All language subtitles for Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown S11E08 Bhutan (1080p x265 10bit Joy)

You think animals are sentient?

I think pain is, you know...

- Pain...
- Pain is pain.

If you don't respond to that,

you're doing something
seriously wrong.

That's very Buddhist of you,
I think.

Look, when I worked in Cape Cod,

my job was to load
this steamer with lobsters.

And they don't scream,
but, you know,

you hear them scratching
against the thing.

I'd have dreams, and, I mean,
I'm in a sauna

and I look through the window

and there's this giant lobster,

like a... you know, a bib
with a chef on it, you know.

♪ I took a walk
through this ♪

♪ Beautiful world

♪ Felt the cool rain
on my shoulder ♪

♪ Found something good
in this ♪

♪ Beautiful world

♪ I felt the rain
getting colder ♪

- ♪ La, la
- ♪ Sha la, la, la, la

♪ Sha la, la, la, la

- ♪ Sha la, la, la
- Sha la, la, la, la ♪

♪ Sha la, la, la, la, la

Bhutan,

a remote,
relatively rarely visited

kingdom of myth and legend
high in the Himalayas,

known as
Land of the Thunder Dragon.

One of the reasons it's not
on the tourist trail

is it's hard to get to.

Flying in,
you hang on to your seat

as the plane negotiates
some alarming maneuvers

through narrow
mountain passes...

Before dropping
into the country's

only international airport,

said by some to be the most
dangerous in the world.

Located between India and Tibet,

Bhutan, about the size
of Switzerland,

is caught between
the old world and the new.

Thimphu is Bhutan's capital
and largest city.

It has a rapidly growing
population of 100,000,

as Bhutanese have begun
the inevitable move away

from a rural,
agrarian lifestyle.

Tourism was only allowed
starting in the 1970s.

The amount of foreign visitors
each year is strictly limited

to protect Bhutan's culture
and environment.

There are no Starbucks,
no KFCs, no King or Clown.

Basically, they don't
want you to come here...

at least en masse.

- Watch your head.
- Yeah, right? Wow.

What do you think of
the altitude? How you feeling?

I'm here because of this guy,

my friend, a film director,
Darren Aronofsky,

fresh off the unjustifiably
horrified reaction

to what I think is
his masterpiece, "Mother!"

I don't know if you've studied
the effects of high altitude.

You know, your blood
gets thicker and thicker

until it's like
freakin' marmalade.

- All right.
- We'll be dying slowly.

Awesome.

"Mother!" is an angry
and thinly veiled warning

that we are destroying
our planet.

And, policy wise,
Bhutan is something

of an environmental wonderland.

You want to protect the country
from being overly influenced

by foreign values,
culture, you know,

all of the bad stuff
that happens with tourism.

Has anyone made a film here?
I don't know.

It's got to be hard
to work here.

Yeah, plus talk
about contaminating

the values of a local culture,
I mean, I don't... that'll...

What, we are... Hollywood
doesn't do that.

Our first meal
becomes our go-to favorite

for the rest of the trip.

If I'm not on camera,
chances are I'm somewhere

eating these bad boys.

- Momo!
- Momos.

Plump, flavorful,
often quite spicy dumplings

filled with meat, cheese,
or veg.

Did I mention Darren
is a vegetarian?

- God damn, these are good.
- They are really good.

- Try chili cheese momo?
- Pardon?

- Chili cheese momo.
- Cheese momo?

- Chili cheese.
- Hot, very hot.

- Wow, everybody's smiling.
- The thing to do.

- Okay.
- All right, here we go.

- Mmm.
- That's excellent.

Yeah.

That's spicy.

That is... yeah,
I'm feeling that.

Mmm. I feel it
in the back of my head.

It's enlightenment.

It's your third eye
opening, man.

I can't even tell what
we're talking about,

I'm, like, so high
from the altitude.

Morning in Bhutan's capital.

A kingdom
that has existed contentedly

in a state of self-imposed
isolation for centuries.

In some forms of Buddhism
you're very much...

This life does not matter
at all, it's about the next.

Next.

But on the other extreme,

it's all about today, right now.

The form of Buddhism practiced
here is the Middle Path.

Middle Path.
Mahayana Buddhism.

Buddhists consider
the next life.

Yes, and always is your karma.

And karma.

Whatever tragedies fall on you,

that's the family of karma.

It's all about an attitude,
pick up and move on.

Once, his holiness
the Dalai Lama

told me, "Every day
when you rise up",

"you try and be a good
a human being as possible.

