The month of March, the most satisfying time for travellers all across, if I am not wrong. The weather is just perfect, winter comes to an end, summer begins, greenery makes a return to warm glow all over the landscape, waiting for us to enjoy. With this wanderlust weather, I thought of going for a drive to one of the most peaceful countries, Bhutan. Bhutan is a small country between India and Tibet, with the sweetest people you will ever meet.
So, before I drift from the trope, let me get to where it all started.
Binnaguri, a small tea estate in West Bengal near Siliguri (just 100km away), where the drive started, at around 9 in the morning it was perfect for a tour. It was about a 40-45 minute drive from Binnaguri to the Indo-Bhutan border. The road had a bit of traffic, okay considering you get tea gardens for as far as you can see on both sides with people plucking tea leaves under the soft glare of the sun. A while later the tea gardens were replaced by tall teak trees, birds chirping and the sun hidden in the tree cover. These are something you don’t always see, it felt soothing and calmed my mind. Then, within no time we reached Phuentsholing.
Phuentsholing is a small border town in Southern Bhutan, where we enter the country. There, we were greeted by the Dragon Gate, a majestic gateway marking our entry into the country. The minute you cross the gate you feel the change in the air, a blast of freshness hitting you right in the face. The transition is not something you imagine you would have felt, though you do, unexpectedly with no words citing the feeling. This small town has a lot to offer and one must take out some time to uncover this beauty. We halted in Phuentsholing for the day to relax and unravel the beauty of the place. There’s a lot to enjoy, plenty of places to eat and relax.
The day was better for a drive and after a beautiful sunrise, we hit the roads the moment we were ready. The drive was sure beautiful. Hilly roads started the instant we left Phuentsholing. On the outskirts of the city, there was a small Monastery aka Dzong( as Bhutanese people like to call it), it was a pleasant experience.
The road was overflowing with beautiful forest cover and water streams occasionally popping out along with a few lemurs, Tekkens, mountain goats. At around noon, it was starting to get misty and cloudy, and you know what that's when we reached our next stop, Gedu. There was a college, we parked nearby. In Front of the college was a clocktower with the clouds, lush green valley behind it was breathtaking to look at with a soft sun glow. After spending some time there, we were back on the road.
Lunch was at a helipad as per what I can remember...………
After lunch, the weather started to clear up and the soft sun glow was back within an hour, we hit the road. When we started the drive, the road had a forest cover and the valley view, now there were rocks on one side and a river on the other. The rock looked phenomenal, the sun shining bright. It was good. Following the river, we came to a confluence. Now Thimphu was just an hour away and we drove away. The other road went to Paro, where the airport is. The road was pretty similar for a couple of miles.
As we came close to Thimphu, the landscape changed from rock and river to hills on both sides. It was almost barren with occasional step-cultivation and hush of greenery. The moment we hit the periphery of the city, the first thing to come into view was a school ground. Pelkhil International School was its name, the school itself was immense and peaceful to look at with some small children playing football.
The city welcomed us with almond trees blossoming on the sides, the sun almost escaping the view and a warm glow all across the entire city. The street was ladened with people going back home from work. The place we visited, was the main market. The road was closed for vehicles so we were now on foot, the ambience was nice and so were the people.
The drive was supposed to be to three-three and a half hours but we took the whole day to enjoy the beauty of the place.
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