Advertisement
Two Days in Thimphu
First thing to say about Bhutan, these people are so dog gone proud of their country. At one stop on our tour a young woman asked me how I liked her country, I said I liked it very much and that it was very beautiful--she responded, "And peaceful, too." They have good reason for their pride. The national agenda for 'gross national happiness' is built on four pillars: Preservation of culture, promotion of health and education, sustainability, and good governance. In our first two full days here we have seen all four in action.
Let's start with culture. Everywhere we go we see it. The national dress, gho for men and kira for women is worn with pride. Old buildings are painstakingly preserved even in the midst of development, and rules for new buildings, such as no building anywhere in the nation allowed to be over 6 stories high and to reflect local architecture, preserve the physical culture. We also visited a traditional medicine hospital. Doctors here train for over four years in the traditional healing arts, and citizens have the right to choose either traditional or modern medicine. Even further, the modern and traditional
docs collaborate with each other--when there is no financial incentive to keep patients in one system or another, cooperation flourishes (more on that next).
We visited a school where young people are learning traditional arts. They are provided this education free, along with free room, board, and uniforms. They pay for their tools and can earn pocket money by selling their work in the craft shop or, as one young man did, selling it directly. I bought a beautiful painting he did of the eight lucky symbols of Buddhism...out of the sight of the instructor as it seems they are not encouraged to do this.
Then there is the giant sitting Buddha above the city, which folks here think will be the eighth wonder of the world. Indeed, it is the largest Buddha in the world, and the temple under it, which you are not allowed to photo, is filled with beautiful art and sculpture. (They don't allow photos because the images had, in the past, been published in magazines that were found in the trash.) Keeping this culture will be a challenge.
It is important to note that change has been amazingly fast here. Our guide's
Prescription shop
At the traditional medicine hospital, you get your traditional meds and can use the prayer wheels while waiting.father in the 1960s trekked overland to Tibet, barefoot, with pack horses to barter rice and handicrafts for salt and other goods. Until 1970 there was no monetary system here, everything was bartered for goods or labor. The first cars arrived in the late 70s, the 80s brought television, and in the last ten years the internet and cell phones. Dawa, our guide, tells us his is called the 'lucky generation.' There is a great deal of talk about how these things have improved life; but a worry that access to all of this will chip away at how the young see the nation. They have decided not to censor anything, but to face it directly and work to take the good from modern society while preserving the best of their traditions. A noble goal indeed.
Second, health and education--all free. Health care is seen as a right here, and one that they work to get to everyone. In every city and village of any size clinics of both traditional and modern medicine co-exist. Life expectancy has gone from the middle 50s to the upper 70s with vaccinations, dental care, and emergency services available, should I say it again,
Young artists
The young man next to me sold me the painting FREE to everyone.
Education is also free up to the 10th grade. This includes all books, lunch, and uniforms (which are the traditional dress--note again the modern and the traditional co-existing). At that time students take an examination, and if they score high enough they are entitled to two more years of free, public education. (For those who do not score high enough, they can, if they want, go to private schools. Think about that--public for the best, private for the rest.). At the end of 12th grade, another examination is given, students that qualify for college can either go to college here, or access scholarship money to travel and study abroad. Schooling is another area that has spread quickly. Dawa, as a child, had to walk two hours in each direction from his village to attend school, meaning he did not start until he was 10 and able to make the journey alone. Today, any village with 15 homes is provided with a school.
Sustainability is spoken of, and practiced. The government has a standing rule that 50% of the nation will always remain forested, right now it is 70%. Cars are discouraged, any car imported pays
a 100% tax, unless it is electric and then there is no tax. Recycling is on the front burner with the biggest problem being plastic bottles as everyone from outside the country drinks bottled water as the local water has some bugs that, while locals are used to, would really mess up a vacation.
Good governance requires its own entry, I will save that for next time.
In a bit, the hotel staff is to show up and help Marcia and me dress in the traditional dress for dinner, where we will be joined by some high school students for a discussion about how they see their nation.
But a final note. People are so friendly here, drive by on the bus and kids smile and wave. Say hello on the street and you are likely to be asked where you are from and how you like their country. Ask to take a photo and most likely it will be granted, and then they will want to see the photo. It is very easy to be here, and that is a credit to the people of Bhutan.
Advertisement
Tot: 4.405s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 8; qc: 27; dbt: 0.0424s; 3; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
