7 REMARKABLE THINGS ABOUT BHUTAN YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW!

Bhutan, the last Shangri-La and a beautiful Himalayan Kingdom, was once reclusive but now charms visitors with its unique culture, history and a whole lot of natural beauty. Earlier this month I spent a week in this magical land and was quite taken by this country and its many fascinating peculiarities. Here are 7 things you probably didn’t know about Bhutan.

1. A bloom was so uncommon; it was thought to be a myth, similar to the Yeti!

One frosty morning, I was lazily strolling on a trail at Chele La(3700m). Prayer flags vacillated savagely as the mountain explosion constrained its way over the pass. However I strolled absentmindedly, when a splendid blue bloom all of a sudden left me speechless. The petals of the clearest blue were tenderly dangling from a yellow focus and a long stem. It was hypnotizing.Thimphu Paro Tour

That evening, I came to realize that the exquisite blossom was Blue Poppy (Meconopsis Grandis) and that it is the national bloom of Bhutan! Flawlessly bodes well, a wonderful national bloom for a lovely nation. Be that as it may, what I didn't know was this is a super uncommon blossom, thought to be a Himalayan myth like the Yeti for quite a long while in light of the fact that just a modest bunch had ever reported seeing it. Also, on the off chance that you are batman fan, you realize that uncommon blue bloom that develops on eastern slants that Ra's-al-ghul needed Bruce Wayne to discover so he can join the Shadow of the Leagues? Yup, this is the one! However, that is not all; this plant becomes just in the fruitless high elevations from 3000m to 5000m for quite a while before sprouting just once and after that kicks the bucket. Goodness if that is not sufficiently restrictive; it blossoms just amid a short window amid early storms (Late May to July).

Discuss luckiness that I stroll about on some irregular peak and locate the outlandish irregularity, the notorious Blue Poppy! (P.S - Still can't wrap my head around it, that I saw something so uncommon)

2. A Capital City with no activity lights!

Thimphu is one of the main two capital urban areas on the planet to not have a solitary activity light. They had one introduced at one crossing point however had it evacuated and got back the activity police upon prevalent interest! The inhabitants felt movement light was excessively indifferent. Now that is an idea. In the event that the nation's busiest city doesn't have a movement light, I think it is sheltered to extrapolate the entire nation doesn't! I'm not certain but rather it appears like a decent probability.

In any case, having seen the way individuals drive in Bhutan I figure they'll do fine and dandy without movement lights. They effortlessly offer approach to different vehicles and wouldn't fret holding up to let others go before them and when somebody gives way, the driver dependably expresses gratitude toward them consequently. Turns out Bhutan got the streets, engine vehicles, power and so on strictly when the 60s, I think about to what extent before they offer into the methods for whatever is left of the "created" world like unending blaring and such. In any case, for the time being, it is still the last Shangri-La.

3. Is it a goat? Is it a cow? It's both, it's an Occupied!

Also, giving the national blossom intense rivalry in the extraordinary class is the national animal, Takin! It's an unusual combination of goat and cow, both the face and the stature falls some place between these two creatures. It's discovered just in Bhutan and parts of China and northeastern India.

The legend goes approximately like this; there was at one time a “Divine Madman" who acquainted Buddhism with Bhutan. He was requested that perform a wonder amid one of his addresses, to which he obliged however just on the off chance that he was given lunch – a full dairy animals cow and goat. After his rich dinner, he adjusted the left out bones of the cow and goat, goat's head on a dairy animals' body. With a tick, the interesting figment was purchased to life and it began brushing the fields. Since this creature had numerous references in Bhutan's legends, the lord considered it fit to be a national deemed. It was announced so in 1995. Likewise, the National Bird is a raven! Three peered toward raven anybody?

4. That’s right! It’s an erect penis you saw painted on the house.

Phalluses can be seen painted on the walls of many houses in Bhutan. Apart from Takin, another oddity that can be attributed to the “Celestial Madman”, the maverick saint Drukpa Kunley, is the ubiquitous phallus! Known for his crazy ways of enlightening others, legend has it that he subdued evil spirits and turned them into protective deities by hitting them with his erect member, which by the way is also referred to as “Thunderbolt of Flaming Wisdom”. He is known as the fertility saint and the site blessed by him is home to the famous Temple of Fertility, Chimi Lakhang. Women from all over the country come here seeking blessings to conceive a child, and you ask how is one blessed? By being struck with a wooden phallus, of course!

