Bhutan where the GNP is “happiness”.
Bhutan, known as the tiger kingdom but actually translates to “Edge of the Earth”, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, in South Asia located at the eastern end of the Himalayas, is one of 43 landlocked countries in the world, about half the size of the state of Indiana.
It is bordered to the north by China and to the south, east and west by the Republic of India. Further west, it is separated from Nepal by the Indian state of Sikkim, while further south it is separated from Bangladesh by the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal. Bhutan’s capital and largest city is Thimphu. Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring fiefdoms until the early 17th century, when the lama and military leader Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, fleeing religious persecution in Tibet, unified the area and cultivated a distinct Bhutanese identity. Later, in the early 20th century, Bhutan came into contact with the British Empire and retained strong bilateral relations with India upon its independence.
Bhutan is the first country in the world with specific constitutional obligations on its people to protect the environment. Among its requirements: at least 60 percent of the nation must remain under forest cover at all times. Bhutan’s landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan heights in the north, where some peaks exceed 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). Its total area was reported as approximately 46,500 km2 (18,000 sq mi) in 1997 and 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi) in 2002. At 24,840 feet, Gangkhar Puensum is the highest point in Bhutan – and the highest unclimbed mountain in the world.
One-third of Bhutan’s population is under the age of 14; its median age is 23.4 years. Bhutan’s state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism and the population, now (as of 2012/2013) estimated to be nearly three-quarters of a million, is predominantly Buddhist. Hinduism is the second-largest religion.
Thimpu is one of just two capital cities in Asia that does not have a single traffic light. The other is Pyongyang, North Korea. Bhutan is the only nation in the world where the sale of tobacco is banned and is punishable by up to 2 years in jail for smoking in public. Anyone found guilty of killing a highly endangered and culturally sacred black-necked crane could be sentenced to life in prison. Bhutan is one of the last countries in the world to introduce television to its people. The government lifted a ban on TV – and on the Internet – only in 1999. MTV is banned in Bhutan. A Bhutanese is not allowed to wear trouser while visiting government offices, and during official and religious functions. All tour guides must wear traditional clothing.
In 2006, based on a global survey, Business Week rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest in the world.
The number one scariest airport landing
Bhutan, surrounded by the towering peaks of the Himalayas, is not the easiest places to get to. Paro airport, where all international flights arrive, is one of only 3 C class airports in the world. (La Paz in Bolivia for its extreme elevation and Lukla in Nepal with its inclined runway on the side of a mountain are the other ones)!
These are airports where the pilot needs to be specially trained to both land and take off with only visual flight allowed and the planes specially adapted for these manoeuvres. Indeed, only eight pilots in the world are currently certified to land here.
Located in a deep valley, landing involves negotiating a series of mountains, rapid descents and then a steep bank to the left immediately before the much-longed for landing.
So after you’ve braved the flight there is a daily tax to pay of $250, this is not as bad as it seems as there is a lot included in the tax that no one seems to mention!
Paro
Punaka
A wonderful day today travelling from Thimpu to Punakha via the Dochlu Pass at an altitude of 10,000 feet+. Scenery en route was stunning and at the top of the pass there’s lots of small stupas and a botanical garden with thousands of prayer flags. The road was a bit tortuous but worth it for the amazing views. We had lunch in a very picturesque village whose claim to fame was a fertility temple which we hiked up to. Again wonderful scenery. Got to see the monks in the classroom and even tried to console one young monk who had quite clearly been told to stand outside for being naughty. He was full of snotty tears and obviously very remorseful. Once we returned from looking round the monastery he’d been re-instated into the classroom so happy smiles all round. We then drove on to the most beautiful monastery standing right on the river and surrounded by colourful jacaranda trees. The entrance to it was across a very ornate covered bridge. The monastery itself was fabulous and we were fortunate enough to see all the monks at prayer in the main hall. From there we ended up having a bit of an impromptu football match with some of the younger monks and Lynn got a bit of an English lesson going with them. It was great fun and the perfect end to a wonderful day.
Thimpu
Bhutan – Tigers Nest Monastery
Last day in Bhutan and they have kept the best until last. Tigers nest is a 700m walk uphill to the most stunning monastery that we’ve ever seen, thankfully the weather was kind to us. We had a delicious lunch, then had a tour of the kitchens!