Gasa Stories

From the sunny autumn weather of Berkeley, it's hard to remember the misty monsoon rains of Bhutan. But here are some pictures from my last week in Bhutan, in Aug. 2008. I trekked with two other researchers, Joanne, a British undergrad, and Chungku, the Bhutanese intern who was assisting her with cultural interpretation, to Gasa, an area of north of Thimphu. The ever reliable and good-natured Dechen, who'd been my driver on my first trip to Bhutan, back in 2001, delivered us to the trailhead.




It was raining when we set out, and the leeches were out in full force.



We were headed six hours in to Gasa Dzong, one of the oldest Dzongs in Bhutan, that suffered a devastating fire last winter. During the dry winter season, some ephemeral creeks and springs dry up, and there was not enough water to put out the electrical fire. Chemical fire extinguishers are now very much in evidence, as workers rebuild the administrative sections and chapels. Gasa Dzong is particularly important because it is reputed to be one of the original places where the Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, who unified Bhutan in the 17th century, first arrived.





Compared to Trashi Yangtse and other parts of eastern Bhutan, with which I am most familiar, Gasa, located in the western part of the country, just north of Thimphu, is relatively wealthy, benefiting from covert cross-border trade with Tibetans, in continuation with the ancient trade routes, and from significant trekking tourism. Additionally, Gasa Dzong is less than a day from the capital, by foot and car, making it relatively accessible, compared to areas beyond the Black Mountains in the east.





Gasa Town is not much to see: just a few shops and homes huddled around an open field. It reminded me of high elevation trekking villages in Nepal. If not for the trade route, there would be no settlement here. Farmers and herders prefer dispersed homes, surrounded by their fields. The shops in Gasa had all grown up in response to the needs of the government workers at the Dzong and the trekkers. Indeed, recent changes in district government structure had brought in so many administrative workers that a dozen young officials had taken over a national park building, and converted it into their living quarters, because no other quarters were available. Government workers have no economic interest in building homes at their postings, because they will be there for only a few years, before being transferred. Thus, they seek rental quarters, but in Gasa Town, there were simply none available. Thus, one of the fellows who shepherded us around Gasa shared a small room with his cousin, while another room was shared by a married couple and a third official, all sharing two mattresses on the floor.