BACKGROUND TO THE LAND OF THE THUNDER DRAGON.

 22nd April 2026

The Bhutanese flag

The National flag, yellow and orange (it's not called red) with a white dragon holding jewels in its claws. The yellow symbolises the secular authority of the King and civil traditions. The amber the spiritual power of Buddhism. The white dragon (druk) represents the name of Bhutan ("Druk Yul", Land of the Thunder Dragon) and symbolises purity and loyalty. The jewels represent the wealth, security and perfection of the nation. The population of Bhutan numbers about 800,000.

Bhutan, a landlocked mountainous Himalayan country, has a complicated history. It has never been colonised but came about by the various invasions of warlords from Tibet which borders it to the north. It has had (and still does have) mutually beneficial 'dealings' with India and did with the British when they were in that part of the world. It has few dealings with China. It is a staunchly Buddhist country. It became an absolute hereditary monarchy at the beginning of the 20th century and is now a constitutional one. Great respect is shown both to the Buddhist tradition and to the King. The Buddhist religion here stems from a 'legendary' character called Guru Rinpoche who was 'born out of a fiery lotus flower' as a reincarnation of Buddha in the 8th century. There are so many myths, fables, legends, reincarnations, magic etc. concerning this religion I failed to keep up! The monarchy (Kings only please) started in 1907. I will try, probably hopelessly, to summarise the history.

Bhutan (it had several previous names and is now called Druk Yul by the Bhutanese) first became a 'semi-united' autonomous country in the 17th century after an ex-Tibetan lama/warlord called Zhabdrung Namgyal built several fortresses (Dzongs) across the area. He is credited with being the founder...although, due to the mountainous terrain, it contained many communities which never met one another, or if they did it was probably only to fight.

Another warlord, Jigme Namgyal (nicknamed The Black Ruler), who ruled the place in the 19th/early 20th century produced a son whom, after much civil strife, he appointed as the first King and started the Wangchuck dynasty. The capital city, containing the Royal Palace, was originally Punakha, but this was moved by the third King to the present capital of Thimphu which had more space for development ...and it continues to expand and develop.

Left: The first King. Termed 'A Monarch of Destiny'. 1907 - 1926.

Right: The second King. 'The Consolidator'. 1926 - 1952.

Left: The third King. 'The Father of Modern Bhutan'. 1952 - 1972. A greatly respected monarch who, with many technical, building and cultural initiatives, brought the country kicking and screaming into the 20th century.

Right: The fourth King. 'Propounder of Gross National Happiness'. 1972 - 2006 when he abdicated and established the present constitutional monarchy. He is still alive and holds influential jobs in the Government. His son became King. This philosophy of 'Gross National Happiness' is considered more important than 'Gross Domestic Product'....and they are proud of it.

Left: The fifth, and present, King. 2006 - onwards. 'The People's King'. Another much respected monarch.

Click on to enlarge these photos to read the plaques.

Above: There are 20 'provinces' in the country, and due to their mountainous and semi-impassable separation from one another developed their own languages....and still use them. In fact, I was told, there are 19 different languages/dialects. However there are two common languages spoken by all, namely Dzongkha and English!

To further enhance these provinces' isolation there were no 'motorable' roads between them, or anywhere else, until 1961. Transport was, up until then, restricted to mule, pony, yak or on foot. There are now several good asphalt roads which zig-zag, with hairpin bends, up and along the steep valley sides to surmount the high passes, although some at the tops are still dirt tracks in the process of being completed. Being driven up or down these roads in our mini-bus was a slow and somewhat unnerving experience. On the outer side of the bus the wheels were often only about 3 feet away from sheer vertical 1000ft+ drops down to the valley floor. Viewing that from a window seat was quite alarming and not good for those who have a fear of heights (acrophobia). Our driver, Tensin, negotiated these arduous and perilous routes over many hours of flawless driving (otherwise I would not be here to write this!) PS. They drive on the left side of the road here, as per India.

There are extraordinary and amusing road signs along the larger lower 'highways' in the valleys, all written in English. As below. The Bhutanese have a good sense of humour!

