Bhutan is Next Focus of Travelogue Series

On April 25, the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs of Northern Door present the final travel film of this season’s travel and adventure film program series with a journey to the mystical ‘Cloud Kingdom,’ Bhutan. This tiny nation of just 18,000 square miles sits high on the eastern shoulders of the tallest mountains in the world – The Himalayas.

Veteran film producer, photographer and travel lecturer, Tom Sterling, will be on hand to narrate the film. Sterling’s career spans more than four decades and has included more than 12,000 live presentations, producing several tour films and “specials” for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, PBS and The Discovery Channel.

Bhutan is a landlocked nation with India on three sides, while Tibet (China) lies to the north. Early Buddhist monks from India and Tibet referred to this mountainous region as Bhotanta, “the realm at the frontiers at Tibet.” Followers of one Buddhist sect, the Drukpa, gave it another name, Druk Yul or “Land of the Peaceful Thunder Dragon.” In the mountains, thunderstorms are common. The Drukpa people imagined that the sound of thunder was the voice of the dragon.

Buddhism and its reverence for all living things (hunting is not permitted) permeate every facet of Bhutanese life. Colorful prayer flags, shrines called Chortens, and giant monastery fortresses known as Dzongs, dot the landscape. Red-robed monks are seen everywhere.

Showtime is 7:30 pm at the First Baptist Church of Sister Bay. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Admission price is $7; children under 18 are admitted free. Refreshments will be available during intermission. For more information, call Gary at 920.854.4825 or Larry at 920.839.9419.