Curiosity at altitude

I went to Bhutan with an interest in mountains, architecture and spiritual traditions. Paro, Thimphu and Tiger's Nest gave those interests plenty to follow. They also gave me a night out with locals and karaoke. I like remembering that combination. My curiosity arrived with a fairly serious reading list; the country had other possibilities as well.

Paro and Tiger's Nest drew me towards the buildings and their surroundings. The engineer in me wanted to understand how something could be made against that rock and kept there. My interest in spiritual life brought a different set of questions. Looking and wondering could occupy the same part of the journey.

Thimphu was a more sociable chapter. We partied with locals and there was karaoke. I am glad this is part of the memory, because it gives people a place in an account that could otherwise fill itself with mountains and monasteries. A country feels different when you have spent an evening with people who live there.

My unofficial, partly joking tip for meeting locals involves carrying a packet of cigarettes. I would not suggest taking up smoking to improve your travel arrangements. I would suggest keeping time for company. It can lead the visit somewhere a carefully prepared image of the country would never have taken it.

What I want to keep from Bhutan is this range: the cliff and the buildings, the questions I brought, and a karaoke evening that joined the story. Some of my interests found exactly what they had come for. Others were very happily interrupted.