Lunch at a ‘Tourist Restaurant’
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Spending sufficient time at Chimi Lhakhang and the archery ground, we returned to the Sopsokha village. The village is nothing but a collection of few shops and houses on the Thimphu-Punakha road. Since we were hungry, we went to a ‘tourist restaurant’.
A house with some government offices on the ground flooe
Never go to a tourist restaurant. We were welcomed, offered food which tasted great but left a very bitter aftertaste. The lunch cost us Rs 350 (~$8) each, before tax. 350?? We’d usually get 3 lavish lunches for that amount of money! It turned out that this ‘tourist restaurant’ was actually made to cater to foreign tourists only. Indians are not included in ‘foreign’ per se since we do not have to pay the $200-$250 fee that the foreign tourists pay per day (Info here). For foreign travelers, food is included in their daily tariff, so the restaurant can charge exorbitant amounts and the tourists seldom know. We did. I came out swearing at my stupidity, I should have asked the price before.
The food was good, but the cost wasn't. Accidentally we ended up in a restaurant catering to foreign tourists with foreign prices!
As if the deep trauma caused by this experience was not enough, we still had to hunt for a transport to Punakha, 8 km away. So much for the blessings from Divine Madman! He he he!
We were determined to walk for 2.5 hours if we didn’t get a transport. I started flagging down every vehicle (since I often do that!) hoping to hitch a ride. Finally a guy stopped, made enquiries, gave us a lift, and off we went on our way to Punakha.
Atleast we saved spending Rs. 20 for the taxi…!
PS: Someone asked me why I was bitching about the price when I lived in a western country.
I’m sorry if you don’t get it, its not about the money.
- Had the restaurant put a sign saying ‘please donate for…’, I would have thought. But charging Rs. 350 for a meal that should cost Rs. 60 is unfair in my opinion.
- We were not informed in advance, but I agree that we should have asked ourselves.
- Secondly, even the foreign tourists don’t pay for lunch here. The $200 they pay to the government daily includes meals, transport, accommodation and guide.
- Finally, one should look at the place where the service is offered. INR:USD exchange rate might be 50:1 but in terms of PPP (purchasing power parity) the ratio is 8 or 10:1. So if you REALLY want to know, this lunch cost us between $35-$40, in Bhutan.
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Ok, I get the ire about the cost. But care to describe what the plate consists of? Two dumplings, a scoop of spinach, and what else?
↵Ah, Jeruen, but ofcourse!
The big plate, going clock-wise:
Bhutanese Red rice, boiled spinach, potato-cheese dumplings (called momo), fried eggplant, cheese-chili (national dish of Bhutan, Ema Datshi)
Side bowl:
Ema Datshi, less spicy and includes potato. I don’t know if there is a different name for this variation.
Small plate:
↵This plate with triangular bread is a spicy Potato pancake (called Aaloo paratha अालू पराठा and is very popular in north India) – We got this with us. THIS WAS NOT EVEN A PART OF THE EXPENSIVE LUNCH! lol!
@ Priyank : Actually 350 for a meal is quite cheap!
↵Duh Odzer, such a predictable comment
↵The meal looks too bland and just what a dietician ordered.
Maybe, that is the secret of Gross National Happiness in Bhutan.
A PJ since we are on Bhutan.
Arre tula bhutanchi bhiti vatte ka? Nahi re ka
Achha mag Nepal chi….
)
(Don’t say I did not warn you…pj)
↵HAHAHA Mavin, that was very good!
↵आणि जर कोणी हो म्हटला तर: मग नेपाळ ला जा, भूतान ला नको!
↵भिती वाटत नसली तरी निमित्तमात्र!
↵$35!!! Awaraa
↵hehehehe
↵Oh Man!! I have to rethink my plans of going to Bhutan if I have to eat that!
↵HAHAHA, THAT food at THAT price is not a good deal
↵How expensive! Doesn’t sound worth it at all. Never eat at a tourist restaurant, I totally agree!
↵
hehe, indeed!
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