Topic: I went to Bhutan!! :)

[calbisu]

Bhutan, between India, China, Tibet... I was lucky enough to go with my little family (we are all small). Alma, 8 months old, did her best and performed as a real explorer!!! I brought with me the Pentax 67, Canon A1 and Minox 35gt. Total of 5 color (120), 4 b/w (120) and two 35mm rolls, color. For a total of 10 days. Climbing for the Tiger´s nest with the baby and the pentax 67 during 2 1/2 hours was... challenging   Weather was cold but sunny, and very few, few tourists. I felt strange when encountered other tourists and observed how they were moving around and shooting at people. This journey I asked most of the people to be photographed. If not I would like to be unobtrusive shooting with the waist level finder (well, the Pentax 67 is not kind of discret...). Still have to scan black and white and 35mm... we´ll see. I think next time I´ll just shoot Black and White. We are the ones at the 3rd shot, well not hard to imagine.

[Photo_Utopia]

It looks like a great trip. Kudos for taking that much film, I bet that there are loads of great images in your impressive film count.
I just love the last one with the dog, the colours are great as is the reaction from the people (or lack of it)
Well done
Regards
Mark Antony

[calbisu]

Ups, I think I was not clear. Were a total a 5 color 120 rolls and 4 120 b&w rolls... not 90 120 rolls... 

[CarlRadford]

Now that is a wonderful experience to have had  

[Andrea.]

Yes, a wonderful experience and a wonderful place too me thinks. Isn't that where the King said he was more interested in the Gross National Happiness rather than GNP?

[CarlRadford]

Yes, a wonderful experience and a wonderful place too me thinks. Isn't that where the King said he was more interested in the Gross National Happiness rather than GNP?

and also that that county had to be 60% forest or green?

[astrobeck]

These are wonderful! 
Kudos to Alma for being a real trooper and beginning her young life as a family explorer!

Love the faces of the women, and I also love those sturdy boots that you and the missus are wearing!
 

[calbisu]

Yep, 60% of country total surface. They told me it was currently at 62%... It´s a strange place. Smoking is forbidden for sale. Only possible to smoke at home I believe. Internet was forbidden until 1999. There was no electricity or currency until the 60s... MTV and wrestling channels are forbidden...  It was an absolute monarchy until 2008 where the king, amazingly, voluntarily abdicated.. Our guide told us that the population was against democracy... I do not know what to believe anymore. People seemed happy but quite, quite poor. Basically there is not much over there. Covents and Government houses are quite amazing. The two only cities are quite normal places but the country side it just goes back to middle age. Amazing again. People loves babies as much as in the Philippines, and believe me, that is quite a lot. We interviewed a Monastery Abad without knowing he was the abad, but thinking he was a fortune teller.. mmhh. The situation was quit bizarre. All in al a fantastic experience and first travel adventure for little Alma 

[Mojave]

Im really getting to know your work Carlos because I didnt check out the name of the poster before I started looking at the pix and said to myself "This looks like Calbisus work." 

Wonderful work! Love the pic of the hilltop with all the staffs on it the most. And thank you for the stories about what the place was like. Amazing!

[calbisu]

Im really getting to know your work Carlos because I didnt check out the name of the poster before I started looking at the pix and said to myself "This looks like Calbisus work." 

Wonderful work! Love the pic of the hilltop with all the staffs on it the most. And thank you for the stories about what the place was like. Amazing!

Ha!  Thanks for the nice words

[Terry]

A wonderful opportunity and you made very good use of it--those sample photos are magnificent.  (Anticipating that you'll post more....!)

Did you find the quality of the light to be different there?

[Miller]

Very nice sir, colours are especially pleasing to my eye...

Rgds

Mlr

[LT]

Nice work indeed. Everything in that last picture is just perfect - lighting, composition, interpretation etc etc.  I really like it a lot.

[Mil Mascaras]

Lovely colours - that family portrait is going to be a great memory in 20 years.

[Windy]

Very nice. A wonderful set of pics - looking forward to seeing more

[Late Developer]

Lovely set of photos.

Of all the Himalayan territories, this is the one I want to visit most. I have no idea why - maybe it's a throwback to some National Geographic article I read all those years ago as a school-kid. however, I am extremely envious. 

[calbisu]

Thanks to everybody for the nice comments  The awkward (this is a strange word) thing about Bhutan is that Tourism is ¨controlled¨, meaning that you cannot go there by your own. You always have to visit Bhutan with a Guide. The Group can be as small as one person (not a group anymore...) but then you pay an extra for it. We were two and we already paid an extra. More than fifteen and you are given one free. There are two rates. 178$ or 200$, per person and per day. Low or High season. Then everything is included (meal, accommodation, driver, transport...). The travelling is organized-prearranged but you can modify it. For example we did not want to eat in ¨Tourist¨ restaurants so we went to Local restaurants. You have to have a good stomach and not to be too picky, picky  (photo of a local restaurant, with two strange faces )

[astrobeck]

Love the restaurant.  One of my rules when traveling is to NOT eat at any chain restaurant. 

I need to get back across the ocean again.  I've been to Nepal and India, Himalayas, and wish to go back again.

Thanks for sharing these wonderful sights!