Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [104]
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The road passes Kharibje, a village in a valley on the opposite side of the river. This village is inhabited by bja-wap (goldsmiths) who make jewellery and brass trumpets, as well as butter lamps and other items used in goembas. A small bridge across the Wang Chhu provides road access to the village.
Soon comes the small settlement of Khasadrapchhu. On the opposite side of the river is the hydro plant that served Thimphu before the large Chhukha hydroelectric project came on line in 1988.
The valley widens near the small village of Namseling. Below the road are extensive rice paddies. Rice is planted in mid-June and harvested in October. Terraces are barren during the winter. Above the road are numerous apple orchards. Much of the fruit is exported, particularly to Bangladesh. In the autumn people sell apples and mushrooms from makeshift stalls at the side of the road.
The new ‘expressway’ to Thimphu drops off the road towards the valley floor and travels along the east side of the river. The large ponds by the riverside are part of Thimphu’s sewage treatment plant, which uses a microbiological system to treat urban waste from Thimphu so that no polluted water flows to communities downstream.
After passing below the army helipad at Lungtenphu the road crosses the river and enters Thimphu from the south. A second, older road travels via Babesa and Simtokha, enabling you to visit the Simtokha Dzong or bypass Thimphu completely on the way to Punakha.
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HAA DZONGKHAG
The isolated Haa valley lies south of the Paro valley. The Haa Chhu flows from the head of the valley to join the Wang Chhu, by the road to Phuentsholing. Though there is easy access to Tibet from Haa, the remote valley has always been off the major trade routes. It is the ancestral home of the Dorji family, to which the queen mother, Ashi Kesang Wangchuck, belongs.
Not many tourists get to Haa, only opened to tourists in 2001, but it’s a picturesque valley that is ideal for mountain biking and hiking, and there is plenty of scope for getting off the beaten track here. We saw at least a dozen monasteries in the valley and doubtless there are many more. The best way to visit is to overnight here and spend a day biking to the sights.
It is a large fertile valley and the staple crops are wheat, potatoes, barley and millet. People also raise yaks and Haa yak meat is regarded as some of the best in the country. Many people from Haa move to Samtse in winter.
There are two roads into Haa. One climbs from Paro, crossing the Cheli La. The other diverges from the Phuentsholing–Thimphu road at Chhuzom and travels south, high above the Wang Chhu, before swinging into the Haa valley.
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PARO TO HAA VIA THE CHELI LA (68KM)
From the turn-off at Bondey, south of Paro, it’s 62km to Haa over the high Cheli La, claimed to be the highest motorable road in Bhutan. As you start to climb you can see Dzongdrakha Goemba to the left.
About 32km from the turn-off is a herders’ camp marked by prayer flags. From here hiking trails lead up for 45 minutes to Kila Nunnery, established as a meditation site in the 9th century and reputedly the oldest nunnery in Bhutan. There are 32 nuns resident here.
From here, it’s 4km to the pass. At the Cheli La a sign says the elevation is 3988m, but it’s really 3810m. If it’s raining in Paro it’s likely snowing here, even as late as the end of April. Join the Bhutanese in a hearty cry of ‘lha-gey lu!’ (May the gods be victorious!) as you cross the pass. During the clear skies of October and November it’s worth taking the hiking trails that lead up the mountain ridge for 1½ hours to spectacular mountain views.
It’s a 26km descent from the pass to Haa, passing through areas of burnt forest. Many fir trees here were killed by bark beetles, and the only way to prevent the spread of these pests was to burn the trees.
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HAA
08 / elev 2670m
The town of Haa sprawls along the Haa Chhu and forms two distinct areas. Much