Suitcase and World: Road trippin' through Bhutan.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Road trippin' through Bhutan.

Considering there's only one aiport in the entire country and there's no railsystem, it's not surprising that we spent a lot of time on the road going places.

Bhutan is a mountain kingdom so I wasn't surprised to see hilly landscapes dotted with small villages. What was a surprise, especially when we first drove through the countryside, were how all the buildings were decorated in traditional Bhutanese style.















It was a cloudy, overcast day when we started our drive from Phuentsholing to Thimphu which took us up high into the mountains. Part of the road was windy and unpaved so it was a slow and bumpy ride but it was still nice to be able to enjoy passing views of the mountainous landscape of the country.


As we arrived into Thimphu, the sun was trying ts best to poke through the clouds. Even against the backdrop of cloudy skies, Thimphu is picturesque town, nestled in a green valley that has a river running through it. The main roading leading in town runs alongside the river. Though Thimphu is a capital city and we were arriving around the time that rush hour starts in most places, there was no traffic jam in sight. Nothing but neat, orderly traffic....so orderly, the city doesn't even need a stop light!


By the time we headed out towards Paro, we were driving in the valley. Terraced fields of red rice dominated the landscape.


The drive to Paro had us winding along the river. I still can't get over the rivers here. First off, the water is crystal clear and I mean crystal clear....you can easily see to the bottom. Secondly, the color is just stunning....a beautiful shade of aventurine green.


Mother Nature really blessed Bhutan with magnificent landscape.  In a way, I hope the country never builds another airport and never develops a railsystem because I think passing through Bhutan by road gives you the opportunity to appreciate nature's beauty in a way that you would not otherwise have if you were flying or taking the train.  On that note, I'm turning my attention to the beautiful scenery whizzing by my window!