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PARO, BHUTAN -- The tiny landlocked kingdom of Bhutan has managed a spectacular promotional feat. First, the Fourth King announced he measures his country's progress in terms of Gross National Happiness. Then he essentially limited the number of visitors by charging a minimum of $200 a day for accommodation, food, driver and guide.
It's the old create-a-buzz and make-yourself-scarce routine, but it's not all hype.
"Bhutan has never been colonized so it has been able to maintain its proud, traditional culture that values the community above the individual. And, the Fourth King provided decades of wise leadership to navigate a unique path for the only surviving independent Buddhist country in the Himalayas," says John Reed, general manager of Aman, the first international hotel company to develop properties in Bhutan.
Television and the Internet, for instance, were not introduced until 1999. Cigarette sales are banned. And the monarchy is working toward the country's first constitution and democratic elections next year.
Clean energy is provided by hydroelectric power and, by decree, 62 per cent of the land must remain forested. Environmentalists describe Bhutan, which is about the size of Nova Scotia, as one of the world's biodiversity hot spots. It is easy to see why when scholars like Tshering Phuntsho at the Centre for Bhutan Studies, the national think tank, says, "In Bhutan we place a value on a tiger in the forest."
The country is home to some of the Himalayas' most exotic animals including the endangered snow leopard and red panda, plus 770 species of birds and an astonishing variety of rhododendrons.
Six of us recently visited the Land of the Thunder Dragon on one of Druk Air's four planes. On the jaw-dropping descent into Paro, the country's only airport with a paved runway, we glimpse the Tiger's Nest Monastery, Bhutan's most revered site, impossibly wedged into a nook of sheer granite cliffs. Legend says Guru Rinpoche, the Tantric master who established Buddhism in Bhutan, rode a winged tigress over the mountains to meditate here before converting the local spirits.
Waiting for us at the terminal is Lha Wang, or Thunderbolt of Bliss, our smiling, diminutive 24-year-old guide dressed in the traditional gho, a belted, white-cuffed, knee-length robe worn with long socks.
"I am most honoured to show you my beautiful country," he bows.
A single main road crosses dramatic mountain ridges, strung with prayer flags, and valleys splashed with golden wheat fields and viridian rice paddies.
Our driver combines the bravado of a New York City cabbie and the nerve of a rally car driver as he negotiates blind corners and logging trucks decked out like parade floats. Painted phalluses adorn many of the elaborate two-storey rammed-earth farmhouses as fertility symbols and guardians against evil spirits.
With tantric Buddhism as its official religion, sexuality is seen as a means toward enlightenment.
The nation's capital, Thimphu, is a haphazard boom town under a frenzy of construction in preparation for the Fifth King's coronation next June. The only capital city in the world without a traffic light, a white-gloved warden choreographs wheeled vehicles with balletic gestures. We watch street theatre, admire intricately embroidered and woven cloth at the Textile Museum, and shop for inlaid turquoise jewellery and carved wooden masks.
We install ourselves at the 16-room Aman Thimphu, a white temple of understated elegance in the pine-forested hills above town.
"People no longer want to just plop on a beach but travel to experience distinctive cultures," manager John Reed says. "The Amankora adventure tries to capture the spirituality of Bhutan."
The four Aman properties – in Paro, Thimphu, Gangtey and Punakha – have a minimalist aesthetic, with the all-important addition of spas. Each spacious room, panelled in the local blond wood, is warmed by a traditional hot-stone wood stove while the intimate muted-toned public areas encourage guests to look outward in their quest for the exotic.
We visit the temple of Bhutan's beloved 15th century lama, nicknamed the Divine Madman, who overcame demons with his phallus and preached a joyful version of religion.
We watch initiates, dressed in robes of gold and crimson, chanting the sutra in the temple under the guidance of large golden Buddhas peering down from the altar, bowls of local moonshine lined up as offerings and, discretely to one side, a symbolic phallus, in case a visitor needs a fertility blessing.
We explore Bhutan's most majestic monastery/fortress in Punakha. In its sun-drenched courtyard a lone cock, saved from the gallows, struts like a king.
Outside the golden doors of the central temple, Thunderbolt of Bliss sums up the Buddhist philosophy of the circle of life, "If you are greedy and tight-fisted you will be reborn as a hungry ghost, never able to feed your soul."
Wise words from a young man who begged us to save the life of a tick we had extricated from a friendly dog.
The three-day Gangtey Walk starts in the Phobjikha Valley, the largest glacial valley in Bhutan and winter resting ground for the endangered black-necked cranes. Hardy mountain ponies carry tents, tables and chairs, pads, sleeping bags and packs. We climb a rocky path into an enchanted forest of oak and maple, lichen-draped blue pines and massive moss-covered weeping cypresses. Our way is strewn with the crimson blossoms of rhododendron trees, ten metres high.
The days pass in a feast of the senses. Wild daphne perfumes the air; a cuckoo heralds the time to plant the summer crops; our cook collects fiddlehead ferns and wild spinach; in the half light of a remote monastery we discover exquisite murals; we picnic on a 3,400-metre pass adorned with prayer flags and in the lush subtropical valley of our final descent we find groves of wild cannabis that are fed to the pigs to make them hungry and happy.
Each night we sing around the campfire, the Bhutanese teaching us haunting love songs with words like, "Write my name on your heart so that it will remain forever."
Visiting a farmhouse that had been hooked up to electricity only two days earlier, we ask the farmers if they are curious about us and they say graciously: "We have no knowledge of anywhere outside of Bhutan, but if you would like to tell us about yourselves, we would be most honoured to listen."
Bhutan may not be perfect but it does offer an exquisite mixture of the sublime, the sybaritic and the surreal that might just make it the world centre of happiness.

