1. ISBN13: 9781740595292
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
4. Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Editorial Review :

Search for fried ferns, jellied cowskins, and dried yak cheese at Thimphu's weekend market. Be blessed with a 10-inch penis at Chimi Lhakhang, the home of the 'Divine Madman.' Dance with snowlions and banter with clowns at the pick of Bhutan's colorful festivals. Hike up to the gavity-defying Tiger's Nest monastery, reputedly held on to the sheer cliff face by the hairs of angels.

Understand murals and monsters with in-depth coverage of Bhutanese Buddhism and culture by our regional expert. Special trekking chapter brings Himalayan peaks that little bit closer... Find out more and swap yeti-spotting tips at lonelyplanet.com

Customer Review :

Lonely Planet Guide to Bhutan

The book is new and most informative. It arrived quickly. I have yet to finish it but it appears to contain all the information I need for planning a trip to Bhutan.

Rating :

May be, finally...

Hello!

I'd been searching for a book on Bhutan which could provide me with a little bit of everything about the country viz. the history, geography, people and the culture. I have searched for books on Bhutan in several book stores around. It was so hard to find one in English but I think this one will do.

May be, finally......... I have found the book I'd been looking for.

Rating :

Bhutan, Lonely Planet guidebook

Full of good ideas, good list of tour groups (must go on a tour) especially locally owned. Good information on what to do, costs, etc.

Rating :

Future visitor to Bhutan

In anticipation of a trip to Bhutan in 2008 I was looking for a travel guide and opted to buy Lonely Planet's. I read it cover to cover and found to contain very good information, advice, tips, descriptions, recommendations, etc. I travel extensively worldwide and Bhutan will be a novel adventure. It brings back memories of my trip to Tibet in 2000. I highly recommend this guide.

Rating :

An excellent guide for traveling to Bhutan!

I bought this guide before my first trip to Bhutan, and it helped me immensely in planning my tour. It contains detailed information about the country--history, culture, geography, and facts for travelers. And it gives accurate information about the trekking routes and cultural tours. As is typical for Lonely Planet publications, this one is interesting and well written, and I found the information to be relevant to my trip. It is not easy to travel to Bhutan (there are many government restrictions), and this book made everything easier. I had such a successful, fun trip that I've been back several times (www.jachungtravel.com), and I still refer to this edition of the guide. It's packed with good information, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go to Bhutan.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. ISBN13: 9781573228152
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Review :

A must read journey about beauty in a remote area in the world!

I chose this book, as I had no knowledge of this country.
My interest of international studies evolves around Tibet, India and Nepal. Until Jamie Zeppa wrote about her journey into Bhutan, I felt a piece of that region was excluded from my area of interest.

I was expecting this book to be a sociological one, but the author's journey and the writing of it far exceeded that conclusion...to my personal benefit!

The author crossed this remote, mountainous region and gave us a glimps of it's beautiful land and it's beautiful people.
Clearly, Tibet, India and Nepal have had their influence on this country, even though Bhutan is tucked away within it's mountainous terrain. But many settlers of these countries remain there, as their languages, foods, and cultures seem to be all incorporated, in their regions.

What was so overwhelmingly interesting about this story is that I could identify with the author. She basically picked a remote region of the world to move to, and offered her skills as an English teacher.

As the author's first journey into Bhutan came to be an unsure one(due to getting to her destination), it was
visibly clear that passage of transportation would be impossible at times, by barriers created from the monsoons and the winter months. Yet for the people of Bhutan, there is an acceptance in living with inconveience. I think that their acceptability has everything has to do with their religion...Tibetan Buddhism.

Thus, a journey in and out of the country takes time and effort; but, time is not of the essence to these people. They don't need to hurry and scurry in their lifestyles. They are quite satisfied and proud with what they have.
Buddhists are carefree and mindful people. They are taught to never intentionally harm other sentiment beings...an important key to their religion. More of this religion is explained in the book.

It was great reading about a person in our Western Hemisphere, going into this remote country, and finding so much beauty. In fact, she returns to Bhutan more times than I could physically imagine.

The simplicity and the repertoire of this remote country entices me to visit this land of splendor some day in my life. But I can not physically do so; therefore, I am hoping that maybe others of you who read this book will want to travel there and update Bhutan to us by publishing your own journey, as well.

This book is a story of survival and inconveience in the beginning, but that is well overcome before long, because the importance of life there can change a person, as author Jamie Zeppa illustrates it does on her journey.

So, thank you, Jamie Zeppa! You brought me into a beautiful region that is rarely written about, particularly on a personal level! The people, the land and the religion are so worth your study.
Please know this is one of the most interesting books that I have ever read!

