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Going to reach Thimphu today. About 42 km of slight uphill ride. So, I can afford to laze around and start a little late. After bidding adieu to my host I take on the winding road again.

7 km away from the confluence, where the the road bifurcates, one going towards Thimphu, other towards Paro.

The road to Thimphu follows the curves of river Wang chhu all the way, keeping the river on the left. In the valley beside the river,paddy fields on mountain steps, are a glowing shade of verdant green after an early morning shower. One has to take a break around here and marvel at the panoramic landscape for a while.

a typical house, and people working on field

An hour later I reach Thimphu. It’s raining and there aren’t too many people on the road.As I pass by the famous clock tower square, downtown Thimphu, I feel a sense of accomplishment. 174km in two and half days. change of elevation from 300 meters to about 2400 meters.Not too bad, huh?To celebrate, I have an enormous late afternoon meal with momos, rice, and Bhutanese beef and pork dishes, including nosha fin tshoem. 

In the evening,amidst heavy rains, few friends, who are out on a regular tour of Thimphu, Paro etc. arrive from Kolkata. After another sumptuous meal I’m too drowsy to move around and I go into hibernation after couple of pegs of K5, a premium Bhutanese whiskey. Before I doze off I notice that there’s a nice coffee table book on the table on the cover of which, written is Bhutan’s national motto ‘Where happiness is a place‘ with a photo of a little girl smiling, with snow capped mountains in the background.

part 3                                                                                               part 5