When I once took a guest to a hot stone bath and was demonstrating how it works, he asked, "Who invented the hot stone bath?"
I was lost. Me: I'm not sure when we came up with the idea for the hot stone bath, but we've been using them ever since our great-grandparents were farmers. Additionally, our modern education arrived in Bhutan in the 1960s — I suppose no one was there to record it.
The next morning, I informed the guest that we would be visiting the Paro National Museum. He asked, "Why isn't your museum in the capital city when all the national museums in other nations are?"
I got lost once more. Me: Since there isn't a battle at the moment and the watch towers are useless, we converted them into a museum. We have two of them. You have to utilize it, sir. One is at the Trongsa Watch Tower and another is in the Paro Watch Tower.
Oh, at lunchtime we were in a cafe and could see a green forest with blue pine trees everywhere. "Tashi, those trees are green; why are they called blue pines?"
Me: Perhaps the person who gave the trees their names must be colorblind and only noticed blue hues. In Bhutan, there are three different varieties of pine trees.
As soon as we checked in, we noticed that the hotel was filled with photos of numerous royal families, including those of our own king. He turned around and questioned, "Tashi, when were those pictures taken, and who took them?"
I got lost once more. Me: I'm not sure, sir, because they have a photographer of their own, and we have no interaction at all.
Next day, while we were making our way toward Punakha, he asked, "Tashi, there are so many rivers in Bhutan; why are you guys not selling fish?"
Me: Sir, if we catch a fish and sell it, we are no longer basically Buddhist. It is prohibited by religion. Forget selling — we will purchase fish and release them into the river. Also occasionally in the septic tank.
I took him to Kuensel Phodrang (Buddha Point) the following day. "Tashi why is the Buddha here different," he exclaimed. "In other countries, I've seen Buddhas in various styles."
Me: Sir, the sculptor is to blame. His skill and our skill must be different — but it's the same Buddha.
He went to the farm house with me for a traditional dinner. There, he asked: "How many people in Bhutan are vegetarians?"
Me: Since it changes, I'm unable to offer you a precise count. Some people declare themselves vegetarians after giving up meat for a while. Some people lie about being vegetarians in an effort to brag. Some people are an odd sort of vegetarian — they won't eat chicken but they'll choose eggs, and they'll choose dried fish over fresh fish. I am therefore unable to estimate the number of vegetarians. However, there are vegetarians who refuse to eat any non-veg at all.
Being a guide, I get different kinds of questions which I can't answer accurately.