March 25, 2025 • 30 mins
So, it turns out there are a LOT of rules for visiting Bhutan. DON'T climb the mountains (it's illegal!). DO buy a stamp (especially one you can play on your record player!). DON'T ask anyone about their birthday. DO make yourself happier-- by thinking about death three times a day?! This episode, Will and Mango learn what makes the Himalayan kingdom just so special... while trying to grab a jar of fresh mountain air in the process!
Have you visited Bhutan? Or flown into their tiny airport? Drop us a line on Insta @parttimegenius... we want to hear your stories!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope
and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Guess what, Mango? What's that? Will? All right? I know
we've got this long list of all the places we
want to go, but one of the places I've always
wanted to go but I've heard can get pretty pricey
actually is Bhutan. Now, I know this is on your
list as well, and we've always wanted to do an
episode here. But anyone who knows anything about Bhutan knows
that the Himalayan kingdom is known for being gorgeous and pristine,
(00:33):
but it also has a reputation for being pretty expensive.
And that's because, with only a handful of exceptions, foreign
tours who visit the country are required to pay a
fixed amount for every single day that they spend there.
It's typically the equivalent of about two hundred and fifty
dollars a day, or what they call the sustainable development fee.
But once you get past the initial sticker shock, it
(00:53):
actually works out to be a pretty good deal. You know.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
I obviously study abroad into Pollitoba, and like I knew
it was a expensive and especially as a student, it
felt like just exorbitant, But I had no idea. It
could actually be a good deal. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, the price not only covers meals and accommodations, it
also provides you with a state appointed tour guide as
well as a car and a driver to help get around.
So that price down when you think about its.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Feel incredible, especially like, you know, considering it's a pretty
small country, getting a car to drive around is pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah. The whole of Bhutan is less than half the
size of the state of Indiana, And as you know,
I always like to measure things in Indiana's you know,
whether I'm eating a meal and it's like one one
millionth of an Indiana or whatever it may be. Anyway,
but you're right, the fee structure helps prevent the country
from being overrun by tourists. So, for instance, there's this
whole subculture of budget travelers who backpack all over Asia
(01:44):
on the cheap, and there's this unofficial route that they
tend to follow called the Banana Pancake Trail. Have you
heard of this?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I have had banana pancakes in that reason, but but
I didn't realize there was a trail.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
It's yeah, a little bit well, I mean it's sort
of along those lines. There's a lot of street vendors
and guesthouses that cater this crowd and serve banana pancakes
for breakfast, which seems like a fantastic idea. And the
Pancake Trail runs through Nepal and into China, but rather tellingly,
it avoids Bhutan, and that's because the high fixed price
for visitors tends to price out the bargain backpackers there.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I loved idea this like Hansolin Gretel, like like banana
trail that's just waiting for you. Uh. But I assume
all of this is by design, right, They're trying to
keep people out.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
It definitely is. And for the longest time, Bhutan was
completely closed off to foreign visitors because the government worried
that foreign influence would erode the unique culture and sort
of rekavoc on the environment there. And while the country
did eventually open its borders in the nineteen seventies, it
remained extremely selective about the kinds of tourists that it welcomes.
The Bhutanese government calls this policy quote high value, low
(02:49):
impact tourism, and it's a big reason why Bhutan's air, water,
and landscapes remain untouched, even with hundreds of thousands of
tourists passing through every single year. Day's episode, we thought
we'd sneak into this pristine country and tore you through
some of Bhutan's most fun facts. So put on your
hiking shoes, it's time to dive in. Hey, their podcast listeners,
(03:30):
welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as
always I'm joined by my good friend Mangesh hot Ticket
and on the other side of the soundproof glass wearing
a hat with a scrawny looking dragon, I think on wheels,
that's our friend and producer Dylan Fagan. Now, at first
I thought Dylan had lost the plot a bit wearing
such a random hat, But then I realized that's not
(03:50):
just any odd looking dragon. That's the same one that's
on the front and center of the Butan Knese flag.
Now did you catch that Mango?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I could actually tell by those four round jewels clutched
in the dragon's feet. They kind of look like he's
on wheels and he can't keep his balance. But I
do love it. It is pretty distinctive and adorable.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
He's got such good taste at Dylan, So Bhutan's national
symbol is a thunder dragon or druk, and it's a
big deal. In Bhutanese mythology. The druk is associated with
these fierce storms that often roll in from the Himalayas,
and according to legend, the sound of the thunder is
actually the dragon roaring.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
It's also the country's namesake, right, Like, I feel like
I've read that Bhutan literally means thunder dragon.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You know, that's actually what I thought too, But the
truth is that nobody really knows what Bhutan means. The
best guess is that it's an adaptation of a Sanskrit
phrase meaning the end or edge of Tibet. But it's
kind of beside the point because the Bhutanese themselves don't
use that name anyway. They call their country Druk Yule.
Now that's a name that translates to land of the
(04:53):
thunder Dragon, which is much cooler than the edge of Tibet,
don't you think?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, totally. It's definitely cooler for your country known by
this awesome mythical creature than like being some other country's
boundary line.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
I think I think that's safe to say. Alrightego, So
we're headed to Baton, where do you want to start today?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Well, one of the most interesting things to me about
Bhutan is that everyone is encouraged to think about death
there at least three times a day, including anyone who's
there on vacation.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Really, I mean that feels a little more of it,
especially if you're on vacation. But Bhutan's considered one of
the happiest places on Earth, right I remember us covering
them in an episode. It's been quite some time, but
do you remember.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
That, right? Yeah, we did the Happiest Place on Earth
episode forever ago, and people can go back and listen
to it. But Bhutan's definitely made a lot of news
over the last few decades for developing something called the
GNH or Gross National Happiness Index, And the way it
works is that a government commission goes out every five
years or so and knocks on the doors to conduct
(05:53):
a big survey, and they actually ask one hundred and
fifty different questions that are designed to gauge whether a
person is happy or not, and then the government studies
the results and factors them into various aspects of public policy.
It's pretty cool and unique. Actually, less than eight hundred
thousand people live in Bhutan, But according to the most
recent report from twenty twenty two, a staggering ninety three
(06:17):
point six percent of them define themselves as either narrowly,
extensively or deeply happy.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Isn't that amazing? Wow? That is amazing. And yet these
are the people encouraging me to think about dying while
I'm on vacation.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah. So, one thing the gnah's report doesn't tell you
is that part of the secret to this national happiness
is purposely thinking about death each and every day, so
once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and actually
once at night. And that's because the Bhutanese attitude towards
death is pretty different. Like in the West, we try
to avoid thinking about it as much as possible, because
(06:51):
you know, we're scared of it. But in Bhutan, they
recognize that shying away from the reality to death can
often be more painful than facing it head on. And
because of this cultural mindset that they have, you can
actually spot reminders of death just about everywhere you go,
so some of them are hard to miss, like these
gorgeous artistic depictions of you know, wrathful deities, or things
(07:14):
like piles of skulls that turn up in Buddhist iconography.
