The Kingdom of Bhutan, nestled between China and India, is a deeply traditional nation, and has been slow to adopt modern development. A country-wide ban on television and the internet was only lifted in 1999, and only after the previous king abdicated power in 2006 did the nation have its first parliamentary elections. Today, some aspects of the 21st century, like mobile phones, are becoming prevalent, and the Bhutanese are adopting and adapting. Reuters photographer Cathal McNaughton spent time in Bhutan over the past two years, capturing some of the interplay of new and old: “For decades Bhutan had no television, no traffic lights, and a culture that had barely changed in centuries. Today, bars dot the capital, Thimphu, set in mist-covered mountains, while teenagers crowd internet cafes to play violent video games, and men smoke and gamble in snooker halls.”
Photos From a Slowly Modernizing Bhutan
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Read moreA man takes a photograph in front of the Buddha Dordenma statue in Bhutan on December 16, 2017. #
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Read moreA masked dancer performs on the mountains above the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, on December 12, 2017. #
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Read moreA woman checks her mobile phone in a bar in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, on December 11, 2017. #
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Read moreA general view of housing in Thimphu on December 11, 2017. #
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Read moreChoki Wangmo, 11, poses for a picture in the Phobjika valley, Bhutan, on December 15, 2017. #
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Read morePeople farm in Bhutan's Punakha Valley on December 13, 2017. #
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Read moreYoung monks take a break from their studies at Changangkha Lhakhang temple in Thimphu on April 13, 2016. Built in the 12th century, Changangkha Lhakhang is the oldest temple in Thimphu. #
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Read moreDrayang dancers Ugyen Tshomo, 29, and Lhaden, 38, make their way to work in a bar in Thimphu on December 16, 2017. #
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Read moreDrayang dancer Lhaden, 38, performs in a bar in Thimphu on December 16, 2017. Lhaden, a divorced mother of two, dances until midnight, and like thousands of her compatriots, is struggling to make ends meet. "I'm not happy or sad about things; I have no other choice," she said. Lhaden, who earns $125 a month, is counting the pennies. "I live in such a small flat so I can afford food and clothes." #
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Read moreA woman carries her daughter near Punakha, Bhutan, on December 14, 2017. #
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Read moreThe Punatsangchu hydroelectric power project in Bhutan, photographed on December 13, 2017. #
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Read moreMen work on the Punatsangchu hydroelectric power project near the town of Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan, on December 13, 2017. #
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Read moreZeko, 73, poses for a portrait at his home in Punakha on December 13, 2017. "I'm happy to have a mobile phone so I can talk to my relatives and children any time I want," Zeko said. #
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Read moreA Buddhist monk plays football in Bhutan's Phobjika valley on December 14, 2017. #
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Read moreThe Buddha Dordenma statue overlooks the town of Thimphu on April 18, 2016. #
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Read moreHousing in the capital city of Thimphu, photographed on December 11, 2017. #
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Read morePeople gather in the center of Thimphu on December 17, 2017. #
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Read moreChildren look out of the window of a house in Thimphu on April 16, 2016. #
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Read moreA woman waits to buy doma from a shop in Thimphu on April 13, 2016. Chewing on the addictive "doma pani," which is made of areca nut wrapped in betel leaves, has long been a traditional part of Bhutanese life. #
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Read moreYouths gather in an internet gaming center in the Thimphu on December 11, 2017. #
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Read moreDrayang dancer Lhaden, 38, checks her mobile phone as she rests at home in Thimphu on December 16, 2017. #
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Read moreWomen warm themselves by a fire outside a bar in Thimphu on December 15, 2017. #
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Read moreA child plays beside the Buddha Dordenma statue (unseen) in Thimphu on April 16, 2016. #
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Read moreFarmer Ap Daw (right), 43, talks on his mobile phone as his son Sonam Tshering, 13, lies on a couch and his mother Aum Sangay, 68, heats water at their home in the Phobjikha Valley, on December 15, 2017. "Children are spending more time on their mobile phones and not studying," said Daw who also bemoans the rising mounds of trash by the highway. #
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Read moreThe Buddha Dordenma statue overlooks the town of Thimphu on April 16, 2016. #
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Read moreA girl checks her mobile phone as her mother prepares vegetables at market in Thimphu on December 11, 2017. #
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Read moreA girl in a traditional costume poses beside the Buddha Dordenma statue in Thimphu on April 16, 2016. #
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Read moreA masked dancer performs on the mountains above the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, on December 12, 2017. #
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