I'm about halfway through it and so far he's been to Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, and Iceland. The chapter on Bhutan really intrigued me. Its a small, landlocked country in South Asia on the eastern end of the Himalayas. In 2006, "Business Weekly" the magazine, claimed it to be the happiest country in Asia and ranked the 18th happiest country in the world based on a global survey.
The population of 691,141 is made up of mostly Buddhists and Hindus. For centuries it used to be ran under monarchy but recently in 2008, it held its first democratic election. The author Eric, states that Bhutan reminds him of the made up place, Shangri La. If you plan on travelling to the remote country, they have a rule for foreigners; so the country doesn't become populated with tourists, they make you pay $200 a day to have a bhutanese tour guide. The guys are required to wear a gho, a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt and the women are required to wear an ankle-length dress called the kira, which is clipped at one shoulder and tied at the waist. If the police catch you without it on, they will fine you.
The country didn't legalize TV until 1999. They feed their pigs marijuana (which makes them have the munchies which makes them eat more, which makes them fatter) and they also believe that penises ward off evil spirits so it is common to see a phallic in a locals house. Fascinating, right?
Bhutan is definetely on my list of places I want to travel to. It seems like such an interesting culture and I'd love to experience it. I need to fork out 200 bucks a day for my own personal tour guide though.. But it could prove to be helpful considering it's a very rural country.
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