Bhutan
Passage into the Past
Up until recently, Bhutan was a relatively little known country. Today it is one of the most touristy travel destinations in the world. Bhutan reluctantly started allowing visitors into the country in the 1970's, and is currently still limiting the number of incoming people, both to protect the country from an excessive inflow of visitors, and to protect its cultural heritage. Where exactly is Bhutan, and why is it such an extraordinary country?
Bhutan is nestled up against a range of unconquered, unmapped seven-thousanders of the Himalaya in the north, and is confined by the hot and humid lowlands of Brahmabutra in the south. The ascent from the subtropical lowlands across the foothills of the Himalaya to the central part of the country where the largest proportion of its population lives, resembles a giant stair case. Bhutan's central part is situated at 2000 to 2500 metres above sea level. The high valleys adjacent to it are located at an altitute of 3500 to 4000 metres, an area inhabited solely by yak breeding nomads today. At the very top, the towering summits of the eternal glaciers overlook the area, with steep slopes reaching down to the Tibetan highlands on the other side. The country is jagged by six massive mountain ranges reaching from north to south. Crossing these mountain ranges is possible via a single road only. It runs from west to east at an altitude of up to 3500 metres above sea level. Influential monastic enclosures are situated at strategic locations and have traditionally taken on two important functions: overlooking and protecting the region from attacks, and hosting monastic schools. Even nowadays, those monastic enclosures called Dzong, are divided into a secular and a sacral part, containing rich and astounding art treasures.
In his Utopian novel "The Lost Horizon", James Hilton describes an inaccessible place somewhere in the Himalaya. The place referred to is the monastery Shangri-La which clings onto an unbelievably steep slope with its colourful pavilions and yellow roofs.