The stray dogs can’t believe their luck. Minutes after we skid to a stop on this remote mountain shelf, the air fills with the aromas of spiced dahl, beef stew, and a concoction made of cheese and chilies called Ema Datshi.

Instead of lounging in the dust or bothering birds, the dogs get to beg for scraps from 13 riders and their support crew as we sit on lush grass and enjoy this mid-ride feast. We’re not at a cafe or restaurant either—this meal has been lovingly cooked several miles below, driven up piping hot, then served onto real plates from the bed of a truck. The dogs might be happy, but we’re in heaven. Welcome to mountain biking in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

You’d be forgiven for not knowing exactly where Bhutan is, or perhaps not even knowing it exists. This is one of the world’s smallest and most remote countries. It’s a land of steep, mountainous forests, crisscrossed by powerful rivers and capped with the imposing peaks of the eastern Himalayas. Just fewer than 800,000 people live in an area slightly larger than Kentucky and this modest, profoundly Buddhist society is a world away from the commercial cacophony of, say, Kathmandu in neighboring Nepal.