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Land of the Thunder Dragon (Or, less mythical, "Land of the Friendly Dogs")

Visiting Bhutan

Annette
2005-08-29 18:40:32

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tried while they colonized the neighborhood, but in vain. Local people walked whenever they needed to go anywhere. The Himalayas, nature itself, protected the country and left it isolated.

"Whatever joy you seek, it can be achieved by yourself;

Whatever misery you seek, it can be found by yourself"

***

"To give happiness to another person gives such a great merit,

it cannot even be carried by a horse"

Under the current King of Bhutan, H.R.H. Jigme Sinye Wangchuck, the veil of detachment from the world is slowly being lifted. In the 1970s, tourists started trickling in. Then, a plan was developed. This plan calls for a highly regulated form of tourism whereby a maximum of 6000 visitors are allowed per year. There are two approaches to entering Bhutan: One, via Western tour operators who put together travel packages for interested tourists in collaboration with Bhutanese agencies (and who will substantially mark up the package for the conveniences covered) or two, personally getting in touch with the same accredited Bhutanese travel agencies, submitting an itinerary researched with the help of publications like "Lonely Planet", paying the mandatory tariff per person per day, and meeting the guide at a predetermined border crossing in Phuntsholing, where the visa to enter Bhutan is stamped into the passport. Alternatively, one can fly into Paro from Bangladesh, Burma, India, Nepal or Thailand. Either choice requires either the journey into the country or the journey out of the country on Druk Air. This is a rather interesting way of making sure the national airline stays in business and may be the reason the flight attendants are hard-pressed for a smile. Druk Air consists of two airplanes, one of which was financed by the U.N. Development Program. Tickets as well as the daily tariff for tourists have to be remitted to the Bhutanese government in Dollars. The government remits ...