Dance bars, mobile phones and Chelsea jerseys: changing face of Bhutan

Drayang dancer Lhaden, 38, prepares to leave her house and go to work in a bar in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

THIMPHU (Reuters) - 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, teenagers crowd internet cafes to play violent video games, and men smoke and gamble in snooker halls.

A man sings in a Karaoke bar beside a portrait of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

There are still no traffic lights after residents protested against the installation of one, but otherwise the once-isolated Buddhist country tucked between India and China is changing, and bringing the modern world's problems in its wake. (Click http://reut.rs/2Dc5U9E for a picture package of Bhutan's changing face.)

Inside a gaudily lit dance club, guests watch a 38-year-old woman swaying to the songs they choose, usually traditional folk music but sometimes a Bollywood number or two.

Lhaden, a divorced mother-of-two, dances until midnight, and like thousands of her compatriots, is struggling to make ends meet.

The Buddha Dordenma statue stands in Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

"I'm not happy or sad about things, I have no other choice," said Lhaden, who only has one name.

Bhutan measures its national wealth by a Gross National Happiness index aiming to build a contented, fulfilled society. But Lhaden, who earns $125 a month, is counting the pennies.

"I live in such a small flat so I can afford food and clothes."

A youth drinks whiskey at a bar in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Signs of change are everywhere, pulling the country of snow-capped, jagged mountains, forests, rivers and clean air into the modern world.

Smoke billows from construction sites across the country and a giant bronze-and-gold Buddha statue that commands the entry to the Thimphu valley now shares space with modern telecom towers.

On the streets and even in the countryside, jeans have become as commonplace as the traditional Bhutanese knee-length gho robes for men and the ankle-length kira dresses that women wear.

Drayang dancer Lhaden, 38, performs in a bar in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Bhutan's $2.2 billion economy remains predominantly agricultural, but mobile phones and TV sets are everywhere, even in the Phobjikha valley, a tourist haven about seven hours' drive from Thimphu and in winter, home to Bhutan's famed black-necked cranes.

"Children are spending more time on their mobile phones and not studying," said Ap Daw, 43, a farmer who also bemoans the rising mounds of trash by the road.

Next to his house, a squad of Buddhist monks has discarded their crimson robes to play football, in Manchester United and Chelsea jerseys.

A masked dancer performs on the mountains above the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Daw's 13-year-old son, Sonam Tshering, a football fan himself, has big dreams too.

"I would love to become a science teacher and watch Cristiano Ronaldo play for Real Madrid," said Sonam as he helped feed the family cattle.

Youths sit outside a restaurant in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

(Writing by Tony Tharakan; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Drayang dancers Ugyen Tshomo, 29, and Lhaden (R), 38, relax before going to work in a bar in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Drayang dancer Lhaden, 38, checks her mobile phone as she rests at home in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

A woman carries her daughter near Punakha, Bhutan, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Women share a joke in a Karaoke bar in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 16, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

People farm in the Punakha Valley, Bhutan, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Zeko, 73, poses for a portrait at his home in Punakha, Bhutan, 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. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

A man carries straw on his back near Punakha, Bhutan, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Farmer Ap Daw (R), 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, Bhutan, December 15, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Sonam Tshering, 13, feeds cattle in the Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan, December 14, 2017. "I would love to become a science teacher and watch Cristiano Ronaldo play for Real Madrid," said Sonam. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Houses stand in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

An electric heater and television sit in the corner of a traditional farmhouse in Punakha, Bhutan, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Smoke billows from machinery at a road construction site near the town of Punakha, Bhutan, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Men play snooker and gamble in a snooker hall in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Youths gather in an internet gaming centre in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

A stream runs through the Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Youths gather in an internet gaming centre in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Men work at the Punatsangchu hydroelectric power project near the town of Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Youths play football near a highway in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

A man walks past a housing construction site in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

Buddhist monks play football in the Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

A girl looks from the balcony of a shop in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

The Punatsangchu River runs past an industrial site located near the town of Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan, December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton