Airport by the River

There are many airports in different parts of the world. Some of them are very busy and congested. Some of them are very busy but always give a feeling of calm efficiency to the traveler. Some airports are like gardens and some others are modren structures with all engineering marvels. Airports are a means to land in a place and move forward to other destinations for sightseeing or work or business. In any airport, the travellers are eager to come out of the aircraft after landing, collect their baggage and get out of the airport in a car or a cab as fast as possible. This is the normal experience of any seasoned traveler.

Is there any airport which by itself can be a destination for sightseeing? Is there an airport that holds back the visitor for sometime after landing and make him forget the baggage and other issues? Is there an airport where the arriving passengers start clicking photos once they come out of the aircraft? Yes, Paro International Airport in Bhutan is one such airport which is worth visiting just for the thrill of landing and taking off from there. Of course, there are other attractions as well in this place and surrounding areas. The river Paro Cho flowing by the side of the airport is itself a beautiful sight. The picture given above shows the river flowing adjacent to the airport terminal. Visitors usually spend a full week in the surrounding areas before coming back to this airport and taking off to their destinations. There is always a demand from the passengers on the cabin crew for a window seat when the aircraft takes off!

Paro airport is the only international airport in the Kingdom of Bhutan. There are other three airports in the country for meeting domestic needs. The airport is at a short distance (6 Kms) from the town of Paro in a deep valley and on the banks of the river Paro Cho. Paro airport is surrounded by many peaks with some of them as high as 18,000 feet. Airport is itself at a height of 7400 feet above sea level. Landing of aircraft is indeed a challenge to the pilots as the aircraft has to descend into the valley in a set route and land at an angle instead of a straight line as happens in most of the airports.

Landing at Paro is very difficult for three reasons; the high mountain peaks around the runway, many buildings and houses on the flight path and the angular landing requirement. The airport was fully commissioned in 2011 and there were many structures and buildings around by that time. As the aircraft enters the valley, the pilots have to navigate it between the beautiful peaks, manage the landing at an angle amidst the buildings and that too in the short runway. The airport has the distinction of having a runway shorter than its altitude. In view of these challenges, only a select number of specially trained pilots are allowed to land and take off from this airport. Operations are permitted only on visual meteorological conditions.

Our aircraft from Kolkata, an Airbus A-319, took off last fortnight as scheduled and the limited travellers on board due to lean season month provided window seats to all on board. The sight on the flight path was indeed breathtaking and delightful. The skilled pilots navigated the aircraft between the mountain peaks. The clear sky, green forests below and the occasional clouds gave the proper setting. Despite the difficulties in navigation, the landing was very smooth. The terminal building resembles a typical Bhutanese structure and looks like a museum. Immigration officials are friendly and the entire experience at the airport is very rewarding.

Travellers from south India generally take the flights to Paro from Kolkata. These flights are usually timed at around 9 AM. One has to reach Kolkata on the previous night to catch these flights on the next morning. There is a facility of Resting Rooms (not Rest Rooms) in the Kolkata Airport which are as good as in any four star hotel. The rooms are to be arranged from the duty airport manager, before coming out of the arrival exit. Charges are reasonable and a planned visit is comfortable with this arrangement.

Indian citizen can visit Bhutan even without a passport. A Voter identification card (EPIC) is enough for visit as a tourist. Visa is provided on arrival at the airport. There was no visa for us and an authorisation was given by stamping arrival in the passport. Arranged tours are popular. Indian Rupee is widely accepted and has the same value as the local currency as the Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN) is linked to the rupee. However, 500 and 2000 rupee notes are not widely accepted. Notes of Rupees 100 and 50 denominations are widely accepted. It is advisable to carry 100 rupee notes. Payment can be made by debit and credit cards in some hotels. Most of the temples and museums do not accept card payments. In our experience entry charges in museums and temples is usually 300 rupees per person. 

If one desires to visit Bhutan for a vacation, Paro is the airport to land and take off from. One can also hope to see a landing at the airport by chance, while visiting a temple or a museum at an elevated place high above the runway. We were indeed lucky and could see three such landings and takeoffs during our three days stay in Paro. The "Airport by the River" is a thrill by itself!

A long way to go .....

What does a traveler coming out of an airport after a long journey desire? First thing could be searching a relative, friend, known face or contact who has come to receive at the airport gates. If this is found, it also solves the problem of transportation into the city. If there is no such comfort of a known face or contact, the next thing could be transportation into the city. It is the same whether the destination is a hotel or one’s own house. A peaceful and comfortable ride without hassles of luggage handling is one thing that anybody wants at that point in time.

Modern airports have many solutions to meet this requirement. There are metro services linking the airports with city areas that provide efficient and fast transportation. Many airports have bus service that are comfortable and cheap. If both these are not available, the only alternative is to take a taxi ride.

