Bhutan-1 Bangkok Thailand

Bhutan is an amazing place. A small country in Asia with stunning Himalayan landscapes, it is renowned for prioritizing the country’s Gross National Happiness over its Gross National Product. The concept of Gross National Happiness implies that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards notions of progress and give equal importance to well-being. It is consistent with Bhutan’s long-standing tradition of compassion and non-violence toward all living beings, rooted in its 1,200-year Buddhist heritage. Bhutan has only recently been open to tourists, and sharply limits the number of visitors. 

I was on a trip to Patagonia with the U Go Learn program when I learned from Lana, one of my fellow travelers, that Go Learn would have a trip to Bhutan. I had never heard of Bhutan, so I looked it up and was immediately captivated with the idea of visiting. Lana must have presented a good impression of Bhutan, because ten of the fourteen Patagonia travelers signed up for the Bhutan trip! 

 

 

Our trip to Bhutan would start with a 5 AM flight from Bangkok. My flight to Bangkok arrived after midnight, and I made a smart move and arrived in Bangkok a day earlier. That gave me some time to explore Bangkok; I had notes from my earlier Google search for “one day in Bangkok.” My list included The Grand Palace (The Emerald Buddha Temple), Wat Pho (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn), and the Bangkok flower market (Pak Khlong Talat). 

This was my first time in Southeast Asia, and boy, was it hot and humid. I mean humid, humid, humid. I had my passport buttoned in my shirt pocket, and sweating caused the normally stiff passport to deform!

Our trip leader Elisabeth told me about the Grab app, which in SE Asia is the source for everything, a combination of Uber, DoorDash, and Venmo. So I used Grab to get a ride to the Grand Palace. Unfortunately, the Grand Palace was closed because the Queen Mother had passed away the previous week. 

I took some interesting pictures of the Grand Palace from outside the wall, as well as of government buildings in the neighborhood. 

I then went to Wat Pho (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and got amazing pictures. 

This woman in traditional Thai dress kindly consented to being photographed. 

I next went to the Bangkok Flower Market,which also has fruits and vegetables, where I bought a spicy lunch. 

The Flower Market was HUGE! They must supply flowers to a huge area! 

I walked along the river and got a nice picture of Wat Kanlayanamit Woramahawihan, a Buddhist Temple on the other side of the river. 

Between the heat, the humidity, and my jet lag, I decided to catch a Grab / Uber back to my hotel near the airport. Right decision, as there was a drenching downpour on the way to the hotel. Tomorrow, on to Bhutan!