Travel: Things you probably didn't know about Bhutan

Hygge hueguh ever heard of that term It is a Danish concept that is used to acknowledge all good things in life and surrounding ourselves with such things Travel enthusiasts Ankita and Chetan have been following this concept for quite some time now and that is how they thought of following Hygge Vibes Around the World To see what makes a country happy and how do people stay happy This took us to our happy neighbours BhutanPlanning to travel to Bhutan Ankita and Chetan have words of wisdom to make your travel simpler This trip to the Himalayan Kingdom opened our eyes to many things about Bhutan Though it has been gaining popularity amongst Indian travelers we realised that there were so many things that no one had mentioned about Bhutan In a way it turned out to be good for us Weve listed them for youAll pictures Ankita and Chetan Instagrammarried_to_a_beardoA healthy balance of monarchy and democracyOne thing that you cant ignore in Bhutan is the strong presence of the royal family in every household Be it a photo or some merchandise like curtains or wall clocks the King is present everywhere Apparently the King gave them the gift of democracy and that is why they call him the Peoples King Yes it is surprisingRespecting the rules and rulersAs respectful as they are towards their rulers Bhutanese have respect for the rules as well From simple rules like crossing the road only from zebra crossing to or as big as not accepting bribes they follow them religiouslyThe country isnt cheapBefore visiting Bhutan we came across many articles that said Bhutan was a cheap country for Indians But in reality its almost the same In fact commodities like food and clothes are sometimes even more expensive than India Except for alcohol of courseInstagrammarried_to_a_beardoFor the love of boozeSpeaking of alcohol we were surprised to see how much Bhutanese love their booze Every small general store has a collection of alcohol And they are cheap Their peach wine Zumzin is to die for Actually a few pegs of alcohol comes in handy in such weatherWhat about those food habitsFood in Bhutan didnt impress us much Their food options are pretty limited and they are bland especially for us The only taste is that of the spicy raw chilies which they eat with rice Also sadly for us they donrsquot indulge much in sweets You wonrsquot find any local desserts or sweets in BhutanInstagrammarried_to_a_beardoRelationship dynamicsIn terms of relationships we found Bhutan to be very progressive Their 4th King had 4 wives and had a happy family The country used to practice polygamy until a few years ago So getting married at an early age and getting divorced is pretty common there Many Bhutanese believe that internet and social media are responsible for failed relationshipsPhallus templeWe are sure you might have heard about the phallus temple built in memory of the rebellious monk Lam Drukpa Kuenley He was a social critic who taunted the hypocrisy of the established orders Thus the use of his phallus as a weapon that symbolises the discomfort that the social experiences when facing the truth And you see a phallus structure or a drawing on every house in Punakha You wont believe it until you see itNational dressBhutan has a national dress that they need to wear while working Its either cotton or a silk rob with socks till knee length for men called GO and a wraparound skirt and top for women which is called KEERA Even the King and Queen of Bhutan wear themCleanliness and disciplineMost of the Bhutanese refrain from littering on the roads or any public places Even our driver requested us to keep the waste inside the car Also you will not see people breaking the traffic lines or arguing with other people Its a friendly country that thrives on discipline We can learn a lot from themArrangements for driversAlmost 8590 hotels and resorts provide free stay and food for drivers In India we dont even think about such arrangements for the driver and mostly drivers end up sleeping in the car itself We found it very thoughtful and niceBhutan was a real treat when it came to natural beauty and happy people They are not necessarily outwardly happy like the Canadians or Irish but they are happy within themselves and their humble background It teaches you how to be happy and satisfied with whatever you have without greed Bhutan is and will always be special for usInstagrammarried_to_a_beardoReaching Bhutan By flightBhutans Druk Air is the only flight that goes to Bhutan from Delhi Mumbai Bagdogra Kolkata and GuwahatiBy roadWe took a cab from Bagdogra to Phuentsholing in Bhutan and another one to Paro You will get the permit at the border You can also enter Bhutan from Guwahati AssamTotal costFor 10 days it costed us around Rs 85 90 K This includes stays food travel from India in Bhutan return shopping etcCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates