Day 12

Paro – Bangkok

Oh no!!  Its departure day and time to leave this beautiful country.  I started the day off with my Signature Breakfast – the best yogurt in the world followed by the delicious ricotta pancakes.  My poor old slacker tracker is going to have its work cut out when I get back on the scales on Monday.  As Mum would urge, though, I have enjoyed every last delicious and expensive mouthful!  After my breakfast of champions and a fond farewell to the incredible view out of the dining room window, it was time to finish up my last bits of packing, ready to meet Michael at 8.30am.  I’d tried to cram as much of my heavier souvenir items as possible into my rucksack and hand luggage, to try and keep the weight of my checked bags down.  My luggage allowance is a skimpy 20kg (tried to upgrade to business class for an extra $80, but they were full) so every additional kg would be 185 Nu (about $4).  I already had to pay an extra $100 on the way out (yeah, I know – travelling light etc etc) but at least this time I was well prepared with plenty of local currency, so I could pay the excess with no problems.

So finally, it was time to check out and head to the airport.  What with the wine, the massage and a couple of purchases in the gift shop, I’d managed to rack up quite a bill in the 2 days I was there!  Ah well, like the diet, there’ll be plenty of time for economy when I get home!

We got to the airport extra early so that I could bag a window seat on the right hand side of the plane to hopefully get the same spectacular views of the Himalaya’s as I got coming in.  It was then time to bid a fond farewell to Michael, my trusty guide – I thanked him wholeheartedly for a phenomenal trip and gave him a very nice tip for being such a fantastic driver and not killing me on the crazy Bhutanese roads.  I told him my Mum was very grateful.  Then it was off through into the airport, sending the bags through the scanner first, before then checking in at the desk.  Of course, this trip wouldn’t be complete without a little scare to get the adrenaline flowing right at the end – as I was checking in my two bags, the counter lady started saying that my luggage allowance was 20kg and that I had 22kg extra weight.  I said, ruefully, yes, I know – lots of souvenir shopping – but that I was more than happy to pay the extra.  Now, I’m not sure what the disconnect was, but for the next few moments, she started going on that I was only allowed an extra 15kg in extra weight and that I had 22kg.  What?  There’s an upper limit???  No-one had mentioned this before, not on the way out – did she mean I had to “lose” 7kg in weight???  How would that be possible?  I can’t just leave a bag behind!!  I certainly can’t fit any more into my hand luggage.  Am I going to have to buy an extra ticket just so I can get my souvenirs home????   All of these thoughts flashed through my mnd, my heart started pounding as I pleaded with the lady to let me take on my second bag and that I was more than happy to pay.  As it turned out, she was saying that the maximum she could charge me for was 15kg (don’t ask me why) so in the end, that’s what happened – I scuttled over to the cash counter, paid for the 15kg (before she changed her mind) and happily all ended well.  Ah – other than the extra note they had from my trip over that I still have the $50 change fee to pay – which I’d already paid on the way out, when I had to change my flight due to the Visa Debacle.  I explained I’d already paid and they were fine with that, but that was another teeny weeny heart-stopper, just to keep things interesting.

Anyway, FINALLY, I was through immigration and into the pre-departure lounge.  As a result of my unexpected excess weight cost savings, I had a reasonable amount of local currency left, so it was time for just a final last bit of shopping!  I bought a book on Bhutanese food (in case I ever get the desire to recreate the chili and cheese experiences) and a couple of lovely sketch books with pictures of all the Dzongs I’ve visited – one for me and one for Loopy.  Then through a final security check into the main departure lounge and more shops – this time, I found a beautiful ancient silk throw that (apparently – I chose to believe her) is 100 years old.  Its incredibly heavy, is woven in a beautiful traditional pattern that I’ve been seeing everywhere so I fell in love with it.  As expected, it wasn’t cheap - $360 USD and I didn’t have enough money but the lady said I could go back out through security to the ATM.  A bit of a hassle, but OK – it was worth the effort.  Unfortunately, as I made to go back through security, the lady guard said no, so back to the counter I went to report the sad news.  I then opened up my wallet to see just how much cash I could rustle up – with a combination of USD, Thai Baht and Bhutanese Nu, I only came up with just over $300 USD.  Not enough.  But then the lady said that because I loved it so much, I could have it for that!!  So kind of her and VERY unusual to give such a deep discount – the custom here is not to barter – basically, the price you see is the price you pay, even though you know it’s a huge mark up because you are a tourist.  So, that was very nice of her and so I’m now sitting in Paro airport departure lounge, with not a single penny of cash on me, waiting to board for my flight to Bangkok and reflecting on what has been a truly magical incomparable experience.

Day 12: Bhutan, what can I say?  You’ve been amazing, incredible and I love you.  I will always remember you with a smile and thank you for all the amazing experiences – its been far, far more than I ever could have imagined.  Thank you.