But they are also subtle reminders, including lovely memorials called sasas.
And they look like these small cylindrical cones, and they're
painted white or red or gold, and they're actually molded
from clay mixed with the ashes of a loved one.
And you see rows of them all over the country,
lined up on prayer walls, or like nestled in public
(07:36):
parks and squares, and even on cliff sides way up
in the mountains.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
And that's all super interesting, But I'm curious, how does
any of this actually make people happier?
Speaker 1 (07:45):
So maybe if we tie into Western science, it might
make a little more sense. There was a study at
the University of Kentucky, and this was back in two
thousand and seven, but the psychologists there split a few
dozen students into two groups. Now, one group was instructed
to think about a painful visit to the dentist, and
the other was asked to contemplate their own death.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
So it's kind of a horrible time for everybody involved,
it seems.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, I know. But here's the thing. So the death
thinkers later reported feeling happier and more fulfilled compared to
the dental group. And here's what's fascinating. When asked to
complete a series of stem words, the death group was
far more likely to construct these positive words. So you
get a prompt like a jo and then a blank,
(08:27):
and they'd write things like joy, while the other group
would form words like job. And this led researchers to
conclude that quote, death is a psychologically threatening fact, but
when people contemplate it, the automatic coping system begins to
search for happy thoughts.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Oh that's super interesting. So maybe the botanies are actually
onto something here.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah, I mean, the idea really goes back to the
foundation of all these Buddhist teachings, which is that everything
changes and nothing is permanent. So the thinking is that
the more we make peace with our own impermanence, the
more like we are to appreciate everything in the present.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Just to be clear here, your first travel tip for
visiting Bhutan is to think about death three times a day.
Do I have that right?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
At least three times a day. You can do more
than that if you know more. Okay, just know you
should probably pace yourself. Will what are you gonna talk
about next?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
All right, we've talked about death now, Mango let's talk
about stamps. So we're off to just a crazy start here. Now.
One of the things that's really fascinating is that Bhutan
has some of the most beautiful stamps in the world.
It has this interesting story behind it, actually, which I
learned from a magazine called Works that Work. Anyway, the
story goes, button really didn't have a postal service before
(09:42):
the nineteen sixties, but in nineteen sixty two it launches
this tiny little post office and a town on the
border with India. Now the country also opens up its
first paved road and kickstarts other types of infrastructure changes
there and really starts to open itself up to the
world a little bit more. Right, So at this time
it's it started to be less of a hermit kingdom. Yeah,
that's exactly right. And it was around this time it
(10:04):
applies to the World Bank to fund these modernization programs
and to build more things like hospitals, to also build
an airport, and the country gets rejected. There. Now, one
of the people who's advising on the loan is this
American entrepreneur and friend of the royal family named Bert Todd,
and he comes up with this alternate scheme like why
don't we start selling stamps to make a few million
(10:25):
dollars and then start putting that into the economy.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
But that feels hard, right, Like Bhutan doesn't have a
postal system, people aren't sending mail within the country, so
like why stamps.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Well, he wants to make a collector's market around the world.
And to be fair, the Bhutanese themselves are skeptical that
this will work, but they have another reason for okaying
the project. As this tiny nation that sits between India
and China, two countries that kind of have a history
of annexing neighbor states, Bhutan has a little anxiety about
maintaining its independence and stamps are kind of a way
(10:57):
to raise their international profile. So his works that work
puts it quote, even if stamps failed to generate substantial funding,
they could help to build awareness of the country, raising
at least political capital. And so Todd sets up this
Bhutan Stamp Agency and he does this from the Bahamas
because he wanted to really focus on selling the stamps internationally.
And the stamps that come out are incredible. Now, some
(11:20):
serious stamp collectors look down on these Bhutanese stamps for
being a little too gimmicky, but Bhutan ends up creating
the first metal stamp, the first three D stamp, the
first scented stamp, ended up making a stamp called the
Talking Stamp that you could play on a record play.
I mean, they got really creative here and had Bhutanese
voices and folk songs along with these, and so decades
(11:41):
later a stamp that works on a CD Rahm came out.
But anyway, today the stamps are commissioned by the Bhutanese themselves,
and they are really gorgeous and also they're still very
unusual there of course, beautiful stamps of animals and the
first textured sort of brushstroke painted stamp. But also you'll
never guess what the best selling stamp right now is.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Like a stamp of Lebron James or like a like
a Korean boy band.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You nailed it, Mango, It's Lebron And now it's actually
a series of stamps with fallises on it. Now apparently
fallises are a common motif and Boutanese art and as
a way of warding off evil spirits, and they're considered
funny and naughty around the world. So the series from
twenty thirteen sells a ton abroad. I'm just gonna show
you a few pictures here, but you can imagine, like
(12:28):
you can know the people all around the world just
being like, that's funny that that's what they put on
their stamps. I'm gonna buy some, right.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
You are not joking. These are amazing.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
No, this is for real. And actually, one detail that's
really cute from the article is that there's basically one
person who's responsible for all the art and design of
the stamps, and his favorite thing to do is go
to the post office and watch tourists gawk at the
stamps and watch which ones they're most drawn to, and
then he comes up with a few new ideas, which
is I don't know, I just think it's kind of
(12:57):
sweet and wonderful.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Oh I love the So for my next fact, I
want to talk about mountaineering and Bhutan and did you
know it's actually against the law to climb a mountain there?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
I did not.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Apparently the peaks are considered sacred ground because they're home
to gods and spirits, so they don't want a bunch
of mountaineers trapesing through and wrecking the.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Place, which makes sense, you know, when you consider the
amount of trash that's left on mountain trails these days,
and I know places like Mount Kilmanjaro Mount Everest have
had serious issues with litter, especially in recent years with
so many people visiting there, and it's just really sad
to see this happening.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, people sometimes refer to Everest as the world's highest
garbage dump because of all the canisters and tents and
food containers that people abandoned on the way, which is horrible,
and of course Bhutan is trying to avoid this. So
people used to be able to climb mountains in Bhutan.
In fact, despite the objections of local religious groups, you
could previously climb any mountain that you wanted. But in
(13:52):
nineteen ninety four the government finally bowed to pressure within
the country and banned the climbing of all mountains higher
than nineteen thousand, eight hundred feet, and then in two
thousand and three it settled the matter for good by
by banning mountaineering altogether. So while plenty of climbers have
actually conquered Bhutan's peaks in the past, it's unlikely that
(14:12):
anyone will do it again, at least legally. But that said,
there is one mountain left in the country that's believed
to have never been successfully scaled by humans. It's called
gun Car Puensum and at twenty four thousand, eight hundred
and thirty six feet, it is the highest mountain in
Bhutan and the fortieth highest mountain worldwide. But most impressively,
(14:33):
it's also thought to be the world's highest unclimbed mountain,
and because of Bhutan's ban, it probably always will be.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I actually wouldn't have guessed that there even would be
a mountain that hadn't been climbed at some point in
the world. So I really love that.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
I was.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I kind of hope that's where all the abominable snowmen.
And yet you have their annual conferences. I'm guessing that's
where they gather.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Yeah, definitely a gathering place for them.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
All right. Well, Bhutan might straddle the line between old
and new in most ways, but when it comes to fashion,
the country is firmly planted in the past. And that's
because there's actually a mandatory national dress code that's meant
to help preserve its cultural heritage. Basically, if you work
in the public sector, it's compulsory to wear traditional Bhutanese
(15:17):
clothing every single day, and for everyone else, the outfits
are only required on certain occasions, like visiting a government office,
attending a formal event, or participating in a religious ceremony.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, and I actually saw that this applies to the
tourist industry as well. So when you meet that guide
that you were talking about in the capitol, they definitely
won't be wearing blue jeans, that's.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Right, But I can tell you what they will be
wearing instead. So for Bhutanese men, the traditional attire is
called the go, which is kind of a woven kneelengk
robe that's wrapped around your body and secured by this
thick tight belt. It's a little tough to picture, but
when you cinch the material like that, it forms this
pouch right over the stomach. So it forms the sideways
(15:57):
Napoleon style pocket where guys can keep their wallllets or
small children or whatever else they've got with them.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
So it's kind of like a kangaroo robe for the men.
But what about ladies.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Well, so women wear something called the kira, which is
basically an ankle link dress paired with a long sleeved
blouse and a short silk jacket. It looks elegant, and
it's said to be super comfy and best of all,
it also has a deep pouch in the front that
can serve as a pocket.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
They love their pockets, equal opportunity pockets. I love it. Okay, So,
since I decided to talk about what the first don't
do while visiting Bhutan, don't climb a mountain, I also
wanted to follow it up with another which is, don't
ask somebody when their birthday is.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Don't ask somebody. So is it considered offensive there or what?
Speaker 1 (16:41):
No, It's kind of like a waste of time because
most these people don't celebrate their birthdays.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Oh wow, so you're telling me that in the Kingdom
of Happiness, where everyone thinks about dying all the time,
there is no such thing as a happy birthday.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
I mean, every day is not happy, I guess. But
they do have birthdays, it's just not something that is
typically celebrated. So supposely most residents over forty can't tell
you their true date of birth because it was never
considered especially important in this culture. But for a long time,
the majority of parents simply didn't keep track of it.
So even the parents didn't know.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Wow, I mean, but there has to be some way
to keep track of how old everybody is, right, what
does it say on their birth certificates or ID cards
or whatever they have?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah, so the birth year is noted on these birth
certificates and citizenship cards, but for the month and day,
most people are just assigned the default date of January first.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Wow. So on New Year's Day, everyone in Bhutan is
considered a year older.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, pretty much, But it probably won't be that way
for much longer, because you know, in recent years, younger
generations have started keeping better track of their birth dates
and holding celebrations just like we do around the rest
of the world.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
But this is all a pretty big cultural shift, so
I'm curious, how is that going over with the older
set there?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah, I mean this like modernization and world coming into
Bhutan has been a little worrisome with this values there,
but the initial concern has actually softened over time and
today this wonderful blend of Western birthday culture and traditional
Bhutanese customs. So after cutting the cake and opening your presence,
you might head down to the local temple and make
(18:14):
an offering for your birthday so you can still celebrate
your own life without losing sight of the bigger spiritual picture.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I think that's one of the most interesting things as
we study the country more because you can see that
kind of balancing act going on all over the country.
They're trying to keep pace with the modern world to
some degree, but also really committed to preserving that traditional
way of life.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Yeah, like you mentioned with the clothes and other things.
But that's also what makes it so special. You know,
you mentioned earlier that there were no paved roads until
the postal system came in. There are also no cars
until the nineteen sixties, and even today, more than sixty
years later, there's actually only one major intersection in the
capital city and it doesn't even have a traffic light.
(18:56):
There's just a single policeman who stands there all day
directing traffic.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So a world capital with no traffic lights.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yeah, that's pretty incredible.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
So I actually found a few other surprising cases where
Bhutan was either way ahead or way behind the rest
of the world. So, for instance, Bhutan was the first
country to pass a nationwide ban on plastic shopping bags.
It did this back in nineteen ninety nine, But that
same year it also became the last country in the
world to legalize television and the Internet. Now. Similarly, in
(19:24):
two thousand and three, Bhutan became one of the last
nations on Earth to introduce cell phone service, which again,
you know, feels a little in the past. But in
twenty fifteen it became the first country in the world
to achieve a carbon negative status, which is crazy impressive,
and that means that Bhuton actually absorbs more CO two
than it produces.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
That is insane. So how is that even possible?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Well, it's largely thanks to the country's extensive forest cover.
Bhutan's two thousand and eight constitution mandates that at least
sixty percent of the land must remain forested at all times,
and not only has the kingdom stuff to that goal
of the last two decades, it's actually exceeded it by
planting more carbon eating trees and as a result, roughly
seventy percent of Bhutan is now forested. So while the
(20:10):
air is pretty thin in the country's high altitude, it's
also among the cleanest in the world.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That is amazing. So just to recap Bhutan does have
TV and the internet if you need it, you should
probably bring a reusable shopping bag when you visit. Check
and a jar to collect that fresh mountain air, because
it'll make a great, budget friendly souvenir.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
All important things to remember. All right. We've got two
more travel tips to share, but before we get to those,
let's take a quick break. You're listening to part Time
(20:52):
Genus and we're serving up nine heartwarming facts about the
Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. All right, mango, what do you
want to do for your last factor?
Speaker 1 (21:00):
All right? Well, As an avowed chili head, I love
this because it turns out spicy chilies are a crucial
part of Bhutanese cuisine. And that's really no surprise given
that the country has wedged between India and China.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
But while those other cultures tend to use chili's as
a seasoning or as a condiment, the chefs and Bhutan
treat spicy peppers like a full fledged vegetable. In fact,
that the star of the country's official national dish, which
is a flavorful stew called Ama dachi. It's made with
equal parts chili peppers and soft yak cheese, and it's
(21:34):
served at every main meal of the day.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Every main meal. Nothing wakes up like a big bowl
of chili pepper stew I guess, and does everyone start
their day off like this?
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yeah, even the kids, but they're kind of weaned onto it.
