Land of the Thunder Dragon

The first question people ask when I tell them I went to Bhutan is "Where? I've never even heard of Bhutan?"

Bhutan is a small country nestled between Tibet (China) and India (Sikkim). It has a population of approximately 650,000 people, is similar in size to Switzerland and 72.5% of the country is covered in forest.

The country is deeply Buddhist, traditional culture and

national heritage are proudly cherished.

Satellite TV arrived in 1999 and more people have mobile phones than land lines. Solar panels are sold cheaply to even the most remote villages, subsidized by the government. Each home collecting just enough solar power to sustain light through the evening.

Dzongkha is the National language but English is also taught in school.

Gross National Happiness is still deemed more important than Gross National Product.

Men and women wear traditional dress (the Gho and the Kira), and children run barefoot.

Mouths are stained red from the habit of chewing Doma and cheeks are often full of dried yak cheese called chugo.

Traditional homes house extended families and each has its own garden. Grains, meat and red chilies hang from roofs to dry.

Life is slower here.

We spent time meandering through Paro, Thimphu, Punakha and Wangdue. Visited monasteries, dzongs and chortens. Witnessed festivals, including the Dance of the Black Hat Magicians (a sacred dance of purification) and other masked dances.

Browsed shops and markets.

Watched prayer flags flutter and prayer wheels turn, murmuring their intentions endlessly to the heavens.