Word: bhutan
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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...
...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...
...imperfect Buddhist bound by vows and aspirations, I can only sit calmly through my frustrations and exercise reluctant tolerance. But I do wonder if I haven't given in to a bully yet again in the name of compassion. D.J. KHYENTSE RINPOCHE, LEADER United Non-Sectarian Buddhist Front Paro, Bhutan...
That's the vision of many telecommunications firms, which recognize that in an age of satellites and fiber optics, it is almost as easy to serve customers in Bhutan as in Manhattan. AT&T, for instance, has formed a joint venture with BritishTelecom, called Concert, that is designed to help build a one-stop global phone network for businesses. This is possible because national phone companies, which were once tightly controlled by governments, are suddenly open to international competition just about everywhere in the world. In coming decades, AT&T, Vodafone and others expect to be competing for customers...