Bhutan Budget Backpackers - Day 1 ( Bagdogra - Phuentsholing )

27 September 2014 – Day 1

Touchdown Bagdogra

The conveyor belt spat out trekking backpack after trekking backpack to be picked up by folks sporting Quecha shoes , bandanas and walking sticks. The Delhi flight had landed in the afternoon (2 PM IST) at Bagdogra airport, presently in its civilian mode (also a military airport hence photography is strictly prohibited). We were another bunch of folks in that milling crowd waiting for our gear. We soon realised a walking stick was missing. We asked one of the young airport officials near us and without acknowledging she disappeared. After ten minutes, we figured it was no use and blaming the administrative apathy we hear so often of, we decided to carry on. The young lady was back with our stick, highlighting it had fallen off at the unloading bay so it took her a while to find it. This was one of the various tiny incidents that restored my fate in humanity throughout this trip. Saying our goodbyes to the rest of the Bengaluru gang that was heading to Sikkim, we soon found that most of our fellow travellers had signed up with hiking groups too and their guides picked them up leaving just two of us and a handful of locals to mill away in the parking lot.

The Great Indian Haggle

Looking around for authoritative sources who couldn’t sense the “I am a tourist, fleece me” scent we emanated, we reached out to a clueless security guard and a few simpleton taxi drivers to guide us to a bus that could take us to Siliguri. Supposedly our internet research didn’t hold good and there were no buses that day to Siliguri. We then found the three girls we had been acquainted with via couchsurfers.com as we had the same travel dates. Figuring that we were running out of time as we had to reach the border before they sealed it for the night, we decided to talk to the smug taxi drivers but the initial asking price of 4000 was pretty steep. As the prices came crashing down, the Indian origin drivers backed away till a Bhutanese guy Mukesh agreed to take us all at 400 INR per head (2000 INR) to Phuentsholing (Bhutan border town) / Jaigaon (Indian border town).

In the nick of time

Having stuffed five of us and our luggage into his Scorpio, Mukesh picked up the pace as we crossed Siliguri, the army establishments, near empty river beds and a lot of greenery. We then took a quick stop over for lunch and clean washroom facilities at Gokul’s Ladoo on Siliguri bypass. I let my Bengali roots egg me on with mishti doi for main course, a few chaats on the table and their signature green momos. Meanwhile Mukesh politely answered queries about the festivals, the weather, the lifestyle, things to do etc interspersed with introductions with our new acquainted fellow travellers. He suggested we do Paro, Thimphu , Chele La Pass (You can see Tibet from here according to him on a nice clear day) and Haa Valley Carnival where artisans from seven countries come and put up stalls. We could afford one more chai break at a roadside dhaba, which carried a vibe that women wouldn’t find too welcoming. So we grabbed our glasses and gulped them outside.  Mukesh hit the accelerator as we lost context of distance engulfed in a sea of darkness broken up in places by the solitary tube light to signify a passing town or an outpost. It took us 5 hours to get to Jaigaon (including 40 minutes of break) from Bagdogra reaching a deadbeat town at 8 PM IST. Gravel and a few potholed roads made way for a grand looking well-lit gate and paved roads. Crossing over the threshold also meant it was 08:30 PM BST (Bhutan is +6 GMT) in a split second.

First Impressions

Divided into two groups, the girls went to check out on the guesthouses whilst we boys went to the Border office. Two Bhutanese officials in their traditional Gho (it would soon become commonplace for us through the trip) were planning to call it a night when we walked in. One of them was in an extremely good mood as he asked how many of us travelling gender wise and winked when we replied three girls and two guys asking why we didn’t have a third guy. Also asked the duration of the trip and asked us to have fun but not too much (wink again). Once the fun and games were over, he gave us the permit forms and asked us to fill them in and come next day morning. They start working at 6 AM BST but he suggested we come at 8 AM BST (and remember not IST). Café Kizom had 2 attractions – the mouth-watering pastries and cakes on display and free wifi. Grabbing a few desserts, and not finding any places to stay in Phuentsholing (all sold out), Mukesh suggested we have dinner in Phuentsholing and then walk over to India where you’d easily get a place to stay. The closest restaurant to the border was the only one with its lights on and had a view to the border gates which we confirmed with the guard would be open till 10 PM BST giving us 45 minutes to gulp down whatever they could serve. Rushing across as the guards called it a night after us and closed the gates, we found ourselves a decent stay at Hotel Siddharth at INR 700 per night (3 beds a room + attached western).

Key Info 

Bagdogra - Phuentsholing cab - INR 2000 one way / 5 hours travel time (including 45 minutes break) 

Gopal's Ladoo, Siliguri -  just outside Siliguru had good food and washroom facilities

Hotel Siddharth , Jaigaon - INR 700 per night ( 3 beds a room + attached western loo) 

Cafe Kizom - Phuentsholing - wifi + delicious bakery items 

1 Indian Rupee = 1 Bhutanese Ngultrum (currencies can be used interchangeably) 

Bhutan Standard Time - +6 GMT 

Border Gates close at 10 PM BST ( 930 PM IST) 

Solo travel is not appreciated by Bhutan Border officers so you may face issues getting a permit if you highlight that you are travelling alone.