Category: Countries

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

Bhutan, which is the English butchering of the proper name for the country, means Thunder Dragon in the local dialect. Embarrassingly, I’ve never thought to ask why. The answer was evident last night when a rumble of thunder lasted close to twenty seconds. Marie explained that it was echoing off the surrounding mountains and, though… Continue reading Thunder Dragon

The film we watched last night, as part of VAST’s Monsoon Film Festival, was Cry of the Snow Lion, a movie about the opression in Tibet. It’s a one sided view, but I have no problem with that and recommend everyone watch it for the powerful message. The film sent my thoughts in so many… Continue reading Cry of the Snow Lion

It’s another day with many topics to write about. After we got back from a movie last night (will post on this soon) I read another chapter from my book on Buddhism. It’s the first chapter that’s made any sense to me. It talks about reincarnation being of name and form, not of the soul.… Continue reading Reincarnation

The mountains were so beautiful under this morning’s sky that I had to rush back to get my camera. Hmmm… it seems I can’t put the picture directly into the blog yet. You’ll have to follow the link until I can set up the plugin. Great. Looks like the plugin’s working.

The royal famiy is very much a part of life in Bhutan. While I haven’t met any of them, I’ve been in the same room as a queen on one occasion and as the King’s sister on another. Today I met with one of Marie’s taikwondo instructors, a friend I made in my first week… Continue reading Everyone knows the Prince

I’m sure that yesterday, one of my young neighbours stole a packet of noodles. Ah, but let me tell my story from the end. The rainy season flexed its muscles all the way down the mountain. We’d just been standing in the cloud at 4000m with Pierre, a visiting friend of Marie’s. There was little… Continue reading Theft