This joint venture with Rani International, the real estate development subsidiary of the Saudi-based Aujan Group, will consist of a 249-key luxury hotel operated by The Oberoi Group.

Acknowledged among the best hotel companies in the world, The Oberoi Group has outlined an extensive plan to enhance its present network of 32 hotels and luxury cruiser in five countries.

Besides hotels in Morocco, Abu Dhabi and Oman, The Group will be launching The Oberoi Zahra, a luxury cruiser on the Nile cruiser in October 2007. The Group is also planning hotels in Bhutan, The Maldives, Cambodia and five additional hotels in India.

The Oberoi Group’s reputation of being among the finest hotel chains was further reinstated recently with one of its hotels in India, The Oberoi Udaivilas being rated the best hotel in the world in what is acknowledged as the most revered ranking in the international travel industry.

This recognition, the most recent in a series of accolades for The Group, came from the readers of Travel + Leisure in a poll where hotels across the world were evaluated on characteristics ranging from accommodation and service to location.

In the same survey two other Oberoi hotels in India, The Oberoi Amarvilas and The Oberoi Rajvilas were rated the 10th and 11th best hotels in the world - Placing three Oberoi hotels among the 11 best in the world.

According to Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman, this recent accolade accorded to Oberoi hotels is a significant landmark for Indian tourism, while the editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure, Nancy Novogrod said that this year’s results underlined the expansion of global travel as people searched for farther a field for distinctive and authentic experiences. She added, “The extraordinary rise of India among the top hotels and resorts in the world is one sure reflection of this tendency.”

PARO, BHUTAN –The tiny landlocked kingdom of Bhutan has managed a spectacular promotional feat. First, the Fourth King announced he measures his country's progress in terms of Gross National Happiness. Then he essentially limited the number of visitors by charging a minimum of $200 a day for accommodation, food, driver and guide.

It's the old create-a-buzz and make-yourself-scarce routine, but it's not all hype.

"Bhutan has never been colonized so it has been able to maintain its proud, traditional culture that values the community above the individual. And, the Fourth King provided decades of wise leadership to navigate a unique path for the only surviving independent Buddhist country in the Himalayas," says John Reed, general manager of Aman, the first international hotel company to develop properties in Bhutan.

Television and the Internet, for instance, were not introduced until 1999. Cigarette sales are banned. And the monarchy is working toward the country's first constitution and democratic elections next year.

Clean energy is provided by hydroelectric power and, by decree, 62 per cent of the land must remain forested. Environmentalists describe Bhutan, which is about the size of Nova Scotia, as one of the world's biodiversity hot spots. It is easy to see why when scholars like Tshering Phuntsho at the Centre for Bhutan Studies, the national think tank, says, "In Bhutan we place a value on a tiger in the forest."