Signage:

• "No Hurry, No Worry"
• "Be Gentle on My Bends"
• "Going Faster Will See Disaster"
• "On the Bend, Go Slow Friend"
• "Life is a Journey, Complete It"
• "Time is Money, But Life is Precious"
• "Don’t Hurry, Be Cool, Since Heaven is Already Full"
• "After Whiskey, Driving Risky"
• "Drinking Whiskey Driving Risky"
• "Let Thy Horn Be Gentle"
• "Speed Thrills But Kills"
• "Safety is Price Less, So Be Careful"
• "Better Be Late Than Never"
• "Don't Be A Foodie On Road"
• "Kiss Her Goodnight, But Not While Driving"

Right: Throughout the countryside between trees and along stretches of paths, roads and rivers Buddhist prayer flags are hung, seemingly at random, in abundance. They have 'mantras' written on them in tiny Tibetan script.

Yellow flag for 'earth', green for 'water', blue for 'sky', red for 'fire' and white for 'air'.

That will do for now as a background 'starter' for our impending travels. These were to be far ranging and I suffered from serious 'information overload' at all the various places we visited (many fortresses, stupas, temples, museums etc.) as well as some long and quite exhausting hikes up and down vertiginous high altitude countryside.

To be continued.....at length I'm afraid.

BHUTAN - GETTING THERE

20th - 22nd Apr 2026

Poor pic out of the window of a Drukair Airbus A319 on the hairy approach through the mountains to Paro airport in Bhutan. The runway was hidden somewhere in between the mountains. Not for a faint-hearted pilot!

To visit Bhutan you must be escorted by an official Bhutanese guide. There is no ability, as is my normal desire, to go solo and wander. As such it is necessary to organise the journey through an approved travel agency for a 'guided tour' (something I am not normally keen on) and it is not cheap. I chose to use a company called 'Wild Frontiers'. They were in fact most communicative, efficient, informative and helpful in all respects.

Preparing for this trip via Delhi one has to complete and submit within 4 weeks of arrival, on-line, a request for a months' Indian E-visa, which I did 4 weeks before. What an appallingly tedious, and long form that is requesting all sorts of information including such vital information as 'your mother's place of birth'! I hadn't a clue. Any mention of visiting or any of your contacts having any connection with Pakistan would have got you a refusal.  It took several failed attempts and most of an afternoon before my application was eventually accepted...and then you have to wait, indefinitely, for confirmation and issue of the E-visa. I waited over 2 weeks for this and was beginning to panic. There was, of course, nobody to speak to. It did arrive with 5 days to spare. Then another 'on-line' form to complete within 72 hours for an E-arrival card. What a bureaucratic hassle.

I left the scrum at London Heathrow at 7.00pm on the 20th April for the BA 8 hour flight initially to Delhi. We arrived at 8.00am local time. I had a semi-overnight stay before the Bhutanese Drukair (Druk is the Bhutanese word for Dragon) flight to Paro left at 04.45am! the next morning.

I had found a cheapo hotel in the vicinity of the airport for £10 per night, with a £5 taxi fare to get there. Left: My hotel on the left in a rough backstreet. The taxi driver got lost in the jungle of small streets but found it eventually. There are, according to the rather sullen receptionist, about 600 similar doss-houses in the area. It was fairly basic with a few faulty electrics, an appallingly loud fan (30º outside) and very limited hot water, but perfectly acceptable and no fleas in the bed. I had an early sleep before departing at 10.00pm for the terminal...taking no chances of being late.

I had given myself a lot of time, too much in fact, to get back by taxi to the airport. Delhi airport is one of the largest in the world with few facilities before you can get into departures. In fact they won't even let you into the terminal building until 4 hours (I had to wait outside for an hour) before your flight and then there was a long delay in a queue before being able to check-in hold baggage 2 hours before the flight with a multitude of 'disclaimer' forms to fill in. More Indian bureaucracy. Eventually into 'departures', or rather another vast shopping mall which account for most of the space in all international airports nowadays.

