We were visiting our family in Guwahati and thought of making a day trip closeby. Having visited several times, Shillong was not a preferred option. We were out of ideas until the guy who our parents usually hire for their trips outside the city suggested we go to Samdrup Jongkhar, a small Bhutanese town around two and half hours from Guwahati. He mentioned that though there was nothing much as compared to Thimpu and Paro but it was worth a visit.
We were excited and took the trip to this town called Samdrup Jongkhar. The travel from Guwahati to Samdrup was very pleasant with beautiful sights of tea gardens, rivers, lush green forests and hills.
It was a small town but a wonderful one. What I immensely liked about the place was the traditional designs embedded in the buildings. All the buildings were predominantly painted in yellow with a little deviation every now and then. Every shop had flowerpots as a mandatory norm.
The town was sparkingly clean and it was visible from the time we crossed the border. A stark difference between the chaos on one side of the border and tranquility on the other. In the middle of the market there was a Buddhist temple which added an extra charm to the place.
One of the central attraction of the place was a Monastery. It was beautiful and bustling with young monks.
Folks, if you get a chance, you should visit it. It makes an excellent daytrip from Guwahati. You can also taste some of the authentic Bhutanese food and superb fruit wine.
