Tip: If you are going to Bhutan, don’t plan your trip from any Indian tourism agency. Reach Phuntsholling (entry point of Bhutan) and then plan a trip with a Bhutanese tourism agency. You will not be exploited.
For our trip to Bhutan, we had booked only the stay for the first night in Bhutan as we would be reaching late. The Indian driver took us to the hotel which was meant to be booked for us. When I just entered the lobby of the hotel there were two girls who were screaming, laughing, giggling and running out in the corridor. I got a weird feeling, yea exactly the kind of stuff you are thinking right now!
But since we had a booking there I decided to check the rooms which I dint get exactly found good because they were above the kitchen floor.
Its important to know that Bhutan is a land for non-vegetarian foodies!
I told the driver that I dint find the hotel to be of the kind which we were paying them. Finally leaving that hotel aside, I went to search out for a hotel at 9pm already tired from the 8 hour long drive. Thank you to the Indian agency who just had decided to make more commission than the hotel stay for us.
In Bhutan all the shops and activities shuts down by 7-8pm and here were searching for an hotel at 9pm. Knocking a few doors we found almost all the hotels are packed.
Interesting thing about Bhutan is if there is a hotel which doesn’t have a room available they will guide you to the best hotel for your budget and the possibility that you can get to stay there.
After searching a few places we finally got a good hotel, Hotel Wangchuk. The rates of hotel were a bit higher than what we were looking for.
Bhutan and the people here impress you at every second encounter with them.
We learnt in school to be truthful always but you can never apply it. In Bhutan, you should follow your heart, say what you want to and be truthful.
Unknowingly, I frankly told the manager what all had already happened and we want to stay at your hotel but don’t have that big a money and still first day in Bhutan. Immediate reaction was he discounted the rates and gave us at a reasonable price which was affordable to us.
The rooms were simple awesome and also internet accessibility for addicts like me!
Kitchens were already closed by 8 and cleaned up. No food was available and we were dying for food. Everything is closed in the town except for the theatre!
The manager of the hotel walked down the road with us to the theatre which was a suggestion from him only, took us to the food cafe of the theatre and there we bought our first maggi masala noodles of the trip.
I am saying first because for the rest of the 12 days we had Maggi masala noodles and bread butter for except that its all non-vegetarian food in Bhutan.
We bought the Maggi but there was no cook. The manager gave us the access to the hotel kitchen and helped us in making Maggi also sat with us till we had our dinner.
This was the first night at Thimphu, Bhutan and the first encounter with the Bhutanese.
Learnings of the first night at Thimphu.
1. Never plan your trip with an Indian or a foreign agency if you want good deals. Best way of getting good deals is to buy a lonely planet’s traveller guide!
2. Say Truth. Be Frank.
3. Never try to exploit anyone. We exploit Indians so we too got exploited, but Bhutanese they are so good and kind at heart that you just cannot exploit them.
4. Bhutanese will help you for everything that you ask for. They are like those grandpa and grandma who pamper you and see to it that you get what you want.
5. If you are a vegetarian carry a lot of food with you or love the Maggi noodles like anything! ;)
(in the picture: Softy Jain and Foram Aslot)
(in the picture: Softy Jain and Foram Aslot)
