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 The
drive across the Thumsingla pass and the subsequent
descent form high altitude pine forest to lush pastures
and orchards is one of the most exciting drives in all
of the Himalayas. Gusshing waterfalls, steep cliffs
with even steeper drops, blazing flowers, and constantly
changing vegetation combine to make this journey as
varied as it is beautiful.
If
the weather is clear the high eastern range of mountains
comes into view from the top of the pass and in inclement
weather misty mountain views across many peaks can be
seen.
Eastern
people speak a different dialect to westerners and they
often cannot understand each other. The country is more
rugged and the population more sparse. However some
of the best trekking can be made in the east of the
country.
Certainly
the most spectacular drive in Bhutan is the 20 kilometers
of road between Sengor and Namning on the eastern side
of The Thumsingla pass.
Sheer drops of thousands of meters, huge cascading waterfalls,
endless turns and frequent fog from a rise in temperature
make for unnerving but exhilarating travel. After dropping
2,000 meters through snow and ice to a relatively mild
climate, travelers pass citrus groves only an hour after
being immersed in pine forest.
Mongar
Arriving in Mongar is welcome respite from the seemingly
endless
turns of the journey over the pass. The tourist hotel
has a lawn and balcony where travelers can take a well-earned
break. The town is small with a prinkling of shops.
Mongar, like Tashigang further east, is built on the
side of a hill instead of next to the river on the valley
floor like other towns in the kingdom.
Tashigang
The road from Mongar passes the Yadi loops. For five
miles the road creates figures of eight as it descends
to the valley floor. Tashigang is used as the market
place for the hill people from Merak and Sakteng who
are remarkable for their exceptional features and for
their costume which is brightly coloured and different
from customary Bhutanese clothing.
Thshiyangtse
A few kilometers north of Tashigang, Tashiyangtse Dzong
is a half-hour walk from the road. The monk body leaves
the monastery during the winter for warmer surroundings.
A town has developed around Chorten Kora, one of only
two temples built in a style prevalent in Nepal and
the spot where Guru Rimpoche is believed to have had
a vision that a temple and chorten would be built.
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