The small airport in Paro, the only international airport in the country, is surrounded by mountains. Only two airlines fly to Bhutan – Bhutan Airlines and Druk Air. I had flown back to Singapore to catch the Druk Air flight from Singapore to Paro. This “direct” flight makes a pit stop in Calcutta for 35 minutes. 

We were told that only 10 pilots are qualified and trained to fly into Paro airport to date. When you are flying into Paro, try to get seats on the left side of the plane as you may catch a glimpse of the tall peaks of the Himalayan mountains when descending. It then follows that it’s best to sit on the right when flying out. I got to sit on the right on the return flight to Singapore and was lucky to see the towering snow-capped Himalayan peaks cutting through over 7,000m of cloud cover. It was rather surreal and very awe-inspiring.

After visiting a dzong we had lunch at a nice picnic spot next to a rushing river and overlooking the dzong. Our lunch was provided by a man who brought his own table to set up the small buffet spread. He also set up our table tastefully with proper plates, cutlery, cups and napkins. Bhutanese are very environmentally friendly and refrain from using disposable items, so no disposable plastic plates and cutlery!

Lunch time! One seldom gets to eat in picturesque surroundings. Time to revel in the moment!

Bhutanese people eat a lot of rice in their daily diet and we saw many padi fields as we drove around. Rice farmers are hard at work here.

A local artist in Punakha works on his painting featuring Buddhist figures. This artist was commissioned by the government to draw 20+ paintings, so he was definitely an accomplished artist.

For those who don’t want to make the first 500m ascent towards Tiger’s Nest Monastery, you can choose to take a pony to the half way point of the hike. A one-way trip costs about 660 Nu. The second half of the journey needs to be done on foot. You gotta work for a view! 

No washing machine for this monk at Tiger’s Nest monastery. This is old school clothes washing for you!

Many Bhutanese people are vegetarians due to Buddhism as the main religion in this country. They also eat plenty of chilli so be prepared for spice! Ema datshi (dish above the pumpkin soup) is made from chilli peppers and cheese, and is possibly the most famous dish in Bhutanese cuisine. Momos (second dish from left, anti clockwise), are dumplings which usually feature in a typical Bhutanese meal.

Spring time is beautiful in Bhutan with flowers abloom everywhere. And there’s always a Buddha not too far from wherever you are.