Reason to avoid Bhutan Night Clubs

It was the last leg of our trip. We were in Phuentsholing, exploring the town and searching for authentic shops where we can buy Bhutanese stuff. Contrary to our expectation, we did not find many of them. Bored and clueless what to do next, we decided to check out the Bhutan Night life and started searching for clubs/pubs to unwind.

On asking the locals, all that we got in return were furious scowls. After 3-4 encounters, we started feeling guilty about our intentions.

However, we found some like minded folks. But, we realized that they were referring to a different kind of Bhutan night life! They suggested places where we can find dancing girls! May be that’s what Bhutanese folk infer when they discover two dudes asking about night clubs. Fast learners that we are, we started shortlisting people who were worthy of being asked.

We found a guy with random hairstyle and weird pants. We thought that he might be able to help us to explore Bhutan Night Life. Overjoyed on finding a qualified candidate, we approached him. He seemed a little apprehensive when we approached. But, when he was cognizant about our intentions, he gave us a smile which actually made me & my friend uncomfortable. With full narration, he described a club to us, which was apparently “the best place to be for a night in Bhutan”. We headed towards this suggested club, hoping to have a good time & trying to comprehend his vivid description. 

“My Palace” was the name of the ‘esteemed’ club. Only ‘selected’ truck drivers visited here. The door-keeper allowed us to enter the club. I looked at my friend and he was as shocked as me. As we entered the club, wondering if we looked like truck drivers, we saw a lady (probably) sitting at the bar and chatting with a random fat guy who took pride in exhibiting his chest hair. In the other corner of the bar sat an old uncle, with hair gelled up, staring at us.

We ordered a beer and asked the bar-tender if there were any activities scheduled for later night. He told us that within a couple of hours, some exotic girls would walk in and ‘entertain’ the audience. We sat there to see if our definition of ‘entertainment’ was the same Bhutan Night clubs!

But, we didn’t have to wait for the girls to come! We realized what a shady place we had landed ourselves into in the next couple of minutes! This sudden realization occurred when the lady at the bar with the fat guy stood up and directed the hairy & lecherous fat guy towards a dark corner. As they grew curious about each-other, we had figured out what ‘entertainment’ the bar tender was talking about! Scandalized and perturbed, we considered the option of exiting “My Palace” and exploring the town further in search of good Bhutan Night clubs.

Now that we had got a glimpse of the shady Bhutan night life, we were determined to discover a decent place for hanging out. I mean, Bhutan night life can’t be this bad! This determination led us to enquire many suitable candidates about the most famous club around. After a couple of enquiries, a kind soul suggested us “Club Anaconda”!!

If “My Palace” was like ‘that’, the name of the new club we discovered, ran shocks of terror through our spines. But, determined folk, they say, are not to be daunted by adversaries. Thus, we decided to explore into wilderness, in search of a decent club named “Club Anaconda”. 

We started our search for the club and again encountered many frowns & scowls from people we enquired. I mean common! We are just asking directions to a club and not your King’s palace we wanted to bomb!

We asked a nerd looking Bhutanese chap. In reply, he suggested us to go to the crocodile zoo near a lake nearby. He took some time realizing that we had asked about “Club Anaconda” and not “Club Crocodile”! I felt lucky on discovering that I had not offended him by asking about a club.

Eventually, after treading a same path up and down, we reached our destination, “Club Anaconda”. Well, behold what you see and the place will not look that bad. The club was actually nice and had no cheap crowd (Read Fat Hairy Truck Drivers) around. There were these big rooms which played different music! Though we did not hunt for clubs in other Bhutan cities, I can confidently say that Club Anaconda would be the biggest club in Bhutan night life scenario, if not the best. We spent some time here playing Snooker and listening to the music. I would actually recommend a visit to this club. However, the fun stops earlier because the border gates close at 9:30 PM. Hence, you cannot return back to India if you want to stay back in the club.

Finally, after spending some good time at “Club Anaconda”, not as the entertaining girls wanted us to, we started striding back towards our loved motherland where we can stay till late in clubs and not get frowned upon.

This post is a chapter from my personal Bhutan experiences. You might be able to find some decent Bhutan night life during your visit. But, I personally recommend not to include “Visiting Bhutan Night clubs” in your list of things to do in Bhutan. You can rather visit these beautiful & natural attractions the happiest country has!  

Now, I have shared my personal experiences about Bhutan Night Clubs. Indeed, your experiences might differ. Based on my experience, I would like to share that you should think before framing entire places or experiences as “the worst,” as it can be subjective and misleading. Bhutan Phuentsholing, might not have the booming nightlife scene of a big city, but it offers unique experiences that cater to different preferences. Here’s a balanced perspective on Phuentsholing’s nightlife: