Since the pandemic travel trends have drastically changed, especially in Bhutan. There’s been a growing interest in experiencing the culture of a place more authentically, one home at a time.
In Saudi Arabia, inviting guests to a local’s home is popular, which is similar to a homestay experience in Bhutan. Homestays have been booming in the past few years and for the right reasons. They offer genuine, slower experiences, support local businesses and are affordable.
When we visited Haa in September, we spent a night at Kinley Wangchu Homestay.
Kinley Wangchu HomeStay
Arriving at Kinley Wangchu’s home, the first thing we noticed was the brightly polished orange floors. After leaving our shoes by the door, we hurriedly but neatly placed our bags at a corner of the living room and sat on the floor, on perfectly cushioned carpets. We were then served tea and an assortment of snacks such as zaw, roasted rice, along with other snacks. The living room was heavily decorated, with certificates, family pictures, and a picture of Kinley with the Bhutanese Prime Minister, outside his home. Kinley Wangchu kept us entertained until dinner, with his views on the high-cost internet data packages to his stories of cooking guests’ Biryani and to his distant like attitude when speaking about his children’s plan to study abroad.
For dinner, Kinley and his wife served us local delicacies like Hoentey, dumplings stuffed with cheese, onions, and local herbs; fresh garden green chilies with cheese; and eggs fried with cheese. Keep in mind that cheese is dominant in Bhutanese food. Our main dish was Bhutanese red rice. A lot of thought had gone into the planning and preparation of our meals likely due to Kinley and his wife’s background in farming, which probably gave them extensive experience in cooking and the culinary arts.
Activities at the Homestay
Kinely Wangcu was explaining that one of the activities he offers guests is to work in their garden alongside them, especially during the harvest season for potatoes. From all the places we ate while in Haa, I found Kinley Wangchu’s food to be the best. He also encouraged us to share feedback on our homestay experience. While I didn’t find any, I noticed that the bed covers had torn slightly.
Before we left, Kinley Wangchu took us to the altar and presented us with a Thangka, a Buddhist painting from two generations ago. The story behind the Thangka was interesting. A highly learned monk from Tibet had been travelling to India, and on his way spent the night at Kinley’s home (was it the same house?). Moved by the host’s generosity, the monk decided to offer the painting to them. Kinley joked that if he had sold the painting he could afford to buy a Prado, a luxury car. The painting, due to its historical significance is registered with the government.
Book your trip to Bhutan today! Contact us at [email protected] or call +975 1711-2338 any time, anywhere!