Hello there, fellow wanderlusters! Long time no see!
After more than 2 years of not flying internationally since January 2020 we finally made it! Actually we were supposed to visit Dubai on New Year's Eve to countdown 2023. We already booked one of the tallest hotel in the world. It was expensive as prices skyrocketed on that season but had to cancel due to the lack of flights and super expensive tickets. I was sad for a moment then hubby found a tour while scrolling Facebook. He said why not Bhutan.... I answered YES in a heartbeat! It's been known for being an exotic country and limited tourists. You can't just explore there by yourself, you are required to take a tour package. Hence it became our birthday trip for us December babies.
After an hour of pony ride and lots of hiking of about 2 hours we made it halfway to viewpoint of Paro Taktsang also commonly known as Tiger's Nest.
However the price is excruciatingly painstaking. After inquire
Travel Bhutan Tours, I end up
engaging with
Lye Peng Travel & Tours as they are based in Penang and has been
long trusted by my family. When it was time to pay deposit the next day I
shrugged. Deposit was RM8k for both of us...yikes! But I immediately
transferred without hesitation as I fell in love with Bhutan even before
visiting. Here's your birthday present, hubby!
The damage was RM7999 per pax and it has already been discounted. I paid deposit around August before the daily tariff went higher. I think Bhutan government charges US$200 per tourist per day. That's how expensive it is. We got a good deal for this trip as we were one of the early birds.
Tashi, a friend of mine whom exchanged conversations online. I believe the correct term is pen pal. Besides, I'm also her fan! Shout out to her YouTube channel Tashi-Kyi Vlogs. Subscribe to her, y'all! And big thanks to her thoughtful gifts. I really wish I could have brought more gifts to exchange
Phallus in Bhutan is esoteric symbol whereby many consider as defense against evil spirits. It has the same function as the evil eye we put at our front door that we bought from Turkey in 2019.
The personalized stamps, tourist sim cards, aromatic lemongrass spray, khata (white scarf) and daily drinking water were complimentary from our tour. Indian snacks, woven bag and book were from Tashi. Spot the red penis lol!
Accomodation
FYI these were the hotels provided by the tour. Everything is up to satisfaction except the flow of their hot shower. While showering the temperature freezes quite often and you gotto wait few seconds for the water to be warm again.
Day 1
The chartered flight was Bhutan Air specifically for our tour! You can't get any direct flight to Bhutan unless you fly in through India or other countries that has flight to Bhutan. This picture was taken around 2:30am.
The seats were 3x3. We had about 7 groups in total (A-G) not only from Lye Peng but also Golden Destinations and Star Tours.
Nasi lemak for breakfast.
Himalaya view from the aircraft! Lucky to be seated on the left side.
With only a few dozen of pilots with captain ranking certified to land, it has been a thrilling experience swerving from vantage point of 2500ft and a tight 180 degree turn.
After only 4 hours we landed at Paro airport at 7am. I could feel the cold as I stepped out. It was almost Christmas at that time.
The entire landing strip for us to pose. We took countless of photos here. No other airport could do this.
Complementary tourist sim card valid for a week.
At Tenziling Resort for a pit stop to welcome us with a little coffee, tea and snacks. We were wearing our khata here.
Hubby with Mr. Lye Peng himself. Our group (Grp D) was lucky to have him as our tour leader. He was supper attentive and helpful.
Hubby and our wonderful local guide Sonam somewhere on the way to Thimphu. It was about an hour from Paro to Thimphu.
So that shrine is named Tachog Lhakhang. Appreciate the English signboard. English is widely spoken here as 2nd language so you don't have to worry.
I puked till my scarf was in a mess. Then I was transferred to the front seat beside our driver.
Finally arrived the capital, Thimphu.
With Sonam at the clock tower. We really like him as he is super friendly and easy to talk to.
Beautiful entryway to our restaurant for lunch.
As soon I entered the restaurant I ran to the toilet to vomit although I already took my pill. Everyone heard me. I think it was altitude sickness as there were other passengers who vomited too.
They serve Indian cuisine.
As you can see I couldn't eat at all. Hubby offered me some meat curry which I'm not sure mutton or chicken and it was really delicious.
It was only 6am when we reached the restaurant for dinner. Just 5 minutes away from hotel.
Trying butter tea with rice crispies
Goodnight...we had a fun but not a very lovely day because of severe altitude sickness
Day 2
Bought some souvenirs here
Just a ritual for luck. Don't ask why
Stop by Dochula again for some ginger tea by the fireplace. You can't see the fire but it's warm
After another hour on the zigzag road we had dinner at a hotel we do not stay in the capital
Back at Dusit D2 Yarkay we took a bath and head out to explore the capital
There are no traffic lights in Bhutan. They tried to implement but still prefer the traditional way so here's the one and only human traffic light.
We had lunch here when we arrived on the first day
Needed a drink at a lounge
Had Bhutanese wheat beer, fruit smoothie and very delicious creamy vanilla strawberry ice cream.
It was world cup semi finals if not mistaken.
Day 3
Good morning! Time to say goodbye to Dusit Hotel
The fun group...here we go again!
This is a Takin, indigenous creature to the Himalayan region. Looks half cattle half goat.
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