Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon

In my nerdy childhood I collected stamps. I was always intrigued by my Bhutan foil and space exploration lenticular stamps. When I learned that this tiny Himalayan country was closed to outsiders, had no TV and valued Gross National Happiness over GDP, I became even more intrigued and vowed to go there someday…that day is today.

This past year Qatar Airways started flying direct from Toronto to Doha so I mustered up the last of my Avios loyalty points and scored a Q-Suite seat (suite, really) and am jetting off to Kathmandu, pink champagne in hand, via Doha to meet up with my tour group. From there we’ll fly onward to Paro, Bhutan for a couple of weeks of high altitude cycling and cultural touring.

My fancy one-way fare sells for around $11,000 CAD (!) but i only paid $484. It has 3 windows, a lay flat seat with a mattress, a down duvet and a sliding door. I have a 16 hour layover in Doha and once your connection time is over 8 hours, Qatar Airways provides a free 4 star hotel room with a $70 CAD meal voucher. Sweet deal…oh, also worth mentioning that the fare includes carbon offset costs.

Dinner:

Balik style salmon with pumpkin and mascarpone mousseline

Wok-fried lobster tail with ginger and scallion

Selection of international cheeses

Warm maple fondant with caramelized apples