India travel journal entry3/9/2024 ![]() There were no hawkers occupying the streets and pavements. The infrastructure, though old was well built and well maintained. What struck us immediately being in the foreign land was that the traffic was so orderly and organized. We had to buy an additional umbrella cause we got caught in the pre-monsoon showers. We had a quick dinner at the Asian inn where we were staying and then went out for a late night stroll around the neighborhood and bought fruits and souvenirs. We passed the India-Bhutan border through the beautiful Bhutan gate which we had a good view of from our hotel room window. When finally we made it to Phuntshoeling, a little border town in South Bhutan from we where we would get our permit for Thimphu and Paro. Between nodding off and staring out of the window at the scenic view. May 20th: Our trip really began when we left Baghdogra airport at around 3:15 and started 5 hour long drive towards Phuntshoeling. However we were fortunate to get a very smart and well educated driver who spoke very good english as he had done his college education in India. However this resulted in a situation in which there was no one responsible for our safety or in case anything went wrong and it was further compounded with us not having taken a Bhutan SIM for communication. These travel agents have connections with other travel agents in the Indian border town of Jaipalguri who in turn have connections with the Bhutanese drivers, who aren’t well known outside the region of Jaipalguri. We chose the second way and went through a local travel agent. One can spot these guys from their rash driving unlike the Bhutanese drivers who are very disciplined in their driving and follow strict traffic rules as a consequence of them having to undergo a strict driving test to get their driving permit. By obtaining a travel permit at the border town of Phuentsholing, some travel in their own cars whereas others travel by hired vehicles and still others will use the state government buses. In this way you end up spending 4 to 5 times more.Ģ. Here the agency will put you up in five star hotels and in addition the government will charge you 250 dollars per day. Recommended by the Bhutanese, is by air through one of the international travel agents like (Thomascook, Sitatravels etc). There are 3 ways in which one can travel to Bhutan.ġ. However you do need to apply for a travel permit which will be issued based on any ID which proves your Indian citizenship. A beautiful landlocked country which is popularly known for it’s innovative Gross National Happiness Index.įunfact : Bhutan earns it’s name from the fierce storms that roll in from the Himalayas.īhutan is one of the places where an Indian citizen can travel without the need of a passport or visa. So the summer of 2018 we planned a family trip to the Land of the thunder dragon□. After procrastinating for ages I finally managed to complete a blog post on my tour to Bhutan and a few north Eastern states in India which I will do in a series of posts, so stay tuned as I recount the trip in the form of a journal entry.
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