Like Budanese parents train them from a young age to
tolerate high levels of spice, and then they start by
mixing in tiny portions of the chilies into their food,
and gradually the dosage gets high enough that the kids
can take on this heat.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Yeah, and spicy food. But why are chili peppers such
a big deal there.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Well, most of the culinary experts think it's because eating
spicy foods can produce a warming effect, which is especially
nice during Bhutan's freezing cold winters. But it's also just
the sense of tradition. Peppers first made their way to
Bhutan from South America during the sixteenth century, so they've
been a part of this diet for generations, and the
chilies are so ingrained in the culture that they even
(22:25):
have a place in the country's prayer rituals. So if
a family member falls ill, you might burn some of
these peppers as a way to fend off evil spirits
until they get well again. In fact, it's like kind
of a side But when I was studying abroad, my
friend Dave and I tried to brew this homemade barley wine.
It was called chang which one of our Tibetan instructors
(22:46):
gave us the recipefore, and one of the things you
do for the month that you're waiting for it to
ferment is you're supposed to dress the barrel in clothes.
So we had these like tubs of chong that were
like wearing our thermals and had sunglasses and spring jack
gets on them. And then you have to take chili's
to the top to make sure that the evil spirits
stay away and leaves your fermenting alone. And it really
(23:08):
is funny that, like in different cultures, all these pungent
flavors are supposed to keep everything out, like you know,
garlic and vampires or chili peppers and these spirits that
are meddling in the East.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Actually, I'm really curious to try this dish now.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Yeah, I know me too, But there's a caveat on
the chili dishes, because I want to mention if you're
visiting Bhutan and you're offered a pepper dish or really
any kind of food, you're supposed to politely refuse to accept.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
It first and why is that. Is it because it's
so spicy or what?
Speaker 1 (23:37):
No, it's just custom to refuse food the first time
it's offered to you. You're supposed to say mashoe mashu,
and you're supposed to cover your mouth while you're doing it.
And this shows that you're grateful, but that you don't
want to be an inconvenience to the host.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I sort of feel like you're pranking me, mango, and
I'm going to go there and say.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
That's come back a lot.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Yeah, they're going to be like, this guy is so rude.
But now we actually, I do believe you on that.
And so what if they insist that you eat it?
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yeah, so the rule only applies to the first offer,
and so they will likely offer again. And at this
point you're free to chow down, but bear in mind
whatever you're about to eat is probably packing some heat.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Wow, all right. From my last tip of the day,
I wanted to recommend something to do while visiting Bhutan.
At first, I was going to suggest that the people
try out archery, which is the country's national sport, or
maybe go yettie hunting, since everyone knows he lives out
there in the Himalayan mountains. But in the end, I
decided to go with something that feels a little more
historically significant, which is to explore the recently reopened trans
(24:38):
Bhutan Trail. So if you've never heard of this, it's
this ancient two hundred and fifty mile hiking trail. It
was originally part of the Silk Road. This was thousands
of years ago, of course, and it runs east to
west across the entire country. And before the government started
building a highway in the nineteen fifties, the trail was
the only way to get from one end of Bhutan
to the other. Unfortunately, once the highway was pleated and
(25:00):
buses and cars became more prevalent, people stopped walking the
trail and it eventually fell into disrepair. So over the years,
many of the trail's bridges and stairways sadly collapsed and
a lot of its footpaths became unusable.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And so what exactly gets lost when this trail falls
into disrepair, Like, did that impact the local communities or
economy or was there something along the trail that you
couldn't be accessed from the highway.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Actually, both of those things, you know, without bridges and footpaths,
some locals were totally cut off from their relatives on
the other side of the valleys or from the lands
that they'd been farming. And on the cultural side of things,
the trail had once connected hundreds of historic sites, including
sacred temples and this amazing series of fortresses or songs
as they call them, which had been used to fend
off foreign invaders roughly five hundred years ago. And while
(25:49):
the highway does run along large portions of the original trail,
it was difficult to actually reach those sites due to
the crumbling footpaths and stairways that we talked about.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
It. It does seem like a waste to have all
these historic landmarks visible but out of reach like that.
But you said the trail's been reopened.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Now, that's exactly right. So the project kicked off in
twenty eighteen and it involved rebuilding or restoring eighteen major
bridges and more than ten thousand stairs. So, as you
can imagine, it was a huge endeavor to clear and
clean all two hundred and fifty miles of this mountainous trail,
But the Bhutanese people got the job done, and in
twenty twenty two, the trans Bhutan trail officially reopened for
(26:28):
the first time in over sixty years, and this time
the plan is to make the trail a central part
of life in Bhutan, just like it used to be,
so hopefully it won't fall into ruin ever again. So
to do that, Bhutanese leadership is making the trail part
of the national curriculum, so young students will hike portions
of the trail to identify local plants and wildlife, and
(26:49):
every citizen under the age of eighteen will spend a
full year working on and walking the trail as part
of a national service program. And the coolest part, at
least to me, is that anyone who who completes the
entire link of the trail, they earn a snazzy new metal.
Everybody knows that's the incentive to get things done.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
But can you imagine how wonderful that would be the
like have as part of our curriculum, like you have
to go spend time on the Affalascian Trail or national
parks or whatever. It really would be a beautiful thing
for this country to embrace. But I'm curious. Is the
trail open to tourists as well? Or is this really
just something intended for locals.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
No, No, it definitely is. I mean, foreign visitors are
totally welcome to hike or bike the trail as long
as they're accompanied by their local guide. But keep in
mind it would take approximately twenty seven days to walk
the entire thing, So at that daily rate we mentioned earlier,
you're looking at just under seven thousand dollars if you
want to hike it straight through. So kind of an
expensive metal to earn.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Well, Will, I am fresh out of medals, but I'm
going to give you the trophy today for telling us
about the post office fact, because you know, now I
want to hunt down a bunch of these Budanese stamps
and add them to my vinyl collection.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
I love it. That's pretty ridiculous, but I do love
it all right, Mango. This week, I've been looking for
analytics on the show, and I've found something incredible. Now,
we've got plenty of listeners in the US and Canada,
even quite a few in England and Australia, but people
have actually been listening to this show from all over
the world, and it's so fun to see. Oh.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
I actually love seeing the reviews from like Canada and
Australia and places like that. But it makes me so
happy that it's being listened wider. So where are you
seeing people come from?
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Well, just this morning I saw that people had tuned
in from Cape Verde, one person in Swatini, and people
from Curacao and Papua New Guinea. It's amazing to see this,
but sadly no one from Bhutan. But if you are
King of Bhutan or Minister of Tourism over there and
you do happen to listen, just know your Royal highness.
(28:48):
We'd love to get a little trade here going, so
just hit us up on our Instagram at part Time Genius.
We're happy to send over some atomic fireballs, the spiciest
science tasting candy, and the official treat of Part Time Genius,
and in return, maybe you can ship over some chili's.
I like that trade all right, but in the meantime,
that's going to do it. For today's episode of Part
Time Genius from Mary Gabe, Dylan Mango and myself, thank
(29:11):
you so much as always for listening.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio.
This show is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongas Chatikler,
and research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's
episode was engineered and produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan
with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced
for iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, with social
(29:48):
media support from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shorey.