This belief that Kunley’s “thunderbolt” can ward off evil spirits led to the tradition of painting giant phalluses on the walls of houses and hanging little wooden replicas on the four corners of the roof. Thankfully, we skipped visiting Chimi Lakhang, otherwise it would’ve been quite awkward with family in tow. But I did see houses with phallic paintings and shops selling wooden phallic souvenirs in plenty. Thimphu Punakha Paro

5. Cash doesn't purchase joy and they know it!

Tiger's Nest Monastery or Taktsang Monastery, The famous Tiger's Nest or Taktsang Monastery at Paro, Bhutan, Which is the reason Bhutan measures the nation's development as far as Gross National Happiness rather than the Gross Domestic Product as took after by whatever remains of the world. I don't know how they measure the intangibles - reasonable advancement, ecological assurance, social safeguarding and great administration yet these four columns shape the premise of GNH estimations. As a component of this they have taken a few important measures like it is compulsory to keep up no less than 60% Forest spread! To manage the social annihilation and ecological corruption that unchecked tourism can get, they work with an idea of "high esteem, low effect" tourism where guests are charged $250 every day as visa expenses. Yet, this incorporates convenience, transport, guide charges. Local people are given a yearlong preparing in Bhutanese society, history and neighborliness before they can formally manage vacationers. At the start, individuals do appear to be entirely cheerful as we anticipate that they will be in a Shangri-La!

Purportedly, a neighborhood once told a NatGeo Reporter "In our most delightful spots, we fabricate sanctuaries and cloisters, and everyone goes there. In your most delightful spots, you fabricate five-star resorts, and just the extremely rich go there." With that state of mind it's nothing unexpected Bhutan's one of the happiest countries on the planet!

6. Indian Army has an enormous base in Bhutan! 

Indian Military Training Team Base, Bhutan, One evening, we were driving towards Haa Valley in eastern Bhutan when a faintly natural sight of green housetops welcomed us. Few winding bends later, we saw a gathering of ladies strolling by. They were looking especially Indian. While we were pondering out resoundingly, rapidly our driver joked, "They are Indian wives!" "Wives of whom?" "Of the Indian Army men positioned beneath" he said indicating the green housetops underneath.

What I thought to be Haa Village ended up being the Indian Army's preparation mission in Bhutan. No big surprise the housetops looked so natural, much the same as the ones we see in Ladakh. The Indian Military Training Team is in charge of preparing and preparing Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) and Royal Bodyguards (RBG) staff. The RBA was shaped in 1950s, one reason being the weight from India on the grounds that the nation considered Bhutan to be its weakest connection with all due respect against China.

Streets and Telecom came to Bhutan just in 1960s, yet do you who assembled those 1500kms of streets in the insane mountain domain? None other than our own one of kind specialists at Border Roads Organizations! No big surprise our two nations are so well disposed! Bhutan Packages from Delhi

7.  Only 8 pilots are qualified to fly into this airport!

Paro Airport, Bhutan, Landing and Taking Off from here are a tricky business, Paro Airport. Rumour has it only 8 pilots can land on this narrow strip between mountains as high as 18000ft that surround the city of Paro. When was the last time you saw a landing strip with so many obstructions in every direction? The pilots are required to navigate the valley through a series of sharp turns before landing or taking off. As you can see in the picture here, the airport is surrounded by mountains on all direction except for the narrow valley to the right; the plane will take several sharp turns during takeoff and landing.

Taking a gander at the recordings posted on the web, it's startling how shut the plane gets to the mountains. At wonder spots like this current, there's no space for blunder. No big surprise just 8 pilots are talented to nail the arrival and take offs. In the video included in the connection beneath, we can see the pilot is taking sharp left and right turns at 1000ft, 500ft and even 100ft preceding landing! So essentially we require aptitudes like Baloo Bear from Talespin less the accident arrivals. It is one airplane terminal where break even with significance is given and ought to be given to visual judgment than depending on instruments.