Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [121]
Druk Carpet Industries has a factory in north of town where you can see Bhutanese carpets being woven by hand from imported New Zealand wool. The showroom (Map; 252004; 9am-8pm Wed-Mon) in town is the place if you are looking to buy. An 18in-by- 48in carpet costs around US$400.
Entertainment
If you like Hindi movies, you are in luck. The Mig Cinema (Map) in the centre of town and the Norgay Cinema (Map) near the Dhoti Chhu at the north end of town offer several three-hour screenings daily.
For a cold beer, watch the border traffic over a bottle of Indian Fosters (Nu 50) in the terrace of the Hotel Peljorling or star gaze on the roof terrace of the Sinchula Hotel. More earthy is the funky bar at the Bhutan Hotel, though you might get more attention than you can handle here.
The garden bar at the Hotel Greenville (Map; Jorden Lam) is a good place to get some peace and quiet.
Getting There & Away
For details on getting to and from India Click here.
Companies like Dawa Transport, Karma Transport and De-Keeling run morning Coaster minibuses from the new bus station to Thimphu (Nu 171) and Paro (Nu 165), with a few weekly services to Haa and Punakha. There are early-morning buses to Siliguri (3½ hours) but these aren’t really set up for foreigners as you would have to detour via immigration en route. Bhutan Post has one 3pm bus to Kolkata (Nu 300), arriving the next morning.
There is talk of building an international airport in Phuentsholing but there are no concrete plans at present.
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GASA DZONGKHAG
Gasa is in the far north of the country. Previously a subdistrict of Punakha, it was upgraded to a dzongkhag in 1993, with headquarters in Gasa’s Trashi Thongmoen Dzong.
The only way to get here is on foot. The Gasa Hot Springs and Jhomolhari treks touch on the region but only the epic Laya–Gasa and Snowman treks take you through all three districts. For more on the region Click here.
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GASA
The village of Gasa is north of Punakha on the old trade route to Tibet and has a renovated 17th-century dzong. There is a road from Punakha to Damji in Gasa dzongkhag, but the final 18km is not yet complete.
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LAYA
Laya is a large, isolated region in the far northwest of the Gasa district near the Tibetan border. The roughly 800 people of this area are from a group called the Layap, who have their own distinct language, customs and, most famously, conical bamboo hats with a bamboo spike at the top, which makes Laya women instantly recognisable.
The region is believed to be one of Bhutan’s bey-yul (hidden lands).
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LINGZHI
In the far northwestern corner of the country, Lingzhi is a very isolated region, mostly above 4000m. From whatever direction you approach it, it’s necessary to trek for days and cross a 4500m-plus pass to reach it.
The Lingzhi La at the head of the valley was a trade route between Punakha and the Tibetan town of Gyantse and was also used by Tibetan armies during various attacks on Bhutan.
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SOUTHERN DZONGKHAGS
The following dzongkhags are generally closed to tourists.
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TSIRANG DZONGKHAG
This district (previously spelt ‘Chirang’) is in the south of the country, but is separated from the southern border by Sarpang Dzongkhag.
The major town is Damphu, reached by a road leading south from Wangdue Phodrang. The road passes through Sankosh, said to be the hottest place in the country, then continues southeast from Damphu to the border town of Sarpang.
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DAGANA DZONGKHAG
This dzongkhag, previously known as Daga, is accessed from Wangdue Phodrang. The administrative headquarters is in Dagana and the region is noted for farming and cattle production. It is said that the people of 17th-century