Bhutan: Phobjikha

We arrived at the Phobjikha valley, and then at the hotel, as the light was fading. At the Dewachen Resort, the generators go off about 9pm. Largely because of the black-necked cranes, overhead electrical wires have not been run into the valley, and all must rely on solar-electric or generators. Our camping headlights were still in play! For warmth, each room had a traditional stove, which the staff would stuff with wood (they held no more than three or four chunks), splash the wood with kerosene, and toss in a match. These stoves roared ferociously for no more than half an hour before completely consuming the wood.

We awakened early the next morning for a pre-dawn hike to view the black-necked cranes as they themselves stirred for the new day. Crossing the valley in the glow of my headlamp, following the person in front of me, I was aware both of the uneven footing and the altitude. (The Phobjikha valley is variously listed at altitudes between 9500 and 9800 feet.) The frost was heavy, and I breathed deeply as we climbed a small rise to the observation point.

Are those cranes down there?

Yes, they are.

The cranes did not fly away en masse, but chose to depart in groups of two, three, or four over the course of an hour. I was glad I wasn't "wasting film" as I took shot after shot in the muted light. Finally, one worked out.

Eventually we began to retrace our steps. Wherever the sun hit, moisture rose, creating wisps of fog that joined tendrils of smoke above the frost.

The far side of the valley was now in full sunlight. I was still standing in mountain-shade and frost.

Tshering drove the bus down to the school, visible at the far left, to take us back to the hotel and an eagerly anticipated breakfast. Afterwards, as we gathered to ride to the crane center, Jim broke out the hacky sack.

Here is a photo of the sign at the center, taken during our 2005 trip to Bhutan.

A view of the exterior, from this trip.

The crane center has information, spotting scopes, a 3-D relief map of the area, and a gift shop. There is a documentary on DVD about the cranes, which we all watched in the main area. Joan and I picked up a carved wooden plaque of two black-necked cranes that we had long regretted not purchasing in 2005.

Our next destination in the valley was Gangtey Gompa (also spelled Gonpa). This monastery is one of the primary centers of the second most popular school of Vajrayana Buddhism in Bhutan, Nyingmapa, and the head lama is the ninth incarnation of Pema Lingpa, a famous 14th-century saint. In 2005 the monastery was undergoing a multi-year restoration. Here, we see a woodcarver at work then.

The front of the central building, being worked on.

The front as we saw it on this trip.

A closeup of the front entry.

Offices and monks' quarters were distributed in the outer buildings that framed the courtyard. Many of the monks were away on their winter holiday, but at least one had done some laundry.

We were able to view several of the rooms, including a shrine room. An older monk was carefully conducting an inventory in that shrine room; with the renovation many old religious items had been replaced by new, and the originals were property of the government. A thorough inventory was coming due soon.

We walked through the adjacent village of Gangtey, where an outdoor darts (khuru) tournament was going on. Bhutanese outdoor darts are large, wooden, and have a five-inch nail or equivalent as the tip. I don't have a photo of this dart match, but here's a snapshot taken on our first day in Paro. It's a scale model of an archery range, without bows.

We walked back to the hotel on a nature trail, passing through pine forest, where we saw women gathering fallen pine needles, and by farms, where we got a peek at some cranes.

The one in darker plumage is a juvenile, so perhaps this is a family. Next, a quintessential Phobjikha scene with prayer flags, cranes in a harvested field, Bhutanese architecture, and a solar panel.

Next on the agenda was lunch. This may be a good spot to insert a picture of the dining room, on the second floor, and its view.

The exterior of the Dewachen.

After lunch we had our own miniature archery lesson. Miniature in that the range was along the first terrace in front of the hotel, and was nowhere near 100 meters long. Ten meters might be generous. The hotel staff and our guides had located a traditional cane bow and a few arrows, and we each took turns taking advice and aiming shots. Most of us got one hit, but it was difficult to find the sweet spot between pulling too hard (overshooting the target) and not hard enough.

After archery we took another hike. This time, the bus took us across and down the valley, and we hiked back. We disembarked from the bus just outside a small community, where we met a man with a Bhutanese "lute" he had made. Namgay played it for us.

The instrument maker declined to be photographed, but this photo was of Namgay and was thus OK. Just inside the village, a chicken was inspecting the drying turnip harvest.

We crossed the valley and walked up the road on the other side, observing birds, dogs, crops, and kids.

Then our second evening in Phobjikha was upon us. I had not shaved since the start of the trek, and I decided that it was time to bid the itchy stubble adieu. But I preserved the evidence of a beard with mixed patches of brown and white. What a, umm, sight.

The next morning we took a short walk before boarding the bus for the drive to Punakha. And we had another good crane sighting.

I must mention how different Phobjikha felt after Trongsa. The valley of the Mangde Chu, cut by the river as the mountains rose, is like the impression of a cleaver whacked into dough. Phobjikha, a glacial valley, is much more U-shaped and expansive, extending on for miles and with tributary valleys that are smaller versions of itself. It's one of Tsewang's favorite landscapes of Bhutan.