Back to southern foothills

A friend of mine and I had been waiting for the approval with regard to change of our placements from the RCSC for days with high hope. In a mean time we have been attached with the office for a couple of months.

By the third week of March, we were made aware that we needed to be sent to our initial place of appointment. On 31st March we received the official relieving letter from the Head Office. We're asked to report to our respective workplace within the first week of April in case inconvenience was not caused due to the pandemic.

Internally, Meera and I were worried about the ongoing housing issue both in our workplaces. Meera was at least glad that she got a guest house managed by her senior. She left to Phuentsholing within the first week of April from Paro. I still didn't get house. Yet I decided to stay in combine with friends for a week while I look for house.

No sooner did I get the relieving letter than I tried for a public bus ticket to Mongar, Tashigang or Tashiyangtse whichever I got earlier to continue my journey until Samdrup Jongkhar. Unfortunately my first try did not favored me. The tickets were booked until 12th April. Simultaneously I had been looking for any private vehicles plying to Mongar so that I could catch the bus up to my workplace.

On the first day of April I made my sincere request to the Head Office requesting about my RIO Head about my inconvenience. But I didn't give up looking for other private vehicles asking the people I was acquainted in Thimphu and beyond. I even started finding out the FCB people as I heard that trucks carrying rations move from Phuentsholing to Samdrup Jongkhar. I couldn't manage it as well.

I even posted on my facebook timelines in various public fora looking for private vehicles but got no exciting responses. Again on 3rd April I tried my second chance to book the tickets both online and walking to the bus booking. The tickets were not available until 17th April to Mongar. It was difficult to get tickets due to pandemic that the carrying capacity of a bus was reduced and the frequencies of movement was lowered due to less people travelling.

As my final or back up option, I decided to book a ticket for 20th which was the earliest from that day to Mongar. So that I could catch up the Tuesday bus to Samdrup Jongkhar from Mongar.

The next day I realized I would be late if I report as per my ticket scheduled, so I began looking for any cabs to Mongar. None of the cab drivers were willing to carry just two passengers to that distant place. Even if I  really wanted to they would insist me if I could go on reserve which would cost equivalent to my entire month salary.

I gave up  to think of going by taxi but I continued looking for the possibility of getting FCB trucks. I failed. I talked over call with the Head of the Regional Office. He immediately informed me that there was car from the Head Office until Nganglam. I was asked to come with them as soon as possible since there was urgently in need of manpower to safeguard the bordering security especially for sorting out illegal people entering or exiting the porous border demarcation.

I quickly agreed with what RD said. The regional admin assistant gave me the contact number of a sir who was going for duty to Nganglam on Friday. Even after I got vehicle, I was worried how I could be able to take all my necessities accumulated in Thimphu since I had to settle myself on my own workplace.

I asked about if could take at least more than two bags of my luggage. Hopelessly I understood that three of them also had lot of luggage since they had to be on duty for months. I could pack only my clothes, a book and charger in a bag. That's it.

The night before I left Thimphu was a deeply painful to leave my wife by herself which happened for the first  time in my life. I had no other option than to get my eyes welled up with endless tears. I never imagined I would be leaving her alone to that distant place albeit Bhutan is small. Neither she nor I had a control over such a painful time. To be honest, both of us cried profusely half the night.

The next morning was hard for me to open up eyes loaded with swollen lids. Alarm rung at 5:00 AM. I prayed for my safe journey. My wife was ready with tea and food for me. She looked completely sad, I could read from her teary eyes. I tried pushing back my tears behind the sockets.

By 7:00 AM I got call asking me to be ready by roadside. My wife dropped me until roadside to see me off. We hugged each other tighter than we did ever. Men are normally expected to be emotionally or physically strong but I failed uncontrollablly that time. I had to forcefully pushed out words through my tight throat 'stay safe and be strong.'

The car moved on. I just starred back through the back glass to wave. She was waving off as if she would cry then and there. I knew she would sob afterwards back in the room. I acted strong in the car in front of others although my heart cried a lot.

As we descended down Dochula pass, I was completely lost recapitulating my joyful time with my wife. I already started missing her tea, special food, our jokes, her care and homely feeling most importantly. Then I went to a nap. We had already crossed Wangdue when I opened my eyes. I kept my wife updating places I reached sending her photos, messages and video clips.

