Honda Drive To Discover 8 – Enchanting Bhutan

Honda Drive To Discover 8

This time around we discover the beautiful landscapes of Bhutan with Honda

Waking up at 3.00 am is not what we would normally like. Early morning flights are not new to us auto journalists and its become more or less a mundane routine. A point where its really not fun but today the excitement levels were high. Its not everyday that you drive out to another country. It had been on my wish list for a long time to drive across our border and Honda’s 8th edition of ‘Drive To Discover’ takes us to the Bhutan, the ‘Land Of The Thunder Dragon’. This surely had the adrenaline pumping with excitement, the next 5 days were going to be all about discovering new places.

Honda’s annual ‘Drive To Discover’ franchise is something I look forward to each year and this was my 6th such event in succession. Though we journalists are well travelled, this event takes us to offbeat places which are lesser known and truly invoke the concept of discovery. This year, ‘Drive To Discover’ also coincides with Honda having sold more than 3 lakh units of cars powered by their i-DTEC diesel motor. We were soon going to put this engine to test in some very tricky conditions.

We had the entire Honda fleet on our disposal for the exciting trip

Our drive started from the town of Bagdogra. Situated on the northern front of the state of West Bengal, Bagdogra airport has good connectivity with the metro cities. Soon after landing, we got into our allotted cars and were to drive to the border town of Phuentsholing in Bhutan. Honda had brought almost their entire fleet to this drive. We had the Accord Hybrid, CR-V, City, WR-V, BR-V and the Jazz at our disposal but first up we were given the responsibility of getting the Accord Hybrid across the border. Being Honda’s flagship offering in India, the Accord Hybrid offers excellent NVH levels, the engine is butter smooth and the hybrid motor helps reduce CO2 levels. The pliant ride quality meant we are quite comfortable in our seat.

Most of our drive to Phuentsholing was greeted with smooth roads with the tea estates offering a perfect backdrop. However as we got towards the end of our journey, the roads got quite bumpy. Heavy vehicular traffic meant that there were innumerable potholes on the road and we had to tread with caution. After roughing it out we were at the border once night fell. As we crossed the gate, the things on the Bhutan side were much different than we had imagined. While the Indian side was a hustle bustle, the Bhutan side was more quiet. But it wasn’t just that, our side was filled with potholes, stray animals and a general sense of chaos but the other side was more organised, cleaner with a general aura of discipline. This first impression of this mystic country was had us looking forward to the next few days.

Entering Bhutan was a big contrast, the place is serene and disciplined

The next day we had a long drive to Paro and we were given the keys of the Honda BR-V. Although we were only 3 in this MPV, the boot swallowed our luggage with ease. It was a typical mountain drive. Going uphill, downhill and uphill again. The temperature was dropping and it became quite foggy. We had to slow down considerably as visibility had dropped to barely a cars length ahead. Even though there is a good sense of driving discipline in Bhutan, this stretch was a bit scary. Most sections have the mountain on one side and the valley on the other side. In some areas the road narrows so much that your wheel is practically on the edge of the cliff. And yes, most of these mountainous roads don’t have a barrier which meant we had to be even more careful.

The natural beauty of Paro can’t be described in words. The air is so fresh that you instantly know. Bhutan is a carbon negative country which means there is so much more greenery here, it compensates for all the carbon emitted from automobiles and heavy industrial machinery. The next day we explored the local area in the Honda CR-V. We took to some scenic locales and also head out to the capital city of Thimpu. A quaint town nestled in the valley, Thimpu’s biggest attraction is the Great Buddha Dordenma. This is one of the largest Buddha rupas in the world and is visible from the southern entrance to the Thimphu city. This was made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the fourth king of Bhutan.

The street food is quite sumptuous including chowmein and momos

We also indulged in some local food tasting. Essentially chowmein and momos are an important part of the Bhutan diet but the locals also serve a lot dishes which are made of beef, pork and chicken. We tried our luck with some street style ramen noodles and they were amazingly delicious. The CR-V was comfortable as always and the automatic variant we were driving was convenient to drive too. On our way back to Paro, we decided to stop by Dochula pass. This is a mountain pass in the Himalayan ranges of Bhutan and is marked by 108 memorial stupas known as ‘Druk Wangyal Chortens’. The view from this pass was breathtaking. Standing amongst the clouds we have a great view of the Thimphu city from above. It was quite cold with reduced visibility due to the fog.

Time flies when you are having fun and little did we realise that it was day 4 and time to head back. We drove to the border town of Phuentsholing in the Honda Accord again. Completed our immigration formalities and retired early for the night. The next day was going to be hectic. We had to drive back to Bagdogra airport and to make it on time for our flight, we would have to leave early in the morning. Our drive for the final stint of the journey was the Honda WR-V. This is one of our favourite Honda cars as it brings a lot of practicality to the table. While we love this crossover in the city, it proved to be a capable machine in the mountains too.

As we crossed over into India, the roads were quite rough with frequent broken patches. Luckily for us, the high ground clearance helped us negotiate most of these areas with ease. The i-DTEC performed well as we experienced it in both the BR-V and WR-V. Not only does this engine deliver good power, it also delivered good numbers when it came to fuel economy. Honda has also worked to reduce the NVH levels of this oil burner. While it was on the louder side when it was first seen in the Amaze in 2013, the noise is now reduced owing to better insulation. A memorable trip had come to an end but who knows, where Honda will take us at the next edition of ‘Drive To Discover’? Wherever it may be, it will be another time to have endless fun while exploring and discovering lesser known places.