OK. It’s time to turn this into a real blog. I’ll now try to update this every day, true to my definition of culture as the difference in everday life between people around the world. You’ll now get to see life in Bhutan as it happens. This will be easier in the coming week as… Continue reading A Real Blog
5000m!
Marie and I recently returned from a 10 day trek into the north of Bhutan. For those of you who don’t know, Bhutan spans a large climate region – from near-equatorial tropics in the south to Himalayan mountains in the north – so you can imagine how excited we were to be headed into the… Continue reading 5000m!
Too Busy
It happens at some point in every country. Life takes over and the time to write dwindles. Since I last updated this page I’ve walked the Druk Path, started working, been to the setchu, travelled to Bumthang again and we’ve started living like the poorer locals. This afternoon we’ll meet with friends to discuss the… Continue reading Too Busy
Bureaucracy
Yesterday, I went in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit a visa application for Big Dave, who’ll come to visit in September. It was the 3rd time I’d been for the same request and this morning the woman flicked through all the documents she’d told me I needed, saying ‘yes, yes, yes.’ I… Continue reading Bureaucracy
MBA
Marriage is a relatively new concept in Bhutan. In the rural areas, couples form and create families and, presumably, many live happily ever after. But those families can also break apart with a word. I haven’t yet delved enough into the details to know what form a dowry takes, if any, or what the implications… Continue reading MBA
Under a Monk’s Robes
I’m not religious. I tend to think that religion is a coward’s way of avoiding responsibility for our own actions. Lets blame it all on God. But Bhuddism always struck me as more philosophy than religion. Its tenet one of peace, respect, simplicity and taking responsibility for your actions. But is it? Over the last… Continue reading Under a Monk’s Robes
Himalayan Heat
I’ve been off the air for a month now, while I returned to my family and friends and got my knee repaired. When I left, the days were reasonably warm, the nights cold, the terrain dry and the insects friendly. I return to a Himalayan summer. Who’d have thought that it could be so hot… Continue reading Himalayan Heat
The Return
Knee significantly better, I had another stop in Bangkok on my return to Bhutan. On this trip, I’d arranged to see an old colleague from Japan. She and her husband were now living in Bangkok and he gave me some advice on how to spend the day. Since I was interested in cheap electronics and… Continue reading The Return
Heading South
If you’ll excuse the euphemism, I’m referring to the fact that this page catalogues my first trip to Thailand, a stopover on my way to Australia from Bhutan. The airport was like any other in South-East Asia, large, worn and crowded with the braying of taxi drivers. I avoided them, knowing that taxi is the… Continue reading Heading South
BYO P-A-S
‘You shouldn’t have to pay to get well!’ Those words make me grind my teeth every time I hear them. And I hear them a lot. Someone in the crowd shouted it out during ‘Audience Viewpoint’ at a Crowded House concert and they made it onto the live album. The retort, ‘well, try harder to… Continue reading BYO P-A-S