Government Playing BHARAKUTI

A friend forwarded to me TheBhutanese’s front page news report of April 8, 2023 that read: “Govt allows around 1,600 more tourists at old SDF rate”. Since I am not on the Facebook, or any other social media sites, I do not know the full content of the report. But I fear that some may miscomprehend the issue. Thus I would like to make the following clarification so that the matter is not twisted out of context.

Venue       : ThePema by Realm, Motithang

Day               : Saturday

Date       : June 18, 2022

Occasion       : Informal briefing by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan

Subject       : Government’s proposed changes in tourism policy of 2022

Attended by  ~ Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan and select Members of the PMO;

~Director General of TCB and some Members of the TCB management;

~Two Members of the government’s Transformation Team;

~Dasho Kinley Dorji (Ace) past Secretary of MoIC; and

~Four Members of the non-traditional media - yours truly included.

His Excellency the Prime Minister honored me by inviting me to initiate the discussions.

I submitted that I speak on my own behalf and that of Bhutan Sustainable Tourism Society (BSTS) - of which I am a Member. I submitted as follows:

That the government has the right and the authority to introduce any and all changes as it sees fit;

That the tourism sector was not against the policy - but at the timing of its implementation;

That for a seamless migration from the old to new ways of doing things, the industry will require time - to understand and adapt;

I submitted that tourism business was not like running a grocery shop where you up the shutters and start selling your potatoes and onions;

That tourism business is conducted over days and weeks and months and even years. That introduction of new rules and regulations out of the blue would severely disrupt and lay asunder the tour operators’ ongoing negotiations with overseas agents and other prospects;

Lastly, I pleaded that even if the government is adamant about implementing the new rules with total disregard for the operational difficulties, the government should honor the commitments made by the tour operators - based on the rules and regulations that were in force - when the discussions were initiated. That reneging on the commitments halfway through the discussions would portray Bhutanese operators as unreliable and untrustworthy, with long-term implications to the industry;

I pleaded that if nothing, the government should honor all commitments made by the tour operators - before the new rules were sprung on them - whether or not the tour was confirmed, and whether or not payment received.

To this, the Hon’ble Prime Minister asked me:

“But Aue Yeshey, how can we verify that the business was in discussion?”

I said that it was simple - ask the tour operators to provide trails of their emails - validating that the business was in discussion before the introduction of the new rules.

Consequently the Hon’ble Prime Minister remarked thus:

“Aue Yeshey gii labmi lu denba du. DG Dhradhul, please sit with the tour operators and sort this out. If they can prove that it is a business-in-progress, we should not have any problems accepting them under the old SDF rate”.

POINT: If the Cabinet has recently allowed 1,600 tourists to come in under the old SDF, I would like to point out that the decision to do so was made by the head of the government on 18th June, 2022.

It should not be seen as an act of favoritism on the part of the DNT government. Or, as an act in deviation of the standing rules. What is to be seen is whether the tour operators - Amen and Rewa - were able to substantiate convincingly - if the tours were already in discussion before the new rules came into effect.

Let us not be petty. 1,600 tourists is a big number for a minuscule country like Bhutan - it means a lot to us, particularly when we have been reduced to clutching at straws.

Like a lady tour operator told me yesterday at the VAST over a cup of lemon-honey tea - courtesy of Azha Karm - that the government has been playing “bharakuti”. That does not mean we citizens have to – we have to keep our heads firmly screwed on over our shoulders.

Of Bruised Egos & Erased Edifice

Three days back I caught up with a friend and struck up a conversation, which unfailingly, centered around the disastrous post-pandemic tourism policy and its devastating impact on Bhutanese society and the chain of reactions set off by it. The friend said something intriguing:

“By now the government ought to have realized that their tourism policy was a colossal blunder - so why aren’t they doing something about it? What will it cost them, other than a bruised ego and loss of face? Isn’t that better than to continue to endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of Bhutanese? Where is their sense of responsibility and ownership?”

I had no answer - because I am myself totally bewildered.

After the troubled talk with the friend, I had to drive past the barricaded ruins of the dismantled Hotel Jumolhari - one of Thimphu’s oldest hotels. I stopped to gaze at the rubbles that now littered the grounds over which the hotel had once stood.

At close to 40 years old, Hotel Jumolhari was among Thimphu's earliest hotels. It is no more 💔

I was sad - during my initial days as a private sector entrepreneur, I had set up my first ever office inside one of the rooms in this hotel - it was from this place that I had launched the country’s pioneering IT business during early 1980s. But I wasn’t reminiscing about my formative days as a businessman - I was looking with sadness at the dust-filled void - at the iconic edifice that has now been raised to the ground - and erased forever - a direct fallout of a policy gone horribly wrong.

But at the end of many conflicting thoughts that ran through my mind, I was comforted by the realization that the owners of Hotel Jumolhari had exhibited lot more common sense and astuteness, than most other hotel owners. They were quick to grasp that there was simply no hope for the hotel industry, given how things were panning out.

Thus they did the smartest thing under the circumstances: within months of the announcement of the new tourism policy, they opted to pull down the hotel - rather than continue to pursue an untenable fantasy.

DOKLAM Yet Again!

Yet again, the false alarm of smoke has been set off - among the Indian media - over the much-maligned Doklam. Surprisingly even Vishnu Som of New Delhi’s NDTV has chosen to enter the muddled pool of misinformation and falsehood that Doklam is now reduced to. I had always believed that he was a journalist of substance - putting out balanced and well-researched reports on domestic as well as international issues. I was sorely disappointed by his poor sense and grasp of the subject - not that many Indians or Bhutanese are any better informed. If Vishnu Som did not know any better, he should have let well enough alone.

