Bhutan You beauty!

Dzongs, valleys and amazing people, that’s what Bhutan is. It’s not just about Paro, Thimpu or Red Panda Beers.

When Bhutan came to mind, all I could think about was things above. Coz Internet has fed us with all the junk it wants and that's all I could picture. I called up a good friend and asked him to share his experience. 10 minutes into the call I knew what I wanted and Off I went. No, I didn’t start right away, I sat down got a plan in place and with a relevant structure to it, rode out from home. I took the Bangalore- Phuntsholing route via Chennai –Bhuwaneshwar- Kolkata to Siliguri. This was done over 6 days which included meeting up with friends Enroute and relevant services. Mahindra service centers are spread across the country and has ensured a safe ride all through. This has brought in a lot of confidence and speed to my ride. Mojo for me is a Confident  sports tourer that takes me all over the place. Let it be the mountains, back roads or the slush fest, she has held well and never let me down. Over the 50,000 km I have had my share of falls and breakdowns, but with the kinda rides I have done they are way minimal than one could think of. For the record, I have had only one long breakdown on the road and that too coz of a puncture.  I pulled out my air pump + puncture kit and was up and running in over 40 minutes.

The detailed trip log would land up another day but for now, let me jot down a quick one to catch your interests.

You ride into Phuntsholing through the beautiful tea gardens of Assam while saving yourself from being run over by cars and trucks. The road is mainly tarmac but gives way to craters that would suck in mars and ask for more. So you are adventure ride trained on the move and ready for the next set of obstacles.

As you enter the gates of Bhutan, you realize there is peace and love all over. Drivers are chilled and follow lane discipline. No honking , no overtaking and no showing fingers. Wow, a perfect world you think. Well, thanks to Bhutanese govt, the fines are up the sky and you wouldn’t want to risk breaking any.

With relevant permits in hand, I rode up from Phuntosholing to Thimpu  in over 4 hours. Ya about 130 odd km's in 4 hours, I took enough breaks to enjoy the roads and the view around, Made new friends who invited me home and helped me plan my ride ahead. I always go by the locals and plan accordingly. They are well aware of the current affairs and roads, also that they know what is worth not missing. 

I landed up in Thimpu around 10 ish and was slightly shocked to see a big shadow in the clouds, It somehow looked like Buddha and I was wondering if it was a message for me. I kept it to myself and got to sleep. Woke in the morning and after enquiring with the locals I was advised to visit Buddha Dordenma, at a height of at a height of 169 feet (51.5 meters), it's the biggest rupas in the world. I have seen a few statues, and believe me when I say this, it was epic. The calm and smiling face will ensure that you are in peace and enjoy every moment around. I hung around for a couple of hours shooting and enjoying the calmness.

I was late to get my permit extensions and decided to ride up to Haa valley then to Paro and head back into Thimpu. That way I won't waste away my weekend waiting.  Thimpu to Haa valley is about 120 km's but will take you close to 5 Hours. The roads are mostly good but would change into narrow and tight winding roads slowing you down often. Also, the valley is so beautiful that you wouldn’t want to blast past. I took over 6 hours to reach Haa, and rode ahead until an army guy stopped me. 

I was entering an army zone and was asked to turn back politely.

That's the thing about Bhutan, People are very very nice. They will help you out and make sure you go back happy. I had marked a lodge Enroute and came back to call it a night. At about 1000 INR it was good with an average view from the balcony. Well, all I wanted was to get a good night sleep before I wear my bones down in the coming days.

Haa to Thimpu is doable in a day but would mean that you miss out on the Tiger's nest. And why would you want to do that?  This section of the road is very tiring and will slow you down often. Bad roads to no roads will keep you on edge while you enjoy the valley by your shoulders.

I reached Paro by 1 ish and as advised by the local, left the bike around the marketplace to walk up. I usually shy away from pushing myself but after being about the beauty of this place I didn’t want to miss out. It took me over 2 hours to reach the temple and the new friends that I made Enroute helped me ease up.  We had fun exploring the spot and walked back with a pack of dogs who were either making sure that we left or enjoyed our company.  We were a bit petrified to see them initially but one of us had some munchies for them and they were a good company after.

Day 3 saw me riding into Thimpu and on time to get the permits sorted. I had few issues with the RSTA however things were sorted and I was on my way ahead. Vivek and Abhishek had similar route plans and joined along until we split later.  The plan was to ride until Trongsa and call it a day, Little did I know that it would take 3 more days before I see Trongsa. Well, it was just 200 odd km's and I

have done 800 plus in a day :D. Well, just as you enter Punakha the slush fest begins and doesn’t end until 3 days later as I touch Tashigang.  Proper ankle deep slush that kept me sliding all over the place and between 2-3 gears. Luckily the unstressed engine and gear box took it well and kept me going, a couple of falls to paint ourselves brown and zero breakdowns kept us going.

After riding through Dochula pass, we  took a slight deviation and rode up to Punakha Dzong. This is the biggest Dzong in Bhutan and is a must visit, the Narrow roads with trees on both sides gives way to a rough river with wooden walkways that lead to a beautiful structure by the river side. And to make it all dramatic, we had few wild horses grazing around. I was sold, and I almost called my ex.

