This may be good place to mention Eric Weiner's book "The Geography of Bliss", which I just finished, and which includes Bhutan. I do feel that based on the article, the Bhutanese may be overdoing things - too much analysis could kill what they're looking for.

I would say that TV has much to answer for, except these days it's more utunes and facebook. Weiner's book includes Moldova as one of the unhappiest places, but I think part of that unhappiness is due to comparisons with its neighbors (I've visited, and things are bad, but could easily be worse). TV makes that kind of comparison much easier.

To read about the daily events in bhutan, here are the websites for 2 English language Bhutanese newspapers: www.kuenselonline.com/index.php and www.bhutantimes.bt. Enjoy.

When are you going this fall? If you enjoy the cultural angle, as I do too, then you won't want to miss the masked religious festivals that occur annually at each village temple. Make sure you travel beyond the cities to really get a feel for the culture. Staying in the tiny mountain villages, you'll likely get invited inside their homes. If you want some ideas on where to go, what to do, you may want to check out an itinerary I put together for late October. Check out www.UniquePhotoTours.com. Maybe I'll see you there!