Around South Asia: Part Four
In which I travelled to the former capital of Bhutan
05.11.2025: Tour Day3, City2
Good morning from Thimphu! I woke up at 06:30am, got ready and had sandwich breakfast at 8am with Shilpa and Shradha. Luggage was loaded into the buses and we left the hotel at 08:30am. Tenzing would not be continuing with us on the tour due to some work so we had a new guide from today, Palden Tshering. We enjoyed the songs sung by Pravin and Tshering. Sangita sang an irony to the song, “Haath naka lavu mazhya saadila”, as “Tup naka lavu mazhya polila”. We drove from Thimphu to Punakha via the Dochula Pass. We halted on the pass at 09:30am and were given an hour to explore.
Dochula Pass
Situated at an altitude of 10,200ft above sea level, it offers breathtaking views of the snow-capped eastern Himalayas, including peaks like Masang Gang and Gangkar Puensum, highest unclimbed mountain.
Druk Wangyal Chortens are a concentric cluster of 108 white stupas built in 2003 by Her Majesty Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck to commemorate Bhutanese soldiers who died during a military operation against insurgents. The slopes are surrounded by cypress trees. We drove towards the next sightseeing at 10:30am.
Royal Botanical Park
Situated in Lamperi, this park is at the heart of the tri-junction of Dochula, Sinchula and Helela Pass. We reached the venue at 11:15am and had tea-coffee and washroom break. There was a documentary show which I skipped and walked towards the Baritsho lake along with Shilpa, Shradha and Sangita. It’s a 5mins uphill walk to the lake.
Fishing is prohibited in the lake so we could see a lot of fishes moving freely in the water. The garden is known for its variety of rhododendron species which bloom from March to August. Since we were off season, so no flower show. We spent half an hour clicking photos here in the lush greenery.
We drove ahead towards Punakha and reached our lunch restaurant Lobesa at 1pm. I had lunch with Shilpa and Shradha. The last 15mins of the drive were too much suffocating for me. Thanks to Ashwini, to help me open the window.
Nestled at the confluence of the Pho Chu (Father River) and Mo Chu (Mother River), Punakha is situated at an elevation of 4000ft. We watched the river confluence from the bus on our way to the Dzong. After the confluence, the main river is called as Puna Tsang Chu. The bus dropped us at the entry gate at 02:15pm. We walked through the wooden bridge flowing over the Mo Chu river, to the Punakha Dzong complex northern side.
We climbed the entrance stairs, passed by the huge prayer wheel and the large bodhi tree. We reached the assembly hall at 02:30pm.
Pungthang Dewa Chhenbi Phodrang (Palace of great happiness)
The main prayer hall is called Kuenrey, adorned with vibrant murals, intricate wood carvings, and statues of Buddhist deities, including Shakyamuni Buddha, Guru Rinpoche and Avalokiteshvara. There were butter lamps and water lamps in front of the statues along with offerings of fruits. We sat on the red cushioned floor for meditation till 3pm and were back to base at 03:15pm.
We headed towards the bridge. The bus was parked and we had to walk for 10mins to reach the bridge.
Punakha Suspension Bridge
It’s the longest suspension bridge across the Pho Chu river, connecting the nearby villages and offers a panoramic view of the valley. It sways gently while walking and we need to be careful with our mobiles. I walked almost three-fourth of the bridge and turned back to the entry point.
There was a pani-puri stall nearby. We spent an hour at this bridge and watched river rafting as well. On the way to the river rafting point, Tshering mentioned about the Romeo-Juliet of Bhutan by showing the Galem’s House, a three-store manor perched on the hill. The story of Galem and Singye is deeply embedded in Bhutanese folklore, symbolizing love, sacrifice, and societal constraints.
River Rafting on Mo Chu
We reached the starting point at 04:30pm, put on the life jackets and helmets, headed to the shore. We were divided into 4 rafts. I took the backseat as I was a first timer. I had to overcome the fear of drowning in the Red Sea while snorkeling. The raftsmen demoed how to row forward. The adventure started at 04:45pm and our raft was the first to leave the shores.
It was a 15min smooth ride till the exit point. We returned the oars, life jackets and helmets and boarded the bus.
We reached the Hotel River Valley after 5pm and had onion fritters with tea. Rooms were allotted; my room no was 725.
I had dinner at 8pm with Soniya and Pranali. I was very happy to see conch shaped pasta but it was so bland. So, I created my version of Ema Datshi Pasta by adding the gravy. It was spicy but eatable now. Fellow tour members were having a great time with drinks at the bar. So far, the journey had been more tiring than peaceful. It was a full moon night and I was full of emotions since my periods were due and I wanted to pass the trek date; because periods and trek together is scary! I got the bag ready for tomorrow and dozed off. Turning strangers to friends is not that difficult. I made so many friends of different ages on this tour. We share our good and bad experiences and what we learnt so far from life.
