When I first arrived in Gangtok, I had to decide where to go next. I had a choice between North Sikkim and Bhutan. For obvious reasons, I chose the latter.
It takes 12 hours to reach Thimpu from Gangtok by road. It is the usual practice for tourists taking to this route to stay overnight at the border town of Phuentsholing (also known as Jaigaon in the Indian side of the border), since one needs a permit to enter Bhutan which must be obtained from the immigration office at the border.
It took me 7 hours to reach Phuentsholing in Rikesh’s battered Alto. The drive was a pleasant initially. The scenery was breathtaking, with beautiful green jungles covering the mountains along the path and clouds hovering just above our heads. However, as we approached the border, the mountains disappeared and we were on the plains again. And the roads got worse and so did the weather. It found it hard to believe that the road we were travelling on was the International highway to Bhutan.
We reached Jaigaon a couple of hours after my usual lunch time at 4. Jaigaon looks like a regular town in India, except for the presence of special military forces reminding you of the fact that you are only a few feet away from a different country. The first checkpoint is a few kilometers after crossing the border, up to which point one can walk freely without requiring any permit. So for lunch, we decided to walk across the border. I was surprised to see that there was a considerable difference in culture and the atmosphere on the other side of the border. I spent the evening walking on the other side of the border. Though Jaigaon is on plain ground, I discovered that the terrain changed the instant I crossed the border and moved over to Bhutan. It is not difficult to see that while Jaigaon is flat, Phuentsholing is hilly. I found a nice view point on the highway to Thimphu from where I could watch the town below me twinkle in the night and spent some time taking in all the fresh air and silence I could get.
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