Ever heard of Wongsey Chogta? In Dzongkha, you would write it as ཝོང་སེ་སྐྱོག་ཏ།. In Hengkha, the dialect I grew up speaking, it literally means the crooked (སྐྱོག་ཏ) East Himalayan fir (ཝོང་སེ). Apparently, it is a real thing, and this noble fir stands tall somewhere on the high crests of Karma La range above my village.

On my part, I am not sure if this fabled tree does stand today, but the place very much does – in the hearts of every local. How do I know? Because I am from there! To be geographically more specific, it encompasses the Uppers Dales of Phobjikha – itself a very, very beautiful place.

So, in the true spirit of Wongsey Chogta, both the tree and the place (which exists for real, atleast in the hearts of the Phobjibs), I bring to you The Phobjib – a personal blog to share with the outside world my experiences, adventures, and contemplations as a proud Phobjib, and stories from the very land as a dedicated lover. I hope you enjoy it!

“It is of some use to my volcanos, and it is of some use to my flowers, that I own them. But you are of no use to the stars that you own.”

– Antoine de Saint Exupery in The Little Price

Recent Posts

Maxims to Live By

Many folks call just call me Phobjib. So much so that, “Phobjiba, Thimphu nam wong dho”? has become quite the standard question I get asked when I talk to some Thimphu friends over the phone.  Read more…

Ending a Year

Two Days to 2024, and I find myself in the familiar surrounds of ama-ji’s home – a place I have grown to call my home-away-from-home over the years. I reminisce briefly back to 2013 when Read more…

Cycling Home

For my March post, I wanted to write a grand exposition titled Drukpanomics opining on the economic policies that Bhutan can use to become a mid-income nation by 2034 as aspired-for in her upcoming Longterm Perspective Read more…

Waiting for Spring

Wintry Phobjikha, dusty and barren, is a charmless place for the most part. One must admit it has its own idiosyncratic appeals, though. For instance, the tourists love to flock there to to see the Read more…

Starting a Year

Two days after landing in Bhutan, I find myself on my way to Dagana – one of the more remoter districts of Bhutan. As the Toyota Coaster bus that I am travelling in winds its Read more…

Sagely Sayings

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” While Polonius’ use of this famous idiom in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is highly ironic given his verbosity, the maxim is apt enough. To me, proverbs embody the pith of this Read more…