It is no longer clear what exactly our Prime Minister had said during his recent foreign visit - with respect to the ongoing Doklam imbroglio. But The Times of India, in their March 29th issue, seems to suggest that our Prime Minister had implied that China has “equal say” on the Doklam issue.

Now, what is wrong in that? It happens to be the absolute truth. Frankly I do not know who is exactly claiming Doklam - China? Bhutan? Regardless of who is the claimant, without doubt the world knows that China is, for now, the other party to the supposed dispute. Thus, there is no question that they do not have “equal say” on the matter.

Bhutan should truly appreciate and thank India for their well-intentioned desire to get involved in the matter. But the truth is that India does not have a direct role in the matter concerning Doklam. India’s stand is not that China has infringed on their territory. Thus, it is important for the Bhutanese and the Indians to know that there is a tri-junction of borders: that of Bhutan, China and India - there is NO tri-junction of claims or disputes. Other than the unfounded fear that China might try and wring India’s famous Chicken-neck, the matter is out of India’s hands.

India’s spirit of volunteerism and unabashed attempt to protect our interest is praiseworthy. But good intension alone cannot solve delicate issues.

To my knowledge, to date the dispute remains between Bhutan and China - it still remains an unresolved dispute – even after tirelessly working for the past close to four decades since 1984. Obviously it is clear that we are still working at determining who has legitimate claim over that desolate piece of frigid land.

India tossing a spanner in the works does not help - it unnecessarily prolongs the process of settlement. I know that India believes that it is to their interest to muddle the issues - but it has to be understood that one day the issue has to be settled - and even God cannot alter the eventuality that truth will, and must, prevail over drama and theatre.

Speaking at the GLOBESEC, India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar famously said:

“We have a difficult relationship with China. But we are perfectly capable of managing it”.

By contrast Bhutan does NOT have any difficulties in our relationships with our northern neighbor. Thus, we are in an even better position to manage our relations with China.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is an extremely intelligent man and, thus, I believe that breach of protocol and lack of diplomatic finesse notwithstanding, our beleaguered Monarch would have been very pleased to have been received by a person of Jaishankar’s competence, including the fact that Jaishangkar is not an unknown person - having met him before in Thimphu during his official visit to the country.

Here is wishing the very Best of Luck to Bhutan-India relations!

Need For TRANSFORMATIVE Thinking

When the Druk Air was created in 1981, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo could not have had any lofty commercial aspirations - not with one unpressurised 18-seater Dornier 228-200 turbo-prop aircraft and one airstrip measuring less than one-and-a-half miles long. I believe that it was His way of making a statement of nationhood - an assertion of independence - an announcement to the world that Druk Yuel was an independent nation with the necessary apparatus of nationhood in place.

Today, forty two years since, look around you - I guarantee you that you are unlikely find another Bhutanese national institution that has gobbled up more public money than the Druk Air. For those of you who care, know that Druk Air is an institution behind which the government has invested few thousand million Ngultrum of public funds - 100% Bhutanese money. And, all that money remains tied up and incapacitated - to be annually depreciated to prop up the Druk Air’s profitability on paper, instead of serving some meaningful social service for the good of the Bhutanese people.

Comparative study of DrukAir's fare as opposed to that of Qatar Airways'. Can we compete? We cannot!!! - we should not even think about it!

If public money is used to fund a public institution, it is done so that it can serve a public cause. Sadly, no Bhutanese public derives any benefit from the airline’s existence. Instead, the services of the carrier funded by public fund are priced so high that it is beyond the reach of the common Bhutanese public - the part owners of the airline. Even rich western tourists are unable to afford their services, resulting in diversion of routes and traffic to competing airlines, translating into loss of revenue for Druk Air.

Given the inherent limitations under which the airline is required to operate, profit making cannot be its mandate - it is simply impossible - unless it does so at the cost of the whole of the tourism industry. The national flag carrier can be an effective apparatus in helping others make profit; it can help boost tourism - through building of carrying capacity, through diversified routes, through efficiency of operation and rendering of dependable and timely service.

Today the management of air transport sector in Bhutan is so pathetic that I am told that we do not even have bowsers in any of our domestic airports. Thus, aircrafts are required to carry fuel for the return journey - thereby impacting carrying capacity, resulting in increased cost of operation, resulting in higher ticket cost for the Bhutanese travelers.

Today we are told that we are in an era of massive all-round transformations. That is good - it was long overdue. Now lets us put our money where our mouth is - let us see some transformation in the Druk Air. Let us prove wrong the accusation that there is private interest behind why a national apparatus of great value has been turned into a national spoiler.

To understand what a national flag carrier is all about, read the following:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2019/03/on-wings-of-dragon-iii.html

IMPACT OF NON-PERFORMING NATIONAL FLAG CARRIER:

~   Loss of Revenue: through loss of traffic caused by unaffordable high airfare.

~   Loss of foreign exchange: through loss of national business to competing non-national airlines.

Yet Another Brew Inside The Government’s Wort Kettle

Seems like something pungent is yet again brewing inside the government’s kettle. According to the most recent pronouncement coming from the head of the government “tourists could be allowed to stay in non-star hotels”.

At a mandatory SDF of US$200.00 per person per night, the tourist could be allowed to be accommodated in a non-star hotel? PREPOSTEROUS!!!

