Bhutan

Are you tied with a day job? Peer or family pressure to exercise avarice. Are you tired of those daily hours being wasted that you couldn’t contribute anything meaningful to the world? Are you tired of sitting 2 hours in the traffic.? To toil till you die.  Do you believe that’s the essence of life? To succeed. What makes you happy? What’s fulfilling to you? What sets you free? Are you the one’s downloading the wallpaper of beautiful places but never able to go and actually see them. Are you the one’s checking the ticket price in Makemytrip and Yatra for years and never actually took a trip? Or Is it because a plane ticket can actually take 2 years of your savings. What if there are places so surreal, that you can visit without creating a hole in your pocket. What about Bhutan? And why not Bhutan. Called as Druk yul “Land of thunder dragon ” the country has a  lot to offer . A country practicing ancient Vajrayana buddhism where Gross National Happiness of the citizens is calculated. Situated in western Himalayas, It’s an unexplored paradise. Is it expensive. Well I have seen people who have hiked Bhutan with 3000 RS/- in their hand. So it’s cheap? Well not exactly, other than Indians , foreigners are expected to spend a whooping 15000 (250 USD) per day. Perks of being an Indian. You can sponsor your entire trip with that money. And also you don’t need a visa to travel there. A passport or Voters Id can give a permit of 7 days to visit Bhutan. Spending more or less is based on how good are you in haggling and negotiating. Traveling is a medicine to narrow mindedness and  bigotry.  Sun kissed farms, snow capped mountains, glacier filled lakes. Everything …

Things you know about the shy and elusive country would always be far less than what you know about it but here are nine fun things you should know about this fascinating country. 1. Gross national happiness – Bhutan measures its progress not by Gross national product but rather by Gross National Happiness. 2. Tourism Tariff for $250 per day – A visitor from countries other than India, Bangladesh or Maldives is required to pay a tariff of $250 for each day they spend in Bhutan. This covers all the expenses (such as accommodation, food, transportation and guides) that you may have as a traveler. 3. Carbon Sink – Bhutan is the only country in the world that is a carbon sink which means that it absorbs more carbon than it emits into the environment thanks to hydropower. 4. Hydroelectricity – Bhutan generates 100% of electricity from hydropower. It runs on clean energy. 5. For the love of King and Queen – Bhutan loves its king and queen. The country is enamoured by their romantic love story. Their posters and pictures are found everywhere from government offices to local shops and hotels. 6. The National dress – Bhutan requires its citizens to wear the national dress for all official purposes from visiting the dzong to when they go casting their votes during elections. 7. Smoking is illegal but they love their betel nut – You won’t see people smoking in Bhutan but you will be greeted with red mouths and smell of betel nut. The stench is quite unbearable, the only thing that doesn’t agree with your senses in Bhutan 8. Highest unconquered mountain in the world – Since mountaineering is banned in Bhutan, the highest mountain in the world with unconquered summit is in Bhutan. 9. The Indian connection – …