One of our newer members, Kerry spoke to us, at our last meeting, about a trip she and her daughter did to Bhutan. The trip was done prior to Covid and was undertaken because of her connections with a refugee family she knew when she lived in Albury.
Kerry and her daughter visited there for several weeks in 2016, and covered a large proportion of the country in their travels. She said that the people there were very friendly which makes sense because Bhutan has as one of it's key indicators for success a 'Gross National Happiness Index'. Kerry also commented on the number of flags that she saw as they travelled around. The national sport is archery.
One of the interesting things she found out is that they do not allow backpackers into the country unsupervised. Everyone who goes to Bhutan must pay to have a driver and guide with them at all times and in many places there were restrictions on what type of clothing should be worn.
Bhutan is the last Kingdom in the world, and is very much a Buddhist country with Monasteries everywhere. Kerry is seen in this photo with a tapestry she brought back from there showing the "Four Harmonious Friends" - the Elephant, monkey, hare and partridge.
Thank you Kerry, we loved hearing about that little part of the world you spent time exploring.
Kerry moved from Albury last year to be with her 3 daughters who all live in Perth and enjoys spending time with them and her 6 grandchildren.