My fascination with Bhutan probably began about 5 years ago, while backpacking in the Indian Himalayas. I read or heard something about the fabled ganja trees of Bhutan, which apparently grew wild everywhere. Later I learned that the king of the ancient land-locked Himalayan nation doesn’t gauge the country’s prosperity by GDP like the rest of the word, but instead uses a measurement of Gross National Happiness (GNH).  Other interesting things that piqued my interest: that its natural environment and culture are very well-protected, that it is difficult to be allowed entry as a foreign tourist, and that it had a long-time ban on television (the national broadcasting service didn’t begin until 1999).  And most recently, I found out that the editor of Gourmet magazine once declared that Bhutan was known to have the “world’s worst cuisine.”  Intriguing indeed.

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