For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
You're listening to Part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope
and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Guess what, Mango? What's that? Will? All right? I know
we've got this long list of all the places we
want to go, but one of the places I've always
wanted to go but I've heard can get pretty pricey
actually is Bhutan. Now, I know this is on your
list as well, and we've always wanted to do an
episode here. But anyone who knows anything about Bhutan knows
that the Himalayan kingdom is known for being gorgeous and pristine,
(00:33):
but it also has a reputation for being pretty expensive.
And that's because, with only a handful of exceptions, foreign
tours who visit the country are required to pay a
fixed amount for every single day that they spend there.
It's typically the equivalent of about two hundred and fifty
dollars a day, or what they call the sustainable development fee.
But once you get past the initial sticker shock, it
(00:53):
actually works out to be a pretty good deal. You know.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
I obviously study abroad into Pollitoba, and like I knew
it was a expensive and especially as a student, it
felt like just exorbitant, But I had no idea. It
could actually be a good deal. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah, the price not only covers meals and accommodations, it
also provides you with a state appointed tour guide as
well as a car and a driver to help get around.
So that price down when you think about its.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Feel incredible, especially like, you know, considering it's a pretty
small country, getting a car to drive around is pretty amazing.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah. The whole of Bhutan is less than half the
size of the state of Indiana, And as you know,
I always like to measure things in Indiana's you know,
whether I'm eating a meal and it's like one one
millionth of an Indiana or whatever it may be. Anyway,
but you're right, the fee structure helps prevent the country
from being overrun by tourists. So, for instance, there's this
whole subculture of budget travelers who backpack all over Asia
(01:44):
on the cheap, and there's this unofficial route that they
tend to follow called the Banana Pancake Trail. Have you
heard of this?
Speaker 1 (01:51):
I have had banana pancakes in that reason, but but
I didn't realize there was a trail.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
It's yeah, a little bit well, I mean it's sort
of along those lines. There's a lot of street vendors
and guesthouses that cater this crowd and serve banana pancakes
for breakfast, which seems like a fantastic idea. And the
Pancake Trail runs through Nepal and into China, but rather tellingly,
it avoids Bhutan, and that's because the high fixed price
for visitors tends to price out the bargain backpackers there.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I loved idea this like Hansolin Gretel, like like banana
trail that's just waiting for you. Uh. But I assume
all of this is by design, right, They're trying to
keep people out.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
It definitely is. And for the longest time, Bhutan was
completely closed off to foreign visitors because the government worried
that foreign influence would erode the unique culture and sort
of rekavoc on the environment there. And while the country
did eventually open its borders in the nineteen seventies, it
remained extremely selective about the kinds of tourists that it welcomes.
The Bhutanese government calls this policy quote high value, low
(02:49):
impact tourism, and it's a big reason why Bhutan's air, water,
and landscapes remain untouched, even with hundreds of thousands of
tourists passing through every single year. Day's episode, we thought
we'd sneak into this pristine country and tore you through
some of Bhutan's most fun facts. So put on your
hiking shoes, it's time to dive in. Hey, their podcast listeners,
(03:30):
welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as
always I'm joined by my good friend Mangesh hot Ticket
and on the other side of the soundproof glass wearing
a hat with a scrawny looking dragon, I think on wheels,
that's our friend and producer Dylan Fagan. Now, at first
I thought Dylan had lost the plot a bit wearing
such a random hat, But then I realized that's not
(03:50):
just any odd looking dragon. That's the same one that's
on the front and center of the Butan Knese flag.
Now did you catch that Mango?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I could actually tell by those four round jewels clutched
in the dragon's feet. They kind of look like he's
on wheels and he can't keep his balance. But I
do love it. It is pretty distinctive and adorable.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
He's got such good taste at Dylan, So Bhutan's national
symbol is a thunder dragon or druk, and it's a
big deal. In Bhutanese mythology. The druk is associated with
these fierce storms that often roll in from the Himalayas,
and according to legend, the sound of the thunder is
actually the dragon roaring.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
It's also the country's namesake, right, Like, I feel like
I've read that Bhutan literally means thunder dragon.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You know, that's actually what I thought too, But the
truth is that nobody really knows what Bhutan means. The
best guess is that it's an adaptation of a Sanskrit
phrase meaning the end or edge of Tibet. But it's
kind of beside the point because the Bhutanese themselves don't
use that name anyway. They call their country Druk Yule.
Now that's a name that translates to land of the
(04:53):
thunder Dragon, which is much cooler than the edge of Tibet,
don't you think?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, totally. It's definitely cooler for your country known by
this awesome mythical creature than like being some other country's
boundary line.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
I think I think that's safe to say. Alrightego, So
we're headed to Baton, where do you want to start today?
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Well, one of the most interesting things to me about
Bhutan is that everyone is encouraged to think about death
there at least three times a day, including anyone who's
there on vacation.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Really, I mean that feels a little more of it,
especially if you're on vacation. But Bhutan's considered one of
the happiest places on Earth, right I remember us covering
them in an episode. It's been quite some time, but
do you remember.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
That, right? Yeah, we did the Happiest Place on Earth
episode forever ago, and people can go back and listen
to it. But Bhutan's definitely made a lot of news
over the last few decades for developing something called the
GNH or Gross National Happiness Index, And the way it
works is that a government commission goes out every five
years or so and knocks on the doors to conduct
(05:53):
a big survey, and they actually ask one hundred and
fifty different questions that are designed to gauge whether a
person is happy or not, and then the government studies
the results and factors them into various aspects of public policy.
It's pretty cool and unique. Actually, less than eight hundred
thousand people live in Bhutan, But according to the most
recent report from twenty twenty two, a staggering ninety three
(06:17):
point six percent of them define themselves as either narrowly,
extensively or deeply happy.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Isn't that amazing? Wow? That is amazing. And yet these
are the people encouraging me to think about dying while
I'm on vacation.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah. So, one thing the gnah's report doesn't tell you
is that part of the secret to this national happiness
is purposely thinking about death each and every day, so
once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and actually
once at night. And that's because the Bhutanese attitude towards
death is pretty different. Like in the West, we try
to avoid thinking about it as much as possible, because
(06:51):
you know, we're scared of it. But in Bhutan, they
recognize that shying away from the reality to death can
often be more painful than facing it head on. And
because of this cultural mindset that they have, you can
actually spot reminders of death just about everywhere you go,
so some of them are hard to miss, like these
gorgeous artistic depictions of you know, wrathful deities, or things
(07:14):
like piles of skulls that turn up in Buddhist iconography.
But they are also subtle reminders, including lovely memorials called sasas.
And they look like these small cylindrical cones, and they're
painted white or red or gold, and they're actually molded
from clay mixed with the ashes of a loved one.
And you see rows of them all over the country,
lined up on prayer walls, or like nestled in public
(07:36):
parks and squares, and even on cliff sides way up
in the mountains.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
And that's all super interesting, But I'm curious, how does
any of this actually make people happier?
