Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [140]
Southeast of Jakar, Ura is the highest of Bumthang’s valleys and is believed by some to have been the home of the earliest inhabitants of Bhutan.
Jakar to Ura
48km / 1½ hours
The road crosses the bridge to the east of Jakar, then travels south along the east bank of the Chamkhar Chhu, winding around a ridge past the turn-off to the Tang valley. Just past the turn-off is an impressive new chorten. As the road climbs, look back at excellent views up the Chokhor and Chhume valleys.
The few houses and potato fields that make up Tangsibi are 24km from Jakar. The road climbs to 3420m, where there is a monument with a cross, in memory of a Indian road supervisor who died here in a 1985 road accident.
The road reaches a false summit, then finally crosses the Shertang La (3590m), also known as the Ura La. Just before the pass you’ll get a view of Gangkhar Puensum (7541m) to the northwest and the yellow-roofed lhakhang of Somrang village to the south.
It’s then a long descent into the Ura valley to the village of Ura, which lies below the road. The descent on foot from the pass makes for a nice hour-long walk into the village.
A couple of kilometres before the turn-off to Ura is the turn-off to Shingkhar (see right).
Ura
03 / elev 3100m
Ura is one of the most interesting villages in Bhutan. There are about 40 closely packed houses along cobblestone streets, and the main lhakhang dominates the town, giving it a medieval atmosphere. In colder weather Ura women wear a sheepskin shawl that serves as both a blanket and a cushion. Yet change is afoot; the number of people living in the village has decreased in recent years, as young people move to the towns for jobs or education, and there is now a labour shortage in the village.
Ura gets a rush of visitors during the Ura yakchoe, a notoriously unreliable festival that regularly changes dates at the last minute, leaving behind lots of disappointed tour groups on tight schedules. If you do decide to visit the festival, normally in May, it would be wise to budget a couple of days’ leeway in your itinerary. The three days of masked dances starts on the 12th day of the third month with a procession carrying an image of Vajrapani from the nearby Geyden Lhakhang down to the main lhakhang. The eve of the festival sees the frantic brewing of singchang (made from millet, wheat or rice) and late-night rites of excorcism.
SLEEPING & EATING
Hotel Arya Zambala (azherbal05@yahoo.com)))) Situated alongside the main road, before the turn-off to Ura, this tavern has rooms for rent, some with attached bathrooms, and can provide basic meals. Their main business is in herbal medicines and dried mushrooms.
During the Ura festival even camping spots are at a premium and some groups commute from Jakar, 90 minutes’ drive away.
Around Ura
SHINGKHAR
The traditional village of Shingkhar (elevation 3400m, population 250), made up of only 35 households, is 9km up a good gravel side road from Ura. The small Rinchen Jugney Lhakhang, on a hill 50m from the Shinkhar Guest House, was founded by the Dzogchen master Longchen Rabjampa (1308–63).
The village’s central Dechen Chholing Goemba is headed by Shingkhar Lama, whose predecessor featured prominently in the Bhutanese novel Hero with The Thousand Eyes, by Karma Ura. The central lhakhang has its floorboards exposed to show the stone teaching throne of Longchen. The protector deities are appropriately fierce, except for Rahulla who looks embarrassed wearing a gorilla mask. The Shingkhar Romney (festival) held here in the ninth month (October) features an unusual yak dance, without the tour groups that often crowd out Ura.
There are several good hiking options in the valley. Day hikes lead up to the Singmu La, along the former trade route to Lhuentse and bordering the Thrumshing La National Park, or try the four- to five-hour return hike to the cliff-hanging Shamsul Lhakhang.
Shingkhar Guest House ( 323206; fax 323718; masagang@druknet.bt; www.masagang.com; r Nu 800-1200) is a great base from where to explore the village. The rooms are basic but cosy,