S¡pp¡ng Changat the Thimpu FCC Last year it was Burma and seven days among pagodas and 1940s taxis held together with string and
Buddhist prayer. This year it was Bhutan and ten daYs of HimalaYan scenery, religious tantric dances and the dedication of the ThimPu FCC. Three of the more visible members of the Club, Sue Girdwood of Media, Penny Byrne of Asia Travel Trade and Georgina Lee of Hilton lnternational, joined the select band of a few thousand Westerners who have visited tiny, landlocked Bhutan,
tucked among the folds of the Himalayas, north of lndia and south
of Tibet. lnformation and books on Bhutan (population 1.2 million) were hard to find and best obtained from others who have visited the country or from bookshops in lndia - in particular The Oxford BookshoP in Darjeel ing.
Girdwood, Byrne and Lee sipping the millet-based "chang" at what became dubbed the îhimpu FCC. TheiiVerdict on what is regarded as the top tipple on flanks of the Himalayas:"Evil!"
of the Himalayas in time for the coronation of the present King, snakes in never-ending hair pin bends for eight hours and 280 kilometres from Phuntsoling to the Thimpu valley, 7,500 feet above sea level.
ate deferential ritual offering of tea created scenes reminscent of the journeys of Marco Polo. Days in Thimpu were spent visiting dzongs (centres of administration and religious study) and exploring the little town to photograph anything and anyone who moved. An early evening stroll down the main street took the trio into a smoky dive, shortly to be christened the Thimpu FCC, and its first encounter with millet beer. The itinerary centred on the five-day Paro spring tsechu, the high point of the tour¡st season and a
have to pass through the restricted area of North West Bengal, which
in order to
reach the border town of Phuntsoling' An alternative to the time-consuming and exhausting car journeY is Druk Air's new Calcutta-to-Paro service once a week, a trip of 90 minutes. Many will find this idea more appealing than the gruelling mountain drive. But nothing gives a greater
laboriously cut through the foothills 14
spectacle
of medieval splendour. lf
Cathay Pacific ever re-shoots its Marco Polo commercials, it should note this event.
of the isolation of this 47,OOA
square kilometre country than the drive from the border to the capital city of Druk Yul, Land of the Thunder Dragon. The road,
On arrival, Bhutan's capital city (population 20,000) is barely lit by electricity after dark and its streets are empty of people and traffic. At the government hotel a reception for United Nations aid dignitaries was in full swing complete with after dinner folk dances and songs. Dim-lit rooms furnished with home-spun curtains, cushions and carpets, a melee of men and women in national costume, and the immedi-
the West; travel scrabble. a Walkman, a short-wave radio and some Stevie Wonder tapes. A few tinned provisions were also packed, just in case the same culinarY disasters encountered in Burma materialised. Entry to Bhutan is comPlicated by lndian red tape. Most travellers
sense
the valley comes the eerie, haunting of long silver horns and slowly beaten drums. The shuffling feet of the entranced monk dancers, bedecked in brocades and silks, and the country picnic atmosphere of the crowd are unforgettable sights. During the trip the team became acquainted with the characteristics of Bhutanese tourism: a universal familiarity among young people with English (it is now the medium of instruction in schools), and a general, genuine courtesy and sounds
to please. Electricity and the water supply in even the most comfortable Government hotels are erratic, though staff seek to remedy the problem as quickly as possible with buckets of hot water and handfuls of candles smilingly delivered eagerness
The intrepid trio was thus armed with minimal mental Preparation when it embarked on the journey: clothing suitable for life on the roof of the world, some good books and a few reassuring links with
necessitates permits,
of ping-pong balls, in which the family wealth is displayed. Across size
What the fashionable ladies wear in Bhutan-genuine leopard and tiger' skin coats. Lee and Girdwood cause bemusement among Thimpu locals.
The whole population of Paro Valley, and indeed much of Bhutan, gathers for the dance festival dressed in its f inery. The women wear tradi' tional necklaces of coral beads the
to waterless bathrooms and lightless bedrooms.
Food, while adequate f or those with voracious appetites induced by the heady mountain ai r, becomes a little monotonous after ten days of pink rice, vegetables cooked in milk and chicken in restricted variety. Breakfasts are heartY affairs in the best English tradition: corn-flakes and milk, bacon and eggs, warm toast, fresh butter, fine-cut marmalade and the ubiqultous tea. The government, Pleading a
paucity of services for tourists,
has
restricted arrivals to about 2,000 a year - at this stage mostlY, EuroPean and particularly West Germans.
