Bangkok to Paro and Thimphu

2^nd March 2018

Mount Everest

While getting up at 2:30am is not one of my most favourite things to do, it was rewarded half an hour later by my first meeting with Joan, who would be my work colleague for the next month.

My early morning call, quick shower and final pack and check of my room was well underway when reception called again with a “5 minute warning”.  I carried my cabin bag and the lighter of my checked luggage downstairs as the driver was coming to get my big bag, and was surprised to see another person waiting for the airport transfer.  I was even more surprised when the person not only met the description sent to me by Joan but also answered to that same name.  In a most unlikely coincidence, we had booked the same hotel prior to our flight to Paro.

Kanchenjunga

This provided us with amusement all the way to the airport, where we parted, as her flight would be on Bhutan Airlines, not Druk Air.

Check in proceeded uneventfully, and I was, at my request, allocated a window seat on the left hand side of the plane, albeit behind the wing.  I am still hopeful that it will provide good views of the Himalayas.

As the bus transferred us from the terminal to our awaiting aircraft, I admired the full moon above the airport buildings and was welcomed aboard with the biggest smile and the most cheerful good morning from the male flight attendant.  

With anticipation I reached for the in-flight magazine and was pleased to find that it was still the January-February version:  there is an article by my Dutchman friend Piet about the far out east trek, in which he mentions me and my brother, who did that trek with me.

Glorious Himalayan Peaks

I read the article (again, because Piet had already sent it to me) and a few other bits and pieces in the magazine with growing excitement, as sunrise started, visible with glowing reds and oranges on the horizon fading to yellow and shades of pale blue as the morning sky showed its colours.

The flight would go via Kolkata, and would take about 4 hours.  Plenty of time to compile my notes from previous days in between watching for stunning mountain views – which certainly would not appear until after Kolkata.

Druk Air breakfast met all my expectations from previous experience: I chose the vegetarian option and the main dish was as plentiful as my only meal on the Jetstar flight of a couple of days before.  It was accompanied by a dish of fruit, a glass of fruitjuice, a tub of yogurt, a croissant with butter and jam, a chocolate mouse type cake and a cup of coffee. 

On the descent into Kolkata the announcement informed us that visibility was 1.2km – serious pollution.  The Bhutanese lady in front of me also commented on how everything looked as if it were covered with ash.

Once out of Kolkata we started to clear the pollution and after a while the mountains started to thrust their snowy peaks above the clouds.  I thanked my prior knowledge of knowing that a window seat on the left hand side of the plane is preferred as I admired Everest, Kanchenjunga and finally the sacred Bhutanese peak Jhomolhari.

Due to clouds, we had to maintain a holding pattern for a while and I was relieved when it was finally announced that we would be descending to Paro.

Jhomolhari

The descent for landing was as interesting as it had been on my previous descent.  Flying down, between the mountains, following valleys, gradually getting lower, turning to follow another valley and then finally the view of Paro.  This airport landing may only by done by a small group of highly trained pilots.  It is a visual landing and the runway does not come into view until the plane has crested the final hill, at which point the start of the runway is about 500m away.  Thus the need for the holding pattern.

Disembarkation has none of the strictness of Indian airports.  Noone was particularly concerned about us taking photos of the airport or the planes. 

Paro Airport

Immigration and luggage collection proceeded as expected and I toyed with the idea of a bottle of duty free gin, and decided against it, as tonic is not always easy to buy.

I headed through customs, through the red lane, and declared the fig cuttings I had brought for Dorji.  Customs was not happy.  I did not have the required paperwork therefore I could not bring them in.  I did not question this, I had suspected as much.  The country has strict biosecurity regulations and for very good reason.  The customs official photographed my passport as a record of from whom the cuttings were confiscated.

Karma was outside to meet me and it was delightful to see him again.  He suggested I should go back in to buy duty free, as tonic would be easily available in Thimphu…trust me!

We were to wait for the others to arrive.  The other flight from Bangkok left an hour after I had, and would arrive within half an hour but we needed to wait until 11:15 … or so for the 3 who were coming on the flight from Kathmandu.  I could sleep in the car if I wanted. 