Antar Mantar Janturu, Tiru Ngagi Zanturu

The government seems to have forgotten that even at SDF of US$65.00 per person per night halt - the RGoB required the tour operators to provide 3-star accommodation. At SDF of US$200.00, the tourists ought to have the right to insist on 10-star hotel accommodation - in the class of the likes of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab!

One and a half decades later, what my French friend told me in disgust is coming true: “You Bhutanese think that the world owes you a living”.

But to be fair, does it really matter what class hotel? Recently I went on an inspection trip to select hotels for my guests who were due to arrive in the country during the mid of last month. It was amazing what I discovered in some of the supposedly 3-star hotels. Few of the carelessness I observed were the following:

…   One Suite Room had a master bedroom’s wall mirror all of 24 inches square;

…   A room I inspected in another hotel had a creaking bathroom door;

…   The wash-basin in a bathroom of another hotel was placed so low that its

      use could have caused severe back pain;

…   One bathroom I inspected had such a slippery floor – I would not have dared use it;

…  One hotel’s bedroom was so poorly lit that I would have had to use a headlamp to see anything;

…   One hotel room did have intercom system – but there was no direction as

      to what button to punch – to access any of the hotel’s services, if any;

…  In another hotel, I had to wait for the Receptionist for nearly half an hour – his excuse:

      he had to go for lunch. This means the Reception Desk is left unattended during lunch/tea/dinner breaks.

I earnestly plead with the government that before they do anything further in the area of tourism, I request that they rationalize the SDF rate to a level that is commensurate with our competences.

I do hear unsubstantiated rumors that the government is in fact working on revising the SDF rate but according to a friend, what is being considered is something rather - in his words - “CROOKED!”.

I asked: “What kind of crooked”?

“I am told that the government is contemplating giving 50% waiver on SDF. For instance a tourist visiting Bhutan for ten days will be charged at US$200.00 per day for the first five days - the second 5 days will be SDF FREE.

“Why such round-about mathematics - why not straight-forward SDF of US$100.00 for the entire duration of their visit”? What if a tourist comes only for three days?"

“What can you say - crooked minds work in crooked ways”

I loved that one - simply priceless!!!! 😜😜😜😜😜

The National Airline May Soon Be Privatized!

One of the most recent rumors I heard is that the ball-breaker IMF will soon step in to bail out Bhutan. It is quite plausible - but that is not my worry. My worry is that among the first things they are set on doing is to privatize the government owned and operated Druk Air Corporation. That would be a total disaster! Unless the IMF’s restructuring team is yet again headed by a Singaporean, I believe that they will not see any merit in such a move - after all, Bhutan’s situation is pretty unique compared to most other economies.

Bhutan's national flag carrier - Druk Air

No denying that the Druk Air has been a problem in the national scheme of things - I have said so for years - that Druk Air needs to be shorn of their profit making mandate, that they need to fulfill their responsibilities as a national flag carrier. If they were to be privatized, it would be a disaster. In fact, they need to be delinked from the DHI and put under the social sector - as an apparatus of service  - to complement the national aspirations for a robust economic activity.

As a national entity that carries the national flag on their wings, their responsibility ought to transcend profit making. They cannot make profit - it is not humanly possible given the limitations under which they have to operate. But they can certainly help numerous other sectors make profit. Sadly, the opposite is true - the airline is being an impediment in the path of many.

The Druk Air is not a taxi service - they cannot behave like one. They are a national airline of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The least they can do is behave responsibly and show a level of dependability that is expected of a national flag carrier who has the distinction of being the only carrier that can don the national colors on their wings. At the least, they have to remember that whole lot of tourism players depend on their reliability and dependability.

What is the idea of changing their flight schedules and timings as if they were running a charter service? Isn’t a regular airline required to have a pre-planned program of flights that operate on a regular basis and on a pre-planned, published schedule? Once declared and published, how can they just change as and when they fancy? Don’t they realize that others work and plan based on their published schedules?

I understand that some one is already suing the Druk Air for their irresponsible behavior. I hope it is true.

Conversion of Hotels: Abandoning Tourism

It is sad - the recent news in the media that a large number of hotel owners are contemplating converting their properties for use as spaces for some other purposes - other than as hotel accommodations, for which they were originally built.

This is a case of the child forsaking the cradle within the confines of which he/she found comfort and safety during his/her formative years. There is no gain saying the pain the owners must feel - but clutching at every strand of straw within grasp is what is called for - given the painful times we are going through.

But will the financial institutions allow the conversions? After all, it is a complete deviation from the stated purpose for which the financing was extended to the hotel owners. May be YES – I mean, if this is the only way to improve the NPL situation in the country, why not? If they have to depart from convention for the sake of improving recovery, they have no choice but to do it. If the financial institutions have to save themselves from imminent collapse, they have to make a shift from their customary rigid, unrelenting posture.

But it is still sad. It has taken us many decades to arrive here. Government policies have been tweaked to create enabling conditions to upscale capacity. Financial institutions had thrown wide open their coffers to lend money to aspiring hoteliers. The government had blatantly encouraged the hotel sector to upscale and upgrade their properties - with veiled threats that if they did not do so, they would be left in the lurch. In heeding the clarion call of the government, both old and new players in the tourism sector went headlong into expanding capacity and upgrading facilities - in anticipation of a booming tourism business. Tour operators invested millions in acquiring buses and improving competence.

Then, after all that – BOOM!! …. Less said the better.

