1. Presented by Saurav Roy

3.  Mountainous Bhutan, half the size of Indiana, is situated on the southeast slope of the Himalayas, bordered on the north and east by Tibet and on the south and west and east by India. The landscape consists of a succession of lofty and rugged mountains and deep valleys. In the north, towering peaks reach a height of 24,000 ft (7,315 m).  Bhutan is also divided by secondary mountain ranges that cross the country from North to South.

5.  Western Bhutan is the most developed region of the country.  The airport, at Paro, and the capital city of Thimphu, are in neighboring valleys at around 7,500 feet.  Central Bhutan is a days drive from Thimphu over two high mountain passes.  Eastern Bhutan is quite remote, another full day by mini-bus or car from Bumthang

6.  Government  Bhutan's first national elections in March 2008 marked the country's shift from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy Canadian dollar: $1 Bhutan: 49.27 Bhutan ngultrum

7.  Main Office Holders: OfficeNamePartySince KingJigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck 15 December 2006 Prime MinisterJigme ThinleyDruk Phuensum Tshogpa Party 24 March 2008

8.  Bhutan has recently become the trendiest of destinations,  anyone can go IF he or she is willing to pay the government mandated minimum daily charge of $200, which includes hotel, food, transportation and guide costs.  The best time to visit Bhutan is in October or November.

9.  The King is such an interesting figure. He live in a small bungalow hidden among pines in the hills overlooking the capital.  He drives a Toyota Land Cruiser with a license plate that simply reads, “ BHUTAN”. The King’s four wives, all sisters, and all beautiful, each have their own mansion in the town below. Their license plates read “ BHUTAN 4”, “ BHUTAN 5”, “ BHUTAN 6,” and BHUTAN 7”. The Head Abbot has “ BHUTAN 2” and the Crown Prince drives “ BHUTAN 3

11.  Bhutan is the last of the independent Himalayan Buddhist kingdoms.  Most Bhutanese still live a long walk from the road in big, beautiful farmhouses with terraced rice fields out front, red chili peppers drying on the roof, and white prayer flags snapping in the breeze.

12.  The national language is called Dzongkha, as it is the language of the ancient fortress- monasteries, or Dzongs.  Dzongkha means, “the language spoken in fortresses.” It has 30 consonants and four vowels.

13.  National dress code of Bhutanese is is called Driglam Namzha.  Most Bhutanese men wear the gho, which is a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt called a kera.  Women wear a kira, a bright, woven ankle- length dress with traditional patterns.

15.  Bhutan is the last Shangri-La.  Also, last of the thunder dragon king.  They do roadwork and construction, jobs most Bhutanese are unwilling or unable to take.  Until 1999 there was no TV and internet in the country and they were shunted by the rest of the world, paradise hidden from human kind.

16.  All visitors must use a registered tour company.  The flight to Bhutan is one of the most dramatic in the world.  The biggest travel company in Bhutan is BHUTAN TOURISM CORPORATION LIMITED, owned in large part by the royal family. www.kingdomofbhutan.com. www.kingdomofbhutan.com  The second biggest tour operator is called ETHO METHO, online at www.ethometho.comwww.ethometho.com

17.  In the past getting to Bhutan was practically impossible for Europeans.  The first roads in the country weren’t built until the 1960s.  The Olathang in Paro and The Motithang in Thimphu are the only two original hotel of Bhutan located outside the town.  In 1979, a total of 250 tourist visas were issued.

18.  Traditional Bhutan food is hot and spicy.  national dish of Bhutan, Emma Datshi.  Emma Datshi is on every menu, and made entirely of chilies, fresh or dried, treated as a vegetable and served in a cheese sauce spiced with onions and tomatoes.

19.  Momos  Thukpas are snacks in every restaurant.  Salted butter tea, or suja, is served with Zow or roasted rice

20. NameLocationWhy to Visit? ThimpuWest BhutanBhutan's Capital City ParoCenter BhutanThe most developed city in Bhutan PunakhaEast BhutanBeauty of Eastern Himalayan range National MuseumCentral Bhutan, ParoCultural Heritage of Bhutan JigmeDorji National ParkNorthern Bhutan'sHot springs and rare wildlife KurjeLhakhangNear BumthangHistoric Temple ChimiLhakhangPunakhaMystical Temple KyichuLhakhangCentral Bhutan, ParoThe oldest shrine in Bhutan TakstangLhakhangCentral Bhutan, ParoBuddhist Pilgrimage Site

21.  Paro:  Paro town is basically two streets running parallel to each other North of the airport.  It has several: local craft shops  a nice art gallery with original Bhutanese paintings and a terrific selection of black and white photograph.  The National Museum is in the old circular watchtower on a ridge above the Dozing.  Several temples in Para, including Kyushu Leaching, which dates back to the 7th century.

22.  No visit to Bhutan is complete without a trip to the famous Tatting Monastery, or “Tiger’s Nest,” which hangs from a sheer cliff thousands of feet above the valley floor.

23.  Thump:  The capital city of Thump is a dusty 2-hour drive from Para.  population of around 70,000 people.  The government offices are located at the North end of town in an impressive Dozing.  drive up Thump valley makes a great day trip, Kings mother lives in this valley.

24.  Panache:  Panache is only about 40 kilometers from Thump.  The road climbs up to Douche La pass, an important spiritual place for the Bhutanese.  Punakha valley is much lower than Thimphu.  You can see monkeys, red pandas, rare birds and beautiful tree lilies

25.  Phobjika:  The valley is well known as the winter home of Black-Necked Cranes, which arrive in mid-October after flying over the Himalayas from Tibet.  All electrical wires in the valley are buried and carpenters must follow strict codes when building new structures.

26.  The Bhutanese are famous archers, and soccer has recently become popular.  Religious festivals are extremely important and often last for several days, with masked religious dances.  The Bhutanese believe the audience are blessed by watching

27.  Paro Tshechu (9 days) April 2 nd – 6 th 2012 wonderfully colorful and esoteric religious masked dance-dramas performed by specially trained groups of Buddhist monks. Be amongst throngs of Bhutanese from the Paro valley and from outlying villages of Bhutan – all dressed in their traditional finery.

28.  Punakha Dromche (10 days) February 27 th – March 5 th 2012 This is an annual festival introduced by Zhabdrung to commemorate the victories over the Tibetans. The annual dromche of Punakha is unusual because of its dramatic recreation of a 17 th century battle scene.

30.  Druk Air @ Paro International Airport Flight Route:

32.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOCTQjCHZ F8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOCTQjCHZ F8

33. Presented By : Saurav Roy