14/03/2026
Bar Talk
I joined my last group of customers in our Bar with a Beer since I have noone else to serve. We shook hands and started talking and they were from the travel industry (guides and drivers). They dropped their guestsin their Hotels(Punakha) and came to hangout.
I happen to market my restaurant (Acho Daka) in-between our conversations and we were talking and I asked them they always skip Wangdue and go straight to Punakha?
They said Wangdue(Bajo) is called a "No Stop" Town. The town that never wanted to change. They pass through but they hardly stop 🛑. Curious I asked why???
They said Wangdue has done nothing to stop their guest here. Hotels in Bajo Town are Budget Hotel, no upgrade since their establishment. The Town has same shops, same restaurant, same old Barber shop. The Town have nothing for the guest to see. I interrupted and said we have a nice Park in town but they said even the park does not have Toilet.
The public toilet is a disaster they said.
And the saddest part it everyone in the town doesn't even realise they said. “The town expect the guests to adjust to that but we get bad reviews when we try to push it into the itenary”
I interrupted and said we had a "Tour of the dragon" festival last year and a lot of local agriculture products were launched. Also Wangdue is one of the biggest dzongkhag and we have diverse cultures, food and crafts.
And next they said "ok, where can our guests purchase those local products?" 🤔
They said some of the restaurants even have their personal washing machines in the restaurant toilets. The quality never improved and expected the guests to adjust.
They started comparing Punakha and Wangdue.
Similar Dzong, Same river, same altitude but the difference they said huge. They are using the Puna-Tsangchu in their favour for river raftings, they use their hills for hikes, their Parks are better, their public Toilets are cleaner, Vegetables markets are better, their Hotel are upgraded, They started more tourism festival.
After a while I let them talk because I am too embarrassed🙁
Ok people share your experience about Wangdue in the comments and let us know what can we do better next time✌️