Bhutan is a very special country and despite the fact that this is probably the reason you choose to spend time there, you sometimes can't help being surprised at how different it is than everything you know.

Getting there is the first particularity you are about to get acquainted with. No foreigner (except Indians, who help enormously Bhutan, and Nepalese) can cross the Bhutanese land frontier. Foreigners have to fly to Bhutan and cannot pick their favorite airline. They have to use Drukair, the national airline, and one of its two airplanes (one with propeller engines and one jet airplane). And of course they have to land in Paro, which is not even the capital, in the only airport in Bhutan until 2011 . In 2012 however 2 more domestic airports were put to use and will facilitate enormously your trip by reducing drastically driving times to some places. An example: traveling time to Jakar is at least 8 hours by car, depending on the landslides and how sick you get (altitude and impossibly winding roads) and how many times you need to get off the car. Flying time to Jakar is just 15mn... I would gather Drukair needs to urgently buy some more airplanes, although things being as they are it is quite possible this is the only airline whose entire fleet you may use during your trip to and from Bhutan!

Probably the most well known particularity of Bhutan is that it measures its growth with its very own concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH). The notion is very well explained in the uTube film in this page. And frankly, one can only congratulate the fourth king for coming up with such an idea. Actually, not just coming up with this idea but also applying it in reality by passing power to his people! Just think how many sadist dictators in this world cling to power by doing just the opposite: killing their own people, destroying the environment. Think of how China and India just across the frontier conceive their own happiness. Nowadays the fourth king has been replaced by his son (recently married to a commoner, Jetsun Pema -one of her hobbies is basketball- he met during his studies in England) who seems to be as enlightened as his father. His royal palace is probably the most modest one can ever see on this planet.

Despite or because of the above, the GNH principle seems to be somewhat less user-friendly when the moment comes to pay for your trip. Traveling to Bhutan is not cheap, and there are of course no last-minute, all -you-can-eat , all-you-can-drink packages. The rule that applies when it comes to the bottom line is simple: Each night you spend on the country cannot cost you less than 55O USD (more if you travel alone). But is it really a rip-off? Not so sure. Because this is per definition an all inclusive sum and contains the cost of your hotel, all your meals (“fooding and lodging” in Bhutanenglish), the car you are going to use, your driver and your guide, who will be more or less 24/7 available for you. Plus endless black tea if you get stomach sick... Oh, yes, and of course the price of your ticket! So in the end, it all boils down to a very logical deal when it comes to money and sense. The idea that one has to declare at the Bhutanese customs some thousands of dollars to get in the country is totally false. All payments are done through your agency. As for the rest, frankly, you are not going to be able to spend a big chunk of your pocket-money anywhere in Bhutan. Living cost is very low, compared to European standards at least, and the handicraft sector is not so developed as, say, India, where you can spend ALL your bucks wondering where they all have gone... Unless you donate at every stupa and dzong, chances are you are going to spend most of your cash in the stopover airports to Bhutan...

Still, it does feel awkward not being able to just fly in a country, rent a car and wander off. Having a local guide count your steps can sometimes be very restrictive, especially if you come with the idea of having glamorous outings (ha!) in Bhutan. There is nowhere you might like to escape in Bhutan, especially during evening (Bhutanese go to sleep at around 19,00, and is is safe to say there is nothing to do in the rest of the evening). Thus bring some good books, or some good company if you do not wish to spend your empty time thinking if you made the right choice coming in this landlocked country, or watching two monks buying chewing gum at the local general shop.

Given that there is absolutely no rush in Bhutan, or rush hours for that matter, this is also the only country entirely without traffic lights! Even in the capital, Thimpu, where after much discussion one traffic light was put to use, the traffic cop had to be brought back when people complained the automatic traffic light was “too impersonal”!!! He now makes again one of the most photographed subjects in Bhutan, performing something that resembles an electro-dance when traffic is dense. You better keep your eyes on the road however when crossing this central point, because the guy may be busy checking his mail on his mobile phone...

Bhutan is also the only country in the world where smoking is illegal! And although in theory you can smoke if you pay a hefty tax, the tax is so heavy that in reality no one can afford to smoke, and penalties are so significant that you would be advised not to! I was told that a monk caught smoking was recently given 25 years of prison, although this is unconfirmed. I very much enjoyed the clean air in Bhutan, but could not help thinking that this was an extreme measure. And that in my country, they would have to put almost everyone in jail...

Another particularity is that the Bhutanese rice is red. This is a fact you are about to embed during your trip in Bhutan, since you will probably be given rice at least two times a day. A hint: Red rice is good for your upset stomach. Just in case...