Nepal, Kathmandu -> Bhutan (To the kingdom with the happiness factor)

November 18, 2010

Since I’ve seen almost everything in Kathmandu by now and Indian bureaucracy was still keeping me from moving on, I made a snap decision to explore a small but truly fine country nearby: Bhutan – the small, independent kingdom in the Himalayas whose economy is based on its people’s “feeling of happiness”: Gross National Happiness.

Since there was no way to enter Bhutan overland, my curiosity about this kingdom kept growing and my itch to get out of Kathmandu was getting stronger too, I ended up boarding a plane after all. After a bit of checking at the airport,…

…I got to admire the Beechcraft 1900 propeller plane of Buddha Air. So this was what would take me along and partly over the Himalayas – oh joy! Normally only Bhutan’s royal “air fleet”, Drukair, is allowed to fly to my destination – Buddha Air, as the only other airline, had been allowed to do so for just under three months. Oh well, I consoled myself with the saying “What goes up must come down!” – and there was that true story (made into a movie) about a few people who survived a plane crash in the mountains – even if they had to eat their frozen fellow passengers to do it…

In the snug, cozy cabin I picked a seat right at the back so I could start eyeing up the tastiest passengers. A few minutes after takeoff of flight U4121, my plans and calculations of how long you could keep warm by burning the insides of this plane faded away – I was completely blown away by the view.

We flew between the clouds along the Himalayan range…

…and ten minutes later enjoyed a clear…

…and indescribably beautiful view of the highest mountains on earth.

After a little over an hour in the air we began our descent, and I caught my first glimpse of Bhutan’s landscape.

After landing at Paro Airport, the first thing to greet us was the terminal building with its traditional roof. To protect the culture, “standard buildings” are banned in Bhutan. All houses have to follow certain rules on appearance – such as the special shape of the windows and roofs.

There is also a specific traditional dress code for everyone on duty (whatever their job). The ladies wear long “skirts”…

…and the gentlemen shorter “skirts” with knee socks.

And here they are: the (former) kings of Bhutan. So far, all of them – especially the current king – have worked hard for the well-being of their citizens. Unfortunately, we mustn’t forget that, despite its citizens actually being happy for the most part, Bhutan, with an average monthly income of 9 €, is one of the poorest countries in the world. Still, clever as the king is, curious tourists are charged a sort of daily travel package of up to 240 USD, which covers accommodation, meals etc. That makes Bhutan one of the most expensive countries in the world for tourists. The upside of this outrageous price: only about 20,000 tourists visit the country each year. As a result, the environment is very well protected and the people are not spoiled in the least. On top of that, the money goes straight into preserving the environment and is used to keep the visitors‘ negative impact as small as possible. The buzzword: sustainable tourism. Very, very commendable!

After passport control, there I was, in a country I already liked a lot. Not planned in advance at all, and thanks to the daily tourist fee a truly record-breaking strain on my budget, but definitely a real enrichment for the mind – and of course for you too, in the form of these travel reports. What will the next few days bring? Are the rumors true about the almost untouched and well-protected kingdom of Bhutan, and are the people really that happy? We’ll find out. :)

Further links:

1. Bhutan – Country with probably the only government in the world that actually values its citizens and cares about their well-being
2. Gross National Happiness – It’s not about the money but about the citizens
3. Beechcraft 1900 – Twin-engine plane for 19 passengers
4. Buddha Air – One of two airlines allowed to fly to Bhutan
5. Paro Airport – Airport in the middle of the Himalayas – for experienced pilots only
6. Sustainable tourism – Bhutan has figured out how to preserve its country + its culture