The country is home to some of the Himalayas' most exotic animals including the endangered snow leopard and red panda, plus 770 species of birds and an astonishing variety of rhododendrons.

Six of us recently visited the Land of the Thunder Dragon on one of Druk Air's four planes. On the jaw-dropping descent into Paro, the country's only airport with a paved runway, we glimpse the Tiger's Nest Monastery, Bhutan's most revered site, impossibly wedged into a nook of sheer granite cliffs. Legend says Guru Rinpoche, the Tantric master who established Buddhism in Bhutan, rode a winged tigress over the mountains to meditate here before converting the local spirits.

Waiting for us at the terminal is Lha Wang, or Thunderbolt of Bliss, our smiling, diminutive 24-year-old guide dressed in the traditional gho, a belted, white-cuffed, knee-length robe worn with long socks.

"I am most honoured to show you my beautiful country," he bows.

A single main road crosses dramatic mountain ridges, strung with prayer flags, and valleys splashed with golden wheat fields and viridian rice paddies.

Our driver combines the bravado of a New York City cabbie and the nerve of a rally car driver as he negotiates blind corners and logging trucks decked out like parade floats. Painted phalluses adorn many of the elaborate two-storey rammed-earth farmhouses as fertility symbols and guardians against evil spirits.

With tantric Buddhism as its official religion, sexuality is seen as a means toward enlightenment.

The nation's capital, Thimphu, is a haphazard boom town under a frenzy of construction in preparation for the Fifth King's coronation next June. The only capital city in the world without a traffic light, a white-gloved warden choreographs wheeled vehicles with balletic gestures. We watch street theatre, admire intricately embroidered and woven cloth at the Textile Museum, and shop for inlaid turquoise jewellery and carved wooden masks.

We install ourselves at the 16-room Aman Thimphu, a white temple of understated elegance in the pine-forested hills above town.

"People no longer want to just plop on a beach but travel to experience distinctive cultures," manager John Reed says. "The Amankora adventure tries to capture the spirituality of Bhutan."

The four Aman properties – in Paro, Thimphu, Gangtey and Punakha – have a minimalist aesthetic, with the all-important addition of spas. Each spacious room, panelled in the local blond wood, is warmed by a traditional hot-stone wood stove while the intimate muted-toned public areas encourage guests to look outward in their quest for the exotic.

We visit the temple of Bhutan's beloved 15th century lama, nicknamed the Divine Madman, who overcame demons with his phallus and preached a joyful version of religion.

We watch initiates, dressed in robes of gold and crimson, chanting the sutra in the temple under the guidance of large golden Buddhas peering down from the altar, bowls of local moonshine lined up as offerings and, discretely to one side, a symbolic phallus, in case a visitor needs a fertility blessing.

We explore Bhutan's most majestic monastery/fortress in Punakha. In its sun-drenched courtyard a lone cock, saved from the gallows, struts like a king.

Outside the golden doors of the central temple, Thunderbolt of Bliss sums up the Buddhist philosophy of the circle of life, "If you are greedy and tight-fisted you will be reborn as a hungry ghost, never able to feed your soul."

Wise words from a young man who begged us to save the life of a tick we had extricated from a friendly dog.

The three-day Gangtey Walk starts in the Phobjikha Valley, the largest glacial valley in Bhutan and winter resting ground for the endangered black-necked cranes. Hardy mountain ponies carry tents, tables and chairs, pads, sleeping bags and packs. We climb a rocky path into an enchanted forest of oak and maple, lichen-draped blue pines and massive moss-covered weeping cypresses. Our way is strewn with the crimson blossoms of rhododendron trees, ten metres high.

The days pass in a feast of the senses. Wild daphne perfumes the air; a cuckoo heralds the time to plant the summer crops; our cook collects fiddlehead ferns and wild spinach; in the half light of a remote monastery we discover exquisite murals; we picnic on a 3,400-metre pass adorned with prayer flags and in the lush subtropical valley of our final descent we find groves of wild cannabis that are fed to the pigs to make them hungry and happy.

Each night we sing around the campfire, the Bhutanese teaching us haunting love songs with words like, "Write my name on your heart so that it will remain forever."

Visiting a farmhouse that had been hooked up to electricity only two days earlier, we ask the farmers if they are curious about us and they say graciously: "We have no knowledge of anywhere outside of Bhutan, but if you would like to tell us about yourselves, we would be most honoured to listen."

