r/bhutan

Been wanting to get this off my chest for months. At first I genuinely thought maybe it was just me being sensitive or overreacting, but after talking to a few of my other friends, I realised I’m definitely not the only one who feels this way.

There’s this rooftop bar in Thimphu called Aroma, and almost every single time I go there, around 10–11 PM this same group of guys shows up. And honestly, I don’t even care that they come there just to smoke and hang around. That’s not the issue at all. The problem is the way they act once they arrive. It’s like the whole atmosphere suddenly changes.

They’ll literally take the remote or connect their phones to the woofer and start playing whatever songs they want, completely ignoring the vibe everyone else was already enjoying. Whole wannabe gangster behaviour. Loud for no reason, acting like the place revolves around them. And the worst part is nobody even says anything because it just creates this awkward uncomfortable environment where everyone else feels pushed aside.

What’s annoying is that Aroma actually has such a nice setting and potential to be one of those chill places where people can just relax, have conversations, enjoy the music and the view. But the mood gets ruined so fast when people start behaving like they own the entire place.

And before anyone says “it’s a bar, what do you expect?” blackout gets crowded too. Really crowded. But at least people there know how to vibe together without making the entire place feel tense or irritating. There’s a huge difference between bringing energy to a place and completely hijacking the atmosphere for everyone else.

Idk if the owners notice it or not, but if multiple people are feeling the same way then there’s probably some truth to it.

Hi totsang bak, I’m struggling with how to translate “to ferment” or “fermented” into Tshangla lo la.

I understand that different verbs may be used depending on whether the thing being fermented is alcohol, cheese, beans, etc., and I also know there are dialect differences.

I’d really appreciate your insights.

What I’ve heard so far is:

First, regarding cheese. I think fermented cheese is mainly referred to as “chur yidpa.” Since this type of cheese is traditionally made by Brokpa rather than Tshangla, it also be called “Brokpa yidpa.” In this case, is “yidpa” really being used in the sense of “fermented,” or is “rotten” actually the more accurate meaning?

I’ve also heard that “chur yedpa” is alternatively called “yoshu.” I’m not sure whether “yoshu” is Tshangla lo, or a borrowing from another language.

In addition, I’ve heard the expression “yoshu bang pay” meaning “to ferment cheese.” In this case, what exactly do “yoshu” and “bang pay” refer to?

Next, regarding alcohol, especially the production of “yu.” Fermentation occurs during the process of mixing grains with yeast, called “pha” or “pheb” (which may also vary by dialect), in order to make “yu dama” (which may also vary by dialect) . At this stage, some people say “yu wu wa la,” while others say “yu dama ri wa la.” In the case of alcohol, is there no specific word corresponding to “fermented”?

Finally, regarding “livi yedpa.” I have never personally seen how it is made, so I do not know the details, but I think people say “livi yed pa la” to indicate that it has fermented. If there are other ways to say this, please let me know.

Is there any way to send parcel from Australia to Bhutan? Some suggested to try dhl service but I don’t know. I have also heard from known people bringing stuff from Aussie to Bhutan through cargo system. As of now I don’t have a close friend and neither do i know when anyone is coming from Aussie to Bhutan. Just need a small help regarding this.(If anyone is coming from Australia to bhutan then i can pay you extra and the cargo charges will also be paid)

When I searched “braces in bhutan” there were multiple sources that showed up and to my surprise, there are two active private clinics in Thimphu (that does braces) despite people telling me that there aren’t any other. I looked up their profile and they do have bhutanese patients. They don’t market themselves on SM either. My questions; why does no one know about it? Are they doing it secretly?Is it gate kept only for the elites? Am i getting scammed?

One of them even have other cosmetic services like aligners and teeth whitening which every other bhutanese are rushing towards p/ling to get. Honestly, if it’s an illegal business, I would like to take this down. I would rather support them than our government. I know alot of bhutanese who got their braces illegally and it saved their life. I still don’t understand why government wouldn’t allow cosmetic procedures for licensed private clinics. If you don’t want others to do it then upgrade your game man.

