Bhutan exudes happiness. It is, after all, its national product and it shows. Travelling through the country in October 2018 we met the people, admired their places and experienced their culture (to a point). Chili is the national dish. Hot! We didn’t go that far experiencing Bhutanese food – restaurants protected our sensitive palates!
In previous overseas trips I had my (at the time) trusty Canon 7D then 5D III then a combination of 5D and Leica Q. For Bhutan I just had my Q. Occasionally grabbing pics with my iPhone 7 Plus but those were just for social media as we travelled.
The Leica Q is my ideal travel camera – easy to carry, quick to focus, quiet and unobtrusive. Still need to compose of course, but I find the 28 mm f1.7 lens to be challenging and satisfying. There was a time when I “needed” a telephoto (usually a 70-200 mm when travelling) but I don’t anymore. Happy to capture the moment as I see it, not with a (maybe) contrived viewpoint. Mind you, there were times… but the moments passed.
From Paro to Thimphu, Trongsa to Jakar we visited forts and monasteries admiring the landscapes as we travelled on a mountain “highway” still under construction (upgrading the old road, that is).
The following images are just a sample. I have some black and white images too!
