Beautiful Bhutan (Part 1)

Sunday, June 15, 2025

After we speak, W brings me to the shuttle and I travel to Jakarta after 11 AM. (He arranges an earlier run so that the driver misses most of the weekend traffic.) I sit around - the lounge food is not appealing and I'm tired! - until the flight leaves at 7 PM. The gate area is pure chaos. The huge video board says, "Goodbye" in 5 languages but gives no information.

Three flights are leaving at the same time, with no clear lines. The flight attendants for the Middle East (Abu Dabi) give 35 minutes of "last call, walking through the crowds. People continue to trickle toward the gate, which make the next flight (Emeretz) 20 minutes late. We board after they do, the patient swarm standing off toward the right before we all surge into the gangway to the plane.

I'm in Bangkok 10:30 - 5 AM. It's mandatory to go through customs and immigration since I'm getting a boarding pass on another airline. The royal family is on display.

I try to sleep on a row of seats, masking and covering myself with a coat worn backwards. Some Malay guys plunk down hard - up and down - and a few have deep colds. They sneeze, clear their noses, and cough right beside me. Their chatter and food keeps me from relaxing so I give up at at 1:30 AM and look for the line to Druckair, the Bhutan airline. 

No luck. Korean Air has all the booths on that row, with no Druckair in sight. When I return 15 minutes later, there's a long lineup of people with lots of luggage. No worries. I'm in no hurry. 

I don't know the lounges and am too tired to check out multiples. I go to the first one I see - it's ok. The food and seating is not great, but it's clean. When it's time to fly out, I'm so tired I can hardly think. One plane over, someone is working on the engine while standing on a car. Eh?!

I snooze on the Druckair 3.5 hour flight. The female attendants wear traditional dress but the men are in suits. It's really nice to see formal dress and gives a glimpse of Bhutan's attention to detail.

But look at the view out the window ... the man on the aisle seat is returning after working in Australia for 5 years. His parents eagerly await him. I ask what gifts he is bringing: perfume, shoes, clothing. He snaps a few pictures for me.

Oh wow - the sun rises on the mountainous terrain.

I'm met by a tour operator, gifted a white shawl (the Hawaiian alternative is a flower lei) and driven to the capital city. There's colorful painting on wood and walls, especially flowers and the eagle and dragon that are the symbol of Bhutan.

Most tourists leave the flight and stop dead to take selfies, even before they walk into the terminal - it's that beautiful. Once inside, the wide reception area gives a glimpse of Bhutan's culture and decor.

Then there's the luggage carousel. Bhutan is small and not wealthy. They are proud of their king and his family. "We are the peaceful kingdom," they say. 

Bhutan's top two revenue-generating industries are hydro-power (sold to India and purchased back during the dry winter season) and tourism, yet its emphasis is relational rather than high-tech or fancy gear. Attention is given to detail - it's clean and maintained to a high standard and the food is wonderful!

Some mountainsides are totally green, while others are bare rock. Deep valleys are grooved out by rivers. More recently, green roofs indicate private homes. Red are businesses or government buildings. Signage is in English, encouraging drivers to be courteous, careful, and protective of the natural environment.

Cattle and horses graze along the switchbacks and occasional straights of the highway.

Bhutan's natural beauty is breathtaking. The tall mountains rise from bases that start at 2,000+ meters (6000') elevation . Fresh air is matched by sunshine and  fluffy clouds. I think my touristy joy here will be to clean out my lungs with that mountain air!

The architecture is square with minimally sloped roofs. It's a semi-tropical country with Himalayas all around. They haven't had snow in the past years, "but I'm told we used to have snowfall every winter 20 years ago," offers the young tour guide.

It will rain by afternoon in this rainy season but I'm refreshed by the sunny drive in.

Across the road from our hotel is the river and a school. What a view! The kids are in the courtyard in uniforms - it's considered polite and required to dress in the national clothing for education and business.

I peek out the window at the apartment next door. Sunning paintwork.

The hotel is simple and hospitable. There's lots of stained wood, a luxurious mattress, and generous space for writing and study. It's clean! which makes me very happy.

The group I'm with are eager learners. We talk about research and writing, what it means to explore the world, and how much fun it can be. They have much to offer the world with their fresh eyes on culture, historic traditions, society, and faith.

I'm almost sleep when the hotel kitchen calls: they have supper ready. I'm hardly hungry. They deliver a spicy soup, fresh-water fish and chips, and even desert: 2 dough balls in syrup. The sun set at 7 pM, but the street dogs start to bark at 8:30. Packs of dogs roam the streets, snoozing during the day and fighting for turf at night. They talk to each other off and on all night.

Tuesday

I wake early enough to grade the comments that have come in overnight. In the meeting room, there is no ledge outside the large window. It opens to fresh air and a parking lot below.

There are plenty of vehicles but they don't seem to have major traffic jams.

Timphu reminds me of Switzerland.

School kids hop on public transit or get to school on school busses if they're too far away to walk.

The view from the dining room shows a city preparing for the day.

I eat a hearty breakfast, including 2 over-easy eggs sent to the table without ordering them. I ask someone to help me eat it all.

This is the mid-morning snack! Chicken wings and potato wedges. 

We have a good group. Two of them are sneezing and wheezing. Oh oh! (Yup - I catch it. My resistance to respiratory stuff is nil since my third bout of COVID.)

Read more:

*Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

*Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:38-39

Moravian Prayer: Name above all names, may your words bring joy and delight to all who hear and follow them. We pray that we also may be baptized in your name and receive the Holy Spirit to guide us on our journey of faith. Amen.