Happiness In Bhutan
Bhutan News by Rio Andino
Bhutan has been in the news lately more than it’s been usual. The greatest Bhutan news of the month has been the King’s wedding. The event created a havoc for the Bhutan tour operators have been left paralyzed in some locations as they had to compete to accommodate their clients only after the local hotels were done taking care of the attendees of the wedding.
This in itself was not the only cause of the unusually high number of tourist arrivals. The reason for that have long craved to visit Bhutan had decided to see it in 2011 and many booked just handful of weeks to their much coveted date of arrival.
Bhutan is a compact landlocked country that for much publicized reason has been dubbed true Shangri La on Earth. To some extent this impression comes from its hidden location in the Eastern Himalayas, having only one international airport, only one highway and a government established on calculating the nation’s Gross National Happiness rather than its GDP. Add to it that Bhutan government retains monopoly on tourism and stories inevitably follow, and the following are several of them.
The very best time to explore Bhutan is in the spring and autumn. The answer is yes if you wish to keep clear of large numbers of tourists come during different time of the year, namely December to February and June to August.
It’s unrealistic that the primary motive why to visit to Bhutan are the monastic festivals, and that the best festivals are those in Thimphu and Paro. While Paro and Timphu festivals are the most visited, other festivals in Bhutan are no less important or important!
Next to the much visited Paro and Thimphu festivals, Jambay Lhakang Drup festival in Bumthang Valley of Central Bhutan has become the most cherished festival in Bhutan. But be prepared that the Jambay monastery during the festival sees often more tourists than local Bhutanese villagers. That kind of athmosphere defeats the singular purpose that one demands from his visit to Bhutan, particularly privacy, pristine nature, peace and quiet.
While Kurjey and Nimalung Tsechu festivals as well Tangbi Mani festival in Bumthang Valley, the essential heartland of Bhutan’s civilization in Central Bhutan, are great festival events to get away from crowds of people. Undeniably the the very least visited festivals are those in towns of far Eastern Bhutan, with two notable locations, Mongar and Tashigang.
Remember, to discover the real Bhutan you need to beyond Paro and Thimphu, in fact further east from Punakha, though the many hail the likes of Trongsa and Jakar as the most spectacular parts of Bhutan. In any case while price are going up in 2012 put Bhutan on your itinerary as prices are unlikely to be dropping from there on.
About the Author
For the latest on tours in 2012 and Bhutan news as well as updates on how best to visit Bhutan keep in mind Bhutan does not allow independent travel, but all visitors must book an organized tour in order to be issued a visa!
Gross National Happiness of Bhutan
|
|
Bhutan: Taking The Middle Path To Happiness $21.95 Imagine a country where happiness is the guiding principle of government. Imagine a people who see all life as sacred and the source of their happiness, a place with an abundance of clean and renewable energy, a nation committed to preserving its culture and whose progress is measured by obtaining Gross National Happiness for its people. Where is this Shangri-La? Bhutan. But can a place like B… |
|
|
Bhutan – Gross National Happiness $30.00 The Kingdom of Bhutan, situated on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Range, is a little known country despite its full membership of the UN since 1971. The Royal Government of Bhutan is implementing a unique, long-term political strategy called “GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS” (GNH). This policy is based on the belief that the primary purpose of development is to bring happiness to the population of … |
|
|
The Height of Happiness $1.99 … |
|
|
Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned on my accidental journey to the happiest kingdom on earth $2.44 Lisa Napoli was in the grip of a crisis, dissatisfied with her life and her work as a radio journalist. When a chance encounter with a handsome stranger presented her with an opportunity to move halfway around the world, Lisa left behind cosmopolitan Los Angeles for a new adventure in the ancient Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan—said to be one of the happiest places on earth. Long isolated from indu… |
|
|
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World $4.98 Part foreign affairs discourse, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness, or, in the crabby author’s case, moments of “un-unhappiness.” The book uses a beguiling mixture of travel, psychology, science and humor to investigate not what happiness is, but where it is. Are people in Switzerland happier… |