I am also posting this because I know there are alot of people who desperately want to get their teeth done.

Bhutan's monarchy seems like an interesting outlier; it was a constitutional monarchy from the beginning, it was established in the 20th century, it has explicit provisions for removing a king from office, and includes a requirement of being a protector of all religions despite being an explicitly Buddhist role. So, what led to such an unusual monarchy arising in 1907, and how did the first king get consensus to form the monarchy?

Is anyone familiar with the office in lama building(pling) ,where you collect orders from Zara,h&m and etc, or with anyone who works there.

I placed an order online but think the seller scammed me.

Chat I've been watching dating shows like Singles inferno, house of feelings, and love island and I really enjoyed it. Some shows are said to be scripted but some aren't. Whether it's scripted or not, people really enjoy it and it really helps some people find their love of their life. Therefore, I'm thinking about making a dating show when I've enough budget la. What do u guys think ab this idea la. Could u guys share ur thoughts on it la like whether people would be interested or not n how I should get the contestants la. I'm not really sure about how those dating shows work but in Bhutan, will people be willing to pay a large amount of money to participate n find the love of their life la?

Anyone working in the government receive these fake ass notifications on improving work life balance and mental health and appointment of sexual harassment focals?

Deadass ragebait. They'll do anything other than actually try to put these measures in place and make sure that employees feel safe mentally and physically in their workplace. At this point it just seems performative.

Same old 9-5 energy with the work until the candle burns out mentality meanwhile our best people leave the system or get poached by other industries.

Thirty years on, the displaced Lhotshampa and even to some extent Sharchop diaspora, is nothing like the security threat Bhutan once imagined: the first generation has aged, their children now hold Western passports and professional careers, yet still carry an unexpected loyalty to the country, visible in remittances, preserved languages, yearning to see their ancestral home, and Bhutanese restaurants run by families once displaced. International bodies continue pressing for repatriation, eroding Bhutan’s moral credibility and giving our neighbors a diplomatic lever. His Majesty’s Gelephu Special Administrative Region, GMC, offers a clean solution: a controlled investor‑residency track for the verified diaspora with limited rights, no citizenship restoration, no land claims, but full commercial participation and the dignity of return. This would redirect diaspora capital into Bhutan, neutralize advocacy pressure, and transform a decades‑old liability into a strategic asset while protecting every conservative concern. The window is narrow, GMC’s design is being finalized and the diaspora’s elders are fading, and the real choice is whether reconciliation happens on Bhutan’s terms or under future pressure. For most of the diaspora, it is simply about being allowed to come home.

Edit:

The ongoing cost of constant negative media coverage, in news that portrays us positively, is unsustainable and damaging for Bhutan, and this is especially true as we strive to project a progressive image through initiatives like GNH and Gelephu Mindfulness City. While it is easy to dismiss online criticism as inevitable, this persistent negativity has severely eroded our reputation as a "Shangri-La" and the country of peace loving people. Solving this long-standing issue is in everyone's best interest. Under His Majesty's wise leadership, we can protect our image while securing vital assets like skilled human capital and essential foreign exchange.

