Kingdom

After centuries of cultural isolation, the Himalayan nation of Bhutan is opening its doors to the outside world. But only those who contribute to the countrys coffersand contentmentare invited to visit this mystical land of teschus, Tantric Buddhism, and flying tigers.
by scott goetz

Magic

A
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CACOPHONY OF CYMBALS

and ceremonial dung horns accompanies

a masked monk, dressed in a kaleidoscope of silks, as he dips a thick, red, wooden phallus into a container of holy water. Turning to his audience, the monk raises his hand and flicks his wrist repeatedly, distributing the water from his

explicitly carved wand onto the nearest row of spectators. I am among a crowd of thousands witnessing this Tantric Buddhist fertility ritual in Bumthang, Bhutan. On one side of me sits a yak herder who has never seen a digital camera; on the other, a 24-year-old
PAUL CHESLEY/GETTY IMAGES

tour guide who carries a mobile phone and recently learned the lyrics to an entire Queen album. Their homeland, tucked between India and China in the eastern reaches of the Himalaya mountains, is cautiously opening its doors to the 21st century, and for a brief period of time, it might be the most fascinating destination on earth.
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To control the numberand typeof visitors, Bhutan charges each tourist a minimum daily fee of $200 and requires that he utilize the services of a local guide.

Shielded geographically by the Himalayas and culturally by a traditionalist monarchy, Bhutan has remained mostly unaffected by Western influences. Daily life in the country, which is slightly larger than Switzerland, has changed little over the centuries: Farmers work fields with scythes and oxen; festival participants and attendees wear multicolored, curled-toe shoes nearly identical to the 13thcentury pair on display at the National Museum in Paro. Outsiders first discovered Bhutan with the advent of modern tourism in the 1950s. However, then-King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, aware of how $5-a-day backpackers were trampling over Nepal, decided he did not want soulless Westerners traversing Bhutans sacred mountains.The ruler closed his countrys borders in 1961, but 11 years later his son, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, inherited the position of Druk Gyalpo, or Dragon King. Although he maintained his fathers distrust of the outside world, Singye Wangchuck

believed that tourism could bolster the countrys limited economy. In 1974, he reopened Bhutans borders, allowing limited access to foreigners and embarking on a 30-year plan to develop the countrys tourism industry. Today, three decades later, Singye Wangchuck remains in power, and his plan seems finally to be taking shape. The Bhutanese gover nment has selected two of the worlds most esteemed hotel chains, Singapore-based Amanresorts and Como Hotels and Resorts, to help develop a tourism infrastructure and to build the countrys first foreign-run hotels (both of which opened last summer).The choice of these two companies reflects Wangchucks strategy of generating maximum tourism revenue from a minimal number of tourists. To control the numberand typeof visitors, Bhutan charges each tourist a minimum daily fee of $200 and requires that he utilize the services of a local guide. A visitor also must book his passage either directly

PHOTOS COURTESY DESTINATIONS & ADVENTURES INTERNATIONAL

Guru Rimpoche, the second incarnation of Buddha, is believed to have flown aboard a tigress to subdue a demon at the site of Tigers Nest Monastery (top and previous spread). Teschu religious festivals (above) assist Tantric Buddhists in their quests for reincarnation.
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Inscribed with messages for the gods, prayer flags (in this case over the Burning Lake, right) and other Tantric symbols pervade Bhutans landscape, which rises from the Duars Plain in the south to 24,000-foot Himalayan peaks in the north.

with one of the 80 registered tour operators in Bhutan or through an affiliated operator abroad. The Bhutan governments selective approach to tourism is motivated by more than fiscal concerns. By limiting access, Singye Wangchuck hopes to preserve what he calls the countrys Gross National Happiness, a term he coined to describe his vision for Bhutan in which the contentment of the people is paramount. His model measures the success of the country not on per capita income or productivity, but on how well the government provides health care, education, and a clean environment for its citizens.To contribute to the GNH, Wangchuck based Bhutans tourism industry on the principle of sustainabilityenvironmental, social, and economicand only companies that adhere to this approach (such as Como and Amanresorts) are allowed to participate. Wangchucks quest seems a noble one: Physically and culturally, his kingdom is a land worth preserving. Stretching from the sweltering subtropical Duars Plain on its southern border with India to the 24,000-foot-high mountaintops in the north, Bhutan is perhaps the most geographically and climatically diverse country of its size. Approximately 800,000 people reside in Bhutan (which
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began allowing cable television and Internet service only five years ago), and even the capital of Thimphu (population 48,300) appears more like an overgrown country village than a modern city. The majority of Bhutans populace practices Tantric Buddhism, a mystical and somewhat sexual form of Buddhism that was introduced by Tibetans in the 11th century, and the religions symbols pervade the landscape. Prayer wheelslarge, spinning structures that are said to release messages to the gods when turnedsit below waterfalls to ensure a continual flow of positive thoughts. Prayer flags flap from poles on high-mountain passes, Tantric mantras are carved into walls and hillsides, and phalluses, in addition to playing central roles in Bhutans many teschus (religious festivals), hang from the sides of houses to keep demons at bay. Lured by the countrys Tantric culture and Himalayan terrain, increasing numbers of Westerners are traveling to Bhutan hoping to find a mountain Shangri-la.Their experiences, however, are often far from perfect.Toilet facilities in Bhutan are rudimentary except in hotels, food is for the most part abysmal, the foul smell of betel nut (a sour, carcassscented nut that locals chew and spit incessantly) taints