The greater tragedy in this calamitous reversal of fortune is not so much the monumental losses the people are straddled with; hundreds of dreams shattered, and thousands of jobs lost - in its wake ushering in an era of unprecedented exodus of outflow of human capital. Even worst, we are now at the verge of being thrown many decades back in time - dismantling many decades of painful building of tourism infrastructure; causing disenchantment to thousands of industry professionals who are left without direction or earning.

Tourism still holds boundless promise for Bhutan - it is the mother of all mothers inside whose accommodating belly many other industries foment and nurture. The government needs to act fast - before we enter the phase of no return. We do not have the time or the money to rebuild what we are about to lose, that which was built over many decades.

An Event For The History Books

Now folks, tell me, what is there not to love about the following image? It is truly unparalleled and groundbreaking - a stuff for the history books:

The happy convergence of GOOD and EVIL - Buddhist monks happily performing the inaugural ceremony of the official launch of high-end recreational fishing in Tsirang - proof that the men of God now sanctifies fishing as an act condoned by Buddhism.

The launching of the high-end recreational fishing in Tsirang and Dagana Dzongkhags (Districts) was conducted with traditional fanfare and pomp - replete with red-robbed monks murmuring holy chants for success and good luck. The Tsirang Divisional Forest Office’s Facebook page announced the event in following words (Do not miss out on the wrongly spelt name of the fish):

“With the amendment of Forest & Nature Conservation Rule 2021, the Department of Forests and Park Services has opened High-end Recreational Fishing in the country. For more sustainable and recreational fishing purpose, the rivers of Bhutan are categorized into Trout water and Masheer water. The High-end recreational fishing site for Golden Mahseer zone II, Sunkosh Stretch - Punatsangchu was launched on 13th March 2023. Tsirang Forest Division in collaboration with Nature Conservation Division, Department of Tourism and Dagana Forest Division initiated the launching program. During the launching, 4 International Angler in collaboration with Bhutanese anglers started the High-end recreational fishing from Sunkosh river stretch. The High-end recreational fishing is exclusively for catch and release purpose only.”

Bhutan’s brand new high-end tourism product is intended to draw in the global game-fishing community, by the hoards. Sadly, that will have to remain a pipe dream - unless the Bhutanese bureaucrats learn to shed their decades old mentality of framing rules to restrict - rather than to facilitate. The Forest and Nature Conservation (Amendment) Rules and Regulations of Bhutan, 2021 recently released by the DoFPS is one such example. It is clear that the government has, yet again, tapped into the wrong pool of minds.

One particular provision contained in the rules explicitly prohibits fishing for the star attraction - the prized Golden Mahseer - during a period and in areas where/when they are known to be most productive. Another provision reeks of self-interest and selfishness - it is clear that the rule has been influenced by some interest groups.

The mighty Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) hooked and landed at Changchey, Tsirang on 29th October, 2020. For the world angling community elsewhere in the world, a Golden Mahseer this size is .... well, stuff of dreams.

It is hoped that the DoFPS will see through their folly and remedy the flaws in the rules, in order that the objectives of introducing game fishing in the country serves its intended purpose. I, on my part, will be attempting to contribute to the national cause, by sharing my experience of over forty years of fishing the Bhutanese waters for Golden Mahseer and Brown Trout, with the relevant agency in the government. So far there has been no indication that the government is receptive to sound counsel from home-grown talent pool - but citizens have to do our duty, and keep trying, nonetheless.

Tour Report By A Tour Group

NOTE TO READERS: This one is going to be a long one, in addition to the fact that it is not a very interesting subject for most. But given the painful times Bhutan's tourism industry is going through currently, I thought that perhaps there may be some pointers in how I do things. Time is here for us all tourism players to make up for the government's utter failures. We need to give our extra best!

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Hi Professor and Katie,

Thank you for your mail --- and I am glad to hear that you have landed home safely. Amazing that you can still write such a long and exhaustive mail, even after such a long and continuous journey spanning tens of hours.

Thank you for your thoughts on your trip to Bhutan. I truly value it - not only that it gives me an idea of what visitors like and prefer, but also to dispel any misconceptions that we might have - given that we are in a cross-cultural situation and there will always be beliefs that can be wrongly conceived. Thus, truthful feedbacks can help correct those misconceptions. As you say, your feedback will help me better serve my future guests.

Binturong - one of Bhutan's rare Mammals. It was sighted on the road between Tingtibi to Dakphai in Zhemgang on 15th March, 2023. The mammal is listed as "Vulnerable" in the IUCN's Red List.  The Binturong is the only living species in the genus Arctictis.

I am glad that my team and I have been able to give you some semblance of an enjoyable experience in Bhutan. We do try our best - to attempt to give you the very best of experience. But we cannot always get it right 😢. We seek your forgiveness for our failings - we hope that there have not been too numerous.

Yes, I too am amazed, and happy that you have been able to sight your famous Binturong 😍. Wonders never cease!!! If I have learnt anything in my 69 years of life, it is that one should never write-off anything - everything is a possibility.

FOOD & ACCOMMODATION

I am glad that you think the accommodation and food we served you were PERFECT – except in one location. That has always been at the core of my worries in the provision of service to my guests. I have heard of so many complaints from tourists on the poor quality and limited variety of food across the whole of Bhutan. But like I told you during one of our casual conversations - that may be because most of the tourists are treated to buffet meals by their hosts. I personally abhor the idea of serving buffet meals - it means that you are made to eat something that is not of your own choice. I believe that people must eat meals of their choice – thus my strict instruction to my guide is that guests should be served A-La-Carte meals at all times. NEVER BUFFETs!!!

