We landed a bit early, and since we were in business, we deplaned first. And then we had no checked luggage, so we were through customs in probably 3 minutes. Which put us outside, in a swarm of people. There were two people coming back with trophies from a weightlifting competition, which rated quite the welcoming party upon their return! So there were friends and family, complete with a "congratulations" banner, etc.
I've never been anywhere geographically similar to Bhutan before (i.e. Tibet or Nepal or Northern India). To say it's beautiful is a bit of an understatement. It's stunning, and it truly looks mostly untouched. All of the buildings are constructed in the typical Bhutanese style, leaving the towns--including Paro--looking like a page of a story book or a photo you would see in a museum. The river that runs through the Paro Valley looks like one of those fake rivers that you see on a train set. It's edges are perfectly defined, with beautiful buildings on either side.
I don't want to pretend that there isn't a huge, huge differential in wealth in Bhutan. Most obviously there is--you have the people flying in business class with 4 LG flat screen tv's and even just driving the quick 15 minutes to Uma Paro you see how many people actually live. Simple homes, many do have some windows (I'm assuming that's a priority due to the temperature), mostly constructed of wood, concrete floors, dogs everywhere, chickens wandering around, no cars, etc.
We were quickly whisked away from the airport to Uma Paro, which is nestled into the forest, full of chirping birds and the scent of pine. It's incredibly peaceful.
If I had to describe Bhutan in just a few words, it would be simple, picturesque, and peaceful. In this case, first impressions were pretty indicative of our entire trip.