Thimphu is a capital city with no traffic lights. The government has decided that the lights would spoil the town's character, and at the main crossing a policeman in white gloves directs the cars with elegant, slow gestures. The city of about a hundred thousand lies in a valley at around 2,300 metres, along the Wang Chhu river, with prayer flags fluttering on the hillsides and the great white and gold dzong, the fortress that serves as the seat of government and the home of the monastic body, standing beside the river. Most buildings are built in the traditional style, with painted wooden windows and sloping roofs, as required by law.
The Buddha Dordenma, an enormous gilded statue on a hill above the city, looks over the valley and is a gathering place at dusk. Archery, the national sport, is practised at the Changlimithang ground, and the competitors in traditional dress shoot at targets over a hundred metres away, to the sound of singing and teasing from the opposing team. The weekend market by the river sells vegetables, red rice, dried cheese and chillies, which are a Bhutanese staple, and is a good place to see the country's variety.
Motorcycling in Bhutan is regulated. Foreign visitors travel with a licensed tour operator and a guide, pay a daily fee, and need permits for the route, so independent riding is not possible, and it is worth planning ahead. The roads are mountain roads with hairpin bends, steep drops and few guardrails, and landslides in the monsoon from June to September are common. The best seasons are spring and autumn, when the skies are clear and the rhododendrons or the autumn colours are in glory. Speed is low, partly because the road demands it and partly because there is no need to hurry.
Thimphu has fuel stations, workshops and plenty of cafes, and it is the last place with a full range of services before the long road east. Paro, with its airport, lies about twenty-three kilometres away. Take time for a bowl of ema datshi, chillies in cheese sauce, which is the national dish and is often hotter than expected, and drink butter tea to take the edge off the cold. Evenings are chilly, and in winter frost covers the ground in the morning.