The Preamble: Beginning of a Love Affair with Bhutan through a Screen

Most people fall in love with a person, I fell in love with a cup of Bhutan’s Butter tea, during a virtual travel session.

It was late 2020, during a PATA virtual tourism session, that I first saw a cup of Suja (Butter Tea). I didn’t just want the tea; I wanted the stillness Bhutan represented, the vibrance and beauty of the culture that thrives in between the barriers of Himalayan hills.

It took four years and a detour through Thailand in 2024 to finally reach those mountains, but the seed was already planted in me “I wanna go to Bhutan”.

Last December, I was at a breaking point. Yes, 4 months back. In the capitalistic world, if you aren’t a “fox,” you’re often treated as prey.

When you are in an environment which label and corner you for being yourself, dragging down your self-confidence into a dark “underworld”, you want nothing but protect yourself at all cost. That was the story that pushed me on to edge to run away. I was suffocating under unnecessary judgments. I didn’t just need a vacation; I needed an exorcism of the ghosts in my life. I decided to test fate, or not sure if I was trying to get myself killed at that point by going to Bhutan’s 3120m altitude, despite knowing the capacity my lungs can handle.

I booked a solo slot on a Thrillophilia group trip just like that. I know my objective:  definitely not going there to make friends or network; I went to see if the version of me that existed before the “labels” was still alive.

The Logistics: Bhutan Travel Cost and Planning

As a marketing core person and being a thrifty kid, I live for strategy while booking any trip. While I let the agency handle the ground accommodation and tour packaging from Bagdogra (around ₹37,510), I took total control of my flight booking from Chennai. Booking my own Indigo flights via Cleartrip for ₹22K, a significantly better deal than the agency suggested, felt like a victory. I was satisfactory with the stay as well, we stayed in 3 different places over the period:

1. Hotel Puentsholing (Puentsholing)
2. Forest Botique (Thimphu)
3. Tsherim Resort (Paro)

I’d say the stays are much better than what our office chugs down at me during Market visits. They took us in a mini Van which they call, Coaster. I was okay with it, decent and comfortable. Our guides and driver carrier too much of humour cells so we laughed more throughout.

The journey truly began at the border in Phuentsholing. Actually, the sun sets faster on your way from Bagdogra to Puentsholing. Like 5:30PM it’s at the darkest hour.

For Indians traveling to Bhutan, the Phuentsholing immigration process is a marathon of patience – a 24-hour immigration process first, you go round and round and round. You’ll understand when you get there. Next day the immigration process for rest of your trip, that takes 3-4hrs because of the crowd. Meanwhile go out and walk around and grab some Ginseng Tea from the cafe opposite the park. That reduces the exhaustion.

I’d suggest you go through everything patiently, all are experiences, the first lesson: there is a difference between a Tourist and a Traveller. A tourist views local beliefs as an amusement. A traveller, a true solivagant or enthusiast – respects the individuality of a culture and becomes a Romen when she/he is in Rome. I still remember my ardent Christian friends of mine who went to Odisha only to mock at Buddhism and Buddhist temples; honestly, those guys are nuts. Why visit a holy place just to belittle the faith of others? Jerks.

Wisdom from the Land of the Thunder Dragon (Druk)

The Bhutanese possess a level of confidence that is, frankly, peak goals. My guides, Kinley and Yeshi, spoke in sentences that felt like they should be etched in stone. “We didn’t trade our happiness for GDP,” they told us. They said their key to happiness is – Less Expectation and More Satisfaction with life. They are travel guides, but in their country, they are treated as equals. There is no “servant” culture here; there is only mutual respect and decorum.

Guys… This country offers free education and medical facilities to everyone. Even if you decide to live there. That will apply to you as well.

And every architecture looks same. Every building maintain consistent colours/hues and artistic element. You can’t find who is rich and who is poor on the first glance.

In Paro, a day before leaving, I found a sanctuary at the Mountain Cafe. There, I met a 50-year-old man named Rinchen / Rinzin. We spoke for 20 minutes about Bhutan, his son in Japan, about how Tamil women used to live there a few years back as professors (he subtly asked me to move there and work as a professor), the hydroelectric plants that power their nation, and their deep, unwavering love for the King and the Royal Family and how the young Generation are moving out as they want more than just peace.

They rely on tourism and water, and they are satisfied. “We are satisfied, so we are happy,” he said. It sounds simple, but for someone coming from a world of “more, faster, better,” it was revolutionary.

Or should I tell you about the insightful interaction I had  with – a random Buddhist monk, the couples in the view point, the Japanese uncle who stopped next to me to stare at the old tree along with me, or the girl from Bangalore who told me I should become selfish to survive in this world. All this happened that I had while coming back from Tiger hill view point alone.

