Bhutan arrival – the two problems

Ever since I told my (now, erstwhile) friend Peter that we were going to Bhutan he’s been sending me videos about how spectacularly dangerous the runway at Paro is.

So for days and weeks now I have been worried about getting to Bhutan. The uneventful flight to Bangkok provided plenty of time to consider the wisdom of the next leg. The 3am start to catch the 6am departure for Paro did nothing to quiet my nerves.

As it turned out we were in competent hands. After spectacular views of the Himalayas, the pilot announced that we would be making some dramatic maneuvers through the valleys on our approach, but not to worry it was all very normal. His description was accurate: we banked and turned through the valleys and then dropped like a stone wrapped in cotton wool onto the runway. Take that Peter.

That left problem number two. Paro sits at some 2200m above sea level and over the next few days we’re going to be hiking to over 4000m. That’s some serious altitude and we had no real choice but to hit it directly from Sydney – aka sea-level. So no acclimitisation. We are on drugs and are being very careful.

After meeting up with our guide and fellow hikers at the airport we headed for the local dzong, or fortress. We have arrived in Paro on day one of a five-day annual festival. We were greeted by crowds of beautifully dressed locals teeming around the dzong’s courtyard where dancing was taking place. It was all incredibly atmospheric and a wonderful introduction to Bhutan.

Our lunch included Bhutan’s national dish which is chopped up chiles in a watery cheese. It’s actually quite tasty but very, very hot. After lunch we did a quick wander about downtown Paro for people to exchange money – a slightly more complex issue than in most places. Then we visited the small but interesting National Museum.

And the day went on. Next, we went for a hike up in the hills behind the dzong. It was an hour-long hike and the first few minutes really felt like the altitude was having an effect (although the fact it was now a long time since we got up probably didn’t help). But once we got into the swing of things everything seemed fine and the views were fabulous.

Our fellow hikers seem like a good group. There’s eight of us, all but one from Australia. After the Larapinta experience last year I was watching for red flags, but there are none apparent. All in all a vary full but fabulous day.