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Guests at the new Amankora pay $1,000 per nighttwice the annual per capita income in Bhutanto stay in sleek two-room suites (above). The resort (below) provides guides and four-wheel-drive vehicles for exploring the surrounding Paro River Valley.

the air, and navigating the country is a frustrating and, at times, harrowing experience. The main east-west road through Bhutan traverses a series of valleys and precipitous mountain passes. Frequently, when traveling the route, you can see your destination in the valley below (no guardrails block the view), but because the roads are so circuitous, a full day may pass before you arrive. Massive Indian transport and construction trucks honk to prevent collisions around every other bend, and drivers swerve constantly to avoid road workers, Bhutans poorest citizens, who smash rocks into gravel and live on the sides of the road. Trekking in Bhutan, a primary purpose behind many foreigners visits, also can be unduly difficult. In the rivervalley town of Wangdue Phodrang, I encountered a frostbitten, sunburned group of travelers who had just finished the 21-day Snowman Trek in 28 days. Rainstorms dumped mercilessly on them, and they remained wet for the duration of their journey. Another couple I met relayed horror stories of a three-day trek that had no paths and required waist-deep river crossings in 40-degree weather. Dining in Bhutan can be equally unsettling. A waterbutter-boil cooking method seems the standard for everything in the ubiquitous buffets, which offer little more than cubed pork fat with rice or dried chilies and yak cheese. Because killing a live creature is counter to Bhutanese beliefs, residents enlist a non-Buddhist to do the dirty work or have the meat delivered by truck along the slow, hot road from India. Beans, potatoes, and ferns constitute the vegetables in the Bhutanese diet, and butter winegrain alcohol and butterfat mixed and heatedis the drink of choice.
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Outside and in, the new 20-room, nine-villa Uma Paro resort blends Bhutanese architecture with contemporary style.

Most hotels and guesthouses in Bhutan fall similarly short of modern standards, but the new properties from Amanresorts and Como have improved this situation considerably. (Both hotels offer accommodations and amenities comparable to those of the chains other locations throughout Asia and elsewhere.) Each company, however, faced several obstacles in building its Bhutan resort. The developers had to truck in everythingfrom light fixtures to windows, terrazzo tiles to tubs, plumbing to linens over the treacherous roads from India. Limited food resources required that their chefs plant gardens to test which vegetables and herbs would survive in the highaltitude soil. But perhaps the most challenging task was assembling the hotels staffs. The companies had to recruit from an untrained pool of workers: Bartenders knew nothing of mixing drinks, and most of the housekeepers had never used a vacuum cleaner or made a bed. The challenges faced by Amanresorts and Como make the results of their efforts all the more impressive. Amankora, where a suites nightly rate ($1,000) is twice the annual per capita income in Bhutan, is a sleek, modern resort that blends in beautifully with its rural surroundings in the Paro River Valley. On the opposite end of the valley, the splendid Uma Paro features villas, staffed with butlers, that begin at $900 a night during the high season. Both chains are developing additional properties in the country: Uma is building close to Paro in the Haa Valley, which just recently opened to tourism, and Amanresorts is close to completing five additional hotels that will compose a cross-country network for travelers who want a full Bhutan experience without the hardship.
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Paro, where most visitors begin their journeys after arriving from Bangkok, presents an awesome Himalayan panorama. The city of 60,000 sprawls throughout a wide valley framed by snowcapped peaks and bisected by a bottlegreen river traversed by swinging rope bridges. It also is home to the countrys most recognizable religious landmark, Tigers Nest Monastery, which clings to the edge of a cliff high above town. Tigers Nest is sacred to the Bhutanese because it is where the second incarnation of Buddha, Guru Rimpoche, is believed to have arrived on a flying tigress to subdue a terrorizing demon. Such magical tales are a hallmark of the countrys Tantric religion, a form of Buddhism that originated in India as early as the fourth century. Tantric Buddhism differs from other sects in that it stresses the unity of body, mind, and speech, and embraces human sensuality as a path toward enlightenment. Bhutan is the only country in the world in which Tantric Buddhism is the official religion, and the Bhutanese variety of the belief system integrates legends, demons, masks, and other elements from Bon, the primary religion in the Himalayas before Buddhisms arrival. Bhutans many teschusheld throughout the year in Paro, Bumthang, and elsewhereprovide the clearest window onto this Tantric Buddhist culture. Held at one of the great dzongs, mammoth old fortresses that became monasteries when Buddhism swept the land, the teschus consist of two or more days of dances performed by masked monks. The festivals are celebrations of life, death, and the casting out of evil, and spectators who witness all of these dances in their lifetime are said to die with the navigational skills

