Sombaykha

The best possible shed

September 26, 2011Villages20 Comments

I'm in Shaba, a small village in Sombaykha. The recent earthquake damaged all 12 of its houses. Luckily, no one was injured. And thankfully, most of the houses have suffered only minor damages. But one house was hit hard. It has been damaged beyond repair. It's still standing. But barely so. And it is no longer safe. That house belongs to Ap Zhep, aged 70, and his family. Fearing aftershocks, every family scrambled to erect temporary shelters for themselves immediately after the earthquake. And because Ap Zhep was practically homeless, the entire village got together to build him a…

Zhabdrung’s gifts

May 12, 2011Culture6 Comments

Here’s a story from Sombaykha to commemorate Zhabdrung Kuchoe: Topche was a nyagay – a strongman. About two hundred years ago, he left his village, Nakhikha in Sombaykha, to serve in Zhabdrung Jigme Drakpa’s court. In addition to being famous for his great physical strength, Boed Topche, as he was known, was also an exceptional swordsman. Legend has it that he would fight nonstop against the Zhabdrung’s enemies. And that at the end of each day, he would have to soak his hand in a bowl of hot water to dislodge the sword from his bloodied hand. At the…

I’m sorry

February 27, 2011Miscellaneous

We walked from Sipsoo in Samtse through Sombaykha, and arrived in Dorikha in Haa yesterday. I couldn’t go online during the entire journey, as I couldn’t connect to B-Mobile’s signal. Their cellular signal was generally unavailable and in the few places that I could connect to B-Mobile, their signal was weak, and data transfer impossible. It wasn’t like this last year. Then, when I traveled through the same villages, I’d been able to connect to B-Mobile and go online through most of the journey. And I’d celebrated their coverage in Connecting Bhutan. This time I couldn’t blog or tweet…

Birthday celebrations

February 25, 2010Monarchy, Villages

Sombaykha is the latest of our country’s 16 dungkhags. It was established barely two years ago to serve the two remote gewogs of Sombaykha and Gakiling. The offices of the dungkhag, which consists of three makeshift houses, are located in Sibthang along the banks of the Amochu. Last Sunday, on 21 February, farmers from Gakiling and Sombaykha, descended on their dungkhag to celebrate His Majesty the King’s birth anniversary. This week’s banner features the dungkhag office. More photographs of the festivities are in the gallery.

January 13, 2010Miscellaneous

Tomorrow I’ll be in Samtse. But before I leave Sombaykha, I should share with you its etymology. Sombaykha = sang as in sangwa or “secret” + bay as in bayuel or “paradise” Sombaykha = A paradise hidden by Guru Rimpoche

Bjamdabchen

January 13, 2010Miscellaneous

Bjamdabchen is a small meadow surrounded by oak forests, where herders from Sombaykha graze their cattle every autumn. We’ve set up camp in that meadow. I’ve latched on to a caravan traveling to Sipsoo – they’re carrying smoke-dried cardamom and will return with rice, salt, tea, cooking oil and clothes. So, there are quite a few of us at the camp. We have a roaring fire going. Dinner’s cooking. Ap Gep Tsheri is singing praises to his root guru. And, Rinchen is coaxing him to sing about beautiful Seldon. This is an unscheduled treat. But, tomorrow will be a…

Hospitality business

January 13, 2010People, Villages

Shebji is Sombaykha’s northernmost village. And, civil servants, especially Dzongkhag officials, traveling to Sombaykha normally spend a night in there. After walking continuously downhill from Tergola (at about 4000 meters) through alpine meadows, giant rhododendron forests, and subtropical jungle to Shebji (about 1500 meters), most travelers are happy to rest their tired knees in this little hamlet. Now, in accordance with our age-old traditions also still practiced throughout rural Bhutan, travelers can choose to eat and drink, rest and sleep in any one of Shebji’s eight houses. Each one of them would feel honoured and very happy to offer…

Visiting Sombaykha

January 10, 2010Democracy

“It must be very difficult”, I’ve been told more than once, “having only two members in the opposition.” Yes, it is difficult. And frustrating. But it is enjoyable too. What do I enjoy most about my work? Visiting my constituency. Trekking through Sombaykha, Gakiling and the parts of Samma that don’t have motor roads are a highlight of my work as an MP. And I never tire of meeting the people I that represent – simple folks living mainly off subsistence farming. I am in Sombaykha. This time, my visit will take me through every village in Sombaykha, over…