I am now going to bore you with a long, but to me relevant, story concerning smoking. I used to smoke cigarettes (not many I hasten to add) until 15 years ago when I lived in a small flat in London. One day my CD player packed up. I knew a helpful local Indian electrician, Viraj, who repaired such things. I took it to him and he rang me two days later to tell me he had fixed it. He then asked me "Mr Matt, do you smoke?". I replied "yes, what's that got to do with it Viraj?". He said "Ah, that explains, the lens in your CD player was covered in tar from cigarette smoke and I have replaced it". I then went around my flat and wiped glass surfaces with a kitchen towel and found they were all covered in greasy black/orange tar. My television picture improved as a result. I realised that this tar would also be embedded in all the carpets, curtains and chair covers and, most significantly, in my lungs! I gave up smoking there and then, all thanks to Viraj, but I missed the relaxation of having a cigarette to puff in the evenings. I then, about five years later, discovered e-cigarettes and 'vaping'. I became, after trying many vape flavours, rather addicted to them and they certainly provided a suitable and seemingly harmless replacement. They, as the word implies, produce vapour (not smoke), which contains no residue (ie. solids such as tar) nor lasting odour. They certainly don't cause me to cough up in the morning or have any ill effects other than, I suppose, an addiction to nicotine. I have been travelling the world with my 'vapes' without any problem and they have passed through airport X-ray machines such as in Heathrow without comment. Until now! After passing through the passport check-out there was the normal cabin baggage X-ray check. I had much electrical stuff in my shoulder bag. The very hostile looking and scowling man on the X-ray machine (indeed all the officials at this airport looked hostile and unwelcoming) made me empty my bag and said "you have e-cigarette". I said yes. "Not allowed" he snapped. I tried to explain that I was leaving India now (technically I had already been stamped out) and had been allowed in with it. "Not allowed" he repeated, and before I had the chance to say anything more he grabbed the e-cigarette and just threw it into a bin. I was rather pissed-off to say the least. I subsequently gathered that one of my fellow tourists had the same experience.

OK, but why are e-cigs 'not allowed', I pondered, when cigarettes are not only allowed but were on sale in multiple shops in the departure area shopping mall. The excuse that they encourage children to buy vapes and become nicotine addicts does not wash with me. They should prohibit children under the age of 18 buying vapes, as with cigarettes (and children still manage to get hold of cigarettes). Some mention that the batteries could catch fire in the aircraft. I have never heard of an e-ciggy bursting into flames. Could there be a financial reason?

Right: Not only that, but the ultimate hypocrisy was that at every departure gate there was a well used 'Smoking Room'!

Left: I went into one of the smoking rooms. It was a lot 'smokier' than this photo shows.

I remain baffled.

OK, enough of the side-track and on with the journey. The the 2.5 hour Drukair flight from Delhi to Paro was on time leaving (04.45am) and we arrived at about 7.00am. As shown at the top I have much admiration for the pilots here as there was a most alarming approach, following valleys, to land! Right: It was a quiet and pleasant airport with a most attractive arrivals hall and smiling welcoming officials. We had been provided with visas by the efficient travel company.

Left: Even the baggage collection area was beautifully decorated. I came to see later that all buildings and houses in this country were similarly well and skilfully decorated.

Our party, six of us, and the first time we had met up, were greeted outside by our 'guide to be', Sonam, and our driver Tensin, with a comfortable mini-bus. They were to be with us and look after us for the next two weeks. It was a 1 hour drive east from the airport to the capital city Thimphu which gave us a first impression of the spectacular mountainous terrain. Right: A glimpse of the mountains as seen from the aircraft.

Our first day (22nd) and we arrived at a very comfortable hotel in Thimphu, the Phuntsho Peira, at about 9.00am where we were given a welcome and briefing by Sonam. Left: He is the one wearing the red 'Gho', a sort of loose dressing gown which is the traditional men's 'official' dress. Plus three fellow 'tourists'. After which time to recover until 12.30pm then lunch and then straight on with a tour of some city sights. Not much time was spent hanging around on this tour!

Right: Sonam wearing his 'gho'. Commonly worn by all males.

Left: My fellow five tourists before lunch on the first day. 

This was to be a very 'busy' tour. We were kept on the move between breakfast and supper every day and visited a myriad of places including much driving along perilous (to me) mountainous terrain and a lot of strenuous 'hiking' up and down the high altitude hillsides (ranging from about 7,000ft at the valley bottoms to over 11,000ft at the tops . There was much to be seen and I tried to keep a diary. There is so much detail to report that I fear it will take me a month to complete the 'blog' on this trip and probably much confusion due to the complexity of our excellent guide's descriptions at each venue. Have patience! Much to follow.

Re. Smoking in Bhutan. It is forbidden everywhere indoors and in public outside. There are some designated, often primitive, 'smoking areas' outside most hotels and restaurants. Cigarettes of dubious origin are sold cheaply in grocery shops.

PS. The bad news. Myself and the fellow tourist who had her vape confiscated at Delhi have succumbed to buying a packet of cigarettes each! Thanks Delhi! I will have my first cigarette for 15 years.