You may be happy to know that I have told my guide that the location at which you were not entirely happy - should be off the list of properties we will use in future. As you have seen yourself, I always inspect the properties I intend to use for my guests - but I seem to have failed to fathom the failure of this one property.

WI-FI

I think I did mention to you at one point that Wi-Fi access in rooms is generally said to be poor. I am told that the Internet connectivity is much better and faster around the Reception area. For the life of me, I cannot understand why this should be so. I believe that it is because the hotel owners take a very casual attitude towards the problem. If they can make it fast enough in the Reception area, they can make it the same in the rooms. I suppose this is one of the enduring peculiarities of the Bhutanese people, that is beyond understanding.

LOGISTICS

Thank you - I am glad that you did not find us wanting in the provision of logistics. Thank you for a PERFECT rating.

MONUMENT FEE

I am glad that you found the trip to Taktsang and Chhimi Lhakhang worth your while. I would have certainly dissuaded you from making the visits - but for the fact that the government decided to roll back their policy on monument fees, in time. Consequent upon the change in policy of the government, my company will absorb the fees - guests will not be asked to pay the monument visitation fees. Because I believe that the high SDF government is charging is more than painful already.

RIVER RAFTING

I am glad that you liked the experience. I agree - we should promote it as an opportunity to sight some unique shore birds. The problem though is that during summer months when the rivers swell to about five times that which you have seen, the rafting approaches the class of white-water rafting and, thus, the experience is of a different kind. Also during the summer months, the migratory birds can no longer be sighted since they would have gone back to their summer roosting grounds.

BIRD/WILDLIFE

Indeed!!!! That is why Bhutan is known as one of the Ten Global Biodiversity Hotspots of the world. Our avifauna multiplicity is phenomenal, as you have already experienced.

In the past Bhutan was called the Birding Capital of the world, by the world birding community, including the opportunity to experience some truly stunning alpine wilderness. Unfortunately, with the recent introduction of US$200.00 per person per day as SDF, these long duration unmatched High Value tourism experiences have been rendered untenable - it is sad indeed!
 
But we tourism stakeholders are all praying hard that the government would realize the folly of their act and think of a reasonably acceptable SDF rate. Most of Bhutan’s economic activity hinges on tourism, a fact that would have dawned on them by now.

NATURE WALK EN-ROUTE TO GASA
I am glad you liked it. Unfortunately the only animal you saw was the Assamese Macaque - but glad to know that the profuse of birdlife you sighted more than made up for the lack of animal sightings.

ZHEMGANG

I am thrilled that you found the experience in Tingtibi “super super beautiful and the camping by the river was tops. Highly recommend”. Unfortunately for you, it was the wrong season - otherwise I would have treated you to the unique experience of fishing for the king of the freshwater fish - the endangered Golden Mahseer. I am among the country’s top record holders of the fish - at 27 KGs. Imagine the thrill of trying to reign in a maddened monster on a death run!

PHOBJIKHA

Indeed Phobjikha is my most favorite place of visit - particularly during the winter months. The place is almost surreal, with the cold, dense mist suspended in mid-air - it makes for a perfect picture. Sadly the time of your visit was past the Black-necked Cranes season, so the allure of the place was lessened by that much. Perhaps next time - there is always a next time.

YOUR GENEROUS TIP

Lastly, THANK YOU for your generous tip of Nu.10,000.00 you left for me. That was very kind of you. However, I would like to inform you that I passed on the whole tip to your guide. I believe that it is the service team who deserve, if they do, any tip from my satisfied guests. As the owner of the host company I am expected to generate my profits from the business operation - not from tips. Tips are earned by the service team. I gave the whole tip to the guide because the driver is the owner of the TOYOTA Prado that he was driving you in. He is already an economically competent person - he does not need any additional tips - in addition to that which you already gave him, separately.
 
Also I am more than happy for the GOODWILL earned from you two. That, to me, is the most generous tip any tour operator can receive - it is more than any monetary profits.
 
Bye and take care - I hope that we will continue to keep in touch. I am honored to be in touch with people of such rarified sciences such as those in which two of you are engaged. Bhutan is fortunate that we can attract people of your caliber.

Yeshey

Accepting Mistake Is Good

I am currently traveling on business so I am not able to write an elaborate and effusive eulogy on the government’s recent roll back of their policy on the unwarranted hike in the monument fees. It was a shameful and insensitive thing to do, particularly after the atrocious increase in the SDF to US$200.00 from the earlier US$65.00. In the face of unrealistic increase in the SDF, the government should have, instead, done away with the monument fees entirely - on the grounds that the increase in SDF would more than cover any and all costs towards maintaining the monuments.

One down! Many to go!

This is a case of the government admitting that they had made a mistake - this is good. Instead of being on an ego trip, it is wise to eat humble pie and do what is right - remedy the mistakes. As I keep saying, it would be too late by the time you say sorry … saying sorry does not resurrect a dead man. If you realize a mistake has been made, correct it before it is too late.

For the foot soldiers of the tourism sector, it has been near impossible to explain the rationale behind charging atrociously high monument fees - in addition to having to pay SDF of US$200.00.

There are many other policy absurdities with the post-pandemic Tourism Policy 2022. We need to correct them as well …. And we need to do it PRONTO.  Soon is not soon enough. Any further delay may be too late to save Bhutan from the economic woes that are already evident.

