Page 40 - BHUTAN 2007

NATURAL RESOURCES

The most lucrative resource the country boasts is its plethora of rivers

thundering down the mountainsides creating hydroelectric power which can
be sold, principally to India. More power plants are under construction for

this source of hard currency, even though the majority of country people in

Bhutan still have no electricity in their homes. Timber, gypsum, and calcium

carbonate are other recognized natural resources with commercial value as

export items. Logging is strictly controlled as mentioned before. Mining also
is conducted under governmental regulations and preservation of the

natural environment is stressed in mining operations.

HIGHWAYS & BYWAYS

The major cities all have paved roads, but most are very narrow. There is

only one east-west highway in the country and it crawls over three high

mountain passes. There are two lanes only, often potholed and fringed at

the edges. However, this road is still much more well-maintained than most
of the Indian roads we have traveled. The road travels high on hillsides and

mountain shoulders above the major valleys of the country. The forests are

pristine and thick, having never been logged, on both sides. There are

countless glorious waterfalls tumbling and crashing their way down the

hillsides, and we stopped for pictures of every one of them because Micki is
a great appreciator of these dramatic water shows. Prayer wheels are

turned constantly by many of the little side streamlets these cataracts

create. There is absolutely no pollution in the entire country and the skies

are cerulean with the most amazing cloud formations any of us had ever

seen.