Thimphu
A capital without a traffic light.
Thimphu is the only capital in the world with no traffic lights — a white-gloved policeman conducts the intersection downtown with the grace of an orchestra conductor, and somehow it works perfectly. That single detail tells you most of what you need to know about this city.
Set high in a valley at 2,300 metres, Thimphu is small enough to walk and varied enough to keep you walking for days. The Tashichho Dzong glows white and gold by the river. The giant Buddha Dordenma watches over the whole valley from a hill. On weekends, the produce market becomes the social heart of the city, and you'll find archery contests in the parks where men in traditional gho shoot at targets 145 metres away while their friends sing them encouragement.
Your Charlii representative will get you out of the standard circuit — into a textile workshop, into a monk's quiet morning ceremony, into a chilli-and-cheese lunch at a place no driver would think to recommend.
"The hike up to Cheri Monastery, a short drive north of the city, is an hour of effort for one of the most rewarding lunches you'll ever eat — pack a thermos and ask your rep where to stop."
