I was going to write about the monsoon deluge we had yesterday and the rubble and rubbish strewn around town as a result, but I changed my mind during dinner tonight.
We were having the usual expat gripe / wow session about life in Bhutan and Nathan and Andrea kept telling me to shush when I gave my views. It’s true that you have to be careful about what you say or write and I might be deported for some things I say here, but I think I give a fair view mostly.
The problem is that most tourists don’t get past the ‘beautiful country, friendly people’ side of Bhutan. That’s very real. But when you stay longer you reach the ‘my god! the racism, the bureaucracy, the despotism’ stage. And that’s all real and horrifying too. I try never to say ‘that’s wrong’. I try to say ‘that annoys me’ or ‘I think it would be better if’. Those could still get me into trouble, but then sometimes someone will say, ‘but you know, it’s that way because’ and then it’s worth the risk. Bhutan has reasons for being the way they are. Every culture does. Australians are already racist in many aspects, but if we were trapped between India and China, we’d probably make it compulsory for everyone to wear an Akubra and say ‘fair dinkum’.
There are things I’d change if I were running the country, but then, if I were running the country, it would be a big mess. Anything ‘negative’ I say here about Bhutan or any other country is undoubtedly because I’ve only seen one side of the story. I’m quite happy to admit that and try very hard to say things in a way that show I’m giving an opinion based on my own limited knowledge. So if I don’t speak out (gently) or if i do get kicked out, that just means that I won’t have the chance to discover the other side and we’ll all miss out.