A holiday in Bhutan has been on my wish-list for quite a while now. And I finally managed to tick that box a couple of weeks back.

An iPhone click of the Phobjikha Valley. This is the place where the Black-necked Cranes migrate to during Nov-Mar

I felt that the beauty of the place couldn’t be told by a series of still photographs or multiple blog-posts. So, I attempted  something a bit different here, a video-log of the trip combining stills images and some time-lapses that I managed to shoot over the lovely 8 day trip.

A traditional Bhutanese lunch spread at the Folk Heritage Museum in Thimphu

This also gave me an opportunity to explore & learn Adobe Premiere Pro  – a side benefit of this effort, I must admit. The video ended up much longer than I expected at 4:56. Have to figure out a way of telling it much more succinctly. And a way of putting it together much quicker. I reckon I will need to do a few more of these.

So, if I were to put down 5 things that one must do on a trip to that wonderful country, here they are:-

1. The hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery (near Paro) is a must-do. Follow it up with a Hot Stone Bath.
2. The walk upto the Chagri Monastery just outside Thimphu is another good early morning trek to do.
3. Put down Phobjikha Valley in your itinerary and you will not be disappointed.
4. Disconnect completely, soak in the tranquility, walk around as much as you can, speak to the locals, eat their food, and visit their home.
5. Ideally, do not buy any packaged stuff.  If you can’t then carry all your trash back.

This is definitely a place I will be going back a few more times.