Bhutan, The Land of the Peaceful Dragon

Bhutan, the land of the peaceful dragon, is located to the south of the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet and North East of India. Only country in the region untouched by the colonial period, Bhutan retains its rich Buddhist cultural heritage in its purest form.
 
In the 1930's classic, Lost Horizon, the author used the word Shangri-La to describe a secluded Himalayan valley where people preserved their culture from the outside world and which was free from strife and discord. Bhutan is often described as that last Shangri-La.
 
To the outsiders, the country is known as Bhutan, but its inhabitants know it as the 'land of the thunder dragon' - the Druk Yul. It is located to the south of the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet and North East of India and in the Himalayas. It is the only country in the region untouched by the colonial period and retains its rich Buddhist cultural heritage in its purest form. Often it is described as having one foot in the future and one in the past. Here, traditional culture co-exists with modern education and technology and daily life involves a deep engagement with legend and folklore, ritual and religion. Even government policy incorporates the Buddhist belief in the sanctity of life and implements it to preserve its own ways. As a result, the movement toward development has been a cautious one. Being closed to the outside world till the mid 20th century, Bhutan has preserved a lot of its forest cover and ecosystem as well, making it well deserving of that above given title.
 
Bhutan has no domestic air service or railways, so the only way to see the country is by road or on foot. It is often said that Thimphu is the only world capital without traffic lights. And it doesn't really need any because the best way to see the town is to wander about in it.
 

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