November 10: The news last week that burglars have stolen personal belongings worth about twenty thousand dollars from a group of tourists have been received with distaste by Bhutanese, foreigners living and working in the kingdom, and tourists alike.  The following news must therefore come as a relief for all.      

A couple from New Zealand working with the Uma hotel in Paro had come to Thimphu to do some shopping last week. To go to the town they took a ride in a taxi. When they got out of the taxi, the wife forgot her purse which contained ten thousand Ngultrums in cash, an Ipod, a visa card, and her bank account behind.   

                                                                               
They had given up all hope of getting their purse back. But the next day, they were pleasantly surprised when the taxi driver appeared at their hotel to return the purse intact, the contents untouched, to them.

                  
The taxi driver whose name is Tashi said he managed to trace the couple to their hotel by using a photograph of the wife which they found in the purse.      
Tashi works as a driver for Bhutan Telecom.


To supplement his income, he works part time as a taxi driver. He said he had gone home straight after he dropped the couple in the town. He saw the purse only when he reached home but could not return it that very night because he was not sure where they would be.        
                   
This is not the first time that Tashi returned things left behind by passengers. On two earlier occasions, he returned expensive looking mobile phones to their owners.