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A visit to the Land of Thunder Dragon
Part one: The first impression, some noteworthy places, the houses, the locals, and the food
The first impression
It was September 23, 2017. A group of nine girls travelling through the night from Guwahati to New Alipurduar on a train, and then to Jaigaon by car. Jaigaon is a small town in West Bengal, crowded almost to the brim, its streets littered with discarded plastic packets and rolled up bits of paper, the roads clogged with cars and autorickshaws. While our group waited to get our currencies changed, I noticed a magnificent gateway decorated with ornate dragons that separated the two countries.
The sight of the beautiful structure got my heart racing. We were about to enter Bhutan through Phuentsholing — a border town bridging Jaigaon and the land of the Thunder Dragon.
The first thing I noticed after setting foot in Bhutan was the tranquillity in the air. After the hustle of the crowded West Bengal streets, the serenity of Phuentsholing was a welcome change. Although separated by a few hundred metres, the two cities were like two different worlds. I…
