Nepal & Bhutan

Nepal is a place that we’ve always wanted to see and experience, thanks to fantastical stories of the Himalayan Mountains and all that lay at the feet of those tall peaks. 

It was reading about the first successful summit of Mount Everest in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay that really put Nepal on the map for me.  I envisioned a country with cold, harsh conditions - a destination meant for serious mountaineers only.  Reading Jon Krakauer’s accounts of the 1996 climbing season in his book Into Thin Air, only solidified that perception.

But, the more I read, the more I realized that Nepal had so much more to offer – the beauty, the people, the culture – I couldn’t wait to explore some of the country.

Bhutan is a more recent addition to our list of places we wanted to visit.  I had picked up a book called The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World written by Eric Weiner and I opted to read it aloud when Mark & I were on our way home one weekend to see family – yup, I am the less expensive version of the audiobook.  Over the course of a few road trips, we finally followed along with Weiner to his observations of Bhutan…and we were hooked.

While most countries rely on the economic situation of their country to determine the health (and possibly, happiness) of their nation, the former King of Bhutan felt that the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) may not be the best indicator and had chosen to institute Gross National Happiness (GNH) as a more appropriate indicator of a nation’s well-being.  I won’t go into detail, but feel free to read about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_national_happiness . 

The concept and subsequently, the country, definitely piqued our interest. 

This, combined  with the fact that tourism in Bhutan is still somewhat ‘new’ and very regulated, made it intriguing.  Visitors must have pre-arranged services with an international or local Bhutanese tour operator before being granted a visa – alas, no chance of showing up at the border and hoping to get in! And, there is a minimum daily tariff amount that must be paid prior to arrival, making it less about ‘watching your budget’ and more about ‘enjoying the cultural experience’.

A photo of just one of the reasons to see Bhutan – Taktshang Dzong (also known as Tiger’s Nest Monastery) built into a cliff:

(photo credit, via Wikipedia, Douglas J. McLaughlin, 2006)