There would be good experiences as well as bad ones when one compares what was faced on the several such trips taken in the past. The details of the experiences would certainly vary. But the establishment and following of the systems indeed makes the difference to such experiences.

A reflection on these issues, while sitting at the CDG airport at Paris for a connecting flight, indeed brings out very interesting aspects of such encounters in different cities.

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As you come out of Bengaluru International Airport, the only two alternatives available are the taxi service and city transport buses. Metro is said to be coming, may be at the times of our grandchildren. City buses are fine for those traveling with a handbag. Even here, the way in which the buses are parked at the terminal reminds of the maze games one plays on their mobiles. Those arriving with heavy luggage, especially after long international flights, have the only option of taxis to take them up to their doors. Usually there is a line of waiting taxis ready to hire, but the process of reaching one's destination is often painful.

Though waiting in the line for a fare, the cab driver is more interested in knowing where you want to go than yourself. Some of them ask other fellow drivers in the line if they are interested, in case the location is not to their liking. They are happy with passengers who have little or no luggage. Heavy luggage puts them off. When the car boot is opened, the driver waits to see if you volunteer to handle the luggage yourself. More often than not, you find the boot dirty with a bucket and dirty cloth occupying the place that is actually meant for baggage. Popular taxi operators do not provide the option of bigger vehicles for airport duty. The taxi driver will be generous to offer help to you in such situations. He suggests that you hire another taxi exclusively for the luggage. There was an instance when two of us arrived with four suitcases. The driver was kind to suggest that we take two taxis and one person with two bags can travel in one taxi. Problem was easily solved! There are private operators who provide bigger vehicles but they are parked away from the gates. You have to walk the extra distance to get into them. Their charges are also very high.

Once in the taxi, the problems are not over. The driver asks you the route he should take. When you give the route, he offers many explanations why it should not be taken. Ultimately he takes the route he wants. Married people understand this system, but unmarried people find it strange. Many of them do not know even important landmarks and you are required to give directions. Strangers to the city have a big problem on their hands. Drivers ask about the place from which you have arrived. If you answer, there will be further questions. The drivers are often shabbily dressed and unshaven. If you ask them why they are so, they say that their duty hours are like that. Even if the taxi company claims that their cabs are all AC vehicles, the drivers do not use AC. If you insist, they grudgingly act or advise that it is not required for Bangalore weather conditions. Most of them get calls on mobile while driving and unhesitatingly receive them without excuse. After all, it is his cab, his mobile and his own friend calling him. The calls are usually long and mostly centers on where is he and how many trips he did that day. Fortunately, no additional charges are levied for giving all this information to you.

As the cab eases from the airport and reaches the tollbooth, he stretches his hand for the toll charges. There is no system of paying the toll and collecting along with the fare at the end of the journey. Once toll is paid and the cab is on the highway, he switches on Radio City or Mirchi FM and you are given a generous dose of the music he wants. If you ask him to switch off, he scares you that if he does so, he may doze off. I once suggested to a cab driver to use earphones. He said that ear phones disturbs their concentration! Cab companies claim that card payments are accepted but many of them do not do so for some reason or the other. When you reach your hotel or house, you are indeed relieved. The memory of cab ride erases whatever problems you had on the flights!

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A line of taxis wait outside CDG airport in Paris. The next taxi moves towards you. The driver is well dressed and polite. If you have more pieces of luggage, a bigger vehicle from the line comes to you. The cab driver picks the luggage and arranges neatly in the clean boot. You have to give the destination address. The drivers know the roads and lanes and you are taken up to the building you are looking for. They do not talk unnecessarily on the way, During our last visit, there was a charge of one Euro baggage handling charge per piece of luggage. There were no charges for small items carried inside the cab. 

The system has been further streamlined now. The fair table is more simple. The amount to be paid from CDG airport to left bank is 55 Euros. It is 50 Euros for the right bank. Irrespective of the distance amount is the same. Left and right banks refer to the banks of the river Seine that flows through the city. If it is from Orly airport, the fares are 35 and 30 Euros respectively. The fare is the same whether it is during day or night or rush hour. It is the same on week days and weekends. There is no extra fare for baggage now. The fare is same for up to 4 passengers. An additional 4 Euros are charged for each passenger in excess of four. Drivers have earphones if they desire to listen to their choice tunes. If a cab is called on phone from home to go to airport, it arrives within minutes. The cab driver handles the baggage. Extra politeness is shown to the aged and differently abled. Overall, it would be a pleasant experience.

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The purpose of this post is not to suggest that the systems are excellent everywhere and our systems are bad. There could be bad experiences elsewhere also. There may be good experience in Bengaluru as well. 

We have a long way to go in improving our cab services if our tourism is to progress and traveler friendly, and making our cities popular tourist destinations.