Bhutan: Jangbi

The trailhead is at about 3500' altitude; our first steps were down to a bridge across the Mangde Chu.

In crossing we entered the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, formerly the Black Mountains National Park. Our destination was the village of Jangbi, in the homeland of the Monpa people, an indigenous tribe thought to have been the first settlers in Bhutan. Here is a description of the Monpa (who live in northeastern India as well).

About an hour later, we encountered our first langurs.

At first we were told that it was a capped langur, but this specimen doesn't look much like the capped langurs in the book, even with unfavorable lighting. Our guides didn't feel that this was the endemic golden langur, but he sure looks like this fellow. There has been the discovery of hybridization between the two in this area, but there's none of the slate blue color here. At any rate, our langur didn't stay long.

On our arrival in Jangbi we visited the home of our local guide, and met his wife and brother. We were offered oranges (the orange crop was coming in and we were offered them everywhere in this subtropical region). Fresh and tasty, they were.

In the other direction were some of the lower fields of Jangbi, and if you peer at trees on the left, the trail to the campsite.

Here's a view looking down at the campsite. Each campsite on this trek had a gazebo/pavilion, a cookhouse/kitchen, a double outhouse, and a terrace for the tents. (Only the pavilion is visible in the next photo.)

Closer up,

It being our first overnight in camp, Joan and I had to work out our system for the next five nights; where to put our stuff in the tents, maneuvering in the dark using camper's headlamps (it's December and it gets dark early and stays dark late!), being served dinner by the campfire -- it was all new to us. Tsewang would let us know each evening when hot tea, the first public event of the morning, would be brought to our tent, and tea would be shortly followed by basins of hot water for freshening up. From those times we could extrapolate backwards when to wake up and meditate. Of course, packing gear back up doesn't happen until after the hot water arrives and you've freshened up. One at a time inside the small tent. It's good if everyone doesn't dash for the outhouse at once, and do you brush your teeth before or after breakfast? Small things, but when you're taken out of your normal routine and must examine these things consciously -- one of the benefits of camping, no doubt -- it takes a couple of days for them to become second nature!

The highlight of the evening was the visit of a dozen or more villagers. Tsewang served as translator as we, and they, asked questions back and forth. And sometimes just sat in the others' presence in the firelight. I listened closely but didn't contribute, either because of self-imposed standards for how polished and complete a response needed to be, or because my brain was sluggish, filling up with experiences already.

The next morning, everybody was ready by Tsewang's desired departure time (hurrah!). A group of men and boys was engaged in propping up, and then splitting a large rock, as if making slates, tiles, or pavers.

The building in the background is, as I understand it, a type of governmental agricultural office, almost completed. That, and the fact that Jangbi now has a school, is motivating some folk in the area to move to Jangbi.

Next, nine miles to Kudra. It is at virtually the same elevation as Jangbi, but there's a lot of up and down along the way.