Planning a Trip to Bhutan - Must Read !!

My experience in the”Happiest Country in the World”

Where Joy Resides!!

“If you ask me,” said my friend Phuntso Choden while we were out for a ramble in the lanes and alleys of the picture postcard-pretty capital of Thimphu, Bhutan, “I would say I am happy because I have everything I need.”

 Walking through the quietly bustling streets of Thimphu I am amazed at the happy combination of tradition and modernity that the city displays. It is the most modern city of Bhutan – with restaurants, shopping centres, nightclubs, curio shops and internet cafes. Yet, at the same time, it clings on to its unique cultural heritage and age-old values.

What made the people of this small kingdom so happy, I wondered? Did everyone here think like my chum, Phuntso? Have the Bhutanese found a way around the modern world’s mad rush for fame and fortune? At places, I could see ATM counters – otherwise, a rarity in the country – a sign of the increasing trade and commerce in the land. However, the population of the city did not seem ostentatiously wealthy, on the whole. Like in any other city, there was a mix of social and economic classes.

We were passing though a market – colourful and busy; and most of the people selling there were from the lower rungs of the income ladder. But they have the same calm expression as the rest of the citizens and retained their unhurried tempo amidst all the business conducted at their stalls and around them. Everyone seemed to be suffused with a joy that came from within them, keeping them at peace with the world around them and their fellow men and women. Everyone seemed to have, to paraphrase Phuntso – everything they needed. 

So would you want to spend a few days soaking in the beauty of this hidden kingdom? As an Indian, Bhutan is a destination you can travel to without an Indian passport. For the smoothest experience of this magical land you can get in touch with the agency I contacted in Delhi – Jasper Trips – the specialists in Bhutan Travel. They would take care of everything from your entry to your time of exit, including transfers, hotel stay and food. Trust a dedicated travel agency like Jasper Trips to let you enjoy the serendipity of Bhutan to the fullest.

Standing here at the top of the world, in a tiny country nestled between India, with all its contradictions and chaos, and China with all its grim and simmering discontent, I was convinced I was at the last Shangri-La on earth. I was, indeed, in the Happiest Country in the World.

Disclaimer: This article have been written by Ms. Ramika Batra and not the property of Jasper Trips. Jasper Trips is the Travel Partner. Ramika is a writer and traveler who believe in long stays, and connecting with the people of the places she journeys to.