The relevance of tourism to Bhutan’s economic vitality has been sufficiently proven in the aftermath of the introduction of the ill-conceived tourism policy.

As I keep saying over and over again, making mistakes is not a problem - the problem is when we refuse to accept to learn from them, for the better. Great things are achieved through humility.

Like someone commented on one of my blogs, if citizens are wailing, it is akin to a baby crying out for attention of his/her parents. Unfortunately, the first reaction of the parent is most often to see if the baby had wet his/her diapers - it is rarely to see what the need of the child is. First thought of the parent is that the child must have done something wrong to be kicking up a ruckus.

Remember - babies wail because their needs have been ignored - not because they peed in their diapers.

The Terminal Lure of Oz

Twice before on this blog I wrote of the need for monitoring and regulating the overwhelming outflow of Bhutanese, in particular, to Australia. I even suggested that someone should visit Australia and speak to the Bhutanese diaspora there. The Bhutanese exodus to that country is an abnormal phenomenon, implication of which few Bhutanese have stopped to ponder about.

When I was told that even people who own buildings in Thimphu have chosen to migrate to Australia, it dawned on me that the pursuit of livelihood cannot be the sole reason why people chose to abandon homes and families, to travel across the seven seas - in search of whatever they hunger for.

Dreams are lived when you are asleep.

You do not need to risk the perils of the unknown and the untested to make a living - for the willing, opportunity and livelihood are staring at your faces at every corner you turn.

We are a society numbed by a century of Kidu dole out - I am not sure that we are prepared to take on the unknown and the unfamiliar. We are willing to blame the whole world for our own shortcomings - we believe that the world owes us a living and that it will wait for us forever. Such a mental disposition will not find acceptance among other societies. We need to change - but the reality is that that change will not come soon enough, even if it does, eventually.

For a while I was under the impression that the exodus was a systematized affair conducted with planning and foresight. The recent reports of woe emerging from Australia tells me that it is not so - that it is a case of the deaf shadowing the blind. I think people have been victims of the dream merchants and the carpetbaggers.

For those who are due to make the journey in the coming weeks and months, it is not too late to reassess the situation and correct course before it is too late. It appears that the greenery down there is rather prickly - not the stuff of your dreams.

But my bigger worry is something else though. What if Australia suffers a devastating natural calamity brought on by global warming? What if Australia is overwhelmed by a deadly pandemic, the likes of COVID-19 or some other deadly brand new virus?

It is my belief that outside of Bhutan, Australia has the largest population of Bhutanese. Trust me, a catastrophe in Australia will cause shock waves in Bhutan - the likes of which will dwarf that of the COVID-19. The financial and human tragedy will be simply immeasurable!

Think of the financial investment that has gone behind the exodus. You get the picture.

On The Wings Of The Dragon - VIII

Hi Yeshey,

I have decided that I cannot afford Druk Air fares Delhi/Paro – not particularly when we are four of us flying. They are costing me US$ 340.00 per person – one way. It is way too expensive for me. I have decided to fly through Delhi to Bagdogra and from there by land to Bhutan. I will be asking your friend travel agent to rearrange the travel itinerary accordingly.

C U soon

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A good friend is visiting Bhutan this month with his family of four. The recent changes in tourism policy is so unfriendly that I did not consider it courteous to handle the trip myself - thus I requested a tour operator friend to arrange the visit. It is best that my friend negotiates the trip cost with an unknown operator - I just don’t have the heart to start quoting the numbers.

But it turns out that I am not the only one losing business - apparently the Druk Air too is.

Fortunately, my friend did not cancel his trip to Bhutan on the grounds that the airfare was too high - he opted instead to take a more strenuous route to visit the country. Others in his place may have very well canceled the trip, entirely.

An example of creative marketing - a calculated, workable gamble. GENIUS minds at work!

The question here is: Is it possible that this may now be a routine thing? Is it possible that many Bhutan-bound tour groups are now diverting air travel to airlines and routes not operated by the Druk Air? Is it possible that the Druk Air’s high airfare may be contributing to loss of revenue for the National Flag Carrier?

As I said, it is simply impossible for Druk Air to operate profitably as a commercial entity - not given their carrying capacity, not given the limited number of routes they serve, and definitely not given the disproportionate administrative cost they have to incur to keep the operation afloat. In any event, the creation of Druk Air was a statement of nationhood - not an enterprise of profit. The only way for them to make profit is by charging exorbitant fares - which, unfortunately, as we can see, results in loss of traffic.

So do some real math - learn from the Honkies - abandon the impossible and the narrow institutional interest. Instead, serve a national interest - be the National Carrier that you are - support the tourism business - a national interest initiative.

What Druk Air loses in profits can easily be recouped a thousand fold - in profits made elsewhere. The Druk Air's endeavors should be directed at minimizing losses - not towards making profits.

Arms Of Steel

Late last year I landed myself a nice little contract to photograph wild birds of Bhutan. Just PERFECT! Finally I can now consider the possibility of upgrading to a camera body with a higher pixel count.

I ordered myself the darling of the present breed of professional camera bodies - the Canon EOS 5D MK IV. Only to realize, too late, that the pixel counts aside, the camera was equipped with a sensor size that was inappropriate for bird photography - it came with a full frame CMOS - not the most ideal for bird photography.

Well, too late to do anything - I had to order yet another body - this time with a CMOS size designed for bird photography - the Canon EOS 90D, equipped with a APS-C sensor, with a form factor of 1.6X.

