If you go: Learn about Bhutan

Bhutan is easier to find on the Internet than on many maps. For general information, click www.kingdomofbhutan.com or www.bhutan.gov.bt. You can find dates of festivals worth including in your schedule.

A Google search for "Bhutan travel" produces agencies that specialize in travel there. It's best to allow 90 days lead time to make arrangements and get a visa.

I set up my trip through Jachung Travel (510-558-3403), www.jachungtravel.com) an agency in California owned by Tshering Samdrup, a Bhutanese with experience as a guide. Jachung's service was thorough and prompt, and arrangements in Bhutan were just as promised.

A deluxe option is to book a full-service tour through a U.S. outfitter. Try Wilderness Travel (800-368-2794, www.wildernesstravel.com), or Mountain Travel Sobek (888-687-6235, www.mtsobek.com).

For news of Bhutan, read Kuensel, the national newspaper (www.kuenselonline.com), or Bhutan News Online, an independent service (www.bhutannewsonline.com). For revealing statistics, try the CIA World Factbook (www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bt.html).

Good guidebooks include Lonely Planet's "Bhutan" edition and a book called "Bhutan," by Francoise Pommaret.

-- Richard Read: 503-294-5135; richread@aol.com.