I’ve travelled to all seven continents, seen and experienced cultures that have given me rise to question my beliefs, I’ve seen scenery that has left me speechless and have met people that have inspired a sense of self belief I didn’t realise I was capable of, but today on arriving in Bhutan I felt an inner peace that I’ve never come across before. Different from the peace I feel when I’m with Carolynn and my close family. I would almost say spiritual, but those of you that know me would know I don’t mean that in a religious context as that would be very hypocritical of me. I’m not sure whether I can describe it:-

The plane came to a standstill and the engine turbines slowly came to a halt, silence prevailed, not that total silence there was on the Antarctic, a silence punctuated by birds, insects and the odd human engineered noise. We walked onto the apron tarmac, there were no officials herding us along, we were left to appraise our surroundings and then make for what was obviously the arrivals lounge. No rush, no sense of urgency, that compulsion to be the first at Passport control and the baggage carousel had gone. The airport was not surrounded by cranes and the associated building work, but it sat in tune with its surroundings. We passed effortlessly through the airport and our guide, Tshering Dorje, drove us to our hotel. Happiness is an integral part of their Constitution and my first impression is that the Constitution is followed to the letter.

I’m not sure that describes my feelings on entering Bhutan, but hopefully it puts into words a little of what I felt.