Speaker 1 (07:45):
So maybe if we tie into Western science, it might
make a little more sense. There was a study at
the University of Kentucky, and this was back in two
thousand and seven, but the psychologists there split a few
dozen students into two groups. Now, one group was instructed
to think about a painful visit to the dentist, and
the other was asked to contemplate their own death.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
So it's kind of a horrible time for everybody involved,
it seems.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Yeah, I know. But here's the thing. So the death
thinkers later reported feeling happier and more fulfilled compared to
the dental group. And here's what's fascinating. When asked to
complete a series of stem words, the death group was
far more likely to construct these positive words. So you
get a prompt like a jo and then a blank,
(08:27):
and they'd write things like joy, while the other group
would form words like job. And this led researchers to
conclude that quote, death is a psychologically threatening fact, but
when people contemplate it, the automatic coping system begins to
search for happy thoughts.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Oh that's super interesting. So maybe the botanies are actually
onto something here.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah, I mean, the idea really goes back to the
foundation of all these Buddhist teachings, which is that everything
changes and nothing is permanent. So the thinking is that
the more we make peace with our own impermanence, the
more like we are to appreciate everything in the present.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Just to be clear here, your first travel tip for
visiting Bhutan is to think about death three times a day.
Do I have that right?
Speaker 1 (09:10):
At least three times a day. You can do more
than that if you know more. Okay, just know you
should probably pace yourself. Will what are you gonna talk
about next?
Speaker 2 (09:20):
All right, we've talked about death now, Mango let's talk
about stamps. So we're off to just a crazy start here. Now.
One of the things that's really fascinating is that Bhutan
has some of the most beautiful stamps in the world.
It has this interesting story behind it, actually, which I
learned from a magazine called Works that Work. Anyway, the
story goes, button really didn't have a postal service before
(09:42):
the nineteen sixties, but in nineteen sixty two it launches
this tiny little post office and a town on the
border with India. Now the country also opens up its
first paved road and kickstarts other types of infrastructure changes
there and really starts to open itself up to the
world a little bit more. Right, So at this time
it's it started to be less of a hermit kingdom. Yeah,
that's exactly right. And it was around this time it
(10:04):
applies to the World Bank to fund these modernization programs
and to build more things like hospitals, to also build
an airport, and the country gets rejected. There. Now, one
of the people who's advising on the loan is this
American entrepreneur and friend of the royal family named Bert Todd,
and he comes up with this alternate scheme like why
don't we start selling stamps to make a few million
(10:25):
dollars and then start putting that into the economy.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
But that feels hard, right, Like Bhutan doesn't have a
postal system, people aren't sending mail within the country, so
like why stamps.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Well, he wants to make a collector's market around the world.
And to be fair, the Bhutanese themselves are skeptical that
this will work, but they have another reason for okaying
the project. As this tiny nation that sits between India
and China, two countries that kind of have a history
of annexing neighbor states, Bhutan has a little anxiety about
maintaining its independence and stamps are kind of a way
(10:57):
to raise their international profile. So his works that work
puts it quote, even if stamps failed to generate substantial funding,
they could help to build awareness of the country, raising
at least political capital. And so Todd sets up this
Bhutan Stamp Agency and he does this from the Bahamas
because he wanted to really focus on selling the stamps internationally.
And the stamps that come out are incredible. Now, some
(11:20):
serious stamp collectors look down on these Bhutanese stamps for
being a little too gimmicky, but Bhutan ends up creating
the first metal stamp, the first three D stamp, the
first scented stamp, ended up making a stamp called the
Talking Stamp that you could play on a record play.
I mean, they got really creative here and had Bhutanese
voices and folk songs along with these, and so decades
(11:41):
later a stamp that works on a CD Rahm came out.
But anyway, today the stamps are commissioned by the Bhutanese themselves,
and they are really gorgeous and also they're still very
unusual there of course, beautiful stamps of animals and the
first textured sort of brushstroke painted stamp. But also you'll
never guess what the best selling stamp right now is.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
Like a stamp of Lebron James or like a like
a Korean boy band.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You nailed it, Mango, It's Lebron And now it's actually
a series of stamps with fallises on it. Now apparently
fallises are a common motif and Boutanese art and as
a way of warding off evil spirits, and they're considered
funny and naughty around the world. So the series from
twenty thirteen sells a ton abroad. I'm just gonna show
you a few pictures here, but you can imagine, like
(12:28):
you can know the people all around the world just
being like, that's funny that that's what they put on
their stamps. I'm gonna buy some, right.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
You are not joking. These are amazing.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
No, this is for real. And actually, one detail that's
really cute from the article is that there's basically one
person who's responsible for all the art and design of
the stamps, and his favorite thing to do is go
to the post office and watch tourists gawk at the
stamps and watch which ones they're most drawn to, and
then he comes up with a few new ideas, which
is I don't know, I just think it's kind of
(12:57):
sweet and wonderful.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Oh I love the So for my next fact, I
want to talk about mountaineering and Bhutan and did you
know it's actually against the law to climb a mountain there?
Speaker 2 (13:07):
I did not.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Apparently the peaks are considered sacred ground because they're home
to gods and spirits, so they don't want a bunch
of mountaineers trapesing through and wrecking the.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Place, which makes sense, you know, when you consider the
amount of trash that's left on mountain trails these days,
and I know places like Mount Kilmanjaro Mount Everest have
had serious issues with litter, especially in recent years with
so many people visiting there, and it's just really sad
to see this happening.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, people sometimes refer to Everest as the world's highest
garbage dump because of all the canisters and tents and
food containers that people abandoned on the way, which is horrible,
and of course Bhutan is trying to avoid this. So
people used to be able to climb mountains in Bhutan.
In fact, despite the objections of local religious groups, you
could previously climb any mountain that you wanted. But in
(13:52):
nineteen ninety four the government finally bowed to pressure within
the country and banned the climbing of all mountains higher
than nineteen thousand, eight hundred feet, and then in two
thousand and three it settled the matter for good by
by banning mountaineering altogether. So while plenty of climbers have
actually conquered Bhutan's peaks in the past, it's unlikely that
(14:12):
anyone will do it again, at least legally. But that said,
there is one mountain left in the country that's believed
to have never been successfully scaled by humans. It's called
gun Car Puensum and at twenty four thousand, eight hundred
and thirty six feet, it is the highest mountain in
Bhutan and the fortieth highest mountain worldwide. But most impressively,
(14:33):
it's also thought to be the world's highest unclimbed mountain,
and because of Bhutan's ban, it probably always will be.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
I actually wouldn't have guessed that there even would be
a mountain that hadn't been climbed at some point in
the world. So I really love that.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
I was.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
I kind of hope that's where all the abominable snowmen.
