For centuries,
these mountains have protected Bhutan. A country closed off
from the rest of the world until 1974. Today, the kingdom
remains relatively inaccessible as damage caused by monsoons
has left its roads in ruins. Rock slides take
passengers with them all too often. [Dzongkha spoken audio] The Bhutanese people go from dread
to delight in the fraction of a second, with this little kingdom
being defined by its optimism. The entire way of life here
is based on a subtle balance between tradition, preserving nature,
and above all, people before profit. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Where do the roads fit into this? [Dzongkha spoken audio] Safety is a question
of wisdom here in Bhutan. Transportation in Bhutan
is a game of chance. There is always a departure time,
but the arrival time remains a mystery. The journey through the mountains
is the stuff of adventures. In order to take on this mammoth task,
Tenzing, like all drivers, choose a local stimulant drug
similar to South American coca. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Betel is used to
keep drivers awake when they're tired. This form of protection goes hand in hand
with another more spiritual one. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Tenzing was headed to the Indian border. The 112-mile journey across the Himalayas
will take 15 hours to complete. At these altitudes,
everything is a little more complicated. It was the middle of August,
the height of monsoon season. This meant there were torrential rains. These floods carry
everything in their path. [Dzongkha spoken audio] At altitudes of almost 10,000 feet, the fog can fall
on the mountain without warning. Those vehicles battling
through it are often older models. They rarely have fog lights and these,
amongst other mechanical failures, are the main causes
for vehicles taking the plunge. This accident had just taken place
with the driver crashing into the wall in a desperate attempt
to avoid the ravine below. [Dzongkha spoken audio] These mountains
serve as a throne to a higher power. Tenzing was in a hurry, but only old shaman
is able to speak to the gods. Every day this man
attempts to stop the carnage caused by road accidents,
guided by the spirits. [Dzongkha spoken audio] He protects all passengers
who ask for his blessing. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Even though Tenzing is a Buddhist, a blessing from the Hindu gods
couldn't hurt when he's on the road. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Those who ignore the shaman's
prayers quickly come to regret it. Like this truck
stuck in a sticky situation. [Dzongkha spoken audio] The rock slide almost took him
to the bottom of the ravine. Everything surrounding
his truck was unstable and this wasn't the only issue. If this truck filled with dynamite
were to go the same way, the resulting explosion
would be devastating. Despite the danger, the road
was leveled to allow the cars through. [Dzongkha spoken audio] To get the truck upright, the excavator had to lift it
on one side and fill the gap with earth. Ironically, the engine
which it was transporting was being taken
to clear the road a few miles further on. [Dzongkha spoken audio] They better make it quick. The truck and its cargo
didn't budge an inch. [Dzongkha spoken audio] The workers then tried to remove the earth
from the other side of the truck. The truck finally started to budge. This rescue mission took all day, meaning dozens of other
drivers were also at a standstill. However,
whether it's a profitable venture or not, money isn't everything in Bhutan. A kingdom unlike any other,
it puts people before profit. Instead of prioritizing GDP,
the index of materialistic values, the King of Bhutan introduced GDH,
Gross Domestic Happiness. This system preserves
the country's culture with traditional clothes
being compulsory in public, although Western clothes
are slowly starting to appear. It also includes environmental protection, as Bhutan is on its way
to becoming the first country to be completely pesticide free. Globalization is threatening
its wealth, water, and forests, which covers 72 percent of the country. Cutting down trees is illegal
without permission from the king. Che Wang Rinsingh
is a particularly happy businessman as he had received
permission to buy 30 tons of wood. Although, like any boss,
he's still grumpy. Due to this road problems,
the transportation charges is very high. Mostly the road is normal. It cost, I think, 25 rupee. Now, because of the road problem,
they're charging 40 rupees from Bhutan to Thimphu. There's no other way. It will be carried by the trucks because there are no options. If his trucks flew
like the legendary Bhutanese Monk's Tiger, the capital city of Thimphu
would be 12 miles away as the crow flies. His three trucks will have to travel
for 50 miles across treacherous terrain. Wu Chen is never relaxed
when traveling on these roads. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Not great for a country
that aims to go green, but these fumes barely make a difference, as Bhutan is the only country
that absorbs more carbon than it emits. The country's industry
