the people call themselves drukpa, and their country druk yul--"the land of the thunder dragon." and upon arrival in paro, its only international airport, i already sense that i'm in a place like no other. former fortresses, the architecturally stunning dzongs are centers of secular and religious governance. although a democratic constitutional monarchy, buddhism, the state religion, permeates every aspect of bhutanese life. first tourism to bhutan began in 1974, but in order to minimize the negative impact that tourism to a country can sometimes have, the government put in place a system where every visitor to bhutan is accompanied by a guide. there's also a daily fee. here in 2012, the fee ranges from $200 to $250, depending on the season, but it does include your accommodations, your meals, your transportation, your driver, and a guide. today i'm heading off on a hike up to one of the most sacred monasteries in bhutan. it's called tiger's nest, and my guide karma will be leading the way. what mecca is to muslims, tiger's nest is to the bhutanese. on my 90-minute trek to the mo