And yet you have their annual conferences. I'm guessing that's
where they gather.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Yeah, definitely a gathering place for them.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
All right. Well, Bhutan might straddle the line between old
and new in most ways, but when it comes to fashion,
the country is firmly planted in the past. And that's
because there's actually a mandatory national dress code that's meant
to help preserve its cultural heritage. Basically, if you work
in the public sector, it's compulsory to wear traditional Bhutanese
(15:17):
clothing every single day, and for everyone else, the outfits
are only required on certain occasions, like visiting a government office,
attending a formal event, or participating in a religious ceremony.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, and I actually saw that this applies to the
tourist industry as well. So when you meet that guide
that you were talking about in the capitol, they definitely
won't be wearing blue jeans, that's.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
Right, But I can tell you what they will be
wearing instead. So for Bhutanese men, the traditional attire is
called the go, which is kind of a woven kneelengk
robe that's wrapped around your body and secured by this
thick tight belt. It's a little tough to picture, but
when you cinch the material like that, it forms this
pouch right over the stomach. So it forms the sideways
(15:57):
Napoleon style pocket where guys can keep their wallllets or
small children or whatever else they've got with them.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
So it's kind of like a kangaroo robe for the men.
But what about ladies.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Well, so women wear something called the kira, which is
basically an ankle link dress paired with a long sleeved
blouse and a short silk jacket. It looks elegant, and
it's said to be super comfy and best of all,
it also has a deep pouch in the front that
can serve as a pocket.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
They love their pockets, equal opportunity pockets. I love it. Okay, So,
since I decided to talk about what the first don't
do while visiting Bhutan, don't climb a mountain, I also
wanted to follow it up with another which is, don't
ask somebody when their birthday is.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
Don't ask somebody. So is it considered offensive there or what?
Speaker 1 (16:41):
No, It's kind of like a waste of time because
most these people don't celebrate their birthdays.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Oh wow, so you're telling me that in the Kingdom
of Happiness, where everyone thinks about dying all the time,
there is no such thing as a happy birthday.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
I mean, every day is not happy, I guess. But
they do have birthdays, it's just not something that is
typically celebrated. So supposely most residents over forty can't tell
you their true date of birth because it was never
considered especially important in this culture. But for a long time,
the majority of parents simply didn't keep track of it.
So even the parents didn't know.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Wow, I mean, but there has to be some way
to keep track of how old everybody is, right, what
does it say on their birth certificates or ID cards
or whatever they have?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Yeah, so the birth year is noted on these birth
certificates and citizenship cards, but for the month and day,
most people are just assigned the default date of January first.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Wow. So on New Year's Day, everyone in Bhutan is
considered a year older.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, pretty much, But it probably won't be that way
for much longer, because you know, in recent years, younger
generations have started keeping better track of their birth dates
and holding celebrations just like we do around the rest
of the world.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
But this is all a pretty big cultural shift, so
I'm curious, how is that going over with the older
set there?
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah, I mean this like modernization and world coming into
Bhutan has been a little worrisome with this values there,
but the initial concern has actually softened over time and
today this wonderful blend of Western birthday culture and traditional
Bhutanese customs. So after cutting the cake and opening your presence,
you might head down to the local temple and make
(18:14):
an offering for your birthday so you can still celebrate
your own life without losing sight of the bigger spiritual picture.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I think that's one of the most interesting things as
we study the country more because you can see that
kind of balancing act going on all over the country.
They're trying to keep pace with the modern world to
some degree, but also really committed to preserving that traditional
way of life.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Yeah, like you mentioned with the clothes and other things.
But that's also what makes it so special. You know,
you mentioned earlier that there were no paved roads until
the postal system came in. There are also no cars
until the nineteen sixties, and even today, more than sixty
years later, there's actually only one major intersection in the
capital city and it doesn't even have a traffic light.
(18:56):
There's just a single policeman who stands there all day
directing traffic.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So a world capital with no traffic lights.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Yeah, that's pretty incredible.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
So I actually found a few other surprising cases where
Bhutan was either way ahead or way behind the rest
of the world. So, for instance, Bhutan was the first
country to pass a nationwide ban on plastic shopping bags.
It did this back in nineteen ninety nine, But that
same year it also became the last country in the
world to legalize television and the Internet. Now. Similarly, in
(19:24):
two thousand and three, Bhutan became one of the last
nations on Earth to introduce cell phone service, which again,
you know, feels a little in the past. But in
twenty fifteen it became the first country in the world
to achieve a carbon negative status, which is crazy impressive,
and that means that Bhuton actually absorbs more CO two
than it produces.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
That is insane. So how is that even possible?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Well, it's largely thanks to the country's extensive forest cover.
Bhutan's two thousand and eight constitution mandates that at least
sixty percent of the land must remain forested at all times,
and not only has the kingdom stuff to that goal
of the last two decades, it's actually exceeded it by
planting more carbon eating trees and as a result, roughly
seventy percent of Bhutan is now forested. So while the
(20:10):
air is pretty thin in the country's high altitude, it's
also among the cleanest in the world.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That is amazing. So just to recap Bhutan does have
TV and the internet if you need it, you should
probably bring a reusable shopping bag when you visit. Check
and a jar to collect that fresh mountain air, because
it'll make a great, budget friendly souvenir.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
All important things to remember. All right. We've got two
more travel tips to share, but before we get to those,
let's take a quick break. You're listening to part Time
(20:52):
Genus and we're serving up nine heartwarming facts about the
Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. All right, mango, what do you
want to do for your last factor?
Speaker 1 (21:00):
All right? Well, As an avowed chili head, I love
this because it turns out spicy chilies are a crucial
part of Bhutanese cuisine. And that's really no surprise given
that the country has wedged between India and China.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Right.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
But while those other cultures tend to use chili's as
a seasoning or as a condiment, the chefs and Bhutan
treat spicy peppers like a full fledged vegetable. In fact,
that the star of the country's official national dish, which
is a flavorful stew called Ama dachi. It's made with
equal parts chili peppers and soft yak cheese, and it's
(21:34):
served at every main meal of the day.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Every main meal. Nothing wakes up like a big bowl
of chili pepper stew I guess, and does everyone start
their day off like this?
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yeah, even the kids, but they're kind of weaned onto it.
Like Budanese parents train them from a young age to
tolerate high levels of spice, and then they start by
mixing in tiny portions of the chilies into their food,
and gradually the dosage gets high enough that the kids
can take on this heat.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Yeah, and spicy food. But why are chili peppers such
a big deal there.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
Well, most of the culinary experts think it's because eating
spicy foods can produce a warming effect, which is especially
nice during Bhutan's freezing cold winters. But it's also just
the sense of tradition. Peppers first made their way to
Bhutan from South America during the sixteenth century, so they've
been a part of this diet for generations, and the
chilies are so ingrained in the culture that they even
(22:25):
have a place in the country's prayer rituals. So if
a family member falls ill, you might burn some of
these peppers as a way to fend off evil spirits
until they get well again. In fact, it's like kind
of a side But when I was studying abroad, my
friend Dave and I tried to brew this homemade barley wine.
