Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [207]
International telephone rates are Nu 47 per minute with a 10% discount from 6pm to 9am. Domestic direct-dial calls cost Nu 8 per minute, also with a 10% discount from 6pm to 9am. Directory inquiries is 140 for Bhutan and 116 for international numbers. Trunk calls may be booked through the operator on 117 for international numbers, 119 for domestic numbers and 118 for calls to India.
Bhutan Telecom (www.telecom.net.bt) also provides satellite phones using the Thuria system, which allows direct dialling from anywhere in the country, even on a trek. Some tour operators have these phones and can rent them, though the charges are higher than for normal calls. Check the website for information of all phone tariffs from satellite to mobiles.
Fax
Nearly all hotels and some PCOs have facilities to send and receive faxes. Tour operators in Bhutan rely on email for most of their communications, but will use fax for documents such as visa authority letters if they don’t have a scanner.
Mobile Phones
You can buy a pre-paid mobile phone kit (SIM card and phone number) from numerous outlets. That is, when demand doesn’t outstrip supply! As B-Mobile keeps expanding it will be easier to get a SIM card in towns other than Thimphu and the arrival of a new service provider in late 2006 will further advance the service. The cost of a B-Mobile SIM is Nu 600 (Nu 400 is the activation charge and then you get a balance of Nu 200). Refills for Nu 100 to Nu 2000 are available.
Phone Codes
The country code for Bhutan is 975. The international access code is 00. Local dialling codes:
Bumthang ( 03)
Mongar ( 04)
Paro ( 08)
Phuentsholing ( 05)
Samdrup Jongkhar ( 07)
Thimphu ( 02)
Trashigang ( 04)
Trongsa ( 03)
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TIME
Bhutan time is GMT/UTC plus six hours; there is only one time zone throughout the country. The time in Bhutan is 30 minutes later than in India, 15 minutes later than Nepal, and one hour earlier than Thailand. When it is noon in Bhutan, standard time is 6am in London, 4pm in Sydney, 1am in New York and 10pm the previous day in San Francisco.
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TOILETS
Most hotels provide Western toilets and loo paper, though there are some exceptions, particularly in eastern Bhutan. There are very few public toilets so take full advantage of hotel and restaurant facilities before that long drive. There is an excellent pay’n’pee facility outside Paro airport, but the few public loos in Thimphu, near the market and on Norzin Lam, are less salubrious. Most are of the Asian squat variety and toilet paper isn’t available, though a container of water may be present.
Keep an eye out for traditional Bhutanese long-drop toilets hanging precariously off the side of the upper story of old houses and goembas. This is a strange hobbyhorse commode featuring a large square pipe leading straight down to a pit. There’s an example in the Folk Heritage Museum in Thimphu.
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TOURIST INFORMATION
The Department of Tourism (DOT; 02-323251, 323252; fax 02-323695; www.tourism.gov.bt; PO Box 126, Thimphu) has a very limited amount of literature available. However, it has a comprehensive website and it can refer you to tour operators who can assist with arrangements to visit Bhutan. There is no official government tourist office outside Bhutan.
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TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
A cultural tour in Bhutan is a challenge for a traveller with physical disabilities, but is possible with some planning. The Bhutanese are eager to help, and one could arrange a strong companion to assist with moving about and getting in and out of vehicles. The roads are rough and pavements, where they exist, often have holes and sometimes steps. Hotels and public buildings rarely have wheelchair access or lifts, and only the newest will have bathrooms designed to accommodate wheelchairs.
For further general information there is a website for and by disabled travellers at www.travelhealth.com/disab.htm.
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