We bid farewell to Kathmandu and to two of our travel mates – Tara and Claudia – who were heading home. We had quite an adventure getting to the airport and getting to our departure gate. First, our van was delayed as the first driver bailed out because he didn’t want to attempt driving up on the muddy road leading to the resort… the second driver arrived in a very small car, and we had to help him pack our bags as he was not all that sharp about space allocation. Once we got going things went smoothly until we got to the airport. The traffic was quite bad, and although we left what seemed like enough time, we began to feel the pressure of not having enough time. Sure enough, we walked into the airport one hour before our flight was scheduled to leave and were told that we could not check in because the gate agent leaves one hour before the flight.

Fortunately, Laura had gone through security ahead of us and stayed at the airport to see Tara off (she was headed home). Laura was already through immigration and headed to the gates.

In a slight panic, we called Laura and said that we could not check in and she implored one of the ground crew to come to get us checked in and on our way. Once all that was cleared up, things went smoothly. Whew!

Lesson learned: when you think you’ve left enough time to get to the airport in a foreign country, add more time to be safe.

The flight to Paro was very beautiful with the Himalayas peeking through the clouds. Flying down into the valley to land in Paro was as beautiful as pictures I’ve seen. It’s also considered to be one of the most difficult landing for pilots as it’s a steep descent and short runway. 🫣

The airport itself in Paro is pretty spectacular as the buildings are colorful and welcoming. There is even a picture/painting of the king and his family that greets you as you walk in from the tarmac.

Going through immigration and getting our bags was infinitely less hectic than in Nepal. We were met by our guide as we exited the airport and the fresh air, clean environment, and lack of congestion was refreshing.

It was clear as we drove from Paro to Thimphu that the Bhutanese government had taken a very different approach in terms of building infrastructure. The road was well paved and clearly marked. Drivers were courteous and the speed limit low. Some of the road signs warranted a grateful chuckle:

Green Bhutan, Clean Bhutan

Use dipper at night

No overspeeding

Driving faster cause disaster

No hurry no worry

Here are a few more!

An added treat was the entire highway decorated with bright flags to welcome a delegation of the highest order of Buddhist leaders that are coming for a gathering and blessings ceremony in the next few days.

We found out that the entire population of Bhutan is just over 700,000 people so you can imagine how much less congested and more orderly things appeared. The hotel we stayed at is right across the street from one of the royal residences. It’s quiet, the rooms spacious and clean, and the staff couldn’t be nicer.

I was frankly looking forward to a change of pace and a very different aesthetic environment over the next few days.