Word: bhutan
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Dzongs are found across Bhutan. Huge fortress-like structures that combine the administrative center and principal monastery of each region, they embody the national marriage of Buddhism and politics. Non-Buddhists will find a peek into the courtyard is often all they are allowed: at Wangdue Phodrang, a village in central Bhutan, we were deterred from entering by stories of the regional administrator's fondness for whipping. In Paro, however, some high-ranking officials were happy to guide us around their temple. Inside, a sweet fog of cypress incense fought with the stench of butter lamps, which threw out flickering...
...Paro airport. "But the King says we have to wear traditional dress until 8 o'clock." As we drove to the capital Thimphu, it became clearer from his conversation?the latest Hollywood releases, Prince Charles, Britney?that a quarter century after opening its borders to the outside world, Bhutan is losing some of its splendid isolation. But while satellite TV may be superseding story-telling, and Internet chat rooms replacing the hubbub of the marketplace, this Himalayan kingdom perched between Tibet and India still has no traffic lights, no Starbucks and only 7,000 tourists a year. Those...
...main attractions of Bhutan is the pristine trekking. Walks of up to two weeks are not uncommon, but we chose a three-day jaunt through the Phobjika Valley in the center of the country. Even a short hike through fragrant, ancient forests of pine, cedar and juniper and over mountain passes offering magnificent views of the roof of the world is enough to rejuvenate the senses. Trekking also takes the visitor to the true heart of Bhutan: 85% of the people still live more than two days' walk from the nearest road. Despite this, many speak excellent English, the medium...
Under King Wangchuck's policy of limiting outside influence, the only way to visit Bhutan is on a tour (tailored to the individual) run by a local travel company and priced at a deliberately prohibitive $200 per person per day, including hotels, food and internal transport. Some may also feel the King's insistence on national dress?great belted coats (gho) for men and wraparound cloths (kira) for women?can give a feeling of a living pantomime. But with so few tourists to see it, this is not a show put on for outsiders. And a quick look...
...women, one thing always tops the leave-behind list: men. "Women need their own time to be with themselves, create their own journeys, to be with other women to share experiences," says Virginia Armstrong. "We just have fun together." And Armstrong, who runs female-only trips to India and Bhutan through Portland-based Bridges to the World, tel: (1-207) 774-0940, is not alone. After pursuing gender equality, the travel industry is now flirting with segregation. Hoteliers are offering rooms with nail-polish remover instead of shaving foam and a trouser press. Train operators are wondering how exotic, really...