Bhutan may not be perfect but it does offer an exquisite mixture of the sublime, the sybaritic and the surreal that might just make it the world centre of happiness.

The Emblem of Bhutan maintains several elements of the flag of Bhutan, with slighly different artistry, and contains much Buddhist symbolism. The national emblem, contained in a circle, is composed of a double diamond-thunderbolt (dorji) placed above a lotus, surmounted by a jewel and framed by two dragons. The thunderbolt represents the harmony between secular and religious power. The lotus symbolizes purity; the jewel expresses sovereign power; and the two dragons, male and female, stand for the name of the country which they proclaim with their great voice, the thunder.

Hotel Wangchuk in Mongar
With Mongar town poised to become the eastern region’s new commercial hub, more and more entrepreneurs are being lured to get a foothold in eastern Bhutan’s fastest growing urban centre.

The most recent private venture project, the biggest so far, to take hold in Mongar has been the construction of a luxury hotel, a first for the dzongkhag and the entire eastern region.

The 27-room Hotel Wangchuk, overlooking the town, has seven apartments, four suites, six deluxe and ten twin rooms with provision to accommodate drivers and guides. Rates for apartments and rooms vary from Nu. 2,000 to Nu. 3,500 a night.

Apart from a conference hall and Internet facilities, the hotel also offers separate entertainment facilities like a discotheque, a snooker hall, and a courtyard for cultural programmes.

The hotel also has plans to introduce a salon, handicraft corner, sauna and massage services. According to the proprietor, one of the hotel’s charms would be its cuisine that would have a mix of local specialties with Indian, Chinese and continental dishes.

Aimed at tourists, government officials, expatriates, and business people, the proprietor, Thinley Lham, said the opening of the Nanglam-Gyelposhing road and the east to tourists convinced her to invest in Mongar.

Construction cost in Mongar was nearly thrice that of Phuentsholing and consumable goods were also expensive because of the transportation costs.

She added that Mongar also had the potential to draw tourists with its unique community festivals and untouched natural environment.

But the monsoon and snowfall in winter which block road could hamper business, said Thinley Lham. “People may not be willing to risk travelling to the east during those times and we would lose out,” she said, adding that compared to past, travelling east was much easier with road blocks being cleared immediately.

The hotel, which will open in July, will be professionally managed by 25 trained staff, according to the proprietor. Source: Kuenselonline

“Very little is known about the tigers in Bhutan,” said the head of NCD, Sonam Wangyel Wang. “Successful conservation of tigers, which has been initiated since late 90s, is only possible with such scientific studies and plans in place.”

With the initial focus on the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, the division hopes to carry out similar studies in the other wildlife sanctuaries like the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck and the Manas National Park, which are also home to the Royal Bengal tigers.

A cub in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park

Through the study the conservationists also hope to come out with solutions to the increasing human-wildlife conflict. The age-old tradition of livestock rearing, moving livestock to higher elevations in summers and back to the lower grounds in winter, worsened the conflict with grazing cattle left free to predators’ attacks. Free-ranging livestock were very attractive prey for the tigers living in the same forests, especially where wild deer, pigs, and other prey were difficult to come by in the rugged terrain.

The protected habitats of the carnivores in Bhutan were also closely shared by farmers living in these areas before they became protected habitats. The co-existence was beginning to become a source of conflict where several incidents of tigers and other carnivores’ attacks on livestock and cattle had been reported, and in retaliation the farmers, sometimes killed them.

But finding solutions was not easy. “To find solutions to these problems we have to have good science to learn about these predators ecology, habitat and behaviour which is currently missing,” said Sonam Wangyel. “Once we have all the data on the tiger, their prey species as well as how humans interact with wildlife, then we will be able to draw up some good strategies to mitigate conflicts.”

Earmarked as one of the ‘fully protected’ species in the Forest and Nature Conservation Act, 1995, tigers in Bhutan are revered as one of the mythical animals and protectors. People respect them and equate them to local deities.

While exact numbers are not known, the tiger population in Bhutan is estimated between 115 and 150, including juveniles. Tigers are found in almost all parts of the country, cited in areas ranging from 100 metres above sea level to as high as 4,100 metres in the north

Young people dominate Bhutan. Of its roughly 700,000 people, 49 percent are under 21, according to the census, and what they will do to support themselves when they are fully grown is an emerging concern.

