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Thimphu was good, but lets see what’s in store in rest of Bhutan
After spending 2 days, 2 nights in Thimphu and obtaining permits to venture into the Restricted Areas1, we proceeded to the interiors. The picture of Punakha Dzong was mesmerizing me since a long time, and it was finally the time to go there. There were few very interesting places on the route between Thimphu and Punakha, and if we took a bus, we’d miss them all. So I decided to take a shared taxi.
Dochu La, view of eastern Himalayas
The taxi terminal in Thimphu is located next to the bus stand and drivers will ask you where you want to go as soon as you enter the taxi terminal. Unlike most places in urban India, nobody will pounce upon you or pull you into their taxis aggressively. Still, taxi drivers are taxi drivers (all over the world I reckon) and bargaining is necessary. I got a front row window for a modest sum of Rs. 150, and I thanked my hotel owner for her advice ‘don’t pay more than that…’ the previous night.
There was me, my buddy, 3 ladies (grandmother, daughter, grand daughter) and a high school student in the taxi with us. The driver was a very jolly ethnic Nepali guy. I think he was slightly pissed by my bargaining (since I paid only slightly above local price) so I carefully buttered him up by sharing my food. I also praised his horrible screamish singing hoping that he would stop, but it had the opposite effect. Finally he agreed to take a brief stop at this point called Dochu La.
Dochu La, with my taxi driver
Dochu La
La is Tibetian word for a mountain pass. Dochu La (3140m) separates Thimpu from the low-lying lush Punakha valley. The place is marked by an array of prayer flags, but the most intriguing landmark of this place is the newly constructed 108 chortens. The Chortens2 were built in 2005 as an atonement for the loss of life caused by the flushing out of Assamese militants in southern Bhutan.
As the taxi ascended the chilly heights, I couldn’t wait to see the promising views of eastern Himalayas from Dochu La. Every time the road spiraled, it teased us with a sneak preview of the beautiful snow-clad mountain ranges.
Dochu La. Look! Snow clad Himalayan peaks! I missed the Himalayas…
After some very satisfactory peeing and picture taking, we proceeded on our journey. From maple and pine to fir and rhododendron, the vegetation changed as we descended to the warmth of Punakha valley. I opened my guidebook, found something I can’t believe I missed before and decided to get off somewhere and walk to some place called Chimi Lhakhang, home of the Divine Madman. Thankfully my buddy supported all my impulsive judgments such as this.
Footnotes:
1. Visiting areas outside Thimphu and Paro requires another permit called ‘restricted areas permit.’ Read more in my Bhutan travel information post.
2. Chorten or Stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, once thought to be places of Buddhist worship, typically the remains of a Buddha or saint.
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The freshness in the air seeps through the pics into my living room! Lovely pics, Priyank!
Thanks Gopinath, it was pure and blissful up there…
Total blue skies and wonderful photos.
The taxi driver was in local dress ? I have always seen them in western dress. And you buttered him well !!
Most folks wear the national dress while performing their job. During my trips to Bhutan the drivers wore the national dress.
Beautiful photo of the Himalaya vista from Dochu La! How lucky you were. I’ve been twice and saw fog instead of the glorious Himalaya range.
Welcome to my blog Fefie and thanks for the comment. Like you said, most people were national dresses, I found this very interesting. Oh I’d been to Dochu La twice too and both times I was lucky!
Thanks Cuckoo. Yeah the driver was in the Bhutanese national dress called Gho (घो) for men and Kira (किरा) for women. It is mandatory for everyone to wear the traditional dress, so most people you’ll see will be dressed pretty much like this.
Ive often seen that the countryside and smaller towns are prettier than the rest
Lakshmi, indeed. Or maybe its because we city people only need some change!
Beautiful images again, I have just decided to go to China for the Total Solar Eclipse in July, any suggestions or advice, since you are the traveling guru, I will be going on an 11 day tour.
Bob, WOW CHINA!! I am envious, you’ll have so much fun. I will be asking YOU for advice, I have no research about China yet!
What a stunning destination. And I’m chuckling about your deadligs with the cab driver.
Hi Wendy, I loved Bhutan a lot. I must add that we left a generous (33%) tip at the end, so I hope the guy loves me now.
The mountains are beautiful. Oh! I am missing my Nani’s house in Dalhousie!
Dalhousie?? So unfair! I miss mountains, Toronto is like a carom board.
Bartering for taxis is fun if you are in the mood and it is done in the right spirit. Both are keen for the business – it is the travellers one chance to visit a certain place and the taxi driver will still get more than they get from a local. The view looks well worth the stop.
Hi Mark,
Yes, it is usually fun, I enjoy bargaining for everything, mostly because growing up in India, I knew everything was always up for negotiation.
Thanks for stopping by..!
Divine Madman, eh? I wonder what that is supposed to mean? And how are you with the altitude?
Hi LIW, Divine Madman is one of Bhutan’s most loved saints. But I’ll blog about it tomorrow
Did you have bad experiences?
So far I haven’t had altitude problems ever, and the highest I have been is about 4000m. But I’ve heard it can strike anyone anytime, so touchwood!
[...] The Divine Madman This post is part of Mystic Druk Yul, a series of travelogues narrating my trip to Bhutan. Here are the other posts! Previous post: 108 Chortens at Dochu La [...]
Good to have finally caught up on your blog. Those snow clad Himalayan peaks look dreamy! Wow!
Indeed indeed…. wonder when my dream will come alive next…