Happiness is full of strive – Jean Anouilh.

Any mention of Bhutan immediately conjures images of tranquil landscapes of lush plains and valleys, Himalayan mountainous snowy peaks and blissful high spirited Bhutanese . While the promotion of Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a thing of national pride in Bhutan, my few days of photo trip to Bhutan gave me a more nuanced picture of this Buddhist nation rich in culture and tradition.

I met ordinary folks who are genuinely warm, welcoming and seemingly happy. I saw joyful spontaneity of street kids who laugh themselves silly over improvised games with nothing more than empty Coke bottles. But I also saw dour faces, youths worry about jobs, and weather-beaten old men and women missing their kids who left the village for big cities.

Although Bhutan I saw was no Shangri-La, I sensed an unflinchingly devotion among the Bhutanese to family and community, to time-honored values and traditions amidst their hopes for a better life in a modernizing Bhutan.