Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [155]
Kanglung to Khaling
32km / 1 hour
The road climbs through fields of corn and potatoes, then switchbacks around a line of eight chortens. There are fine views down over the college and as far as Drametse Goemba, far across the valley. Above the road is the Yongphula army camp and further on is Yongphu Goemba. Hidden on a ridge above the road is Bhutan’s second airstrip. There is occasionally talk that this small military airstrip might eventually be served by domestic flights, which would make eastern Bhutan much more accessible, but weather patterns would make any flights highly unreliable.
The road crosses the Yongphu La (2190m), offering you a last glimpse of the Himalaya, and swoops along the top of the Barshong valley, cuts across a ridge into another valley, then winds down again. A short climb leads over yet another ridge marked by chortens. It then descends to Gumchu, below which is a pretty valley, with several traditional houses surrounded by large, lush meadows.
Rounding a corner, the road enters Khaling, spread out in a large valley high above the Drangme Chhu. Above the valley is a small lhakhang. In the centre of the valley below Khaling is the National Institute for the Disabled. This is a very well-organised institution that tries to assimilate students from all over Bhutan who are blind or otherwise disabled into the local educational system by providing special resources and training. One of their accomplishments is the development of a Dzongkha version of Braille. The school was originally set up by missionaries but has been run by the government since 1987.
Three kilometres beyond Khaling is the National Handloom Development Project ( 04-581122; nhdp@druknet.com 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri), operated by the National Women’s Association of Bhutan (NWAB). It contracts out weaving and provides cotton yarn on credit to about 400 villagers, who then return the finished product to be sold here, in Trashigang or at Handicraft Emporiums in Thimphu, Paro and Bumthang. It has samples of about 300 designs and, although it doesn’t have fabric from every design in stock, it will take orders.
Particularly interesting are samples of the plants that are used to produce the natural dyes, including rhododendrons (pale yellow), an insect secretion called lac (purple) and the stem of the madder creeping plant (pale pink). Photography of the workshops and of the design samples is strictly prohibited. Prices for a length of woven cloth vary from Nu 950 up to Nu 12,000 and there are also shawls. Most of the basic cotton is imported from Kolkata.
Khaling to Wamrong
27km / 45 mins
Beyond Khaling the road traverses above scattered houses and cornfields before climbing to the head of a rhododendron-filled valley and crossing the Kharung La at 2350m. There’s a short descent through lots of loose rock, then another climb to another pass at 2430m.
Curling around the valley, the route descends past a side road to Thrimshing then curves round the Zangto Pelri Lhakhang. This may well be the last Bhutanese goemba you see, so check out the unique and wonderfully detailed murals and ceiling mandalas for old times’ sake. Two kilometres below the lhakhang is the pleasant town of Wamrong (2130m), where you can get a good lunch at the local-style Dechen Wangdi Restaurant ( 04-571103). Wamrong is a drungkhag and so has a small dzong.
Wamrong to Pemagatshel Junction
20km / 45 mins
The road here descends for 6km to Riserboo and its Norwegian-funded hospital. There is a good view down the huge valley as the road traverses in and out of side valleys past the hamlet of Moshi, halfway between Trashigang and Samdrup Jongkhar. At a bend in the road at kilometre marker 77 you get your first glimpse of the Assam plain below.
Before long you meet the junction to Pemagatshel, from where you can see Yongla