That more important
than being religious."

- Beautiful day today.
- Winter days...

- Yeah.
- Are normally like this

every day.

In the good old days,
we used to have

snowfalls about four,
five times a year.

- Mm-hmm.
- But over the last decade

or so, it's decreased a lot.
Noticeably, really?

Some glacier lakes have
disappeared completely.

Dasho Benji Dorji is known as

Bhutan's godfather
of environmental conservation.

And in Tantric Buddhism,
is there a respect for nature?

- There is a lot of respect.
- You don't mess with nature.

Yeah, you don't
mess with nature.

This is a traditional
welcome drink, is an ara.

It's raw alcohol.

The normal toast
is "tashi delek."

- Tashi delek.
- Tashi delek.

May good fortune be with you.

I'm a retired alcoholic,
so I will not join you.

Okay. Mmm.

- Pretty good.
- Yeah.

Kind of a warm sake
but made out of wheat.

- Yeah.
- Yes.

If you could tell us
a little more about the chef.

Oh, she and her husband
are both colonels

in the Royal Bhutan Police.
Oh, wow.

We have to use the finger.

Touch, so that
the flavors come out.

These recipes,
where do they come from?

They come from the farms,
from all the local houses.

Just passed down.

These nine grains
have a very historical

and spiritual significance.

There was one saint
called Drukpa Kunley,

he's known as the Madman.
The Divine Madman.

Yes, of course.

So when he came to Bhutan,
he carried the nine grains.

This is the hide, the yak hide.
Mm. Yes.

Hot Sichuan pepper.

Lots of tomatoes
to tone down the pepper.

This is the yak hide.

It's a delicacy.

♪

And then this is... the green
one is the orchid flower.

- Oh...
- I always think

it's very exotic, the orchid.
Mm.

They say it's good
for your health.

- Mmm, good.
- I know, it's really amazing.

Can you tell us about

the famous
Gross National Happiness?

Ah, well, you have
in your Constitution

the pursuit of happiness,
the right of every individual.

It's true.
Yeah, but, we don't...

We don't actually believe that,
but please proceed.

I do believe in
Gross National Happiness.

Good governance, human rights,

justice for all,
education, health.

It is not a wealthy country.

The average daily wage
is very low.

- Yeah.
- But would you say

the average person
living in Bhutan

is reasonably happy and content?

Most people, yes.

Bhutan is
a good welfare state where

the health of people
are taken care of,

you know, and taken care
of very well.

♪

♪

It's a 2 1/2-hour drive
from the capital

to the picturesque
mountain village of Punakha.

♪

This is a must-see destination

and one-time home to
Bhutan's revered and beloved

Drukpa Kunley,
known as the Divine Madman.

- Beep, beep!
- Beep, beep.

Beep, beep.

It's...
Okay. Here you go.

Wow.

- Uh...
- So, I mean, we...

I really kind of
got nothing to say.

Now, dear viewer,

Bhutan is a very
devoutly Buddhist country,

and in such circumstances,
I always do my very best

to be respectful and restrained,

shying away from my usual
toilet humor.

Never in the history
of television

has a host faced
a greater challenge.

How to talk about what's
happening without, uh...

well, without making
the obvious joke.

God, give me strength,
as we wander through

the valley of the low-hanging
dick jokes.

I'm trying to be respectful

of a five-century
religious tradition here.

For centuries, Bhutan
has celebrated

the, um... phallus.

Uh, I'm not sure
about the teeth.

This is the necklace ones.
Ooh.

I'm trying to think
of a circumstance

that you could wear
that around your neck.

You see them everywhere here.

Ah, jeez, it's a cock-alanche.

You could make a chess set
out of them, though.

Really, my dick
takes your schnatz.

Exactly.

Yeah, that's a little...
Yeah, that's...

That's making a statement
of some...

Yeah, it is. It is.

All right, I got to go
for the sad one.

And you're going for sort of...
It's a rainbow.

Rainbow dick.
Five, six...

I want to see this appearing
on the budget, by the way.

Exactly.
How do you write this off?

Do I add a little tip?
N-

- Do we have a bag?

Can I pass this along?
I'm not walking around with it.

I mean, I'm holding two...

It's... I feel like I'm...
So what do they-

Tell me what they represent.

Uh, embarrassment?
All right.

All this is the legacy
of Drukpa Kunley,

a lama and holy man
who lived 500 years ago

and spread the tenets
of Buddhism

along with a healthy skepticism

for the institutions of power.