Disaster yet again - the images produced by the body was grainy and not as sharp as it ought to be. I tried all sorts of settings - to no avail. I gave up and went back to my full-frame EOS 5D MK IV.

It was during the course of running the camera body through a series of tests that I finally derived much satisfaction - about myself - as a photographer. Look at the following image:

Blue-fronted Redstart - near perfect image captured under extreme difficult conditions. Photographed at 3:10 PM yesterday the 20th February, 2023.

Tell me - how many photographers do you know who would dare attempt to shoot an image at this near impossible setting: at aperture f/5.6, ASA 100 and shutter speed of 1/8 - employing M shooting mode? Very, very, very few, if at all! I even got the tail tack sharp - remember a bird's tail is hardly ever still.

You gotta have arms of reinforced steel to be able to produce this sharp image at the given camera settings. Consider further that the lens in use, combined with the camera body, weighed in at a combined weight of over 5 KGs - and NO TRIPOD in use - except that the lens was rested on my car window.

Only a passionate photographer will understand the joy of accomplishment at this level - SIMPLY MIND BLOWING! - although I say it myself 😋.

On The Wings Of The Dragon: Part VII

When the tourism industry was on its way to being toppled off its pedestal like a hated tyrant towards the end of the third quarter of last year, few had any idea of how impactful it would turn out to be for the country. Not since the creation of the Department of Tourism in 1972 by His Majesty the Third King, has there been an upheaval in the industry - at a scale and devastation as we have seen in recent times.

If we do not act fast - and fast is not fast enough - we will live to see the profuse of wreckages in all their gory details - the water would have long passed under the bridge of no return. For now however, I want to speak of one industry that we seem to have forgotten:

Bhutan’s Airline Industry

Have they been spared? That would be a silly question to ask! I am told that the Druk Air - our National Flag Carrier is, for now, making do on one-way-outbound-tickets: a business generated by the Bhutanese exodus to Australia and elsewhere, not inbound tourists. Word has it that TashiAir - our second airline has not even released their Winter Flight Schedules.

I fear that over time the National Flag Carrier may not be in a position to generate money enough to pay for their annual aviation insurance on their idling aircrafts.

Years back, during early 2019, I began my 6-articles series titled “On The Wings Of The Dragon”. I encouraged the wresting of the Druk Air from the clutches of the Druk Holding and Investments (DHI) - on grounds that they were being abused - to the detriment of the nation and the people of Bhutan. Please read all of the past 6 article on the subject at the following:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/search?q=On+the+wings+of+the+dragon

I opined that as a National Flag Carrier, Druk Air had to serve a responsibility far, far greater than profit. That, in any event, given their overall carrying capacity and the number of routes they served, there was NO WAY they could make profit - unless they do so at the cost of the nation and the people of Bhutan.

And, this is what the Druk Air has been doing over the years - charging among the world’s highest airfares and undermining the growth of Bhutan’s tourism industry. For the interest of one lone company, the interest of the nation had been bound to the stakes and burnt to dust. Ask any tour operator and he/she will tell you horror stories of how some deals got terminated the moment clients heard the cost of Druk Air’s air ticket.

I hope finally sense will prevail and we can look forward to at least one right thing - the rationalization of the airfares of the Druk Air so that it makes sense to the international travelers, and we do not have to duck every time the issue of Druk Air’s air ticket comes up during the course of the negotiations.

For Want Of A Nu.10.00 Genja Ticket

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The President
Association of Bhutanese in Perth
AUSTRALIA.

Dear Association President,

Greetings from Bhutan. It is my hope that this finds you safe and sound, down under.

I believe that the pleasantries of a formal introduction can be dispensed with since I have already spoken to you on WhatsApp - so you know who I am. What you do not know is: what do I want from your Association? The following is my story.

I have few relatives studying/working in Australia - a little over half a dozen of them - one among them being you. Of that many, a nephew recently bought a parcel of land in Thimphu and wanted me to represent him in the signing of the land transfer documentation, to be executed as a matter of official record with the Land Commission.

The all-important Genja Ticket

It turns out that the rule in vogue is that the Letter of Authority in my favor has to be executed with his thumb impression (not signature) affixed over a legal stamp. Now that was simpler said than done - understandably, it appears that getting Bhutanese legal stamps in the land of the Koala is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. It took him three days to finally get the stamps from some friends and have the paper executed.

I was unnerved - I mean here was a situation that could very well cause, what they call, a disastrous slip between the cup and the lip. A perfectly good deal could be jeopardized - for want of a Nu.10.00 legal stamp. I decided that we cannot allow this to happen - not particularly when I am trying very hard to get the message across to every single Bhutanese in Australia and elsewhere that we need them to buy land back home in Bhutan, and not in Australia or elsewhere, so that they are encouraged to eventually return home, to reap the benefits of their toil.

Thus, few days back I drove over to the GPO and bought four sheets of legal stamps - each containing 50 stamps each, making up a total of 200 stamps. This should be good for atleast 100 land transections. I am happy to let you know that the Genja Tickets have been forwarded to your Association by DHL on 08/02/2023. The packet should be in your hands any day now - please confirm, upon receipt.

It is my donation to the Bhutanese community in Australia. I shall appreciate if you could distribute the stamps freely - to any and all those who may stand in need of them - with my wish and hope that they make tons and tons of money - so that they can buy acres and acres of land back home in Bhutan, and eventually come back and settle down to lead a life of leisure, and of calm and peace.