Hello guys. I'm contemplating whether I should get a bachelor's degree in computer science in Bhutan or study nursing in Singapore through that ANS scholarship la. I feel like I'm best suited for CS but since there is not much scope in Bhutan, I might go to Australia or somewhere to pursue higher education or work la. However, considering my family background, that would be a bit difficult too la. And if I choose nursing in Singapore, I'm 98% sure that I will get it since I'm already shortlisted. And I feel like I can save some stipends to use it for other important purposes too. Moreover, a 6 yrs employment right after diploma is guaranteed and even after that, I can still work there if I want or I could go to Australia or somewhere like the US. Moreover, if I do really well, I could get a scholarship to pursue a degree in nursing and midwifery there only tho it's very rare. With my past history in academics, I'm very confident that I can do very well in any field I choose tho I messed up in class 12 due to some mental n physical issues la. Does anyone have any advice la. I've been making bad decisions so I don't want to mess it up this time like Soo badly la. I would really appreciate it if anyone could help la.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I just remembered a quote from the movie The Incredibles, where the villain doesn't have any super powers in a world where people have super powers. Heros are treated like stars. So he uses tech to mimic super powers and becomes a super hero himself. In the movie he plans to give away all his gadgets when he becomes old, so that everyone gets to be a superhero. "If everyone is super, then no one is super". So in a way, I feel that every 1 in 5 person in Bhutan being called Dasho or Rinpoche, would dilute the prestige and will eventually reach the point where requests or favours from such titles will be ignored.

If everyone’s a Dasho, then no one’s a Dasho.

Does anyone have information about the separate case involving the Home Minister and the BCCI president? I think it was related to a sexual assault allegation and claims that the victim was pressured or silenced using political influence and powerful connections.

Disclaimer : This is just opinion and can be debatable.

I am really tired of the Bhutanese approach of pushing people to work using fear. Few examples could be using names of influential people to embark fear in others. "Ya Dasho will be so mad about this, Ya this might get reported to that office, or to that director or that person." Efficiency seems to be driven by fear and not by self interest. I can't even say this is a stick or carrot approach but it seems more like being chased by a tiger till you actually retire.

Worst part of this is it seems to work on all the lazy and laid back people. The concept of integrity and self responsibility seems to lose meaning in all this and the determining factor of how successful a office/department is usually proportional to how ruthless the head/influential person is.

This is mentally exhausting. This could be one of the primary reasons people want to get out of the system and since this system is so deeply embedded in the country the only way to escape is to go abroad.

We recently moved to Gyelpozhing, and have been hearing some crazy horror legends about some places here. We do not really know anyone here. We are interested to hear more of these. Does anybody who has lived or is living here know any more of these? 👻

The new education system the one government calls the Cambridge system is so confusing.

Most Teachers in my school didn't even get training for it.They got a new textbook (which still hasn't arrived yet) and hopes and dreams. They expect kids who have been taught like a baby in a system where the teachers do all the explaining but now suddenly we have to be modernized to fit into the British system.I can understand Bhutan's worry about the youths education compared to 1st world countries but we are not a first world country. Bhutan lacks the funds to do this.They already take huge help from India for most of their high end constructions like dam building. On top of that they also need help with GMC.THE FUTURE OF BHUTAN they say.

Hello everyone, Australian visa assessment level has dropped and it has affected Bhutanese a lot, it just happened that my visa got refused last month.
I wanted to ask if it’s okay if I reapply again in the upcoming intake or is it just over for me?
Your guidance would be appreciated

Personally, I do not write any post on reddit however my experience with this hotel was so horrible I have to share for anyone intending to visit Punakha, Bhutan.

This is following review I post on Google review, but wish to share ahead for anyone booking for a stay.

Very disappointing experience and extremely poor management handling.

We made a confirmed reservation in advance and were assured that rooms were available. However, upon arrival, we were informed that our rooms were no longer available because existing guests had extended their stay. This created a frustrating situation that should never happen with proper hotel management.

Although the staff assisted us were polite and apologetic, the management itself showed little accountability beyond verbal apologies. We were relocated to another hotel and still had to pay additional costs ourselves despite the issue not being caused by us. A professional hotel should take responsibility for its own booking failures instead of shifting the burden onto guests.

The most frustrating part was not just the mistake itself, but the lack of meaningful resolution or fairness. A simple “sorry” is not enough when guests are left to deal with extra expenses and last-minute relocation stress after relying on a confirmed reservation.

This experience gave the impression that confirmed bookings may not actually be respected when more profitable opportunities arise. I would strongly advise future guests to be cautious and have backup plans when booking here.

Very disappointing overall.