Buttertea at Sunrise: A Year in the Bhutan Himalaya

First off, let me point out I have find Bhutan a amazing nation, being brave enough to say that being HAPPY was the most important thing. Think of it? Gross National Happiness! I have a few books about the Kingdom, having visited their displays and exhibits last year on the National Mall. One of the reasons I enjoyed this book was how realistic and gritty the author's view point was. She saw the dirty homes, the ill people, not just the natural beauty and the Buddhist lifestyles. Of course, she was there to work along side the people, not just passing through like many others. She found a lot in her journey - love, pain, understanding, enlightenment. She brought something back, not just photos or stories to write about, but maybe a changed soul? She is brave enough to share those experiences. She didn't just tell us about temples and shops, street names and problems with the toilets, like so many other travel books. She told us about her fears, dreams, her romance and her failures. Can't get more real than that!

Britta Das has written a wonderful and honest account of her year working at a small hospital in Eastern Bhutan. As a physiotherapist, she writes from a unique perspective. She was hired to run the clinic, and to train technicians, but arrives to find no equipment. Her living conditions are sparse, and to add to her difficulties, she arrives during the monsoon season. She takes up the challenge, learning the language as she goes. Slowly she makes progress, accepts the hospitality of the Bhutanese people, and grows to love the country. Many of her patients had been disabled for years, with no access to treatment. Using her initiative and local materials, her work helps them gain new mobility, although she is realistic about her efforts. Her book is full of lively descriptions of all the people she meets as she explores the countryside. It captures the spirit of Bhutan as she discovers the culture of this little known Buddhist country. Adding to her experiences is her friendship with a doctor, two foreigners working together. When she leaves Bhutan and returns to Canada, it is with a real feeling of loss. I spent time in Bhutan a few years before Britta, travelling across the country, being invited into homes, schools and health centres. I have read Buttertea at Sunrise twice, and enjoyed every page. It brought back great memories, and made me long to go back. I would highly recommend this book to those who know Bhutan or plan to visit the country, to people thinking of working abroad, and to anyone who appreciates a good travel book!

I've been waiting on the edge of my seat for another person to come along and write about their journey into Bhutan, and Britta Das did! (I had read the book, "Beyond the Earth and Sky: A Journey into Bhutan", by Jamie Zeppa, which was also a 5 star book in my opinion. Her book kept me wanting to read more 'journeys into Bhutan') Unfortunately, only a slight amount of Westerners have been educated with the knowledge of Bhutan, it's people, their religion and where this sleepy little country resides. I give this book a 5 star rating. As a young doctor, Britta Das wanted to go somewhere in the world where she could give back for what she had been given in life. Having once journeyed to Bhutan with her dad as a nature companion throughout the Himalayan communities, she later decided to bring her skills as a doctor in 'one of the last untouched countries of our world'. Her intended year's stay was to bring her Western knowledge of medicine (her field of physiotherapy)and apply it to those medical professionals whom worked along with her to shadow her skills and abilities for after she left..in that region of Bhutan's only hospital. This location was extremely remote, and all traveling to the hospital was only one way...on foot. No roads were available, only pathways. Soggy pathways and dampness was everywhere and on everyone, due to the ever present fog that would loom down from the Himalayan mountains. I was very pleased to have this doctor write with such a creative flair while defining the people, the landscapes, and the mountain-side homes. The homes were built (patched together) on hillsides. No matter the countless languages (dialects)brought into Bhutan from the neighboring countries, they are Buddhists. They are kind and simple people. Not only does the author meet these people at the hospital, but also at the outdoor markets along the sides of the road, and she enjoys many invitations from people living in their modest but proud homes. Yes, the country is secluded within the towering Himalayan Mountains and though this area has its drawbacks, the people are peaceful, and that is a result of their simple Buddhist religion. And does she fall in love and does he stay in her life after her departure? I guess you will have to read this lovely book and find out for yourselves! I see this author as a heroine. She ventures there only in her mid-twenties wanting to offer so much of herself, and thereafter, she is able to write her journey in such an interesting way. It seems her journey was significant by means of fellowship, as such was a major part of this peaceful land. All my best to you, Dr. Das! J. Lavoie VT

"Buttertea at Sunrise" by Britta Das is the fascinating true tale of a young woman who decides to leave her comfortable life in Canada in order to teach her physiotherapy skills to medical workers in the unique kingdom of Bhutan, just emerging from a medieval society into the late 20th century world. Having traveled in Bhutan for a few weeks recently, I was particularly interested in her observations of a somewhat different part of the country than I had experienced (she lived in southeastern Bhutan), and in a somewhat different era - although only a dozen years ago! Das's prose throughout the book is remarkable for its clarity and richness. The story is compelling, the language is satisfying.