Rating :

Fantastic Story

This is one of the best travel books I've read in a while. The author tells a compelling story of her time in Bhutan along with her personal journey, yet not in a cliched way. I read a lot of travel memoirs and I can tell you this is one of my favorites now.

Rating :

Beautifully written; a wonderful story

I was given this book by a friend who knew I was planning a trip to Bhutan. I picked it up one day because I needed a paperback to take with me while traveling. What a marvelous surprise! The story is fascinating and wonderfully written. I hated it to end. I loaned it to all my friends who love to read and those with whom I'm going to Bhutan (next month!) I googled the author to find out more about her but, sadly, there was not too much information and she apparently has not written another book. What a shame.

Rating :

It Took Time To Appreciate, But The Payoff Is There For Those Who Persist

I started out hating this book and its author. Jamie Zeppa was an English student, preparing to get her doctorate. On a whim, she decided to teach for two years in Bhutan, a remote, tiny country precariously situated between India and China. Her fiance was not amused.
I found Zeppa's initial observations of Bhutan pedestrian and whiny. It took her about six months to fall in love with the country and its people, and as she did, she became more interesting and grounded, letting go of and struggling with her sense of cultural supremacy.
This book is a love story between the author, the country and a rather remarkable young man.


Rating :

Fabulous travel philosophy

This book should be a must-read for anyone planning to work outside their own culture. Its treatment of culture shock and adjustment is so very well done.

The author is a very good writer and has a fabulous story to tell, full of interesting characters, amazing places, politically based tension and conflicting emotions as she balances her two worlds and tries to find her place between them. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book, worth a place in any library.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. ISBN13: 9789622178106
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Editorial Review :

"The bible of Bhutan guide books."—Travel & Leisure Shoe-horned into the Grand Himalayas, Bhutan—Land of the Peaceful Thunder Dragon—is a fiercely independent kingdom that celebrated its centenary in 2008. Isolated, charming, peaceful, and religious, the Bhutanese are a pragmatic, sensitive people who take from the West what will benefit their country and leave the rest. The countryside is pristine, the lifestyle and culture have been preserved for centuries, and the love of life is abundant among the people. Few outsiders know Bhutan as intimately as Françoise Pommaret.

Includes:

• Passionate introduction to Bhutanese culture and history by resident author—the world's leading expert on Bhutan
• Literary extracts with an historical perspective
• Trekking and mountaineering in this spectacular kingdom
• National symbols of Bhutan, ceremonial scarves, the Dzongkha language, chortens and mandalas
• Archery and other national sports, plus much more

Customer Review :

No review yet

Editorial Review :

Often seen as a magical paradise at the end of the world, Bhutan is inaccessible to most travellers. Set against the dramatic scenery of the Himalaya, this beguiling memoir recalls hardships and happiness in a land almost untouched by the West.

When Britta Das goes to work as a physiotherapist in a remote village hospital, her good intentions are put to the test amid monsoons, fleas, and startling conditions. But as she visits homes in the mountains and learns the mysteries of Tantric Buddhism, the country captivates her very soul. Gaining insights into the traditions of the mystical kingdom, Britta makes friends, falls in love, and battles illness.

Throughout it all, as she writes, she worries about the "destructive nearness of technology" and fears that Bhutan's charm and innocence may soon be lost. Still, Bhutan has endured for centuries, and there is no denying that the country has transformed her life forever.

Customer Review :

Experiences in a remote Himalayan kingdom.


Britta Das has written a wonderful and honest account of her year working at a small hospital in Eastern Bhutan. As a physiotherapist, she writes from a unique perspective. She was hired to run the clinic, and to train technicians, but arrives to find no equipment. Her living conditions are sparse, and to add to her difficulties, she arrives during the monsoon season.

She takes up the challenge, learning the language as she goes. Slowly she makes progress, accepts the hospitality of the Bhutanese people, and grows to love the country. Many of her patients had been disabled for years, with no access to treatment. Using her initiative and local materials, her work helps them gain new mobility, although she is realistic about her efforts. Her book is full of lively descriptions of all the people she meets as she explores the countryside. It captures the spirit of Bhutan as she discovers the culture of this little known Buddhist country. Adding to her experiences is her friendship with a doctor, two foreigners working together. When she leaves Bhutan and returns to Canada, it is with a real feeling of loss.

I spent time in Bhutan a few years before Britta, travelling across the country, being invited into homes, schools and health centres. I have read Buttertea at Sunrise twice, and enjoyed every page. It brought back great memories, and made me long to go back.