is practically nonexistent. Almost everything is imported, meaning items like spare parts
are expensive so truckers often have to become handymen
using whatever is available to them. [Dzongkha spoken audio] He's paid just over $300
a month for this risky role, one hundred more
than the nation's average wage. Twelve miles later, Wu Chen and his passengers
make a stop to let the brakes cool down. These are decorations, we call Pima, Meto. Buddha is for decoration
and for protection. This vehicle acts like our human. That's why they put an eye here. All trucks are made like that. The three truckers will have to wait
to see if their boss catches up with them. Unfortunately, Che Wang's little city car
wasn't decorated with divine protection. He is really struggling
with his little city car. What are you looking for? Looking for some noise,
that's why I'm checking. My car is looking poor. Due to this problem,
our car is giving lots of problem. When traveling, Che Wang says that
this index of Gross National Happiness is more of a concept than reality. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Che Wang is clearly not
a believer in the Buddhist expression, "There is no path to happiness,
happiness is the path". Buddha watches over the country
from a height of 167 feet. The King of Bhutan governs his people
by following a Buddhist philosophy. Man must respect the earth and live in
harmony with the beings that inhabit it. [Dzongkha spoken audio] The Kingdom protects the Bhutanese
people from the capitalist world outside. Fast food chains and billboards are banned
in the capital city of Thimphu, as are cigarettes,
with smoking being prohibited in public. Once a week,
the city becomes entirely pedestrian. Bhutan is the only country
in the world to not have traffic lights. [Dzongkha spoken audio] There are around 35,000 cars
for 800,000 inhabitants, a tiny percentage
compared to 93 percent of US households having access to at least one vehicle. However,
being a traffic light can be hard work. Modernization is creeping in slowly
but surely. Bhutan was shut off from the rest
of the world until the 1970s. Television was only introduced in 1999, with these small screens having a negative
impact on gross national happiness. Since the Bhutanese people
have discovered Western Customs, national sports such as archery
are being surpassed by others. The Bhutanese are now soccer mad. In the future it's possible
that it can replace the archery because most of the youth
are increasingly playing football. Bhutan is in itself a paradox,
with a huge stadium being erected while roads leading to it
are crumbling to pieces. Back in the mountains,
Tenzing and his 17 passengers are advancing as best they could. The buses in Bhutan
play an important social role. As without them, happiness would not reach
the smaller villages. Tenzing is making up
for the kingdom's weaknesses. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Given the height of these ravines,
it's basically airmail. It's really different
from other countries, I guess. It's proud to be a Bhutanese also. Looking through our environment, we know that Bhutan
is very happy and peaceful. It's a green environment also. There's no such problems
like other countries have. I think Bhutan is happiness. [Dzongkha spoken audio] These rocky roads have at least one
advantage rocking the passengers to sleep. They've been driving for 10 hours
and had only traveled 62 miles. Bhutan's happiness doesn't seem
to have reached its roads. This roadblock didn't
bode well for the group. [Dzongkha spoken audio] The roads have been
under constant construction since the first one was built in 1961. Most of them only have one lane. Bhutan is in the process
of expanding them, but the work is often dangerous. [Dzongkha spoken audio] One section of this mountain
is about to disappear. All the risks and responsibility
involved in this explosion lie on the shoulders of this young lady. Twenty-three year old Yogida. She was lucky enough
to pursue her studies in India, but has had no practical experiences. I have done civil engineering, there is no subject called blasting
in civil engineering course. I learned it here. Excavator cannot extract these rocks. The stones are too strong, too hard
and are interconnected with each other. It is impacted from many years ago. That is the main problem
of the roads out here. Hundreds of holes
have been drilled into the mountain. The workers plant 400
sticks of dynamite inside them. This one is to detonator cap. With this, the fire is ignited. The whole blast
happens due to this small object. Now, we can connect this in that decoy. Without any experience behind her,
Yogida starts to lay the dynamite. She hopes her calculations are right
because if the load is too big, a landslide will wash
away the road too low, and the work will have to start over. There's only one safety rule in place. Run as fast as you can. They are going to blast there also,
so we'll run this way. How long do we have between the blast? It will take about one minute, maybe. Maybe? Maybe one minute or more. It'll not take more than that. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Now, we'll run. One minute or it may take a few seconds. We don't know?
