Hidden Bhutan

Entering the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon
By Martin Uitz

It was only in the middle of the 1960s that the first road between India and Bhutan was opened. And only since 1974 have a small number of tourists been permitted to visit the kingdom every year. 

 Martin Uitz, a renowned authority on Bhutan continued to find many fascinating new discoveries in the enigmatic Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon. He was able to explain why the only traffic light in this hidden Kingdom was taken out of service, why six men are not allowed to go on a journey together, and what the subtle eroticism of a traditional hot-stone bath is all about. Along the way he also discovered that the Bhutanese hills are more alive with Edelweiss than the hills around his native Salzburg.

Martin Uitz died on 13 January 2007 aged 54 unexpectedly of heart failure while trekking the Nepalese Himalayas in presence of his wife Renee. She said: 'We are grateful that he quit his life peacefully and without pain, accompanied by the sounds of Buddhist prayers amidst his well loved mountains. His whole life Martin was a traveller between many worlds and has taught us to encounter the world with curiosity, tolerance and compassion.'

In accordance with her wishes the book will be published simultaneously in the UK and in Bhutan in Martin Uitz's memory.