land of the thunder dragon

this morning i was listening to cnn weather while i was doing sit ups... "monsoon rains will continue to be heavy across bangladesh, india and eastern nepal." until a few days ago, this statement was not a cause for pause. however, someone forgot to mention the most radical buddhist kingdom (well, probably tied with thailand) in the world. bhutan, population 634,982, is situated between china and india. gross national happiness reports that about 96% of people are happy. in 2006 there were only 15,000 tourists admitted to bhutan, mainly because each tourist (not on invitatation from a bhutanese citizen) is obligated to spend $200 a day. i was lucky enough to be invited by one of my student's parents. bhutan is a dream, which makes sense since so many people don't even know it exists. it's harry potter if harry were buddhist and in asia. the roads are narrow and do not allow enough space (typically) for two cars to pass one another without utilizing the shoulder. forests must cover (by the king's mandate) 60% of the country. monasteries, dzongs (structures that were once citadels and are now administrative centers) and goembas (monasteries) dot the rolling landscape. bhutanese history is one of folklore with demons, demonesses and holy figures riding tigers. the compassion and patience inherent in buddhism are inherent in all interactions. the king has mandated that national dress, gzo for men and kira for women, be worn in all goverment buildings and religious establishments. here's a picture of men dressed in gzos playing archery, the national sport.

over the past week, i've done as much hiking as monsoon allows, visited some students, learned to play snooker with the locals, seen some of the most incredible buildings ever created and eaten delicious food. my favorite hike was that on the way to taktshang monastery, nicknamed tiger's nest because guru rimpoche, the man who introduced buddhism in bhutan, rode a tiger to decide that the monastery should be built in a rocky cliff. even though i became incredibly lost i finally found the right path and happened upon a guide and his japanese client who allowed me to go into the monastery with them (you have to have a special pass to go anywhere in bhutan). yesterday, after monsoon ruined my plans to mountain bike to some nearby cities, a driver and i set out to explore punakha and wangdue phodrang. one of the dzongs, dedicated to the man who made painting penises on the side of houses auspicious, was 20 minutes down the muddiest path in the history of muddy paths. whenever i would falter or pause, my driver, tatho, would swoop in from nowhere and grab hold of my arm to prevent me from eating it. that's just the way they roll. when i was making my way back from the snooker bar earlier this week, a man invited us in to hang out with his family. as a fellow tourist and i gave his daughter math problems, he poured beer in our glasses, joking and trying to feed us the entire time.

politically, bhutan is switching gears. the bhutanese king has decided to transform bhutan a parlimentary democracy in 2008. the government has established mock elections where citizens are familiarized with the ballot box and the concept of chosing a specific candidate. when i was having coffee with my students, they spoke of the development of parties and their familys' possible involvement in the new democracy. it's crazy to sit and listen to 15-year-old girls talk about what political party they want to be a part of.

the internet cafe owner, narayan, is telling me that people come to bhutan to see virgin forests and buddhism in practice. a country that operates on different ideals from the rest of the world. one that's outlawed mtv and wwf wrestling. and man, is it ever a sight for sore eyes.