Bhutan - Lindsay Brown [182]
The route now follows the Mo Chhu downstream all the way to Tashithang. Beyond the army camp the trail goes uphill, crossing a few streams and making little ups and downs. About 30 minutes from the army post is an inconspicuous trail junction at 3340m. The route for the Snowman trek leads uphill from here on a tiny path. The route to Gasa keeps going downstream on a muddy trail. After a while it turns a corner into a side valley, goes a short distance up the valley and crosses the Bahitung Chhu at 3290m. This is the traditional lunch spot for this day.
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LAYA
The people of Laya have their own language, customs and distinct dress. Laya language is similar to Dzongkha, but if people speak fast, Dzongkha speakers cannot understand them. The Layap language is said to use very respectful form of speech.
The women keep their hair long and wear peculiar conical bamboo hats with a bamboo spike at the top, held on by a beaded band that reaches to the back of the head. They dress in a black woollen jacket with silver trim and a long woollen skirt with a few stripes in natural earth colours like orange and brown. They wear lots of silver jewellery on their backs; on many women this display includes an array of silver teaspoons.
Spread out over a hillside near the Tibetan border, Laya is one of the highest villages in the country, at 3700m. The peak of the daunting Tsenda Gang (7100m) towers over the village. Villagers raise turnips and mustard and produce one wheat or barley crop a year before the region is snowed in for the winter.
This is Bhutan’s primary yak-breeding area; during the summer, people move to the high pastures and live in black tents woven from yak hair.
The village women are easily encouraged to stage an evening ‘cultural show’, which consists of Bhutanese circle dancing accompanied by traditional Bhutanese and Layap songs.
Women often offer to sell their bamboo hats for Nu 150 or so. It’s fine to buy these because they are made locally from native materials, but don’t buy ones with beads as these are often family heirlooms and, once sold, cannot be replaced except with cheap plastic beads. Layap women also sometimes come around to trekking camps selling jewellery; most of this is made in Nepal. Unless you particularly want to contribute to the Laya economy you’ll probably get less value than what you pay for.
Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal passed through Laya and in a small meadow below the village is a chorten with the footprints of the Zhabdrung and his horse.
The region is believed to be a bey-yul (hidden land) protected by an ancient gate that leads to Laya village. The Layaps perform a ceremony each year in honour of the protective forces that turned all the stones and trees around the gate into soldiers to repel Tibetan invaders.
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The trail travels alongside the Mo Chhu to an overhanging rock that forms a cave, then crosses to river right at 3240m on a cantilever bridge. The canyon closes in and the trail makes several major climbs over side ridges as it makes its way downstream. Beyond another cave formed by a large overhanging rock the first long, steep climb starts, cresting at the top of a ridge at 3390m. It’s a 150m descent to a clear side stream, then the trail wanders up and down near the river as it runs fast through some big cascades in a gorge. After some more ups and downs through bamboo about 100m above the river there is another serious climb to the Kohi Lapcha at 3300m.
The muddy trail stays high for about 30 minutes until it reaches a stone staircase, where it turns into a side valley, traversing for a bit, then dropping to the large Koina Chhu. Welcome to Koina (3050m), a muddy bog in the forest by the bridge. There is a single stone house with some muddy camping places scattered around. Because of the deep black mud you must wade through and the damp, soft ground upon which you must pitch your