It was called chang which one of our Tibetan instructors
(22:46):
gave us the recipefore, and one of the things you
do for the month that you're waiting for it to
ferment is you're supposed to dress the barrel in clothes.
So we had these like tubs of chong that were
like wearing our thermals and had sunglasses and spring jack
gets on them. And then you have to take chili's
to the top to make sure that the evil spirits
stay away and leaves your fermenting alone. And it really
(23:08):
is funny that, like in different cultures, all these pungent
flavors are supposed to keep everything out, like you know,
garlic and vampires or chili peppers and these spirits that
are meddling in the East.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Actually, I'm really curious to try this dish now.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Yeah, I know me too, But there's a caveat on
the chili dishes, because I want to mention if you're
visiting Bhutan and you're offered a pepper dish or really
any kind of food, you're supposed to politely refuse to accept.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
It first and why is that. Is it because it's
so spicy or what?
Speaker 1 (23:37):
No, it's just custom to refuse food the first time
it's offered to you. You're supposed to say mashoe mashu,
and you're supposed to cover your mouth while you're doing it.
And this shows that you're grateful, but that you don't
want to be an inconvenience to the host.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I sort of feel like you're pranking me, mango, and
I'm going to go there and say.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
That's come back a lot.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Yeah, they're going to be like, this guy is so rude.
But now we actually, I do believe you on that.
And so what if they insist that you eat it?
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Yeah, so the rule only applies to the first offer,
and so they will likely offer again. And at this
point you're free to chow down, but bear in mind
whatever you're about to eat is probably packing some heat.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Wow, all right. From my last tip of the day,
I wanted to recommend something to do while visiting Bhutan.
At first, I was going to suggest that the people
try out archery, which is the country's national sport, or
maybe go yettie hunting, since everyone knows he lives out
there in the Himalayan mountains. But in the end, I
decided to go with something that feels a little more
historically significant, which is to explore the recently reopened trans
(24:38):
Bhutan Trail. So if you've never heard of this, it's
this ancient two hundred and fifty mile hiking trail. It
was originally part of the Silk Road. This was thousands
of years ago, of course, and it runs east to
west across the entire country. And before the government started
building a highway in the nineteen fifties, the trail was
the only way to get from one end of Bhutan
to the other. Unfortunately, once the highway was pleated and
(25:00):
buses and cars became more prevalent, people stopped walking the
trail and it eventually fell into disrepair. So over the years,
many of the trail's bridges and stairways sadly collapsed and
a lot of its footpaths became unusable.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
And so what exactly gets lost when this trail falls
into disrepair, Like, did that impact the local communities or
economy or was there something along the trail that you
couldn't be accessed from the highway.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Actually, both of those things, you know, without bridges and footpaths,
some locals were totally cut off from their relatives on
the other side of the valleys or from the lands
that they'd been farming. And on the cultural side of things,
the trail had once connected hundreds of historic sites, including
sacred temples and this amazing series of fortresses or songs
as they call them, which had been used to fend
off foreign invaders roughly five hundred years ago. And while
(25:49):
the highway does run along large portions of the original trail,
it was difficult to actually reach those sites due to
the crumbling footpaths and stairways that we talked about.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
It. It does seem like a waste to have all
these historic landmarks visible but out of reach like that.
But you said the trail's been reopened.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
Now, that's exactly right. So the project kicked off in
twenty eighteen and it involved rebuilding or restoring eighteen major
bridges and more than ten thousand stairs. So, as you
can imagine, it was a huge endeavor to clear and
clean all two hundred and fifty miles of this mountainous trail,
But the Bhutanese people got the job done, and in
twenty twenty two, the trans Bhutan trail officially reopened for
(26:28):
the first time in over sixty years, and this time
the plan is to make the trail a central part
of life in Bhutan, just like it used to be,
so hopefully it won't fall into ruin ever again. So
to do that, Bhutanese leadership is making the trail part
of the national curriculum, so young students will hike portions
of the trail to identify local plants and wildlife, and
(26:49):
every citizen under the age of eighteen will spend a
full year working on and walking the trail as part
of a national service program. And the coolest part, at
least to me, is that anyone who who completes the
entire link of the trail, they earn a snazzy new metal.
Everybody knows that's the incentive to get things done.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
But can you imagine how wonderful that would be the
like have as part of our curriculum, like you have
to go spend time on the Affalascian Trail or national
parks or whatever. It really would be a beautiful thing
for this country to embrace. But I'm curious. Is the
trail open to tourists as well? Or is this really
just something intended for locals.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
No, No, it definitely is. I mean, foreign visitors are
totally welcome to hike or bike the trail as long
as they're accompanied by their local guide. But keep in
mind it would take approximately twenty seven days to walk
the entire thing, So at that daily rate we mentioned earlier,
you're looking at just under seven thousand dollars if you
want to hike it straight through. So kind of an
expensive metal to earn.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Well, Will, I am fresh out of medals, but I'm
going to give you the trophy today for telling us
about the post office fact, because you know, now I
want to hunt down a bunch of these Budanese stamps
and add them to my vinyl collection.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
I love it. That's pretty ridiculous, but I do love
it all right, Mango. This week, I've been looking for
analytics on the show, and I've found something incredible. Now,
we've got plenty of listeners in the US and Canada,
even quite a few in England and Australia, but people
have actually been listening to this show from all over
the world, and it's so fun to see. Oh.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
I actually love seeing the reviews from like Canada and
Australia and places like that. But it makes me so
happy that it's being listened wider. So where are you
seeing people come from?
Speaker 2 (28:28):
Well, just this morning I saw that people had tuned
in from Cape Verde, one person in Swatini, and people
from Curacao and Papua New Guinea. It's amazing to see this,
but sadly no one from Bhutan. But if you are
King of Bhutan or Minister of Tourism over there and
you do happen to listen, just know your Royal highness.
(28:48):
We'd love to get a little trade here going, so
just hit us up on our Instagram at part Time Genius.
We're happy to send over some atomic fireballs, the spiciest
science tasting candy, and the official treat of Part Time Genius,
and in return, maybe you can ship over some chili's.
I like that trade all right, but in the meantime,
that's going to do it. For today's episode of Part
Time Genius from Mary Gabe, Dylan Mango and myself, thank
(29:11):
you so much as always for listening.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Part Time Genius is a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio.
This show is hosted by Will Pearson and me Mongas Chatikler,
and research by our good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's
episode was engineered and produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan
with support from Tyler Klang. The show is executive produced
for iHeart by Katrina Norvell and Ali Perry, with social
(29:48):
media support from Sasha Gay, trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shorey.
For more podcasts from Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Part-Time Genius News
Hosts And Creators
Will Pearson
Mangesh Hattikudur
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