Talkin’ about walkin’ alone. You can roam the streets of Paro or Thimphu at night as a solo woman, and you are met with safety. It’s a culture where the gaze is respectful, not predatory. And out of context but yeah the men of Bhutan are remarkably handsome and well-built. But their real beauty lies in their restraint. They don’t oogle like other men around the world. But there used to be a weird divine man in their history as we – Drukpa Kunley. I am too stunned to write about him here.

The people of Bhutan are just genuinely happy. You look at them you know they don’t pretend to be happy but they just live that way… Peacefully and happily without overcomplicating life.

As I write, suddenly reminded of how the women and kids in Bhutan have cheeks that are naturally flamed with pink. Their hair is silky smooth. When you go to Bhutan, I don’t know if it’s because of the water or something, your hair gets straight as well.

The “Problem Child” and the Coimbatore Connection

The Bhutanese possess a peak level of confidence. My guides, Kinley and Yeshi, were the backbone of the trip. In a “small world” twist, I found out Kinley actually studied in Coimbatore! And one of Yeshi’s teacher was from Tamil Nadu. It felt like a slice of home in the middle of the Himalayas.

However, I have to admit, I was a bit of a “problem child.” Between my Pulmonary Fibrosis making me the slowest climber (even the seniors were outpacing me!) and my refusal to recharge my local Bhutanese SIM because I have wasted my money on international roaming recharge before coming here, poor Kinley and Yeshi spent half the trip just trying to locate me. I wasn’t trying to be difficult; I was just so deep in my “recharge” bubble that the outside world, and its cellular signals, didn’t seem to matter much to me.

The Thrillophilia Cast of Characters: From Comfort to Chaos

A group trip is only as good as the people you’re stuck in a bus with. Thrillophilia messed us up and did good all at same time. I found a surprising “comfort place” in a family from Hyderabad. With two daughters, one working and one in college, they felt like a safe harbor for my weary mind. I also met inspiring solo-traveling women who had trekked so much they made my “beginning of the story” feel like an epic prologue.

Then, there was the chaos. We had a couple from Delhi where the wife was… a lot handful. During river rafting in the turquoise Himalayan waters, she almost made us drown because she had to have the perfect photo – everyone standing on the boat drifting through the running water. Girrrl, seriously? The secondhand embarrassment was real for me when she said that, the audacity. We also had some guys from Delhi who were consistently disrespectful to the guides, only to be rightfully slammed by Kinley’s sharp Bhutanese wit. And the brother, sister duo who made me wish – “it would have been nice if my brother has come with me”.

And who could forget Amir Uncle? Every group trip has one, the “drunken old bugger” from whom everyone instinctively ran. When we saw him coming, we knew a “problem” was about to arise.

The “Fate vs. Breath” Showdown

Now, let’s talk about the physical stakes. I went to Bhutan with a serious complication: Pulmonary Fibrosis. Taking on the Himalayas with compromised lungs is what some call “brave” and others call “a direct challenge to the universe.” It was a “let’s test fate, I’m ready to risk it all” kind of trip.

The temperature dropped to -10°C. For a girl from Chennai, this was a biological shock. I am good at handling heat, but never the cold. My roommate, Shreyoshi from Kolkata, and I survived by filling hot water bags and hugging them like they were long-lost relatives throughout the night. Mine was so small that I kept it right on top of my left lung. Our group was a mix, mostly youngsters, which was refreshing. So, it was fun.

Then came the Tiger’s Nest (Paro Taktsang) trek. For many, it’s a hike for the ‘gram. For me, it was a confrontation with my own mortality. Every step toward that monastery clinging to the cliffside was a negotiation. I didn’t make it into the monastery itself; the stairs were a bridge too far for my lungs this time. But I reached the stunning viewpoint.

Looking at that temple, I realised that everyone else’s “luck” at having healthy lungs didn’t diminish my achievement. I had climbed a mountain with half the air of everyone else. I shed the prison of seeking validation. I stopped apologising for my limitations and started celebrating my grit. I accepted myself, scars, fibrosis, and all. But I’ll go back there again on a Summer or Spring season, to reach the Monastery by taking my time without rushing.

Then we went to have a Hot Stone Bath. It costs 2K per person. Okay for a new experience.

Imagine sliding into a wooden tub of herbal-infused water, heated by glowing Himalayan stones dropped into an extension of the tub. It detoxifies, gives you good skin health, heals you from many illness… as per their claims. I already have a good one… sooo… well.

But it was the best hour of my life. Amazing feel. And I have to tell you I earned something out of it if it… My lunch capacity improved. I am pretty sure the entire visit, trek, the bath – all attributed to it.

