Six Years in Bhutan by John Stedman
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Overview: John Stedman gives an unusual perspective on life in the remote and little known country of BHUTAN, shortly after it first opened its borders to the outside world following centuries of self-imposed isolation; drawn from his experiences whilst living and working in this unique Buddhist Himalayan Kingdom.
As the first teacher to be appointed from the West to Bhutan’s only technical college, the author gives some intriguing insights into the culture and lifestyle of the Bhutanese; shared in an honest and candid way but with obvious affection for a people he gets to know and respect. He recounts with humour and feeling his own frustrations, sense of isolation and the physical demands of living in Bhutan, at a time when communication with the wider world remained difficult; as well as the challenges and rewards in teaching students from the most non-technical backgrounds imaginable and in finding himself involved in some rather unexpected extra-curricular activities!
The author was able to travel in Bhutan without restriction and he shares graphic accounts of his exploration of this spectacularly scenic country; including trekking in winter into the Himalaya to Bhutan’s border with Tibet; and driving across Bhutan by motor scooter on hair-raising half-finished mountain roads over passes up to 13500 feet in altitude; completing the journey of over a thousand miles against the onset of the monsoon rains. Having had a life-long interest in nature, the author describes some of his encounters with Bhutan’s wildlife – indoors as well as out, and expresses his pleasure in seeing some of the world’s rarest creatures in their natural habitat.
Surprisingly, the author’s teaching in Bhutan’s only technical college leads to his involvement in the work of the Leprosy Mission; which takes him back to Bhutan for a further three years to plan and oversee the building of a new General Hospital; set amid sub-tropical jungle in a remote and seldom visited region of Central Bhutan. He and his wife live in very basic accommodation; the nearest telephone is two days drive away; and most of the supplies including their food has to be transported in from a considerable distance. The construction of the hospital takes two years and is set against a backdrop of ethnic unrest and strife in the south of Bhutan. The author gives a firsthand account of how these troubles impact on his work and bring him into conflict with the Bhutanese authorities.
The book concludes with the author’s thoughts on the ways in which his experiences in Bhutan challenged and changed his personal outlook when he returned home, and how Bhutan has been rapidly developing since the 1980’s as a result of its exposure to the outside world. He touches on some of the issues that such rapid development raises for Bhutan; such as the inevitable long term impact on their way of life and cultural heritage and the need to preserve and protect Bhutan’s unique flora and fauna.
Genre: Non Fiction Biography Memoir
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