Two days after landing in Bhutan, I find myself on my way to Dagana – one of the more remoter districts of Bhutan. As the Toyota Coaster bus that I am travelling in winds its way up and down the serpentine roads on the undulating native territory, a thousand thoughts Read more…
There is merriment in the air as the people converse easily, shuffling around and laughing with abandonment. They have come to bring their milk to the community milk collection unit. As some of them ask me to troubleshoot their WeChat accounts or install the Facebook app on their phones, the Read more…
Life seems rather uncertain in 2020. There are lockdowns, travel restrictions, business closures and failing plans all around us. And it is quite likely that for the most part, 2021 will just be 2020 on auto-replay. As the figurative rug is rolled away from underneath our manicured feet, it reveals Read more…
In its September 2020 report, the National Statistics Bureau (NSB) of Bhutan reported that the Consumer Price Index had increased by about 7.6% as of July 2020. Consequently, the Purchasing Power of Ngultrum had also depreciated by about 7% between July 2019 and July 2020. In other words, what used Read more…
Google Phobjikha. The first images that pop up are those of the vast U-shaped glacial valley with its lush marshes the meandering Black River in the center. This archetypal notion of the place as just the valley is super entrenched so much so that the whole gamut of Bhutanese travelogue Read more…
While going through my Lightroom catalogue recently, I stumbled across a picture that struck at the quintessential heart of the rustic place that’s a Phobjib farm. The photograph was dated March 5, 2018 – almost a year ago. It impressed me deeply because if I just walk down below our Read more…