| Thimphu, the capital city
of the Land of the Thunder Dragon is a destination many travellers want to visit at least
once. There’s something about Bhutan, shrouded in mist and mystery that pulls the
itinerant spirit like iron filings to a magnet. Thimphu received its first foreigner
visitors only in 1974, a group of fourth estate representatives who had been invited to
the present king’s coronation. The first foreign tourist group came to Bhutan a year
later. Today Thimphu is relatively untouched
by the negative aspects of creeping westernisation. And how could it not be? It has been
carefully sequestered and royal decrees simply forbid much of the stuff that brings the
English language and American pizzas into homes in other countries. Houses must meet
building laws that specify height and the style of architecture must necessarily be
traditional. (If you’ve had any taste of urban centres in neighbouring India and
Nepal, you’ll realise that this is quite a blessing.)
Thimphu is a stunningly picturesque city. It’s
difficult to think of any capital city in the world and equate it with order, calm,
serenity, natural greenery (not the park type), clean air and little noise. It lies in the
Wang chhu valley, at a height of 2300 metres, surrounded by the green splendour of
Himalayan forests, with not even a traffic light to ruin the congruity of its landscape.
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