Bhutan does not get a lot of attention. It is too rugged, too small and too far away from pretty much every place else to draw any tourists. They do not have oil or any other extremely valuable resources for anybody to fight over. They aren’t rich by a long shot but they aren’t
Punakha Dzong, Bhutan
starving, either, so they are pretty much invisible to the world.
So, I was pleased to see this. Just a nice little musical video, it will only take a couple minutes out of your day to look at it, and it will brighten your view of the world. It’s like the sights and sounds ads that the tourism agencies of so many countries put out, except it’s not an ad.
I enjoy those advertisements. They are, in a way, educational. Whatever country they are showing, you get a quick glimpse at their major national monuments, some of their folklore, and learn a bit about their geography and culture, all set to some great music.
I’d like to see somebody put together a film, sights and sounds of the world, which did the same thing. A short film. I couldn’t sit through 3 hours of that, but I could probably handle 90 minutes. But what I’m saying is, only the nice stuff. Smiling, happy faces. Beautiful scenery and buildings. Cute animals. That’s what makes those advertisements great.
Cynical folks might say it’s not realistic, that it paints a false picture, because every country has it’s ugly side, too. Right across the street from that spectacular Cathedral is a crumbling, old apartment building. The beautiful shot of the beach doesn’t show you the big sewage pipe just around the point. The smiling, happy faces in the bazaar and the interesting close up shots of all the exotic local goods for sale don’t show the risk of getting your pocket picked.
All true, of course. But, I think that if we could focus on what is beautiful in the world, expand on it, try to connect all the beautiful dots then the ugliness could be swept away, painted over, eliminated.
Enjoy the video.
www.gurukalehuru.com 
While we’re thinking positively, I got to spend a lot of one-on-time with my grand-daughter over the weekend and we ended up doing lots of things: we saw grandma at the Christmas bazaar selling handmade crafts; we hopped from rock to rock in front of the Seneca Nation of Indians museum – two little lunatics hopping on the rocks in front of a closed building – and then, after eating lunch, we played on the indoor playground at the local McDonalds. I had to take three time-outs to wipe the sweat from my bald head, and damned if they don’t make those passages too small, even for short adults. Good thing I can still bear-crawl. After all that, we finally went home – daddy asked if we were ever coming back – and, after reading a story at her request, she napped. Momma couldn’t believe it: this six year old girl does not take afternoon naps very often.
Yeah, well, when Popi’s in da house, you can count on a heck of a party. Love you, Nin. Too bad you have to grow up, but I hope you remember the fun we had. Stay crazy – it’s the only way to get through life.
Sweet. That’s a fantastic age.