Bhutan's Phobjikha Valley: Witnessing sacred wildlife

By Anthony Dennis
February 18 2017 - 12:15am
Dawn in Phobjikha, a glacial valley on the western slopes of the Black Mountains. The valley is a designated conservation area. Photo: Katie Garrod
Dawn in Phobjikha, a glacial valley on the western slopes of the Black Mountains. The valley is a designated conservation area. Photo: Katie Garrod
A monk at the window of the Gangtey Gompa Monastery. Photo: Christian Kober
A monk at the window of the Gangtey Gompa Monastery. Photo: Christian Kober
Each year the black-necked cranes fly over the Himalayas in Tibet, their summer breeding grounds, to winter in the milder Phobjikha Valley.  Photo: Jason Edwards
Each year the black-necked cranes fly over the Himalayas in Tibet, their summer breeding grounds, to winter in the milder Phobjikha Valley. Photo: Jason Edwards
Black-necked cranes in Phobjika Valley. Photo: Jason Edwards
Black-necked cranes in Phobjika Valley. Photo: Jason Edwards

Even monks need a sleep-in. I discover this while sitting, in a not-too-comfy lotus position inside the prayer hall of a Buddhist shedra, or monastic college, in the Gangtey Valley, high in the peaks of mountainous Bhutan, where outside dawn is yet to break. I'm here to observe the 5.15am prayers, except the monks neglected to inform my guide that they have sensibly adopted winter hours.

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