
Bhutan's dark sense of humour - happy-go-lucky
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170223-bhutans-dark-sense-of-humour
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CurtMonash
On the autobahns around Berlin, under the American occupation, signs said that
one shouldn't speed, because death was so permanent. But the chaplains or some
other religious folks objected, and so the signs were taken back down.
(Source: My father, who worked for the Americans as a translator.)

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rishabhd
These phrases are pretty common on Indian roads, especially in mountainous
regions. Kind of a BRO signature.

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ganeshkrishnan
BRO is Indian Roads organization.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Roads_Organisation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Roads_Organisation)

As someone who spent time in Indian borders (Tibet/Nepal) these signs are
pretty common.

BBC incorrectly attributed this to "dark sense of humour of Bhutan" but then
again when have they been right about India?

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dmix
> BBC incorrectly attributed this to "dark sense of humour of Bhutan"

The headline author did. But the article mentions both the fact BRO is Indian
and the fact these signs exist in other Indian border areas.

>> Over the years, the Border Roads Organisation has also built and maintained
roads in other countries neighbouring India, including Afghanistan, Burma and
Sri Lanka. Today, they largely employ local workers, but historically, many
Indians took on the difficult and dangerous work. Their ability to have a
sense of humour in challenging circumstances is clear both in their brilliant
road signs and in their mission.

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maaarghk
archive.is link for brits - [http://archive.is/hfA17](http://archive.is/hfA17)

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veidr
what is that / why is it necessary?

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uncleleech
"We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our
international service and is not funded by the licence fee. It is run
commercially by BBC Worldwide, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the BBC, the
profits made from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new
BBC programmes. You can find out more about BBC Worldwide and its digital
activities at www.bbcworldwide.com."

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mrkgnao
Is that the famous TV tax?

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Shinchy
It is indeed.

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delibes
Love that "late" sign. Reminds me of H2G2 -

Slartibartfast: Come. Come now or you will be late.

Arthur: Late? What for?

Slartibartfast: What is your name, human?

Arthur: Dent. Arthur Dent.

Slartibartfast: Late as in the late Dentarthurdent. It's a sort of threat, you
see. I've never been terribly good at them myself but I'm told they can be
terribly effective.

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mxfh
Was actually expecting a juxtaposition of their Gross National Happiness PR
vs. the actual human rights situation. This still reads like an quirky
advertorial travel guide.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness#Criti...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness#Criticism)

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chris_overseas
Their sense of humour extends beyond road signs. After spending three weeks
travelling across the country I found the Bhutanese to have a very relaxed,
humorous way of looking at everything life, big and small.

Here's a sign I saw while in Bhutan that is presumably trying to encourage
fewer children:
[http://www.redyeti.net/Bhutan/content/bin/images/large/IMG_2...](http://www.redyeti.net/Bhutan/content/bin/images/large/IMG_2467.jpg)

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karaokeyoga
"Life is a journey, complete it" … shouldn't that be "DON'T complete it"?

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theandrewbailey
No. Just because something is over doesn't mean that it's complete.

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Neliquat
Reminds me of the old BurmaShave signs that used to be so common in the usa.

An example: Dont stick your elbow out so far It might come home In another car

It went out of favor as sign laws popped up. You can still see some along rt66
and a few other old highways.

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huxley
On a dangerous curve on the road to my home village in Nova Scotia (Canada),
an evangelical church posted a sign that said "Prepare to Meet Thy Maker"
which I thought --even as a kid-- was apt though little morbid.

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fredley
Brits: The BBC is forbidden from undertaking any commercial activity within
the UK in their charter. While obviously quite integral to the way the BBC
works and is able to work, this sort of restriction is a weird side-effect.

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moftz
Is the article blocked in the UK?

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tomhoward
As mentioned above, this archive link works:
[http://archive.is/hfA17](http://archive.is/hfA17)

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iraklism
Brit on a corporate O2 mobile. Archive.io is for some reason blocked for under
18s

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falsedan
You can bypass obscenity filters with archive.io, so better block it. (is the
thinking)

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saiya-jin
can't see the page since we're considered in UK, but from my half year spent
there backpacking many road signs are indeed funny, especially in himalayan
regions (himachal pradesh, ladakh). One stuck in my head for 9 years since
seeing it:

"Left is right and right is wrong"

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asymmetric
Have you been backpacking in Bhutan too? I thought VISAs were expensive and
hard to get, and very limited in length too.

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chakalakasp
Pedro Walked Back home by golly His bristly chin Was hot-to-Molly Burma Shave