We are sitting just below
the Chimi Lhakhang

which is a temple built
in the honor of Drukpa Kunley.

The temple's also known
as the Temple of Fertility.

He reveled unapologetically
in casual sex,

the copious use of spirits,
and seduction,

smiting demons
and making frequent friends

with what is referred to

as his Flaming Thunderbolt
of Wisdom,

which is a term you and I
are unlikely to get away with.

People from all over
the world come here

to buy wooden penises...
Yeah.

And to hear the stories
of the Divine Madman.

And to get the, yeah,
blessings from the palace.

The Phallus Palace.
Phallus Palace.

They bless you with a phallus?
With a phallus, yeah.

Kunga Tenzin Dorji is
a journalist and radio host

who knows a few things
about the Divine Madman.

The phallus has been
a symbol in Vajrayana Buddhism

long before Drukpa Kunley
came around.

It's just that because
he was such a character,

it's come
to be associated with him.

The Divine Madman was a rebel.

Questioned his own religion.
Mmhmm.

His own... his fellow monks.

So the monks hated him,
of course,

but then the establishment
hated him.

But the people took readily
to him

because he was a guy
who came to your house.

It didn't mean that,
you know, like other monks,

you had to prepare
a special meal for him.

He probably wanted, you know,
your latest batch of ara,

you know, the local rice wine.

And maybe he'd hit
on your daughter

and your wife as well,
in the process.

So you could imagine
in 16th-century Bhutan,

a person who was known
to have performed miracles

would strike
the fancy of anyone.

- Mm-hmm.
- What were his miracles?

Well, things like
shooting an arrow

all the way from Tibet
and landed in a house

that's about a few
kilometers from here.

- But he did exist, right?
- Yeah.

Then the first thing he did
when he got to the house

where the arrow had landed
was to hit up

on the lady of the house.
Mmhmm.

Yeah, that wouldn't fly
these days.

This is one of
the most difficult things

to understand
about Drukpa Kunley,

because he breaks our own... our...

Our notions about what is right
and what's proper.

This man was essentially saying,

"We should make love."
True.

"We should drink.
We should feel pleasure."

Oh, well, not necessarily that.

I think what he was trying
to say is that,

you know, all these things
that you hold dear

to your heart such as,
you know, your wife

and your kids and your house
and all of this,

in the end,
it doesn't really matter.

So you're saying
the Divine Madman was bringing

people towards enlightenment.
Yes.

So should I be
getting drunk more

and having more casual sex?

Will I be more enlightened?
No, not just because of that.

I'm sure not.

♪

Until about 15 years ago,

the East-West Highway
was the only road in Bhutan.

Bisecting the country,
it twists through

some pretty gnarly
mountain passes,

with at times crumbly
cliff face on one side...

Wow.

And harrowing freakin'
drop-offs on the other.

♪

The road is undergoing
a major expansion,

with plans to have it
fully paved by, well, soon.

It's carved into
the side of the mountain.

Unbelievable. How many
workers they say working this?

40,000.

Respect for the natural world
is fundamental

to Bhutan's spiritual identity.

More than half the country

is off-limits to development
or timbering.

A whopping 50% of Bhutan's GDP
comes from hydropower.

- Amazing, huh?
- So where are we?

What is this place?

This is the Punatsangchhu
hydropower dam.

So this is one of the biggest
hydropower dams in Bhutan.

It's about 1,200 megawatts.

- How much is that?
- It's a lot of refrigerators.

No, I heard there's gonna be

a second...
Second dam further down.

So they're gonna capture
power twice.

If you have already
destroyed one river,

you know, might as well...
Keep building-

- Get the most out of it.
- Yeah, get the most out of it.

Dr. Nawang Norbu
is the director of

the School for Field Studies
Bhutan program.

And what country's
building this?

- It's mostly India.
- Do the Indians

build it and then get
the power to pay it?

They get the power.
We sell it to them.

And then we sort of
liquidate the loans away.

We have five such dams
which are operational.

- Five.
- And I-I think

six being constructed
at the moment.

You know, obviously there's
a lot of destruction.

It will stop some of the fishes

from migrating up and down.

You're also talking about
a lot of transmission lines.

But, obviously, for Bhutan,

I think when we started on

the path of development,
I think we were left

with few other options.

And I think this was
the best thing for us to do.

The water that comes
through this dam,

is it an inexhaustible supply?

- It's all glacial water.
- We hope so.

