Bhutan

The life of a typical Bhutanese villager is hard.  Most live off of the land, and they work very hard.  Despite the tough life, by US standards, they seem to love life and deeply understand their connection to each other and the land.

They have a long tradition of folk singing and circle dancing that appears to be done whenever they get together.  They enjoy archery and darts, and the women weave and some men are wood carvers.

As for the land, the entire country is in the Himalayas.  Valleys exist, but most of the country is mountainous.  That makes travel both difficult and interesting.  The few paved roads go along mountain sides and often the road has a hugh drop off without guard rails.  Also, the Bhutanese are the first to tell you that there are no straight roads.  What an understatement.

As for large cities, there are none.  Thimphu, the capital, would be considered a suburban town in the US.  Most of the population lives in small, rather remote villages.  Transportation is very limited so the Bhutanese walk.  A feat quite remarkable given that it’s a mountain kingdom.  More than half of the country is covered in forest.  In short, it could not have been more beautiful.