AROUND GANGTEY

 25th Apr 2026

The temple in the courtyard of the Gangtey Monastery

After a lack of sleep due to the thunderstorm and another decent breakfast at the Hotel Dewachen we were taken to the Gangtey Monastery. This 15th century monastery is the largest in Bhutan and host to the biggest festival in Bhutan held on 11th November. It is inhabited by about 80 monks from the age of 6yrs old upwards. These monasteries are where they get their education and is a fairly brutal and spartan life with physical punishments if they don't learn their 'religious' prayers in a timely manner!

Left: As with all such establishments (and even private homes) it boasts amazingly elaborate carved decoration. I never discovered how they did it. 

Right: The monk's very basic (4 to a room) quarters on two levels. The child monks are not allowed to go home and are separated from their parents for the period of their education. They don't have to stay being a monk in later years if they don't want to.

Left: Rotating prayer wheels down the side of the temple.

Right: As with our visits to other 'religious' buildings it was again 'no shoes - no photos' inside the temple. Again, there were highly elaborate statues, decorations artefacts, murals, candles etc. on display. Sonam explained in great detail  all the confusing myths and legends that go with them. Right: Child monks clearing weeds from the courtyard.

After this is it was off on another 'hike' around the Phobjika valley. This was considerably longer than the previous and we walked for about 4 hours up and down some muddy tracks. We are 'in training' for some more arduous treks I feel.

One of our group, Dave, lugged this large camera around on all these walks. Most cumbersome I would have thought. We stopped occasionally when someone spotted a bird or flower of interest. Sonam was an expert on the local flora and fauna, as were a couple of those in the group, and the stops involved Dave taking a long time to conscientiously  focus with a 3 foot long lens on a sparrow sized bird in a distant tree to get a good photo. I must confess that I am not that interested to learn that the tiny bird just visible in a tree is a 'yellow spotted oomegooly warbler', or whatever. I subscribe to the 'Geordie Book of Bords (birds)' which maintains that there are only four types of bird, namely: 'Spuggies' (sparrows) which are all little birds, 'Craas' (crows) which are all the black larger ones, Seagulls (self-explanatory) and 'Shitehawks' which covers all the rest. Simple.

Left: A view of the large glacial Phobjika valley.

Right: Sonam posing at a viewpoint. So far, we have seen no sign of any of the larger exotic four legged animals mentioned in the previous blog, although there were signs of trees scraped by wild boars, apparently.

Left: A photo of a hovering 'shitehawk' taken with my puny phone camera.

Right: More prayer flags en-route which show the 'mantras' written on them.

Left: ....and these were some of the other types of prayer flags. Prayer flags everywhere!

Right: An 'interesting' flower?

Left: We stopped at an isolated  and basic looking farmhouse (and even that had elaborate decorations around the windows) where we were, surprisingly, invited in. There were raggy looking cows in the back yard. It was inhabited by two elderly ladies (sisters). They generously brewed us some tea and were maybe glad of the company! 

As I discovered it is the custom in people's homes also to offer a small glass of Bhutan saki (brewed from wheat) either before or after meals, or both. It tastes fine and is probably very alcoholic. It is also the case that in all these houses, and indeed when sitting in a temple, that there are no chairs! One is obliged to sit on the floor where there might by a rug or, if lucky, a cushion. My joints are beginning to creak and it is not very comfortable.

Left: There was a welcome shack at the end. 

Right: ...and another stupa/chorten nearby.

Left: Next on to lunch at another 'homestay' where we were given a generous meal of rice and much  else on a self serve basis, plus the mandatory saki. Perhaps that is why they sit on the floor? A feature on all these buffet selections is the infamous Bhutan 'Chilli Cheese'. I tried it...once. Nearly blew my head off!

Below: It was in a room to the side of this house that we witnessed these two monks 'chanting mantras' non-stop. Apparently they stay here for 40 days and nights doing this and have a large stack of 'mantras' to get through. I'm not sure what their hours of 'work' are, but presumably they must sleep at some point. Quite extraordinary! I wonder what they do in their spare time. Karaoke?

We were not done for the day by any means. The next venue (left) was the 'Black Necked Crane Education Centre'. This bird is somewhat endangered and much protected in Bhutan. In the old days they were shot for food. If you did that here now you could expect a lengthy jail sentence. They spend the summer in Tibet and emigrate to the Probjika Valley for the winter where, on average, about 500 arrive. They had all returned to Tibet by this time of year.

We were treated to a documentary film about them and, to be frank, I was rather sleepy by now (too much saki?) and missed some of it. Right: They keep an elderly couple of the birds in a 'sanctuary' after they were injured and rescued. I think one of them is missing a leg.

Back to the hotel briefly and then, at 6.30pm, we were off again to the Gangtey Shedra, which is a Buddhist monastic college near the Gangtey Monastery. Left:  Here the monks (the Shedra is home to approximately 300 of them who study Bhutan's 'living spiritual heritage') ranging in age from 10yrs old upwards, gather for evening prayer rituals complete with rhythmic chanting plus horns and drum accompaniment. Left: In what was a unique concession, we were allowed to use cameras in here! We were again sitting on the floor. The chanting monks had cushions to sit on and the chief monk was seated in a throne-like chair. Lucky them.

Below: Part of the prayer meeting. We left to go back for supper at 8.00pm.

Coincidently, at the time of writing this (16th May) I discovered that some of the postcards I posted in Thimphu on 24th April had actually arrived in UK! These were the ones with my ugly personalised stamp on them. The ones that had arrived had 50 Nu stamps on them (about 40p UK). The others had stamps ranging from 30 to 40 Nu....I was told at the Thimphu post-office that those should be OK. We shall see......In any event it is cheaper (and knowing our postal delivery service just as quick) to send a postcard to UK from Bhutan than to send one internally here! A good place to go to send all your Christmas cards perhaps.

Left: 'Butter lamps' which are commonly displayed and used at various religious ceremonies and blessings in the temples. They are candles floating in and fuelled by yak butter or vegetable oil. They have, in the past, been the cause of several monasteries and temples burning down. I believe these places have now invested heavily in fire extinguishers.

Phew! This series of 'blogs' is going to keep me going for some time yet.....we are only up to Day 4 of the 14 day tour!