Why a Booktrail?
1960s – 2000s: Entering the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon
Hidden Bhutan
What you need to know before your trail
Martin Uitz, a renowned expert on Bhutan, describes how the Bhutanese, in pursuit of the principle of ‘Gross National Happiness’, are carefully moving towards a more modern future, including a constitution and democracy, whilst preserving their traditional society and attempting to conserve the environment. Uitz made many fascinating discoveries in this enigmatic Kingdom. He was able to explain why the only traffic light was taken out of service, why six men are not allowed to go on a journey together, and what the subtle eroticism of a traditional hot-stone bath is all about. Along the way he also discovered that the Bhutanese hills are more alive with Edelweiss than the hills around his native Salzburg.
Travel Guide
Travel BookTrail style to Bhutan
In 2006 Time magazine listed the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, as one of the 100 ‘leaders and revolutionaries’ who are changing our world today. Yet it was only in the 1960s that the first road linking the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon with India was opened, and since 1974 only a strictly limited number of tourists have been allowed to visit each year.
Thimphu, the capital, has one particular interesting sight:
Thimphu
“Thimphu must be the only capital in the world where there are no traffic lights. No one misses them for the smartly turned out policeman is far better suited to the city’s leisurely traffic conditions than faceless electronics.”
“It seems that the city’s planners did once want to install a set of lights at this intersection in the city centre near the main square, but they gave up when it met with resistance from the city’s inhabitants. Certainly the tourists know which they prefer – during the season, dozens stand at the intersection with their cameras and capture this uniformed artist’s movements on film and video.”
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Hidden Bhutan
Destination: Bhutan Author/guide: Martin Uitz Departure Time: 1960s – 2000s
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