Unlocking the rich, hidden past of Bhutan became Deki Dorji's goal in traipsing around the capital of Thimphu.

CNN: Connecting the past to present tougher than it looks

Dorji says her country has strived to preserve as much of its culture and historic landmarks as possible.

CNN: Connecting the past to present tougher than it looks

In the 1950s, prime minister Jigmi Dorji, Benji's father, led a clique of young nobles bent on modernizing Bhutan.

CNN: Going Nowhere

His great-grandson Benji Dorji, now secretary of the environment, recalls traveling around his father's southern "fiefdom" as a boy.

CNN: Going Nowhere

The king appointed a man named Ugyen Dorji to oversee Nepalese immigration.

CNN: Going Nowhere

Dorji laughs when I suggest that the hair cut was exactly the sort of act repeated many times by northerners that fueled the exodus.

CNN: Going Nowhere

Says Dorji: "Koirala made it clear he has tried since the 1950s to depose the 'despotic regime of the King of Bhutan, '" he says.

CNN: Going Nowhere

"There was some misperception and the Nepalese were frightened, " says Dorji.

CNN: Going Nowhere