Tour of Bhutan 2024 | Day 2 | Phuenshotling – Haa | 165 kms

I wake up around 6:30 a.m. and start to freshen up. I have packed everything in my saddlebag which I now remove one by one and start to mount it on the bike. First goes the handlebar muffs, then front side side bags, rear saddle bags, tank bag finally, my back pack. All the stuff is segregated and put it in it’s propwer place. I then have my breakfast of Aloo Parantha and coffee.

Fine tuning of luggage is done after breakfast and my guide is also present during the last moments of the bike loading. We leave around 9 a.m. to immigration office where Tashi also joins us. I pay the Sustainable Development Fee of 20,400rs for 17 days and also get my visa stamped. We then move towards getting a tourist SIM for me. Once that is done, we take the bike to the RTO office where my bike papers are inspected and permit is made which allows me to ride the Bhutanese bike for the said duration. The permit fee is 100 rs and the same thing is repeated online also, following which I receive a QR code which I would be requiring to show at various checkpoints inside the country.

With everything set and green signal given by RTO, we head out on the road. We fuel up before proceeding ahead. I pay all the agreed rental charges to Tashi and bid him goodbye. He will be meeting me again on the last day at the Samdrup Jongkhar. Charges include guide fees of 1,26,000rs for 18 days, hotel charges of 57,000rs for 19 days, bike rental of 45,000 rs for 18 days.

The only thing which cheers me up is the petrol cost which is just at 60 rs a litre. We move up the mountains at a steady pace around 40 -50 kmph. The altitude rises slowly and we get the feel of the temperature dipping. It’s all dense jungle around. The roads are good with some sections seeing broken asphalt, null speedbreakers. Slowly, my body starts to absorb the cold as I am not wearing any cold protection. The clear sky turns to grey clouds with fog clinging to mountain tops higher than us. Battling the cold, we push further. Around 2:45 p.m., covering almost 82 kms, we break for lunch at a roadside hotel.

It seems to be frequented by many motorcycle clubs whom I know personally. I have chicken, rice, dal along with roti for myself. The bill is 430rs as I wash it all down with a hot cup of masala tea. I am by now completely shivering with cold which my body has absorbed. Even my teeths are clattering. The hot tea gives me some relief as we mount on our bikes and push forward. The temp gauge on the bike’s dash is hovering around 18-20°C but it definitely feels less than 10°C. Haa is still 85 kms more to go.

The roads are good from here with some sections witnessing construction work and laying up of new tar asphalt. The scenery is all mountainous and the roads are all serpentine. They are either going down the mountains or going up. We are crossing mountains after mountain. We stop at locations to take photos, one of them particularly with a signboard showing distances of Thimphu and Paro. We also get to see a lone waterfall enroute. With the clock hitting around 5 pm and dusk beginning to fall, we increase our speeds to cover the balance distance as we don’t want to ride at night and nail biting cold. We ride non-stop but can’t manage to evade the darkness as we are forced to ride last 30 kms in dark with temperatures closing in on 5°C.

My body is literally trembling, hands and toes have gone numb as I try to push my limits and some how reach the destination. We reach our homestay at exactly 7 pm and I am so trembling that I face difficulty in removing all the luggage from the bike. We get some relief when we move into the warmer area inside the house.

We freshen up and move upstairs into the centrally heated kitchen and its really feels like heaven. My body gets thawed and starts behaving normally. The lady offers us warm water which adds to our relief. We have dinner immediately. After that, with conversations flowing around. we have dinner of rice, pork, potatoes, spinach, cheese & chili. It’s lovely and tasty meal for which I thank her. I retire to my heated room after that following which I write my diary before calling the day off.