There are many studies
which are showing

that the Himalayan glaciers
will disappear

in about 50 to 60 years.
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

That's soon.
Yeah.

Yeah, but nobody knows for sure.

I mean, the science
is debatable.

Are we talking about
the difference

between 50 years and 100 years,

or are we talking about whether
it's happening at all?

No, it is happening.
There's no doubt about it.

- Yes, there's no doubt.
- And you're not only talking

about energy production but
you're also talking

about agriculture.

You know, you have less snow,

it means you have
less water to feed.

So climate change is going
to have a serious impact.

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

As we head further
and further east,

road conditions get sketchy.

Whoa.

♪

♪

♪

Whoa.
Wow.

♪

Looks like a landslide.

That whole thing collapsed.

That's not encouraging.

What if our car had been...

That's a big freaking...

Oh, shoot, he's gonna have
to move that whole thing?

I think we're gonna freeze
out here like rats tonight.

♪

Jeez.
Whoa!

♪

He's... look at that.
He's going after the big one.

Here he goes.
Whoa.

Whoa,

♪

Hey, he's through.

- You think that's it?
- Saddle up.

♪

- That song about the road...
- Ah. Mm.

It's almost having
West Virginia,

Blue Ridge Mountains...
"Country Roads."

John Denver?

It's where my head went first.

Wow.

♪

It is considered
enlightening and therapeutic

to think about death
for a few minutes a day.

Yes.

You are reminded time and again

not to take things
too seriously.

This is in fact an illusion,
isn't it?

- Life is but a dream.
- Yeah.

♪

♪

Pelela Pass,
the gateway to Central Bhutan.

Here, nomadic herders
and their yaks

come down from higher elevations

to spend the winter months.

And from the yak you get meat?

- Meat.
- The fur?

The fur. Milk.
Cheese.

- Butter?
- Yeah.

This is butter tea.

- Yak tea?
- Yeah, with yak butter.

- Have you had this before?
- Never.

You're either gonna love it

or you're not gonna love it

That was very unique.

Ooh.

♪

So yak jerky.

Yak meat and some spinach.

You'll like these greens, man.

They are spicy as f...
Do I have yak?

Is this yak meat here?
Yeah, that's yak meat.

Okay, I got to avoid
the yak meat.

And then these are dried chilis

which are boiled.

Ah, the yak cheese
with boiled dried chilis.

Yeah, I'm all over that.

This is excellent.
Yeah.

Excellent.
Really good.

So yak herding is dying, we're
starting to hear. It's...

- People are giving it up.
- Why?

Better opportunities I suppose.

Yak herding is a difficult life.

She herself has given up now.

So she has given all
her yaks to her sisters

So she's now... she has a shop

and she's gone up the ladder.

♪

Yeah, she is in charge
of the business

and she makes the decisions
for the family.

In Bhutan, women are the boss.

Women inherit whatever
the parents own.

It's not the sons.

Always? All inheritance
goes to the woman?

Yes, women.

- What is this?
- Wow.

This is ara,
with some Cordyceps in it.

- What? That is a Cordycep?
- Right there.

- That is the Cordycep.
- Which is?

Essentially,
the Cordycep is a fungus

which infects the larvae
of the ghost moths.

A caterpillar that has been
invaded by fungus.

Essentially takes over
the whole larvae,

kills it, sort of mummifies
the whole thing.

Then in the spring,
it protrudes out again.

Is there any caterpillar
left at the end or is it fo...

Sort of like fossilized?
It's just a fossil.

Meaning it is not meat.

It is vegetarian.

Right.

Cordyceps are the new
profit center for a culture

that used to revolve almost
entirely around the yak.

Wow, so this stuff
costs how much a kilo?

Um, on average,
it's about, uh, 20,000.

- 20,000 U.S.?
- Dollars.

- Oh, that's a lot.
- May I?

Yes, please.

What does this do for you?

Supposed to increase
your virility.

It's supposed to kill piles.

You know, even hepatitis.
Really?

- Hepatitis?
- Yeah.

- Piles, eh?
- What is piles?

- Hemorrhoids.
- Oh.

And the Chinese athletes
have been taking it

for quite some time.
So they're doping on, uh...

- They're doping on fungus.
- They're doping on fungus.

Yeah.

It's pretty tasty.

Yeah, it also says
that you produce more semen.

I don't know how far
is true, but...

So what about the...
What's his name?

The Divine Madman.

Maybe the guy was, you know,

eating a lot of Cordyceps.

