Hike through the Valley of the Black-necked Cranes and meet the Speaker of Parliament

Drive to Phobjika in the valley of the black-necked cranes

On the way there we pass a handful of market stalls where locals sell their homemade yak shells and bags. A good opportunity to buy one or two souvenirs.

During a subsequent short hike on a path lined with thousands of white commemorative flags, we climb a rock where Sangay and I shoot one or two funny Tiktok videos with currently popular Bhutanese songs. It's really fun!

Meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament of Bhutan Mr. Lungten Dorji

We then drive on to Phobjika and stop for lunch in a restaurant halfway through. We are asked to take a seat in a side room of the restaurant, which clearly stands out from the rest of the restaurant in terms of its ambience. We first take a seat there and drink the obligatory butter tea before our guide suddenly moves back and forth hectically and excitedly. At that moment he learned that Mr. Lungten Dorji, the Speaker of the Parliament of Bhutan (only three months in office) would be arriving completely unannounced in the next few minutes to give his drivers a break. Apparently, when Mr. Dorji arrives, they tell him that German teachers have also come here and he asks if he can talk to us. A very special and exciting moment for us to be able to talk to such a high-ranking political dignitary about politics in general and in particular about the respective school systems.

Valley of the Black-necked Cranes

In the valley of the black-necked cranes we hike on one of the most beautiful nature trails in Bhutan. From a small mountain peak overlooking Gangtey Goemba, the route descends through flower meadows to the village of Semchubara and then through beautiful pine forests into the open valley.

The beautiful and endangered black-necked cranes are a symbol of Bhutan. When black-necked cranes come to Bhutan, they bring winter. Every year, these rare and beautiful birds leave the Tibetan Plateau and pass through the dangerous Himalayan peaks to reach their winter grounds in Bhutan and India. However, when it comes to spotting black-necked cranes in the wild, we're traveling at the wrong time of year. Nevertheless, we can admire two proud specimens of these extraordinary wild birds in a documentation center in the valley.

At dinner we immerse ourselves in the local cuisine again and have dinner at Yeshey Homestay. This is where we first encounter the alcoholic drink Ara. Ara is a hot alcoholic drink in which an egg is boiled and served as an aperitif. A wonderful and eventful day ends with a wet and happy evening in which we talk about the TikTok videos we shot in the afternoon and drink more Ara than is good for us.