I would highly recommend this book to those who know Bhutan or plan to visit the country, to people thinking of working abroad, and to anyone who appreciates a good travel book!

Rating :

Tells her story

"Buttertea at Sunrise" by Britta Das is the fascinating true tale of a young woman who decides to leave her comfortable life in Canada in order to teach her physiotherapy skills to medical workers in the unique kingdom of Bhutan, just emerging from a medieval society into the late 20th century world. Having traveled in Bhutan for a few weeks recently, I was particularly interested in her observations of a somewhat different part of the country than I had experienced (she lived in southeastern Bhutan), and in a somewhat different era - although only a dozen years ago! Das's prose throughout the book is remarkable for its clarity and richness. The story is compelling, the language is satisfying.

Rating :

A first person view....

First off, let me point out I have find Bhutan a amazing nation, being brave enough to say that being HAPPY was the most important thing. Think of it? Gross National Happiness! I have a few books about the Kingdom, having visited their displays and exhibits last year on the National Mall.
One of the reasons I enjoyed this book was how realistic and gritty the author's view point was. She saw the dirty homes, the ill people, not just the natural beauty and the Buddhist lifestyles. Of course, she was there to work along side the people, not just passing through like many others.
She found a lot in her journey - love, pain, understanding, enlightenment. She brought something back, not just photos or stories to write about, but maybe a changed soul? She is brave enough to share those experiences. She didn't just tell us about temples and shops, street names and problems with the toilets, like so many other travel books. She told us about her fears, dreams, her romance and her failures.
Can't get more real than that!

Rating :

Thank you for sharing your beauty of Bhutan with us!

I've been waiting on the edge of my seat for another person to come along and write about their journey into Bhutan, and Britta Das did! (I had read the book, "Beyond the Earth and Sky: A Journey into Bhutan", by Jamie Zeppa, which was also a 5 star book in my opinion. Her book kept me wanting to read more 'journeys into Bhutan') Unfortunately, only a slight amount of Westerners have been educated with the knowledge of Bhutan, it's people, their religion and where this sleepy little country resides. I give this book a 5 star rating.

As a young doctor, Britta Das wanted to go somewhere in the world where she could give back for what she had been given in life. Having once journeyed to Bhutan with her dad as a nature companion throughout the Himalayan communities, she later decided to bring her skills as a doctor in 'one of the last untouched countries of our world'. Her intended year's stay was to bring her Western knowledge of medicine (her field of physiotherapy)and apply it to those medical professionals whom worked along with her to shadow her skills and abilities for after she left..in that region of Bhutan's only hospital. This location was extremely remote, and all traveling to the hospital was only one way...on foot. No roads were available, only pathways. Soggy pathways and dampness was everywhere and on everyone, due to the ever present fog that would loom down from the Himalayan mountains.

I was very pleased to have this doctor write with such a creative flair while defining the people, the landscapes, and the mountain-side homes. The homes were built (patched together) on hillsides.

No matter the countless languages (dialects)brought into Bhutan from the neighboring countries, they are Buddhists. They are kind and simple people.

Not only does the author meet these people at the hospital, but also at the outdoor markets along the sides of the road, and she enjoys many invitations from people living in their modest but proud homes. Yes, the country is secluded within the towering Himalayan Mountains and though this area has its drawbacks, the people are peaceful, and that is a result of their simple Buddhist religion.

And does she fall in love and does he stay in her life after her departure? I guess you will have to read this lovely book and find out for yourselves!

I see this author as a heroine. She ventures there only in her mid-twenties wanting to offer so much of herself,
and thereafter, she is able to write her journey in such an interesting way. It seems her journey was significant by means of fellowship, as such was a major part of this peaceful land.

All my best to you, Dr. Das! J. Lavoie VT

Rating :

Editorial Review :

Tucked away between China and India in the heart of the Himalayas, Bhutan remains a relatively little-known country. Few photographers have been granted permission to enter this remote kingdom, where life quietly unfolds to the rhythm of tradition amid the magnificent, unspoiled landscape. Nearly twenty-five years ago, Matthieu Ricard went to Bhutan to study with Dilgo Khyenste Rinpoche, a highly revered Tibetan Buddhist master and teacher. During this time, he also came to know the royal family. He has continued to return to Bhutan throughout his life, discovering on each occasion more of its treasures.

Customer Review :

Bhutan: The Land of Serenity

Beautiful images of a pristine land, valued by its people & protected by its government.Presents as a collection of images & text to deliver the beauty & serenity of a magnificent unspoilt landscape. Well recommended for those interested in this region of the world.

Rating :