I spent a bit of time chatting with Karma, and excavated my gift for him from my bag.  He seemed happy with the socks – a couple of pairs of long Explorer socks that will keep his toes toasty in winter and one pair of merino long socks that are thinner but should also be nice and warm.  I apologized for the “made in China” label on these Australian wool socks.  I had tried hard to find some made in Australia – it just seemed impossible.

It ended up that the flight out of Kathmandu was delayed so Karma took us into Paro and gave us a brief tour of the main street and took us to buy SIM cards.  I suggested that for me a tourist card for a month was not the best option as my plan it to come back in mid April.

Some did not have any Nu, but Karma lent us each 1000Nu for the time and said he would change money for us later.  This procedure I am very familiar with.  Karma knows where to get the best exchange rate, so I am happy to go with that and give him my cash.  It took a bit of explaining to the others.

Once my SIM was working I was able to contact Zangmo and Phub and let Dorji know that his fig cuttings had been confiscated.  He expressed the intent of contacting them, but was unsuccessful in getting them, they had already been destroyed.

We ended up waiting 4 hours for the others.  I was definitely snoozing in the car by then.

As we travelled the road to Paro, a couple of my fellow passengers became more quiet – the winding road being a little much for them!  As we approached the Iron Link Bridge I asked Karma to explain about it for the benefit of my colleagues.  It still amazes me that the man responsible was using this technology a couple of centuries before the west.  I checked out the turnoff to where Zangmo is teaching at Wanakha Central School – located on the road to Haa – and as we entered Thimphu I recognized some familiar landmarks.

Once at the Hotel Khamsum, were offered the inevitable tea before check in but I really just wanted to go to my room for a bit, as did the others, and I was glad to have my hot drink brought to my room.

It rather amused me that once at the Khamsum Inn my devices picked up the  wifi with no need for new passwords or log in after not having been there for more than 2 years!

I was delighted to receive a phone call from Zangmo, inviting me to dinner that evening.  She would travel from her school at Wanakha, which is half way to Haa, some 2 hours drive.  Zangmo is a particularly special person to me; she became a very close friend when I was at Kheni Lower Secondary School in 2015; much closer than I ever could have dreamed a new friend from a place so afar could be.  It was a shame I could not accept as a semi-formal dinner was planned for the reading teachers with special guests attending: Nancy, Meena and Aum Deki – past personnel from the Bhutan Canada foundation and good friend Deki. So Zangmo and I made plans for the following weekend.

Karma had delegated me to show the others the way to the kira shop so they could buy their own national dress outfits for school.  I told the group I would take them, but would then abandon them there to go and buy myself a bura silk kira.  With a glint in her eye, Suzanne asked to accompany me and had much fun looking at the very fine and expensive kira in the shop;  I needed to keep telling her that many were special occasions only and not for school – apart from being VERY expensive.  The assistant helped me by confirming which were tsetchu kira – the kira worn for the annual festival at the Dzongs or monasteries.  Anne and Maureen subsequently joined us and I left them to go and get my watch fixed. 

I had lost the face glass of my watch in Bangkok, and really needed a replacement.  A young man from the textile shop took me to show me the watchmaker shop and stayed to assist with the translation that I should return in half an hour for the repair.  In the meantime I relocated the 8-11 store, one in the centre of the town that has a few imported goods and navigated my way to its entrance despite the massive construction and excavation in front of it.  This is not a first world country with its excessive risk management;  health and safety requirements – that’s just for wimps!  I easily found the toiletries I needed but no tonic to accompany my gin.  Nor could I find a coffee plunger – the general electrical shop most likely to have one did not….

Don’t worry, said Karma later, we would find it.  Don’t worry was much heard for Karma in this short time – about all sorts of things!

At dinner that evening it was delightful to see our guests again, and Nancy was kind enough to offer to lend me a coffee plunger as she was about to head back to Canada for a couple of months and had other ways of making coffee anyway.  Meena filled me in on what had happened with other BCF teachers who were my colleagues in 2015, some having chosen pathways that were quite surprising – including one having married a Bhutanese man and they had a baby and were now living back in her home country.

I made my apologies relatively early, as did Ann who had an awful cold, and was glad to get to bed after 20 hours of being up!