There’s been much talk of happiness and Bhutan recently, after the United Nations hosted a conference on the topic in New York.

Now ABC News has done an extended piece on Bhutan and the idea of Gross National Happiness. View it here. It’s excellent; you’ll get a good review of recent history (no currency until the 60s, no television until 1999) up to the nightclubs and Lady Gaga fans of today.

There is some TV-style cheese here, and you might want to smack the reporter once or twice, but the images and sounds are beautiful, from the streets of Thimphu to the monastery at Punaka.

Just remember, as always: learning more about Bhutan will make you want to go there!