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Had Merrill Brown not gotten me hired at MSNBC a decade ago, I might not have met Bob Sullivan there, who introduced me to Jill Schwartzman at Random House, who then connected me to Dan Conaway at Writers House, who prodded my unformed musings about Bhutan into this book and became a dear and trusted advisor and friend, whom I can never adequately thank. Dan’s assistant, Stephen Barr, is the epitome of a positively wired human with whom it is a delight to interact.

Tina Constable, Kristin Kiser, and Heather Jackson at Crown invested in the project, and in me, for which I am eternally grateful; Lucinda Bartley, and ultimately, Sydny Miner, deftly shepherded the project to its end state and out into the world. Thanks to the entire Crown team for their enthusiasm and support.

To the many people who make me feel welcome in Thimphu, among them: Ngawang Pem and Sonam Penjor; Pema Lhamo; Phub Dorji; Sherab Tenzin; and the original staff of Kuzoo FM, particularly Sir Pema and RJ Kinzang; Choki Wangchuk; Ian Alexander-Bell; Patrizia Franceschinis and Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering; Choeki and Ugyen at Rabten Apartments.

Hans Keller, Penny Siekfer, Mark, Kat and Andy Schiffler; Ed Hanzcaryck; Pam Maruoka; Mayumi Futamura; Kunzang Choden and Walter Roder; Peter Hansen. Sandee at Seasons fed me when David Havens wasn’t hosting meat night at his apartment behind Villa Italia. Ugen Choden, Kuenga Gyaltsen, Dawa Sherpa, and Bruce Bunting at the Bhutan Foundation, along with Preston Scott and everyone involved in and around the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

A special thanks to KB Lama for being such a dear and frank friend.

In the United States, I am grateful for Rev. Kusala Bhikshu at the IBMC, all my teachers at the Ketchum YMCA, and to the Bunker Hill swimming pool (in particular, my neighbor and fellow swimmer George Moore). And for my friends and former colleagues at the public radio show Marketplace. A special hug to Bill Slemering for his support.

The resources and support of the Library of Congress (in particular the Asian Reading Room), the University of Texas at El Paso (Special Collections Library), and the Los Angeles Public Library proved invaluable. Willie Quinn, thank you, and the same to Dr. Diana Natalicio. Pam and Kurt Meyer clued me in to the very existence of UTEP.

I am blessed with an abundance of dear friends, but there are several in particular who slogged alongside me patiently during these last several years: Matthew Mirapaul, Bernie Woodall, Liz Dubelman, Paul Slansky and Grace Slansky, Alistrone Berger, Katherine Stern, Preston Wiles, Elizabeth Kaplan, Brian Averna, Jimmy Suskin, Barbara Rybka, and Maggie Curran. Joe Hutsko has long been my chief writing cheerleader.

And to all my family, including and especially my parents, Vince and Jane, Aunt Kay, and my dear brother, James.

Last, thanks to everyone who has ever graced my home on a Friday night, particularly the regulars … but especially to the greatest surprise, who appeared at just the right moment, namely Ted Habte-Gabr, and the Wagner family conspiracy to connect us.

Speaking of which, here’s to believing that the next person you meet could very well be a source of adventure, if not an agent of change.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN

LEARNING MORE ABOUT BHUTAN …

THIS IS A SELECTION of books, articles, and Web sites about Bhutan. On the list, I’ve included an indispensible volume about Buddhism written by a Bhutanese, along with a movie made by that book’s author that was filmed in the kingdom.

It is by no means an exhaustive bibliography of all that has been written about Bhutan—there are certainly others in the relatively small collection of published material about the place. And over the last two years, in conjunction with the centennial of the monarchy, many photographic and illustrated books have been released by small presses.

What is listed here, however, would provide the curious student of Bhutan as much as