A view of rice paddies and wheat fields with a small cluster of farm houses beyond. The houses are majestic and the fields which have been farmed for centuries, remain rich and fertile. The pace of development is certainly felt in Bhutan, with cell phones and high speed internet equally available, but the direction of the development if far more considered and that includes valuing the role of rural areas to grow food and sustain the population. As well as the importance of other factors, such as conservation and wellbeing. Bhutan is not without its contradictions though and as a very tightly controlled state, there are certainly downsides as well. One of which is the contested issue of Bhutanese refugees that is worth reading more about if you are interested.
A small stupa in the middle of the fields, with an elderly farmer making his ritual turns of the prayer wheels. Prayer is built into the everyday through household alters and stupas to be found everywhere. Prayer seems to serve many functions here, one of which is maintaining an appropriate pace to life which includes time for gratitude and reflection.
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