I love the way I feel when I’m in Bhutan. I feel happy, relaxed, safe, spoilt, healthy, peaceful, fit, calm, joyous.

I love the unexpected encounters: the school children practising their English on you, the women weaving outside their houses in the winter sun, the yak herders in the mountains, other tourists who want to talk about how good Bhutan is, the cool kids in Thimphu, the monks in the monasteries, the dogs that decide to go on a walk with you, conversations with old-timers in the temples and the sudden sight of wildlife.

I love the way Bhutan is like a parallel universe where people behave better. There seems to be more kindness, more calmness, less greed and striving, a whole lot less of the palpable anger that many people in big Western cities seem to carry with them on a daily basis. I like not being blasted with music in shops, not having billboard advertising in my face and no harassment.

I love the beautiful natural environment: the incredible mountain views, the super-clear rivers, the beautiful forests, the birds, the incredible lakes, the epic, breathtaking panoramas on trek, the rhododendrons in spring, the bright blue skies in winter, the ultra-green valleys in autumn, the wildflowers of early summer.

I love the food: always freshly prepared, super tasty, big on seasonal, organic vegetables, often picked from the garden, and never served in disposable containers. I enjoy the fact that some dishes have challenging levels of chillies! I especially love visiting the fresh vegetable markets in Bhutan.

I love the temples, chortens, monasteries, stupas, dzongs and nunneries. I love the history of every place, with a couple dating back to the 7^th century.

I really love the smell of them that comes from the butter lamps and incense. The one thing I make a point to buy is Bhutanese incense because then I can be instantly transported to Bhutan by the smell.