Bhutan?

I read a story about one man who went there for free because he got an invite from a local.

Maybe you can befriend a Bhutanese penpal who would be willing to invite you.

>>1207993
Actually I befriended a Bhutanese girl on InterPals and later on facebook, but I haven't talked to her in ages. I should, she's actually pretty /pol/, talks about David Icke and the NWO.

But if I ask her for an invitation I'm afraid I'll sound like a freeloader so probs nah. That article hets referenced on these threads every now and then, wasn't the guy penpals with someone in the Royal family though?

>>1207986
Easiest way is to fly in from Bangkok but if you can swing some cheap flights to India flying from Calcutta is the cheapest. Flights are on a state owned carrier that has set prices so it doesn't matter when you book.

>>1208004
Post her Facebook account. Ask her for an invitation. It doesn't even seem like freeloading. She would probably like to meet you in Bhutan.

>>1207986
For general tourism, my understanding is that you can only go through their official travel program on a tour, they limit the number of people, and you must have at least $300 per day to spend. They don't want backpackers.

My impression is that for all their "Gross National Happiness" propaganda, the government would be just as happy if their people never learned anything about the rest of the world and how much nicer life can be elsewhere.

>>1208393
>My impression is that for all their "Gross National Happiness" propaganda, the government would be just as happy if their people never learned anything about the rest of the world and how much nicer life can be elsewhere.
Not to mention this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutanese_refugees

>>1208427
Wow. I had no idea, I just figured they were the usual fascist assholes, not that they engaged in ethnic cleansing. Thanks. :-(

>>1208442
Every country has a dark side.

>>1208062
So what do you do, you just land in Thailand/India, then hop on another plane heading to Bhutan right after? What about visas and whatnot?

>>1208442
>>1208508
Yeah I've heard about the Nepal conflict, iirc there was even a Bhutanese refugee restaurant in my hometown. I asked that girl about it forever ago and she said she had no idea but I didn't push it. The national happiness is real but there is a lot of just ignorance. But also look what the Hindu LTTE did to Buddhists in India and Sri Lanka. Maybe they're just scared they'll be outbred.

>>1208509
From my understanding Bhutan is like North Korea. You need to scan your passport for a tourist company and book in advance. They process you and give you a visa when you arrive.

>>1208934
>the national happiness is real but there is a lot

“There has been too much focus on promoting GNH rather than creating such an enabling environment for happiness to happen. Despite the positive publicity for Bhutan in the course of spreading GNH, we have sent out a wrong message and as a result, most of the outside world wrongly thinks we are the happiest country in the world. We continue to remain a small country challenged by numerous factors, such as our geographic terrain making it impossible to take healthcare and education to every corner and … the imbalance of trade with India that has lead to a serious shortage of foreign currency.”

I have been to Bhutan. You can only go there as part of a guided tour, it's not possible to do independent travel. It's easy to book, there are travel agencies online that will do it. You can't really do price shopping because it's all governed by the minimum fee set by the government.

Easiest is to get yourself to Bangkok and fly from there.

>>1208509
I was just referring to transport to get to the country. You need to get visas that are stupidly expensive because they come with caveat that you need a guide with you at all time, should be plenty of info online about the easiest way to get one or a local adventure travel agent could help you out but they tend to be pricier than online operators. I've only really looked into transport because I have friends/ former work colleagues who can get me a letter of invitation to visit and avoid the whole tourist visa thing

>>1208960
>>1209032
How do you pick an agency?

I imagine the reason why there's so many to choose from is because they pander to different parts of the world. How do I find one that'll deal with my country?

>>1209200
Just try and match one to your needs i.e add youth tour or trekking, whatever to you google search. Most seem to have live chats or at least emails where you can ask the questions you want, in my experience most online operators are pretty prompt at replying to inquiries. I assume you found this list; http://www.tourism.gov.bt/directory/tour-operator.

>>1209269
Yes, that is the exact list I was looking at. It's a little overwhelming.

What currencies do they accept in Bhutan?

The reason I ask is that many tour packages don't include tips, laundry, or drinks, and I highly doubt any currency exchange shops near me can provide me with Bhutanese Ngultrums.

My local currency is also very unpopular all over the world, so chances are I'll have to settle for some other country's currency.

I'm guessing US/Indian/Chinese/Nepali currency is accepted in Bhutan? And if so, which one is the most popular?

>>1207986
I just watched it. Is this the one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQKwDqeoeeg

this is the only think I know about bhutan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdDD9ViRZz4

>>1207993
yes, I can confirm: my best friend was dating a locale and he went there for almost free

>>1209561
You can change the major currencies to local. Maybe even use an ATM. You won't need much local currency though since pretty much everything is paid for. Just for extras like beer and souvenirs.

>>1209762
I'm thinking of doing a two-week trip, but I don't want to pack too much, so in all likelihood I'm probably gonna have to pay for laundry.

Not gonna lie, I have a very ass-backwards impression of Bhutan. I realize I'm probably very wrong, but at the very least I'm glad to know that currency exchange will be readily available there.

Another assumption of mine that's probably inaccurate:
>limited wi-fi
>I mainly believe this because I imagine most of my trips will be to a temple or a mountain

>>1209871
If you stay at a hotel it will have wifi. I shitposted on /int/ with the Bhutan flag. Good times.

>>1209982
I assume the hotel is also the *only* place with wi-fi.

If this is true, it's not a big deal at all, it's just that I'm assuming without ever actually having been there. And if I'm wrong, that's more than okay with me too.

>>1210153
Why would you need wifi during the day? You will be busy being taken to places by your guide. You can wait until evening when you are at your hotel to post pictures on your fb.

>>1210227
I don't. I was just trying to provide a metric of how ass-backwards my impression of Bhutan is.

Long story short, if I do ever go to Bhutan, I hope to have my mind blown, since it's a country that I've done very little research on.

>>1210390
It's self imposed backwardsness that it will probably be coming out of at an accelerated rate since it has transitioned from a absolute monarchy to a (pseudo) democracy. They didn't have t.v officially until 1997 but plenty of people had them in the back room of their house with a inconspicuous satellite dish and the authorities chose to mostly ignore it.