After more than seven years in Australia, Yeshey Choden and her husband Dawa Gyeltshen, both in their early 30s, had built the kind of life many dream of. They held permanent residency, owned a home and had carved out financial stability in a country that had given them opportunities far beyond what they might have found at home.
And then they gave it all up.
In 2022, the couple—both alumni of Bajothang Higher Secondary School in Wangdue—returned to Bhutan. The pull of home, they say, proved stronger than the security they had built abroad.
“Even before going to Australia, we had already planned to start our own business,” Yeshey Choden told Kuensel. “Returning was never a question of if. It was always a question of when.”
That plan has since taken concrete shape in Bajo Wonjokha, Wangdue. What began as a modest restaurant and bar called Acho Daka has steadily grown into a vibrant community hub. Today, the space offers coffee, restroom facilities, an arcade, a soft play area for children, and—most recently—an Early Childhood Care and Development centre, all under one roof.
The name draws from a shared childhood memory: the beloved Bhutanese folktale of Acho Daka, a character woven into the cultural fabric of their youth. “When it came time to start our business, we felt it was the perfect fit—familiar, meaningful, and easy for people to remember,” Yeshey Choden explained.
Despite its somewhat remote location—roughly three kilometres from Bajothang town and more than eight kilometres from Khuruthang—Acho Daka has built a loyal customer base. Patrons make the journey because they trust what’s on offer. The menu blends local staples with international flavours: signature dishes include pork chilli, sakam salad, and carbonara. But for the couple, success hinges on something deeper than food.
“Above everything else, service matters most to us,” said Yeshey Choden. “I believe that commitment to quality is why nearly 90 percent of our customers keep returning.”
The business has evolved beyond dining. It hosts live music on weekends, giving local artists a platform, and features a dedicated corner for Bhutanese authors to display and sell their books— with the business taking no cut of the proceeds.
“We help them sell the books without taking any profit,” Dawa Gyeltshen noted. “It is our small way of supporting local artists.”
More Than Business: A Question of Identity
For Yeshey and Dawa, the decision to leave Australia went far beyond entrepreneurship. Life abroad had offered comfort and opportunity, but it never provided a complete sense of belonging. They feared a gradual cultural erosion—the slow drift away from language, values, and community that can come with years of distance.
“We felt that if we stayed away too long, we might slowly lose touch with our own culture and roots,” Yeshey Choden reflected.
The desire to raise their daughter in Bhutan deepened their resolve. At the time of their decision, she was too young to travel, so they waited. Today, their four-year-old is growing up immersed in the town and traditions her parents chose.
Yeshey Choden’s training in cookery and hospitality in Australia directly shapes the kitchen and service at Acho Daka. Both she and Dawa remain deeply hands-on in daily operations, bringing practical skills back to their homeland.
Their biggest ongoing challenge is finding qualified staff, a common hurdle for many returning entrepreneurs. Yet they say they are precisely where they want to be: building something of their own, contributing to their community, and raising their child in the country that called them home—even when they didn’t have to return.
A Wider Trend
Their story resonates amid a broader pattern. Bhutan has seen a growing number of its citizens—many educated or experienced abroad—choosing to return. Australia is home to Bhutan’s largest overseas community, with thousands of Bhutanese residents and students contributing to both nations. Yet stories like Yeshey and Dawa’s highlight the enduring power of roots, cultural identity, and the desire to give back.
In an era of global mobility, their choice stands as a quiet but powerful counter-narrative: success isn’t only measured in permanent residency or financial stability abroad. Sometimes, it looks like opening the doors of a community hub named after a childhood folktale, serving pork chilli to locals, and watching your child grow up surrounded by the mountains and values that shaped you.
Acho Daka is more than a business. It is a bridge—between the opportunities they gained overseas and the life they chose to build at home. In Wangdue, it stands as living proof that you can leave the dream behind and still find something even more fulfilling.
