Stamps of the Last Shangrila

We (the mortals) choose our own poisons. Some of us get addicted to physical poisons like smoking, alcoholism, and binge-eating. And some of us get addicted to mental poisons (ego boosters) like possessions and prestige. Unfortunately, many of us manage to get a healthy (?!) dose of both!

Bhutan is apparently obsessed (ego boost for Napoleon Complex?) with postage stamps; at least, its monarchs are.

Some of Bhutan's stamps are made from steel, silk, even vinyl. Bhutan introduced the world's first talking stamp in April 1973. It's a tiny vinyl record, that when played at 78 rpm, included the Bhutanese national anthem and a brief history of this country.

Bhutan was the first nation to make a 3-D stamp. It was Oct. 30, 1967, and the stamps honored America's Apollo astronauts in space.

Bhutan is releasing a CD stamp. It'll include pictures, music and history. Yes, you can indeed send a letter with this stamp just as you can with all the others.

Bhutan was also the first nation in the world to have self-adhesive stamps. Today, almost every nation has followed Bhutan's lead with a self-stick stamp.

Bhutan is one of the most isolated and least developed nations in the world. However, Business Week rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth happiest country in the world. I guess Bhutanese are not rich, but are wealthy! Apparently, there are very few beggars (if any) in that country.

But how come this tiny, remote, and undeveloped country has this zest for philately? Surprise, surprise - an American conceived of a win-win situation with innovative stamp issuance business!

Another interesting tidbit about Bhutan is, it is surprisingly expensive for non-Indians to visit this country. Even though the tourist visa costs only US $20, the entrants need to sign up for a tour package, which costs a minimum of US $240 per day, for the entire duration of the stay!