear blue skies and views of the mountains. There are also very few tourists in the winter months.

What other books are you reading?

My partner's brother worked in Bhutan for several months, during the eighties & when he finally arrived back in Oz, I think he was affected positively by the experience. He loved the country & it's people & was involved as agronomist helping with soil preparation for crop growing and the like.

We've wanted to go there for years, and we appreciated the lovely rugs & amazing knife he bought us back from Bhutan, however the travel restrictions and cost of travelling there are most prohibitive so we're settling for Sikkim, & maybe Tibet, both on the borders of Bhutan.

Please let me know if we should hock the family silver to go to Bhutan! We too, wait with "baited breath" for a trip report!

Lyndie, wow, you're really lucky to have some rugs and a knife from Bhutan. I think the people who went to Bhutan during the 70s and 80s were really lucky since they had the first experiences there when the country first opened up. I've heard the best shopping treasures were to be had back then.

Yes, it's expensive to go to Bhutan, no doubt about it The only cheaper option is to go off-season in the winter or summer and then you get a discount of $165 per day instead of the usual $200 or more per day. I think it was worth it because it's a very unique and special place that sees very few tourists. I've been just about everywhere else in Asia, so I saved Bhutan for last.

Hi Mealea and thks for the info.

We'll attempt to tack a visit on to our Indian trip in March. Will see if we have any money left over, first! Thanks again!

hi
realise this is a bit of an old thread, but just wanted to share a few things. Just come back from a week in bhutan - awesome country, wonderful people. We had a guide for the two of us. Basically, you will be treading a well-worn route and constantly bumping into the same tour groups at the same hotels and same tourist points. If you're used to travelling independently, it can take a lot of getting used to as your guide is with you a lot and it takes a lot of persuading to convince him/her you can look after ourselves. Despite this, still had a marvellous time. Most memorable and surreal:
- going to a 'pub' in Thimpuu - basically a room down some steps, v. musty smelling. Dance music suddenly blared out and 2 Bhutanese kids started dancing the latest MTV moves for us! They were really good!
- eating yummy food at Bhutanese Kitchen in Thimpuu
- Watching some monks test out very long horns for purchase at the oldest dzong in Bhutan
- Walking all the way up to Takstang Monastery (most people just go to the cafeteria).
- Wandering the streets of Wangdue by ourselves and talking to a nice Tibetan lady who runs the Dema Restaurant. (Even managed to sneak in a dinner there - definitely 'not allowed' by the tour group - must be a 'secret'!)
- visitng a village on the opposite bank
to Wandue, wandering around the clay stone houses and among the cows, being greeted with 'bye bye' from all the kids.
- our guide taking him to his farm home for dinner - again definitely not allowed by the tour company! We were v. privileged.

Just some of the wonderful things we experienced and this is without going into the beauty of the country and its people.

bkkmei - thanks for your report. What tour company did you use?

lyndie---is that knife the first one to be used in OZ?? i know spoons have been used for some time but was unaware if the knive had been introduced as of yet?? please advise

Hi Craig
I know this sounds silly, but if I say...well our guide was quite anxious not to get into trouble...
you can e-mail me at [email protected]

Greetings from Bhutan. Any travel consultation you require for Bhutan...let me know i would be glad to help you!

Tashi Delek!

Thanks everyone! We are looking forward to our trip and really appreciate everyone's advice and comments.