Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan

Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan
Author(s)
Genre(s)
Age Range
14+
Release Date
May 18, 1999
ISBN
157322118X
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At the age of twenty-two, Jamie Zeppa, raised in a small Canadian town by her grandparents, engaged to be married, never having left the North American continent, decided to embark on one great adventure before settling down for a happy, if conventional, life. She sought a place at the outer reaches of the globe and the outer limits of her imagination and ended up in Bhutan, a tiny Buddhist kingdom closed to the West for centuries, an unspoiled land of Himalayan peaks and lush valleys.Jamie Zeppa went to Bhutan as a teacher on a two-year Canadian government contract. During her early weeks of hardship and disorientation, this neophyte traveler was on the verge off packing it in. After a Few weeks more, however, the country and its people worked their alchemy on her; she canceled her trip home for Christmas and requested an extension of her contract. In time, she broke off her engagement. After two years, she was not only in love with the country but also with a young Bhutanese man.

At the age of twenty-two, Jamie Zeppa, raised in a small Canadian town by her grandparents, engaged to be married, never having left the North American continent, decided to embark on one great adventure before settling down for a happy, if conventional, life. She sought a place at the outer reaches of the globe and the outer limits of her imagination and ended up in Bhutan, a tiny Buddhist kingdom closed to the West for centuries, an unspoiled land of Himalayan peaks and lush valleys.Jamie Zeppa went to Bhutan as a teacher on a two-year Canadian government contract. During her early weeks of hardship and disorientation, this neophyte traveler was on the verge off packing it in. After a Few weeks more, however, the country and its people worked their alchemy on her; she canceled her trip home for Christmas and requested an extension of her contract. In time, she broke off her engagement. After two years, she was not only in love with the country but also with a young Bhutanese man.

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3 reviews
Overall rating
 
4.7
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4.7(3)
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An unforgettable journey
(Updated: June 26, 2026)
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5.0
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5.0
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Reader reviewed by Pritom

Simply unputdownable! This is a real story of the gradual transformation of the young Canadian author amidst a culture starkly different from that of her country of origin. Moving from a land of plenty to a land of material deprivation was not an easy journey for her. However, Jamie eventually realises that the existence of the universal and eternal values of love, generosity and simplicity are independent of material wealth and technological progress. In that sense, she finds in thsi Buddhist nation what the Buddha discovered more than 2500 years ago.

The brilliance of the author is reflected not only in the simple, honest and sensitive treatment of the subject, but perhaps more so in her uncanny ability to blur the boundary between the reader and her personal journey. Before the reader realises it, her story becomes the reader's story as well. Consequently, the reader too falls in love with the heart-warming simplicity and day-to-day generosity of its people and natural beauty of this unqiue Himalayan Kingdom . This book is a beautiful gift from Jamie for those of us who wish to participate in her unforgettable journey of discovery without actually having to step out of the comfort of our homes.
G
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good book!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Updated: June 26, 2026)
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5.0
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5.0
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Reader reviewed by Jamie

In this memoir, a Canadian woman decides to take her first trip outside of North America before she gets married. After accepting a teaching post in Bhutan, a tiny kingdom in the Himalayas bordering China and India, she eventually breaks off her engagement and falls in love with another man.

Great book I loved it!
G
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A true romance
(Updated: June 26, 2026)
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4.0
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4.0
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Reader reviewed by L. Eustace

A 23 year old woman, pondering on whether to continue on with her college education and to get married to her fiance sporadically decides to go to a foreign city, located in a foreign country in a foreign area few- if no one- has heard of. Without the usual modern restroom and water facilities, she still manages to enjoy the lands... and find romance.
G
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