The Bhutanese diet in higher altitudes consists mainly of red rice, some meat like chicken or dried pork, and  vegetables or soup with chili peppers and cheese.  It is a treat to eat the first couple of days and then even I tired of it a bit, especially when it was served at both lunch and dinner.  Our guide said their typical breakfast also included the red rice.  It certainly provides proper sustenance but our American tastes demand a little more variety.

My companion on the Bhutan trip was not a good sport about the meals. His taste buds prefer processed foods without any nutrients. We were both surprised to see some of the ceremonial food offerings left on an altar in a Buddhist Monastery.

Some of it was remarkably similar to my friend’s junk food!

Then there was the issue of slow traffic….there is not one traffic light in the country, not even in the largest city, Thimphu, the capital.  There are many cows on the road including the poor one that fell from the hillside above.

And the fact that they don’t allow any technical climbing in their Himalayas, set my friend back too….when he told the guide how much money they could make with this type of trek Yeshey calmly told him that Bhutan wants to preserve its environment and its society!