The road east: there’s only one road - Phobjikha Valley

 

Before getting started a bit about Bhutan. It is almost impossible to describe how peaceful and serene every aspect of our stay has been. The people are lovely and so polite. They smile easily and are happy to speak in English as they are taught in English in school. Traditional garb is used for work and school. Men where a kind of wrap robe in a check pattern and comes to the knees and then black knee high socks. Women were long dresses and colorful smocks. No head coverings. Off-times are western casual clothes. Everyone has a cell phone. The standard of living seems pretty good although we did see a bit of poverty here and there. 

Modern cars in the city but little traffic and no honking. And no traffic lights. There is no litter. And the is air free of pollution. Altitude doesn't seem to be an issue as most of the towns are in the valleys. The temperatures are comfortable - mornings in the low 50s and afternoons in the high 60s. The sun is quite strong once it breaks through the morning clouds. And we are in the dry season. 

It's a fascinating place.

Today was mostly a travel day as we headed from the capital, Thimphu along the only East/West road and then south to this lovely wide plain between two mountains called the Phobjikha Valley.

After departing 'downtown' Thimphu our first stop was a mountain pass and rest area. Our hope was to see some of the Himalayas in the distance but the weather wasn't cooperating. There were 108 stupas which is an important number in Buddhism. Surprisingly the areas was filled with vans full of tourists heading out of the city as well as a few groups of motorcyclists from India.

After a few hours of hairpin turns, a little nausea and gorgeous vistas we made a quick lunch stop where the treat of the day was a very creamy vanilla ice cream topped with local rum. After which we visited a very ancient village where while a bit run down the old houses still bore all the distinctive hallmarks of the Bhutanese architecture and design. 

(The children we met seemed very happy to see us, which seemed a bit odd considering the number of tourists that likely wander their village. None-the-less they were a pleasant surprise, if not quite as shellshocked as Bangladesh)

Just before dark, we crossed a pass again and entered this lovely valley. Cut down the middle by a small stream and surrounded by mostly pine covered hills, its claim to fame are the black throated cranes that migrate from Tibet for the winter. The current population is 3 but it will rise to several hundred.

The majority of the plain is natural with the exception of some cows and yaks. The people decided not to plant or use this land to protect the cranes. (The population also just allowed underground electricity lines for the same reason)

Quite literally at the end of the road was a simple lodge and our home for the night. It was cool but the dining room had a big kettle stove. The rooms are simple cabins but comfy enough and dinner was tasty. But it has been a long day. Time for bed.