We spent a week in Bhutan and learned about the country that measures GDP in happiness.
THINGS TO KNOW
- When visiting Bhutan, it is required that all tourists to be accompanied by a translator and guide the entire time. There is a daily tariff to be in the country and that includes lodging, food, and guides. The country is only open to visitors who travel this way. It’s not possible to tour Bhutan on your own.
THINGS TO DO
- We visited a monastery up in the mountains and met young boys all studying to become monks. We were given a warm welcome and a tour of their land by the head principal monk. He walked us through their daily routines, which included several hours of prayers, and showed us the land and their rooms. He shared with us their struggles for food and pointed out the vegetable garden they planted. We had kindly been offered tea and cookies by the head principal before learning that each boy only received one bowl of rice a day.
OUR FAVORITE MEMORY
- To show our gratitude for their hospitality, we donated several large bags of rice, onions, dried mushrooms, cooking oil, and several boxes of cookies to the monastery. We hope that the rice could last them until the new harvest. We also outfitted two empty beds with mattresses, pillows, and some blankets. Our guide organized our donations so we never saw the boys again. However, we did learn a few days later from our guide, that our gifts were received and the principal and the boys picked the next auspicious day on the calendar and dedicated an entire day of prayers to our good health and happiness. We were so touched and this was without a doubt the highlight of our journey to the Kingdom of Bhutan.