A Home Between Phobijka And Punakha

Traveling across Bhutan isn’t for the weak. Aside from having to adjust to a higher altitude, a lot of time is spent on the road–roads that are not as well-developed as we’re accustomed to. It can sometimes feel like it’s a never-ending merry-go-around, having to drive around in circles making our way up and down valleys and mountains. The consolation? Nature. Pristine and untouched nature at its finest. As I’ve said in my previous post, even during winter when trees aren’t as green and flowers aren’t abloom, Bhutan still captivates.

The photos below are from when we were making our way down from Phobijka to Punakha. Since Phobijka is at a higher altitude of 3000m above sea level, we encountered more snow covered paths and landscapes along the way. Of course for a girl who comes from a tropical country, I didn’t see this as a bad thing. Cue the Disney songs please. Let me go down the car and frolic for a bit. LOL. No seriously, we did go down from the car and make a quick pitstop though. (Sadly, not to frolic.) Our guide Mani wanted to show us a a modest makeshift house built right smack in the middle of nowhere. I was flabbergasted. How can anyone live like this in this super cold weather? Turns out, this is how yak herders survive winter. Usually they live at places with super high altitudes since those are where yaks can survive better. But when it gets really cold already, they take their yaks and all their belongings and move to lower altitudes. Take note, they don’t put all their stuff in a truck and just drive down. No. They walk. They walk with their yaks and all their belongings. Wow.

And when we entered their tiny home, they were so welcoming! Even offering us (read: unannounced strangers) food and drinks. It was truly heartwarming and I couldn’t help but feel touched. In my eyes, they’re one of the richest people I’ve ever met.

Mango poncho | Massimo Dutti top | Topshop skirt | Massimo Dutti boots