Exactly.

♪

It's getting hot in here.

Well, no it's not, actually.
It's you. It's you, man.

What happens if you eat
too many?

♪

♪

♪

We are here
on the East-West Highway.

After this pass,
we are actually entering

the Black Mountain Forest.

Some of the most
pristine forest in Bhutan.

But also supposed
to be connected

to a lot of evil spirits.

With the last remnants
of sun still with us

and the views spectacular,

enthusiastic amateur
mixologist Darren

suggests a pit stop...

- This is a cool spot, no?
- Yeah.

To fortify ourselves against
the reputed horrors ahead.

So our main alcohol...
Ara, is that what it's called?

- Take a whiff.
- Oh, jeez.

Oh, Jesus.

Oh, we have this,
which is a bitter.

Yeah, okay.
It's like aftershave.

Exactly.

Should we put some orange
in there?

We do have oranges.

Ever done that spin in the air?

Catch in the other hand.

Hello, ladies.

Oh, oh, hold on. Hold on.
What?

Hold on. Hold on.
Dude.

It needs a yeti in it.
The boot needs pepper.

No, no, no. Go for it.

No... really want the seeds in?

Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Do it. Do it.

Let's do it.
Let's try it.

It has a bite.
Did you get, like...

Did you get a little sting?

Oh, I'm getting it.
I'm getting it.

Actually, this is pretty good.

Yeah, I could really...
I could drink a lot of these.

♪

We decide, as travelers
through demon-infested

forests at night
all too frequently do,

to stop by
a welcoming roadhouse,

where a conversation with

Gara Durji, our government rep,

does little to steel us
for the journey ahead.

What are we drinking tonight?
Uh, we are drinking K5.

- Called K5 because...
- K5.

The whiskey is dedicated
to the present king.

He is fifth king in line.

Do they still make K4?
Or no more?

Uh, no, you don't have K4,
just K5.

- Good, thank you.
- Okay.

♪

Most of the guys
brought in from India?

Ah, yeah.
Most are from India.

Where do these guys live?

They have small huts built
at the construction site.

In the mythology of the area,

much of it likely
predating even Buddhism,

demons inhabit these forests,
nasty demons.

Buddha had 1,000 lives.

In one of his 500 good lives,

he was exiled to Bhutan

because this was
the most dreaded place...

Maybe that's why
you were never invaded.

Yeah.

One of the evil spirit
is called Nyaladim,

and she's supposed to be
the commander in chief

of all in the evil spirit.

One of the most
terrifying things

you could ever see is her face.

If you see her, you die...
You drop dead instantly.

You drop dead.

So if Darren has
to, like, take a piss

and, you know,
go out in the woods,

that would... not advisable?
Ah, no.

It's not advisable
to go out at night.

And no lumbering. No one's
cutting down trees here.

No one.
For as long as we know,

the whole mountain range
is virgin.

Right, but what about
putting the road through?

I mean, maybe that's why
you hire Indian guys.

The road is on the other side
of the mountain.

We build it purposefully
that way.

Really? So, like,
nobody's got a house or...

No, nothing. Nothing.
There's nothing like that.

Even if people loses cattle,
whatever,

they don't go into there.
Still?

Still even to this day.

♪

♪

♪

Here in the mist covered
valleys and imposing peaks,

it's easy to imagine
what this place looked like

before Bhutan first opened
the door to outsiders.

♪

♪

Bumthang is the end
of the road for us,

the spiritual heartland
of Bhutan.

♪

♪

Archery is the national sport,

an important community event
that binds

remote villages together
in fierce competition

and in a rollicking good time.

♪

Thank you very much.

Today's the day
of a match between

Trongsa and a rival village.

But first, food.

Okay, you have to, you know?
No, no, this...

- Bigger.
- See this way?

Ah, right. Okay.

No, yours too big.
Too big.

- Too big? Too...
- Yeah, okay.

- That's okay?
- See, when you put it

in the mouth,
you have to put it this way.

Oh, okay.

No, it's not bulging.
Is it bulging?

- Oh, not bulging.
- It should not bulge.

No bulge.

♪

Oh, yeah, I'm down
with that, man.

- That's pork?
- Mm-hmm.

Why is it translucent?

They braise it
rather than fry it.

So it becomes clear.
Mmm.

This is like unbelievable.

We eat everything.

We don't throw it out.
This is the bone.

- Bone.
- On the leg.

Chop it and boil it.

Mmm.
That's good, man.

- Yeah.
- That's just so good.