The unemployment rate among Bhutanese up to age 24 hovers at 5.5 percent, nearly twice the national average, which has also sharply risen in recent years. How to address unemployment has become a subject of regular hand-wringing in newspapers articles and the Legislature.

It is hardly surprising, considering how quickly Bhutanese are gaining education. The literacy rate has soared from 20 percent in 1992 to close to 60 percent today, making it that much more important to offer Bhutan's youth something other than farming rice on terraced hills.

Many Bhutanese, including Mr. Wangchuk, the tattoo artist, have attended college abroad. Bhutan has very few colleges.

More surprising, perhaps, than the sentiments Mr. Ura expressed is the ambivalence of Nyema Zam, an Indian-educated 26-year-old who runs the satellite television unit for state-owned Bhutan Broadcasting Service. She took pains to note the benefits of opening up to foreign media.

"Television," she said, "has been the medium through which our people get to find out about other cultures," including learning about Valentine's Day, which she considered good education for her compatriots. "We Bhutanese are very - what do you say - unromantic," she said-

Clearly, the strange riches of the world outside have reached only a small portion of Bhutan's people. Only 33,000 television sets are in the entire country, and more than half are estimated to have satellite connections that offer up to 30 channels, Ms. Zam said. As for the Internet, the universe is even smaller

Nationwide, the number of Internet users is estimated at 25,000, according to Druknet, the state-owned Internet service provider. Initial efforts to block adult content have been scrapped. They were simply ineffective, said Druknet's general manager, Ganga R. Sharma.

Bhutan Cricket coaching department were all focused for the Upcoming Under-19 ACC Challenge Cup to be held on 11-19 January 2008. The coaching were done on alternative basic with a day session in the ground and a day in the Gym to increase the fitness level of the Young boys.

The Probable boys from the Thimphu Schools were taught both batting, bowling and fielding on week days and plays practice matches on saturday and sunday against the mixed team from Thimphu Clubs. The likes of Druk11 and Bhutan Telecom Club.

Bhutan Cricket are really looking forward into the U-19 ACC Challenge Cup where Bhutan would be competing against Oman, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Iran, Brunei, China and Myanmar.

More than two years after the nationwide ban on the sale of tobacco products and smoking in public places, a legislation on tobacco control is finally being prepared to give the ban a legal backing.

"The ban has been there but only through notifications and warnings serving as a deterrent but there was no specific legal backing to penalise or fine people breaking the ban," said the consultant from Myanmar, Dr. Nyo Nyo Kyaing who was recruited with World Health Organisation (WHO) assistance to work on the tobacco legislation for Bhutan. "There has to be a legislation for the ban to be effective because it is important to make clear all the offences and the penalties."

According to Dr. Nyo Nyo Kyaing, a draft tobacco legislation has been prepared through consultation with some of the relevant representatives and has to be further discussed to fit the Bhutanese context.

One of the main reasons for having a tobacco legislation is that Bhutan is a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), according to the joint director of the health ministry's Information and Communication Bureau, Sonam Phuntsho. "As per the obligations outlined within the FCTC, we are required to develop a comprehensive legislation on tobacco control," he said. "The legislation will further help prevent sale and restrict consumption of tobacco and tobacco products."

Sonam Phuntsho said that there has been no study conducted on the rate of consumption after the ban but health officials know that the consumption has decreased.

He also said that the enforcement of the ban has not been up to the mark in terms of human resource. "The legislation will therefore assist in formation of a tobacco control unit to execute measures for tobacco control and spell out functions and duties of the members," said Sonam Phuntsho.

The first discussion on the draft legislation was held in Thimphu at the ministry of health conference room yesterday with representatives from 12 to 13 different agencies.

"Effective measures against the sale of tobacco products and measures to reduce demand for tobacco require cooperation from various enforcement agencies in the country," said Dr. Nyo Nyo at the discussion.

The draft will be presented to the national steering committee on tobacco control on May 4 and make changes wherever required, according to the joint director. The draft will also be presented in a larger forum for more participation. "It is for the people and we need their views and participation," said Sonam Phuntsho.