Six Years in Bhutan

John Stedman gives an unusual perspective on life in this remote and little known country of BHUTAN, based on his six years living and working in this unique Buddhist Himalayan Kingdom shortly after it opened its borders to the outside world. He was able to explore Bhutan without restriction and shares graphic accounts of his exploration of some of the more remote regions of this unspoilt and spectacularly scenic country. He describes encounters with Bhutan’s wildlife indoors and out and delights in seeing some of the world’s rarest creatures in their natural habitat.

Appointed by Voluntary Service Overseas to Bhutan’s only technical college, the author gives intriguing insights into the culture and lifestyle of the people, shared in a candid way but with obvious affection for those he gets to know and respect. He recounts with humour and feeling, his frustrations, sense of isolation and the physical demands of living in Bhutan at a time when communication with the outside world remained difficult and the challenges and rewards of teaching students from the most non-technical backgrounds imaginable! His teaching in Bhutan’s technical college leads to involvement in the work of The Leprosy Mission and this takes him back to Bhutan to work for a further three years – this time accompanied by his wife.

Whilst overseeing the building of a new hospital, they live surrounded by sub-tropical jungle in a remote and seldom visited region of Central Bhutan, where all supplies including food has to come a considerable distance and to begin with their nearest telephone was two days drive away! The construction of the hospital is set against a backdrop of ethnic unrest and strife in the south of Bhutan.

The book concludes with the author’s reflections as to how his experience challenged and modified his views and how Bhutan is now rapidly changing as a result of its exposure to the outside world. He touches on some of the issues that such rapid development raises both for Bhutan’s culture and for the continued survival of Bhutan’s unique flora and fauna.