South and Central ASIA BHUTAN

Bhutan is a landlocked, consciously isolated country high in the Himalayas that tries very hard to stay exactly as it is. For a country that officially values its' economy's gross national product less than its citizens' Gross National Happiness...can you blame it?

Of course, there are many sides to Bhutan's story. Bhutan is on its fifth King but only its first democratically elected government. Mahayana Buddhism is the official religion and sets the tone of daily life -- the "Drigham Namzha," the official behavior and dress code is very much in tune with Buddhist traditions -- but 30% of Bhutan's population, including the primarily Hindu Lhotshampas, practice "minority religions." The ethnic situation Bhutan is complex -- a hundred thousand Lhotshampas currently live in refugee camps and accuse the government of human rights abuses. So the real Bhutan may not be Shangri-La. But don't you still want to go?