The day of departure from Bhutan has arrived. Gorazd left very early, at 4:30 a.m., for his 6:30 flight. And yes, later I actually saw their plane flying up the valley. Later, I learned they had technical problems, had to return to the airport, and eventually took off again on a different plane with a delay to Kathmandu.

At 7:15 a.m., I go for a morning run with two co-travellers (Amber and …). The second proper run of the trip so far—and it’s fantastic. A little mist, some sunshine, almost empty streets, and that familiar calm that Paro has early in the morning.

Afterwards, it’s breakfast time, a shower, and packing. I then walk about four kilometers into town from the hotel. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the hotel (River Valley Hotel)—brand new, decent food, but the cleanliness could be improved. Still, it’s in a lovely location above the valley, about 4 km from central Paro. One thing I noticed in all Bhutanese hotels is that women carry the luggage (suitcases) to the rooms. This hotel, only about a year old, has no elevator, so young, petite women carry the suitcases up the stairs. A few days earlier, I helped one of them carry a heavy suitcase halfway up, as she wasn’t able to pick it up(and no, it wasn’t mine). It turned out she had previously carried my suitcase too. Over breakfast, she told me she wants to study hotel management and one day work in a luxury hotel nearby.

In town, I do some final shopping and have lunch. We visit the local market and meet our companions at a restaurant recommended by the local guide. The food is good (I have Bhutanese dishes and they were really good), but we wait almost an hour—definitely a bit too long. Paro airport is small and calm, like most places in Bhutan. No crowds, everything runs smoothly. The flight departs on time, and we are treated to amazing views of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak. The weather this week has been perfect—almost no clouds and ideal temperatures: neither too hot nor too cold during the day.

And that’s it. Bhutan is behind me. The trip ends with a short night in a capsule hotel at Bangkok airport (aside from the remote bathroom, it exceeded my expectations) and a long flight back to Europe. This time there was no upgrade, but since it was a 11h daytime flight, I had the chance to write my trip report.