We crossed PHPA I & II. The hour hand was overtaking 10:00PM zone as we picked up the Tsirang way from Dagana-Tsirang express way. As we touched a part of Tsirang dzongkhag, I could see bamboo plants and banana trees dominating the communal vegetation.

We reached Tsholingkhar in a while. The car swung over the incomplete paved road until Damphu. I could smell the scent of rose and clay. Next half Damphu was welcomed by peace road again. By noon we immersed into the heartland of Tsirang. We stopped there for lunch. An hour later we resumed the journey witnessing the linear Tsirang town and the Dzong.

We were moving again downward crossing Darachu and then Jachu. In the next few hours journey we were at the Sarpang checkpoint. Sarpang valley looks just open and spacious. The car did speed up through straight plain road until Dekiling. I felt like I was traveling across Chumey plains to Chamkhar. We left Jigmeling behind. 

As the gentle sun perched in the west, we disappeared into the Gelephu town. Gelephu is a plain and clean bordering region. We headed towards the regional office of Gelephu. I was introduced to its Head. We were offered a luxurious guest house for a night. The next early morning was to move to Nganglam via Tingtibi way.

Of course, I did seriously miss my soul partner when I had dinner myself just a small bowl of noodles. I felt like I would burst out shout into the sky so that my wife could hear my voice. Still keeping the control button to myself, I consoled myself thinking we departed this time to meet next time with much excitement.

The next day, our journey set off at seven in the morning. The wide plains of Gelephu disappeared behind as we paused for entry at Sershong checkpost. After few kilometres, we crossed Gelephu Tshachu point. We stopped for lunch in a restaurant at Tingtibi. I had little heavy lunch since I hadn't had the last night dinner and breakfast as well.

Our journey resumed through Zhemgang valleys. The common thing about those places we came across on the way was, all places' names starts with letter 'P' such as Praling, Pathang, Paibang, and Panbang. One of our staffs even make fun that we would pick up all Khengpa dialectical terms after we crossed Panbang.

The roads crossing all these places were paved but had several potholes and were dusty. And the roads went hours round and round the lofty mountains. We also came across a long twin waterfall few kilometres before Panbang.

After three and half hour drive, we were at the juncture of Panbang highway departing to Nganglam. The board standing at the roadside read 'Nganglam-55KM'. The vegetation started appearing with less denser and gentle hills. We began noticing some cement carrying trucks plying toward Panbang way.

Another indication of vicinity of Nganglam was that all names of places read in sharchop terms like Gashari, Rinchenzor, and finally Norbugang. We did entries twice prior to Nganglam.

I was supposed to leave to Samdrup Jongkhar the next early morning with my friend Tandin who was at Nganglam on tour. Yet after I had a call with my region Head, I was asked to stay overnight since they were coming to brief the new staffs from the Head Office.

I slept in his car on the seat bending  backward. The night was quite cooler than I imagined. It was six in the morning when I heard Tandin going out for fresh up. I also woke up, got fresh up. He left Samdrup Jongkhar after  dropping me off to Dungkhag where the Head Office staff were staying.

Then four of us went until the Pelzomthang ICP just to see how system work there. We returned heading to witness the busyness of DCCL, one of biggest cement factories in the country. Probably as Nganglam has the cement factory, I noticed that all it's highways are paved with big cubes of concrete like we do see in the south just beyond the border.

On the same day afternoon the RD, the Regional Office Head and the team from Samdrup Jongkhar arrived Nganglam. I bent down before him. RD in his dark sethra gho  gave me a handshake. We assembled for a short meeting with the existing staffs at ICP Nganglam. By then it was already dark. We had a long banquet at Garab Hotel in the light of celebration of meeting all the new recruits of the year. 

The next day morning we convened a meeting with Nganglam Dasho Dungpa and OC along with the RD and few officials. Exactly at 1PM we left Nganglam to Samdrup Jongkhar through Pema gatshel. The journey was of nine hours through both uneven roads and paved roads. I was dropped by an office car to my ephemeral room.

As I opened the door I could literally feel a gush of warm air. That lone night was suffocating for me. I knew my eyes were already spoilt. I wiped off the involuntarily trickling tears as I rest my head  on an iron bed myself. I was sure that I had to prepare myself to battle against depression which I would undergo for the first time in my life.

I bade goodnight to my wife. Under a swirling fan, I gently closed my eyes into sleep.