Paro

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Tiger’s Nest

A prominent Buddhist monastery clinging to the cliffside of Paro valley. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche, credited with bringing Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th century, flew to this location from Tibet on the back of a tigress.

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We woke up early one morning and started hiking up the mountain in the dark. An hour and a half later we reached the viewpoint and watched the sun rise from behind the temples.

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Gross National Happiness

As opposed to the monetary measure of Gross Domestic Product, Bhutan developed a philosophy and index that measures the collective happiness of the nation.

There are four pillars to Gross National Happiness:

  1. good governance

  2. sustainable promotion of socioeconomic development

  3. preservation of culture

  4. environmental conservation

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