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needed in their quest for reincarnation. My tour guide, however, saw these dances as tedious, yet necessary, rituals meant for old people (who are presumably closer to embarking on their reincarnation journeys), so he took me behind the temple to an alley where a carnival atmosphere prevailed. There, the people drank beer, gambled, and shopped for artifacts that included womens skulls. The attitudes of my tour guide and his fellow back-alley revelers indicate that Bhutans long-dominant religion may be losing some of its grip on the society. But the Bhutanese are still bound by traditional Tantric beliefs, and the religions spirituality and superstitions remain a part of everyday life. A statue of Guru Rimpoche at Tigers Nest once was located in Thimphu; one day it asked to be moved to

the cliff-top monastery. After the birth of my tour guides brother, who is a high lama in Bhutans religious hierarchy, a nearby river turned to milk and a rainbow rose over his familys house. (The family later learned that he was the reincarnation of Terton Pema Lingpa, one of Tantric Buddhisms most important lamas, who first lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.) The yeti exists in Bhutan, green cats play in wild marijuana fields, and dragons roam the mountains and valleys. Singye Wangchuck, the Dragon King, hopes to introduce visitors to this magical land and, consequently, his people to the outside world. His challenge will be to do so without driving away Bhutans yetis and dragons, and without diminishing the demon-slaying symbols of Tantric Buddhism.

Trekking to Bhutan

GETTING TO and traveling

resort, which became the first foreign-run hotel in Bhutan when it opened in June 2004, features wood-paneled, tworoom guest accommodations designed in Amans typical sleek, Asia-moder n style. Bhutaninfluenced amenities include traditional bukhari wood stoves, prayer flags placed on the pillows at night, and gho-style bathrobes designed to resemble the traditional outfits worn by Bhutanese men. Amankora has a fleet of four-wheel-drive vehicles and guides to escort you around the region. By mid-2005, five additional Amankoras will open to create a network throughout Bhutan. (From $1,000 per night) www.amanresorts.com

withinBhutan is no simple matter. Unless you are entering from India or Nepal, you have to connect to the national airline, Druk Air (www.drukair.com.bt), in Bangkok via Eva Air (www
Uma Paro .evaair.com) or other international carriers. Once in Bhutan, in addition to paying $200 per day in fees, you are required to utilize the services of one of the countrys 80 registered tour operators. Los Angelesbased Destinations & Adventures International

(800.659.4599, www.daitravel.com) works with a well-connected local guide (a relative of the royal family and brother of a high lama) to offer custom trips that can include mountain biking in the Haa Valley, front-row seats at teschus, visits to the often-closed-totour ists Tigers Nest Monastery, and pr ivate meetings with Bhutanese royalty. Paro, in western Bhutan, serves as the base camp for most visitors to the country. The citys two new luxury hotels, Amankora and Uma Paro, lie at opposite ends of the Paro River Valley. Both hotels have sister proper ties in Thailand (Amanpur i and Metropolitan) and offer pre- or post-Bhutan packages.

Uma Paro
SET HIGH ON A HILL

overlooking the Paro River Valley, the 20-room, nine-villa Uma Paro resort melds traditional Bhutanese architecture with the contemporary style of other Como Hotels and Resorts properties. Como, which is owned by Singaporean fashion magnate Christina Ong, designed Uma Paro as a destination spa featuring Asian therapies and organic Indian cuisine (the best food in Bhutan), but the resort also serves as a fine jumping-off point for
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Amankora
WITH ITS RAMMED-EARTH WALLS

and expansive stone courtyards, this 24-suite proper ty from Singapore-based hotel chain Amanresorts blends well with the wide-open spaces of Paro. The

hiking, mountain biking, and festival excursions with private drivers and guides. Next year, Como will open an Uma property in the Haa Valley and will offer three-day treks from one hotel to the other. (From $250 per night) www.uma.como.bz S.G.

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