- I'm going with the pepper.
- Ooh.

♪

Ooh, that's setting
my hair on fire.

- Exactly.
- This is dried turnip leaves.

Oh, turnip greens.

Turnip leaves
is a delicacy in Bhutan.

A little bit of butter.

And milk.

- Mmm.
- Now this is a yak, no, leg.

Yak leg.

♪

So does meat eating
go all the way back

or were people vegetarian...
All the way back.

All the way.
In fact,

the Bhutanese were
considered cannibals.

Say that again.

Bhutanese were
considered cannibals.

The only vegetable we had
was potato and radish.

That's it, nothing else.
Wow.

People don't kill,
but they would eat,

you know, one another
if somebody dies.

We are not supposed
to eat each other.

You're not supposed to eat yak.

No, no, we are not supposed
to eat meat.

You're not supposed
to eat meats.

Buddhism, I mean,
the hard-core Buddhism.

But culturally,
because of terrain,

we had no choice.
Right.

Ooh, is that bete nut?

- Yeah.
- Betel nut.

- Oh, can I try?
- Yeah. Yeah.

I'm not having it.

- Have you done it?
- Yes, yes, I have.

You asked for it.
And you chew up the green?

Yeah, everything
chewed together...

Like cud.

Whoa. Oh man.

Getting a buzz?

My whole mouth is numb.

I got to do something
about this.

Totally high off of that thing.

♪

Ah, jeez, just stepped
into a fresh loaf of shit.

Ugh.

♪

Whee!

Ah, right here. Ah, yeah.

Whoa, jeez.
It's a serious distance.

The rules are simple.

Shoot your arrow the length
of 1 1/2 football fields

high in the air,
in this case across

the East-West Highway,
all the way, hopefully,

into a small target.

Good luck with that.
That's like...

You would need a .50 caliber
to hit that target.

I could barely see it
flying through the air.

Can you see the arrows?
No.

Yeah!

Wow, close.

What's interesting
is the other team

is often standing by the target,

and hanging out looking cool
for as long as possible

as an arrow flies
in your general direction

is standard practice.

Yeah, yeah!

Whoo!

When points are scored,
there's singing and dancing

and a fair amount of
what can only be called

playful taunting.

- Yeah!
- Whoo!

The Bhutanese version
of "In your face!"

Brag dance.

- They're drinking that.
- Yeah.

What could possibly go wrong?

One-in-a-million shot.

Doonk!

I love the little kid over
there with the juice box,

ten feet from the line of fire.

Ah!

Whoa, hey.

Whoa!

What are they screaming?

Why?

- So they're anti-cheerleaders.
- Yes.

What are they saying, though?

Oh, the short guy,
he can't hit, so...

They calling him short?

Yeah. All the bald head
and everything.

♪

♪

Whoa!

Whoa.

♪

♪

♪

♪

This is very religious site.

It's called the Burning Lake.

Burning Lake or Burning River?

The Burning Lake, but I
think it's actually a river.

I see people are leaving
prayer flags

and these things.

These are called sasas,
these offerings.

Sometimes they're made
out of clay,

and sometimes
they're made out of

actually the ashes of the dead.

Whoa.

Wow, that's pretty awesome.

It's beautiful.

A little pile of incense.

♪

Where do you think
this country is headed?

Honestly, I don't know
what I believe.

I don't know... I don't know
if it's good or bad.

It seems like Shangri-La.

Like, for the place
that invented

Gross National Happiness,
they're content

at under $2 a day.
Yes.

I don't want my child
herding yak,

and I don't know that a lot
of parents do, even here.

Having a fully paved road across

this entire country,
this country's gonna be

a very, very different place
in five years.

The question is, do they stay
committed to happiness

and not to consumption?
Ooh.

Getting off the plane
when we got here,

there were many flat-screen TVs.

First comes electricity,
then comes the television,

then come pop stars
and materialism.

But maybe that's arrogant.
Maybe that's just,

you know, easy for me to say.
I don't know.

A lot of the people
we talked to,

there's a tremendous amount
of respect of what they have.

We're finally seeing
the effects of climate change

in a terrifying way,

which they're all
gonna be able to witness

on their flat-screen TVs.

You know, I think people
are gonna really hold on

to treasures like this.

I know it's beautiful.

I'm glad it hasn't been
[...] up yet by the world.

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪ Let's go

♪

♪

♪

You're supposed
to put them somewhere

where they'll last
for a while, and, uh...

make a prayer.

♪