Beyond the golden ricefields and the last ridge is Khengrig Namsum.

Literally meaning The Three Mountains and Three Skies of Kheng the region is also called Zhemgang. While Zhemgang is the district centre, Kheng is still the name of the area, and the people are referred to as Khengpa.

The remoteness means that this region was slow to stay attuned to the modernation process that the rest of the country got into. This is, of course, a paradox because Zhemgang is centrally located but totally god-foresaken.

But maybe that’s a good thing. Afterall if development is creating a concrete out of the lush green forests or golden ricefields, I would prefer the latter. If modernisation means living in a house where you don’t know your neighbour, I would prefer a place that has nothing but at least a care and concern, and sharing.

“Get out of Thimphu once in a while”, I tell just everyone since over 20 years, “That’s real Bhutan”. This advice is only getting wiser and current as modern ills such as traffic, pollution, road rage, materialism and hypocrisy catch up with the country that was once called the Last Eden, at the United Nations.

But the last Eden there is. Actually Bhutan minus Thimphu is still the last Eden. And Khengrig Namsum definitely is.

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