Bhutan: Hidden Lands of Happiness - Tapa dura

...brilliant photographs and evocative text. I can't imagine a better portrait of this amazing country. --Paul Theroux

Beautiful book . . . The photographs are fine and the text is full of good detail, lively and intriguing and well-written... --Peter Matthiessen

This coffee-table journey through Druk Yul, as the Tibetans know their lucky southern neighbour - Land of the Thunder Dragon - is a terrific collection of photographs and traditional lore woven into John Wehrheim's engaging travelogue. The American - who unabashedly lists cannabis sativa horticulturalist among his prior occupations, thus proving that former potheads can indeed produce works of art - has visited Bhutan several times over the past 15 years, primarily as a consulting hydrologist, and he's seen pretty much all of it the hard way, on foot. Wehrheim's text represents a very personal account of wending his way across the interior, meeting the locals and listening to their stories. It is straightforward, but can't help but be compelling given the beautifully illustrated landscape and the rural realities of living in it. He is also as good a writer as he is a photographer, at once vivid, meditative and playful. But amid the fun and good cheer, Wehrheim is careful not to romanticise Bhutan too much. All the photos in this book are black and white. Certainly the tones serve the documentary maker well and give the portraits inarguable nobility, but I would have loved to see the landscape in colour. Apart from that tiny murmur of dismay, this is a wonderful book - for anyone who's visited Bhutan and for those who see it in their dreams. --The Nation Newspaper, Thailand

Beautiful book . . . The photographs are fine and the text is full of good detail, lively and intriguing and well-written... --Peter Matthiessen

This coffee-table journey through Druk Yul, as the Tibetans know their lucky southern neighbour - Land of the Thunder Dragon - is a terrific collection of photographs and traditional lore woven into John Wehrheim's engaging travelogue. The American - who unabashedly lists cannabis sativa horticulturalist among his prior occupations, thus proving that former potheads can indeed produce works of art - has visited Bhutan several times over the past 15 years, primarily as a consulting hydrologist, and he's seen pretty much all of it the hard way, on foot. Wehrheim's text represents a very personal account of wending his way across the interior, meeting the locals and listening to their stories. It is straightforward, but can't help but be compelling given the beautifully illustrated landscape and the rural realities of living in it. He is also as good a writer as he is a photographer, at once vivid, meditative and playful. But amid the fun and good cheer, Wehrheim is careful not to romanticise Bhutan too much. All the photos in this book are black and white. Certainly the tones serve the documentary maker well and give the portraits inarguable nobility, but I would have loved to see the landscape in colour. Apart from that tiny murmur of dismay, this is a wonderful book - for anyone who's visited Bhutan and for those who see it in their dreams. --The Nation Newspaper, Thailand

Beautiful book . . . The photographs are fine and the text is full of good detail, lively and intriguing and well-written... --Peter Matthiessen

This coffee-table journey through Druk Yul, as the Tibetans know their lucky southern neighbour - Land of the Thunder Dragon - is a terrific collection of photographs and traditional lore woven into John Wehrheim's engaging travelogue. The American - who unabashedly lists cannabis sativa horticulturalist among his prior occupations, thus proving that former potheads can indeed produce works of art - has visited Bhutan several times over the past 15 years, primarily as a consulting hy --The Nation Newspaper, Thailand

Beautiful book . . . The photographs are fine and the text is full of good detail, lively and intriguing and well-written... --Peter Matthiessen

This coffee-table journey through Druk Yul, as the Tibetans know their lucky southern neighbour - Land of the Thunder Dragon - is a terrific collection of photographs and traditional lore woven into John Wehrheim's engaging travelogue. The American - who unabashedly lists cannabis sativa horticulturalist among his prior occupations, thus proving that former potheads can indeed produce works of art - has visited Bhutan several times over the past 15 years, primarily as a consulting hydrologist, and he's seen pretty much all of it the hard way, on foot. Wehrheim's text represents a very personal account of wending his way across the interior, meeting the locals and listening to their stories. It is straightforward, but can't help but be compelling given the beautifully illustrated landscape and the rural realities of living in it. He is also as good a writer as he is a photographer, at once vivid, meditative and playful. But amid the fun and good cheer, Wehrheim is careful not to romanticise Bhutan too much. All the photos in this book are black and white. Certainly the tones serve the documentary maker well and give the portraits inarguable nobility, but I would have loved to see the landscape in colour. Apart from that tiny murmur of dismay, this is a wonderful book - for anyone who's visited Bhutan and for those who see it in their dreams. --The Nation Newspaper, Thailand

Tibetan folksongs sometimes sing of beyul - hidden lands that only those of pure heart and mind can see. The Bhutanese believe their country to be such a place. Blessed with centuries of peace and prosperity while all around Bhutan the world has raged, this last of the Himalayan Buddhist Kingdoms enjoys independence and freedom. Now the Bhutanese are further blessed with a Philosopher King who leads his people on the principal that 'Gross National Happiness' is more important than 'Gross National Product'. "The Bhutanese see the world differently than we do," explains Wehrheim. "By working in black and white I'm not pretending to represent their 'reality' or even imitate it. The Bhutanese see the sacred spirits of life in the earth, trees, water, sky and the wrathful deities that guard them. Yet they are bawdy, fun loving and down to earth. Time is different there and the book offers a glimpse of an alternative way of experiencing the world. What I want to communicate most of all is the spirit of happiness and contentment that beams from the light in the villagers' eyes then asks the question - how can this light remain lit as these "Hidden Lands of Happiness" enter the frenzy of the global bazaar?"