 

After visiting the dzong and killing the phone with umpteen selfies and clicks, it was time to ride ahead and munch some more miles. I was sure about making it to Trongsa until we were presented with a landslide. I was being happy about no oncoming traffic, we were stopped by the local Enroute to give us the good news. They also offered us to sleep in the

community police station and start off in the morning. While we spoke to the locals over some hot chai, the walkie talkie brought in good news and it followed with many trucks and jeeps. We finally figured out about the zero oncoming traffic part. As we rode through the landslide area, we realized luck was with us and things were to be good. Most of the lodges were shut down due to lack of tourists, this meant we had to ride until we found a safe spot or a lodge. We were strongly advised to ride in a group and also not stop and camp anywhere unless it’s plain land.

Wangdue was the stop for the day after dragging ourselves through slightly wet conditions. Clouds were opening up slowly and risking our ride ahead.  We celebrated the day with a drink of the K5(Famous around Bhutan) and called it a nice post heavy dinner.

We woke up to a foggy morning and following multiple rounds of butter chai, rode up to Trongsa.

The view around is breathtaking and needs time. We missed much due to the thick fog but were glad that the roads were visible. Rains from the previous night had stepped the level of adventure and we were enjoying it. I was shuttling between 1st and 2nd gear all through and in over 8 hours did about 80 km's, the personal best I would say. :D

Trongsa has a dzong that's picturesque and we managed to get  a room overseeing the whole view.Vivek and Abhishek took the Gelphu route and I rode up to cover Jakar, Ura,Sengor,Mongar, Tashigang and exit via Samdrup Jhonkar. 

While the route ahead was epic, I would like to mention about the one through the Phrumsengla National park. From Sengor to the exit for forest area is close to 40 km's  and sound easy. It took me over 3 hours to cover this while I almost wet my pants. Shooting stones that I missed by few minutes kept my heart pounding all through and questioned my ride. I was unsure why I took this ride and that too solo. I had no spot to stop and put myself together. The roads are narrow and had no traffic whatsoever. I saw about 8 or so vehicles over the 3-4 hours, Most of them trucks doing good speeds.  The view is breathtaking as you climb up and down many passes. Beautiful waterfalls and water crossings kinda calm your head down, but it burns as you take the next turn. I remember counting

close to 25 spots where stones had fallen , and most of them happened in the last 30 or so minutes.

As I exited the wilderness and got open roads, I parked the bike and throw down my stuff. Walked around for some time and once I was able to contain myself , rode ahead.

Route –

Phuntsholing- Thimpu – 165 km's

Thimpu to Dhamthang and back to Haa Valley -  150 Kms

Haa Valley to Paro  -75 Kms

Paro to Thimpu – 65 Kms

Thimpu to Punakha dzong to Wangdue -90 km's

Wandue to Trongsa -125 Kms

Trongsa to monger -240 Kms

Mongar to Trashingang – 60 Kms

Trashingang to Samdrup Jhonkar – 190 Kms

Bhutan is called the Himalayan Kingdom, and as the name suggests you are riding in the lap of Himalayays. While you might not see snow clad mountains, you will definitely be riding around many valleys. Breath taking views that would slow you down and force you to stay. Bhutan is busy developing the road connectivity, and this means you will have to make do with the bad terrains for now.  The narrow roads are buried under slush and becomes even more difficult as you ride through many pass.  Landslides, shooting stones and broken roads are a frequent events and the locals have gotten over it. I believe the road connectivity is set to complete in the next two years and would take you from thimpu to Samdrup jhonkar in over 14 hours or so. I took only 5 odd days to do the whole stretch. :D From Days that saw me riding 80 kms to 350 kms a day, its not to be worried about. If you need good roads, you ride around Thimpu- paru and then head back.

Mojo has to be my choice for such terrains, the un stressed engine takes most of the beating and helps me explore more. I am not tired nor worked out about issues and I am not even carrying any back up parts for the bike. This means I am travelling light and bringing home more memorabilia’s. Over the last 10 months, I have done 50,000 kms and have my share of issues. Nothing that has worried  or slowed me down. Mechanical issues are tend to happen, and how soon you are up and about is what matters. With the well trained mechanics around the country and a support crew that is always ready to help, I am on the move day and night. I know of very few bikes that has achieved this milestone this quick, exploring  places like Tawanng, Mechuka and Khibitto and not just the straight highways.

 Bhutan is special for me, so is all the trails that I have done. Its because I have lived them personally and made connections that would last a life time. Bhutanese people are followers of Budhisam and are always ready to help. In one instance, I happened to loose my Debit card and was left with 70 INR. Thats nothing and would do me no help. I walked up to the hotel manager and asked for help. He asked me tos it down and drink some tea while he found out a solution to it. I was at Mongar which is central Bhutan, I didn’t have enough money on me to fill petrol and ride up to either borders, or take a bus ride. After many phone calls he walked up to me with a smile and said, app ka kaam ho gaya. That was a brilliant moment, I was given a Indian bank account number and asked for transfer confirmation. Post the transfer, they did some internal transfers and got me the money in couple of hours. No extra charges, no tantrums, no nothing.  I am unsure if we would get such support locally.