The Bumthang valleys are filled with lhakhangs and gonpas. It was here that Guru Rinpoche made his first visit to Bhutan in 746. Moreover, one of the five great tertons of Nyingma Buddhism–Pema Lingpa (the one who prophesied the building of Gangte Gonpa)–was born here in 1450. There’s a three-day trek that traverses the area called the Bumthang Cultural Trek, but I was going to do another trek later on in the Black Mountains, so I just went for a day hike in the Chokhor valley.
After the driver dropped us off, we crossed to the other side of the river
on a suspension bridge
where there was a wayside shrine.
We walked a wide, dusty track
passing prayer flags and a mani wall.
I saw men erecting a new row of prayer flags
and a man plowing fields.
Farmers use bamboo to weave baskets and fence sections which are then left in the fields to dry.
With no paved roads, mules and donkeys are used for transporting goods.
Note the khonying (walk-thru) chorten over a parallel spur path. In this area, just one chorten is not enough.
After cross another suspension bridge, we entered a pine forest with an occasional view of a mountain top.
We passed through an area that seemed more like a rain forest with lots of lichen and moss. It reminded me of the Olympic Peninsula.
We forded a small stream, but compared to the trails I regularly hike, stream fording was a rarity in Bhutan. On the other hand, loose domesticated animals were not a rarity. Fences were amazingly scarce, which is why there were cows on the roads (see my previous post) and donkeys in the streams.
I assumed this was a laborer’ camp, although it was far nicer than the typical road crew’s hovels, and there were no roads around.
Nowhere else did I see such an orderly row of latrines.
We eventually reached a high point with a spectacular view of the valley.
I’m assuming this was a lhakhang, but there were a number of buildings in a cluster here.
After a gradual descent along more dirt tracks covered in inches of dust, we recrossed the river. Note Pelden’s use of an umbrella for shade since he cannot wear a hat. It’s only furled because of the bridge wires.
From here we walked at least another mile on the dusty, dirt road until we met our driver.
The only new bird for the day was a black-billed magpie.