-We don't know. It's a surprise.
-Yes. It'll not come here,
but I think we have to go there. Because of vibration, the rocks may fall. In previous records,
I have heard that people died like that. There's also a risk for those driving. The tremors caused
by the dynamite could cause rocks that have been loosened
by the rain to fall. We'll see now. Now we'll see
how much portion has gone. Oh, my God. Yogida couldn't believe
she'd managed to avoid doing any damage. The road was cleared
after less than an hour. [Dzongkha spoken audio] I was a little bit stressed when
the boulders fell down from the cliff. He's not stressed? [Dzongkha spoken audio] Tiredness was setting in
for Tenzing with 50 miles to go, so a passenger made him
a Betel leaf to keep him going. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Enough to keep his energy up
for another six hours on the road. [Dzongkha spoken audio] In order to prevent the Chinese
government's ambitions for the country, the king of Bhutan allied himself
with his other neighbor, India. India has been supplying engineers and
other parts of the workforce since 1960. It's a form of slave labor where workers
are undergoing life threatening work with no protective equipment. This project is called Project Dantak. [Dzongkha spoken audio] These tireless workers are equipped
with the most basic tools. Hundreds of them work on the roads
for just $5.63 a day without any protection. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Project Dantak seems to have been omitted
from Bhutan's Gross National Happiness. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Workers return to India every six months. In the meantime,
they live in these makeshift huts. [Dzongkha spoken audio] The Project Dantak workers are also
in charge of laying tar on the roads. Even though the machines
seem relatively modern, these roadside slaves must heat
the asphalt the old fashioned way. [Dzongkha spoken audio] If a worker complains
about the conditions, they're sent straight back to India. [Dzongkha spoken audio] The environment is sacred in Bhutan, except when their infrastructure
needs to be modernized. Back on the road to the capital city. Che Wang was trying to catch up
with the three trucks carrying his cargo. His little car was clearly
not fit to tackle these roads, but he remained confident
that Buddha would help him get there. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Trouble is never far away in Bhutan. See one more dangerous road. [Dzongkha spoken audio] I have to push now. [Dzongkha spoken audio] I have to get friends to push my car. This kind of situation is very tough. People are very friendly,
everybody helps everybody in Bhutan. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Tenzing's troubles
were now a thing of the past, as his last few miles on the tarmac allowed him to finish
his journey smoothly. [Dzongkha spoken audio] After a 15 hour journey,
traveling just 125 miles, the bus finally
reached its final destination. Bye bye, thank you very much. Always smiling,
Tenzing would be heading back the next day grateful that he can help out those people
who live in the mountains. The driver is an essential part
of the country's Gross National Happiness. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Up in the clouds, however,
this altruism wasn't shared. Che Wang stayed dry
while the others waded in the mud. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Che Wang has his own way
of interpreting happiness. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Bhutan people are very helpful whenever we need the help. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Tonight I'll go to workshop. I have to repair my car immediately. [Dzongkha spoken audio] This is perhaps the real
lesson of happiness. Che Wang is happy when things are good and quickly forgets
the troubles of the past. Finished. My work is done. It's pretty tough joining this road. It's more scary to make business
in Bhutan than in another country? Most probably, that's right. [Dzongkha spoken audio] Bhutan puts it's people before profit, with its population
seeming genuinely happy, despite most living on $1.50 a day. The question lies in how long the country
will hold on to its identity with the increase in cars and smartphones. The country's inhabitants
are now going into debt to buy the latest gadgets. The wind of change
is blowing gently over the kingdom.
