Category: Asia

Yesterday as Marie and I were cycling up to BBS Tower, a man walking down the other way waved at Marie. As he passed, I nodded and said ‘kuzu zangpo’, the usual greeting. Marie stopped and looked a little flustered. ‘That was the prime minister.’ I looked back at the ordinary man. He was walking… Continue reading That was the Prime Minister

I’ve finally finished commenting all the photos in the album, aside from a couple of albums that I don’t think need it. Take a look here. The more recent albums are at the beginning and contain some great photos. I’m still shooting most on automatic, but will get better as I learn more.

By day, the dogs in Thimphu generally slumber in docility. By night, they form gangs and hunt. I haven’t seen this, but I’ve known people that were bitten (and suffered months of rabies shots) and have heard the gang warfare. Yesterday, I came across a couple of dogs attacking a small boy, not much taller… Continue reading Dogs

It’s a strange life we live here. Bhutan is a developing country that pretends it’s developed. We have electricity and all the conveniences it brings – fridge, washing machine, kettle. We eat out at restaurants which serve a variety of international cuisines – local, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, even an attempt at Mexican. One of… Continue reading All the mod cons

When I was in Belgium, I found myself bumping into people on the footpath. It was the first time that I’d lived in a country that drove on the right, but I had no idea that traffic rules transfered themselves onto pedestrians too – aside from the idea that it’s safer to walk on the… Continue reading Step Left, Step Right

The flu is mostly gone and with it, my philosophical delirium. I even finished the book on Buddhism and if I found any enlightenment, it disappeared when my head cleared. Today I go back to the mundaneness of daily life. I barely slept last night because although the head is clear, the throat still tickles,… Continue reading Garbage

I’ve had a bad flu for the past week which has kept me from writing much, but the fever of the title isn’t mine. A young girl from Geliphu in the South of Bhutan just died from dengue fever. She is the daughter of the animal shelter manager in Thimphu. I don’t know either of… Continue reading Fever

I had a phone conference with the Chief Technology Officer of a major international development organisation last night after emailing her on Monday morning for the first time. I assumed that the quick response meant that they needed my help with their collaboration strategy and they knew it. Somehow, that didn’t come out in the… Continue reading Not a Salesman

Why do China and Korea have such a problem with Koizumi-san visiting a war memorial? Every year the Australian Prime Minister attends a war memorial on Anzac Day, yet I don’t hear the Turks complaining. In 2005, he even attended a memorial for Australian soldiers in Turkey itself. I assume that the Turkish leader does… Continue reading Visit to War Shrine

A hailstorm destroyed more than 10 acres of corn crops and damaged chili plantations in a town in the East of Bhutan last week. Quensel, the government paper reports that locals believe that someone probably visited a forbidden lake nearby. It reports that a local resident told them, “if somebody has visited the lake, they… Continue reading Hailstorm caused by inauspicious visit to lake