Phuentsholing

Phuentsholing is the land border town with India and the only way into Bhutan that does not involve a flight, a hot subtropical place on the plain where an ornate painted gate stands across the street and the two countries meet without a river or a ridge between them. On one side the traffic is Indian and constant, on the other it stops. The town is the commercial entry point for almost everything imported. Above it the road climbs two thousand metres to Thimphu in a few hours through subtropical forest. Most visitors pass straight through and start the climb the same day.