March 15, 2018
Today I left Kolkata, India and flew to Paro, Bhutan. Had to shake the ol’ rooster this morning at 4:30 in order to have my bags packed and outside the door by 5:15 for the early ride to the airport. Traffic
wasn’t too bad but got heavier the closer we got to the airport. What was really bad was the smog. It was so thick they stopped flights for a while which delayed our take off.
At the airport people were congregating around the front door trying to get in. Guards were posted at the door checking passports and boarding passes before they would let you in. There were supposed to be 2 distinct lines but many were trying to force their way into the front. This made one of the guards mad so she just stopped letting anybody through until they backed up. Our guide went to the front and made them get back into the lines so we could get in. I’ve never experienced any thing like that before.
The clouds finally cleared as we were coming into Paro and could begin to see the mountains.
Today I left Kolkata, India and flew to Paro, Bhutan. Had to shake the ol’ rooster this morning at 4:30 in order to have my bags packed and outside the door by 5:15 for the early ride to the airport. Traffic
wasn’t too bad but got heavier the closer we got to the airport. What was really bad was the smog. It was so thick they stopped flights for a while which delayed our take off.
At the airport people were congregating around the front door trying to get in. Guards were posted at the door checking passports and boarding passes before they would let you in. There were supposed to be 2 distinct lines but many were trying to force their way into the front. This made one of the guards mad so she just stopped letting anybody through until they backed up. Our guide went to the front and made them get back into the lines so we could get in. I’ve never experienced any thing like that before.
The clouds finally cleared as we were coming into Paro and could begin to see the mountains.
City of Paro in the valley.
Paro has a beautiful airport that is fairly new.
After collecting our luggage we loaded up the van and headed towards Thimphu. The road followed along a river offering some great scenery.
The buildings in Bhutan are required to follow a traditional style.
Bridges had strings of prayer flags. The prayer flags are hung were the wind blows so as to carry the prayers out to cover the area. I will explain a little more about the different colors tomorrow.
Stupas were along the riverbank.
Houses on the way into Thimphu.
A shot of the Main Street.
Entry gate to downtown Thimphu
The main square has a clock tower they call Little Ben.
Pena, our tour leader, said that Thimphu has no traffic lights. He said they installed a couple but that the people didn’t know what to do so they took them down after a few months. They went back to using cops to direct the traffic.
I love the bamboo scaffolding. Can you imagine what OSHA would do if this was tried in the USA.
A traffic circle.
So today was mainly a travel day. We have a big day planned for tomorrow touring around the area.
Going to bed early tonight to get some rest.
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