Armchair Traveler is a publisher that promises to drain my meager resources in the next few months. An imprint of Haus Publishing, they have an extensive catalog of travel books and travel memoirs.
I’m currently reading Martin Uitz’s Hidden Bhutan: Entering the Kingdon of the Thunder Dragon, that they published in 2008.

Austrian Uitz was a travel writer, tour guide and mountaineer – he died in 2007,aged 55, from a heart hailment, and the book (originally written in German) was published as a commemoration to his travels and achievements.

Uitz was one of the few Europeans to gain a deep insight on the “happiness revolution” started in Bhutan in the mid 2000s, as he was an expert and had been a resident of the kingdom.

The book – a sturdy, compact 200 pages hardback, printed on thick paper, a small object of beauty – collects a series of articles about the mysterious mountain kingdom though the eyes of a foreigner. It’s easy-going and informative – not a travel guide, not a history of the nation, but rather a collection of sketches and everyday observations, that together pain an impressionistic picture of a far-away place.
A place that is a strange mix of tradition and progress.
Sometimes the book does feel lightweight, but it is a good read for some armchair adventuring – which is what was intended for in the first place.
The end result is satisfactory and fascinating.
A great little book.
I’ll have to see the other titles in the same line.

Related articles

• “Just Walk Into That Cloud”: Finding Bhutan in Books and Film (Feature)
• Bhutan: Tiger’s Nest – The Takstang Monastery
• What To Expect On Your First Trip To Bhutan
• Bhutan, India’s no-problem neighbour
• Bhutan: The Last Authentic Place on Earth