Bangalore, India>, Sep 25, 2009
This was my second visit to this Land of the Thunder Dragon or the Last Shangrila. Its our neighbor kingdom with very pleasant contradictions as it has Democracy and Monarchy, Gross Domestic Product and Gross National Happiness, East and West regions. The western part has a well arranged/managed tourist trail which makes is easy to travel around. It has luxurious places, hotels, restaurants. The remote east remains just that, remote, waiting to be discovered. My choice for going around in Bhutan was very easy, enter from West, and go all over Bhutan to exit from east.
Last time I was only able to spend some 3-4 days due to lack of time and funds and there were no ATMs. So this time had planned for a 2 weeks trip. Wikitravel.org and Travbuddy sites provide all the details that is needed to go around the country on your own. But of course, other than Indians, all foreigners need to book a package tour costing ~200 US$ per day. I had planned to backpack around the country travelling from West to East, using local transport, eat at local places and sleep in cheap hotels/guesthouses.
Started from Bangalore on a very long distance train with sleeper berth, for 2 days and 2 nights covering a distance of over 2500 kms. It was a rough ride and by the time the train journey was over, i was covered with dust, smelling bad and totally exhausted, just by sitting/sleeping for 2 days and 2 nights . Although the train ride is a perfect way to get the feel of real India, it was the duration which was a bit hectic as I had not done such a travel in quite some years. As the train goes via 6 states, you get a very good experience of the climate, culture, people, religion, food and landscape. This train journey was also one of the highlights of this trip and every state the train crossed, you get to know how big and diverse the country is.