The Ministry of Tourism, keePing
a
patriarchal eye on things to guard against the corruption of Bhutanese values and culture by encroaching Weastern ways has, however, indicated that over the next decade numbers may be allowed to swell to about 10,000 a year as more areas of the country are opened up and facilities developed. Bhutan is not a place for the Puerto Azul set or the habitues of Patpong; it's a country of apparently naive simplicity where time moves slowly and nobody seems to do much of anything. lt's a most amazing reminder of life as it must have been centuries - practically unchanged - place where ago. a reassuring, friendly those Westerners intrepid enough to venture are given warm welcomes which will be remembered for years.
NEW MEMBERS Correspondent Members Journalist Members Miss Glynis A. Green Programme Officer Radio Television HK
Miss Catherine Campbell
Sub-Editor Reuters
Mr. Kulraj Rathour
Mr. Perer Bibby
Sen. Programme Officer Radio Television HK
Asst. Publications Director/ Ed¡tor Trade Media lan Findlay-Brown F
Mr. William L. Barnes News Reporter
Radio Television HK
reel ance
Mr. Benedict Wang Chi Ling
Mr. Larence S. MacDonald
Editor
Copy Ed¡tor Asiaweek
Sing Tao Newspapers Ltd.
Mr. Peter Lim Agency France Presse
Miss Barbara Waters Executive Editor/Research
Mr. Michael A. Bishara
Corporate Commu nications
Mr. James Sun Reporter, S.C.M.P. Mr. Leonard L. J. Tracey Sen. Programme Officer RTHK
Reuters
Mr. John P. R. Newsham Sen.
Art
Mr. Cheung Chi Shing Sen, Manager Shun flingf Electric Works & Eng. Co., Ltd. Mr. Thomas E. Jones Coudert Brothers Mr. Peter G. Thorne, Partner Norton, Rose, Botterell &
l\ls. Elizabeth Altman Editor, Emphasis Ltd.
D¡rector
s.c.M.P.
Mr. Roy Edmunds Special Writer, S.C.M.P.
Mr. Chr¡stopher N. Pritchett Desk Editor Reuters
Roche
Mr. Ernest Wong Wan Chi
Mr. Stephen K. Aylward Sen. Programme Officer Radio Television HK
Miss Lydia Luk
Asst. Editor The Asia Letter Ms. Michele Nayman Asian Business Press Pte Ltd. Mr. Lousi Kraar Asian Editor Fortune Magazine
Ernest, W. C. Wong Arch itects
Mr. Nicholas Zi Account Executive
Associate Members
Bache Halsey Stuart Shields
Mr. Raymond M. Boyes
Mr. Rajendra Bajpai Reuters
Sales Manager, Reuters
Miss Vivien Chan Baker & Mckenzie
Mr. Alfred Li, Zone Director American Express lnt, lnc.
Mr. Georç Kwan
Mr. Nicholas Fortune
for DHL Graphic Design DHK lnt. Ltd. Mr. Majid Gaffor Production Manager Trade Media Ltd. Mr. Edward l. M. LiPman First Secretary The Gommission for Canada Mr. Colin Stevens
General Manager Marshalls (HK) Ltd.
Mr. Paul Ehrlich Fairchild News Service
Mr. Richard A. Corwin
Mr. Husain Haqqani lslamic Press Agency
Resident Partner Walker & Corsa
Mr. Angus D.A. MacSwan
Mr. Peter Rieger
Sub-Editor Agency France Presse Mr. Robert Magnuson
Managing Director
FBTC Ltd.
Mr. Cornelis J. Dirkzwager
Staff Reporter
Consul
The Asian Wall Street Jou rna
Mr. Arlon O. Hichman Programme Manager IBM World Trade Asia Corp.
Director
Chief Sub-Editor Trade Media Ltd. Mr. Ron Alpe Reporter/Sen. Sub-Editor
Consulate General Netherland
I
Mr. Geoffrey Weetman Asst. Manager, Reuters Mr. James Jameson, Manager IBM Southeast Asia Corp. Mr. William Ho Director & Manager Modern Terminals Ltd. Mr. Richard W. J. Gocher Account Director Leo Burnett Mr. Richard A. Wells Account Director Leo Burnett
General Manager Creative D¡rector
General Manager Barclays Bank lnt. Ltd.
of the
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Foreign Conespondents' Club
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stick it in your wal¡et.
2Lower Albert Road (Corner of Wyndham Street, Old Dairy Farm Building) Telephone 5-21 1511
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