Bye and take care.

Preparing For A Serious Photographic Assignment II

It was now time for the acid test - to determine if the camera and the lenses were as squeaky clean as I believe they ought to be!

First I went through the boring prescribed routine - cranked up the lens’ aperture to f/22 and shot a few frames with the lens aimed at a perfectly white sheet of paper. The result was as expected - not a blotch nary a spot! But shooting a white paper is sooooooooo boring - so I chose a different subject - a metal work with some intricate design carved on it. The following was the result:

It took me three days to photograph this quality of image - primarily because I needed to shoot outdoors so that I can get the desired effect on the background, while ensuring that I am able to capture the details with the greatest of sharpness. What it entailed is that I use the narrowest f stop (f/22) on the lens and ensure that the distance between the object and the front of my camera lens - and the distance between the object and the background is such that I get a smooth, buttery background that you see in the image.

My problem is compounded further by the fact that the subject is a dangling one - that which is dangling in the air. This means I have to factor in the wind factor - the slightest of wind can ruin the image. The slightest of shake of the subject can render the image blurrrrrrrrrrrry.

You can imagine the mathematics that go into producing an image that looks like it is going to pop out of the frame any second!

In the topsy-turvy world of photography - f stop 22 is considered narrowest, while f stop 1.2 is considered widest!

You have to agree that the image is simply stunning - the lens has captured every microscopic detailing on the shinning amulet. I love the splendid craftsmanship - supposedly fashioned in Tibet. I am sure it was cast from a mold - I do not believe that it is a handiwork of a silversmith - producing such near perfect and unceasingly even job of carving is beyond the skills of any modern-day carver.

By the way, the poker-faced shop owner who sold me the Talisman assured me that it had magical properties that would protect me from evil spirits that roam places such as the Duthroe (crematorium) and hospital maternity wards. What a lot of baloney!!! But hey - if Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad thought up something no less bizarre and convinced the whole of humanity with something called RELIGION, why can’t the poor blighter try his cock-and-bull story on me?

Remember - the most successful consultants make their living selling you dreams that they themselves are unable to live. Fund managers become rich by selling you ideas as to how to manage your funds - if they were any smarter, they should be busy managing their own.

Preparing For A Serious Photographic Assignment

This article is intended for readers who are amateurs, semi-pro or professional photographers.

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From what I know, a large number of photographers in Bhutan are constrained by the lack of in-country professional service - to clean and service cameras, in particular dirty/stained sensors inside their Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras.

I have an ongoing project where I am required to photograph intricate designs and motiffs. In preparation, my camera gear underwent a thorough spring clean operation. The camera bodies in use are Canon EOS camera system, equipped with two different sizes of sensors: 1.3X and 1X. I am using Carl Zeiss Macro-Planer 2/50 ZE f/1.2, 50mm macro lens, and Canon EF f/1.4, 24mm wide angle lens for the job.

The angst is further aggravated by the misconception that camera sensors are prone to scratching - if you attempt to clean it yourself. Nothing can be further from the truth. With proper care, the camera sensors can be cleaned by any one equipped with the right tools, and nimble fingers.

It is the same with the camera lenses – irrespective of how expensive they are - they can be cleaned by anyone with the right tools and attitude.

I migrated to the use of digital cameras in 2003. I have never once had the need to send my camera for servicing to a professional service center - I have always done it myself, and quite competently I can assure you.

Photographers go into a nervous fit when someone touches their camera lens because they think that the lens will get scratched. Not true - the lens can withstand a fair amount of bare-hands handling - as long as they are not abusive. The only two problems that I know of with camera lenses are that because of continuous exposure to the elements, dust particles settle on the front and back glasses of the lens. But they are not a problem - just wipe them off gently with a soft nonabrasive cloth. Even better, always have a UV filter mounted on the lens - it will prevent scratching and collection of dust on the front glass of the lens. The other problem is the fungal growth inside the lens’ elements. Well, if you have this problem, there is not much you can do - except that next time you are shopping for a lens, buy a better quality lens from a respectable manufactures - as they say - if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. In plain language, ensure that the weather sealing of the lens’ construction is top notch - so that there will be no mildew formation.

Caring for the camera’s CMOS/Sensor is a little more complicated - but nothing to be nervous about. You need three basic consumer level items that can be bought over-the-counter in camera shops or can be ordered on-line. The items are:

1.  Strong handheld air blower;

2.  Good quality sensor cleaning formula; and

3.  Sensor Swabs - swab size will depend on the size of the sensor inside your camera. They come in various sizes, mainly: 1X, 1.3X etc.

Various digital camera sensor sizes

The cleaning process and the method of use of the cleaning systems will be elaborately described in the accompanying literature of the products.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT is that your lens, and the sensor, should be clean at all times. Particularly if you have an important photographic assignment coming up, you need to check and ensure that your camera gear is in top form. This can be established by taking a few sample test shots. Particularly if your assignment involves macro or close-up photography, you will need to make sure that there are no grimes on your sensor or the lenses.

Close-up and macro-photography will entail cranking up the lens’ aperture to the region of the stratospheric: f/22 & f/32. This means that the lens will pick up even the invisible spots on the sensor. It will show up on the final image – something you DO NOT WANT.

For bird photography, it is not so important because we shoot between aperture settings of f/4 & f/5.6 at the most. At this aperture range, the lens will not pick up any dust on the lens’ front/back, or grime/dust on the camera’s sensor.