Bhutan - The fulfilment of a long-held dream! (4)

Dochula pass, Punakha dzong and Punakha suspension bridge!

Are you a citizen of India, Maldives or Bangladesh? If you are, take a moment to be extremely grateful for this fact. Why do I say that? It's because it's only the passport holders of these three countries that are allowed an entry into Bhutan without a visa. In addition to visa processing fees, citizens of other countries also have a minimum compulsory daily spending of $200/250. Ergo, be extremely glad for Indian passport, which allows you to decide the budget of your Bhutan trip, plan your itinerary on your own terms, and spend as much or as little as you want.

Anyway, getting back to business..
Our itinerary for today, after Thimphu was Punakha via Dochula pass. Having read marvellous things about the Punakha dzong, we were very eager to start the journey and hoped that B would arrive on time. But when he did not show up even at 9.30, the hubster and I decided to look for other options. A call was also made to B's boss as well, and we threatened to ditch the vehicle if B continued behaving this way. At a short distance from the hotel, we had seen a few travel agencies and decided to pay them a visit. Both the gentlemen were extremely hospitable and even though they did not have a vehicle at their disposal, they went out of their way, giving us references of other travel agents.
Hoping against hope that B would behave, we started our journey to Punakha.

I've shared this photo in the earlier post as well..give these gentlemen a call if you're planning a trip to Bhutan!

Dochula pass is at a short drive from Thimphu and is situated at an elevation of approximately 10,000 feet and one can see a view of distant snow-capped Himalayan peaks on clear days, especially November onward. There are 108 memorial chortens or stupas built at the pass to commemorate the fifth King's victory over Assamese insurgents. There is also a temple located at the pass, which we skipped. In addition, there is a lovely cafe called Druk Wangyal cafe, where one can enjoy butter tea if one is so inclined. We walked around the chortens, breathing in the fresh, pure air and soaking in the view. Even though we wanted to spend more time there, we had to move on in order to reach the dzong in time.

Me!

The cafe at Dochula! PC- Rashmi Patwardhan

Punakha dzong is truly one of the most beautiful structures I've seen. It is situated on the banks of Mo Chhu and Pho Chhu (Mother river and Father river). There are Jacaranda trees planted around the perimeter and they bloom a lovely lilac during the spring months. We missed this sight in person, but our guide there was kind enough to show us a picture he had taken on his phone. There is an entry fee of Rs 300 per head and the guide service is provided free of cost, though the tourists do tip the guides. Most of the dzongs and temples have this guide service available, and I would urge people planning to go there to make use of the service if they do not have a guide. After going around the dzong and listening to several interesting stories, we were totally famished.

Lunch was at a resort located midway between the dzong and the town. There are no restaurants anywhere nearby and one has to go all the way to the town for lunch. As expected, B cribbed a little about this, but the dose he had received from his boss seemed to be working as his demeanor was indeed changed. After a lunch of sandwiches, we went to see the Pho Chu suspension bridge. This is a suspension bridge built on the Pho Chu river and is regularly used by the locals. You get a lovely aerial view of the Pho Chu river and of the Punakha valley. The lack of crowds is a welcome change here as well.

Pho Chu suspension bridge!

We drove back to Thimphu, with B behaving quite normally. There were no creepy songs playing, there was no incessant chatter, and he even refrained from smoking openly, though his clothes still stank of smoke. It was dark by the time we reached Thimphu, and we enjoyed the views of a starry night as the skies were clear. Bhutan can be a stargazer's paradise if one camps away from the city lights. On the drive back to the hotel, we also enjoyed the lovely view of the Thimphu dzong being lit up in the night. That sight, more than ever, made us feel that we were in some fairy-tale kingdom.

Early dinner and sleep were in order as a hike to Tango monastery was planned the next day.