Cultural Immersion: Kira, Toego, and Local Flavors

Y’all know, I love local foods and customs. So, one of the highlights was trying on the food and local Bhutanese attire: the Kira and Toego. I’m not being biased when I say it looked amazing on me. There is something about the structure of the traditional dress that makes you feel both grounded and regal.

The culinary heart of Bhutan, is literally carried by a single ingredient – Datshi (a type of cheese). The menu is often consistent wherever you go, but the soul in the cooking varies. I became a connoisseur of Datshi (cheese): Ema Datshi (spicy chilies!), Kewa Datshi (potato), and Shamu Datshi (mushroom), the Red Rice and the salted cake they gave us for Christmas. And, of course, the Suja. Unfortunately, I failed miserably at taking photos of the food because I was too busy eating it. Priority shift, I’d say.

The Gender of Water and the Soul

In Punakha, we saw the Mo Chhu (Female River) and Pho Chhu (Male River). The female is calm; the male is aggressive. I had to laugh, does the patriarchy really think women can’t be aggressive? Women are like storm, except that we don’t act reckless and reasonless. But it was so peaceful 2hrs of rafting in the smooth current. I loved every moment floating on that glistening waters.

We visited the Giant Buddha Dordenma. We saw the Takin, a goat-cow hybrid with a weird backstory. I even spotted the rare Blue Poppy.

Leaving My Heart in Phuentsholing

The most profound moment happened on my final night. I roamed Phuentsholing alone, ate momos, and found a temple in the park. I joined the locals circling the Buddha, chanting and praying. Spent 3 hours exploring in and out, aimlessly getting lost and finding myself… It was so fun. I love doing this wherever I go.

I realized I didn’t want to destroy the kindness inside me. I wanted to keep my “inner child” alive. I refused to let go of that part of myself just to survive the “leeches” of the world. I handed my inner child over to Buddha. “Keep her safe,” I whispered. “I’m leaving her here in the Land of Happiness. I’ll come back for her when I’ve built a world where she is allowed to be soft again.” I returned to Chennai with a bag of magnets and a soul that felt like a life-filled tree.

The Solivagant’s Cheat Code

I returned to Chennai with a bag of magnets and a soul that felt like a life-filled tree. I have a “cheat code” now: during the long, scenic bus rides through the Himalayas, I played a specific playlist. I let the music and the views fuse together. Now, when the Chennai Metro is too loud, I play that playlist. When the corporate labels start to feel heavy again, I play it too. It takes me back to the -10°C peaks, and suddenly, I can breathe again. Also, try to wear warm clothes and never compromise on your fashion, a modest one though. Also, a good trekking shoe is a must. I got my first pair of Sketchers shoes at a good discounted price for this trip’s sake.

Bhutan Travel FAQ for Indians

• What documents are required for Bhutan? You MUST carry your Passport or Voter ID. Bhutan does NOT accept Aadhar, PAN, or driving licenses. If using a Voter ID, bring 4-5 passport-sized photos.
• Is Bhutan safe for solo female travelers? 10/10. Solo women are incredibly safe. The men are handsome, well-built, and exceptionally respectful, good for your eyes. he.he..he…
• What is the best time to visit Bhutan? I went in December. It was 0°C-10°C and crowded due to the holidays, but the views were crystal clear. Spring or Summer offers a better time to reach the monastery at Tiger’s Nest. You can enjoy a flower-filled hill view. It’s also a great time to experience a bit of the local festival.
• What is the currency in Bhutan? They use the Ngultrum, but Indian Rupees (INR) are widely accepted (though ₹500 notes can sometimes be tricky).
• How do I get a Bhutan SIM card? You can get one at the border in Phuentsholing. Just remember to recharge it so your guides don’t lose you!
• What should I pack? For winter, at least two proper thermal layers, a wind-resistant jacket, and a hot water bag for the nights. Moisturizer, fosho! without fail. Vaseline’s cloudsoft is amazing moisturizer. And lip balm, I carried hyphen lip balm. Worked well.

The journey back to Chennai felt different. As the plane touched down and the familiar humidity of home wrapped around me, I realized that my baggage was lighter, even though it was stuffed with magnets and local tea. The labels that once felt like a life sentence: decided to finish it off in steepness of the underworld, as I’ve seen the peaks. I’ve stood at -10°C and realized that my kindness isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. I left my inner child in the safe hands of the Buddha, but I brought back the woman brave enough to fight for her. Sometimes, you have to risk your breath just to remember how to breathe. Its been months now, my pov of things have changed drastically, I feel much more happier and peacefull than I was till Dec 19th.

So, yes, if you are planning to go to Bhutan from Chennai, or from anywhere and if you have any questions please feel free to ask, meanwhile, alot more videos and photos are uploaded in my Insta, don’t forget to drop by there as well…

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