Travel guidebooks or internet information sites show discrepancies when it comes to the Dochu-la, for example. The Dochu-La is a pass (la means pass) in Bhutan on the route between Thimphu and Punakha. In the German guidebook by Andreas von Hessberg [1], the altitude of the pass is given as 3,125m. The English Wikipedia article has an altititude of 3,100m. I also found the indication 10,330ft., that would be 3,149m. Or 3,080m / 10,200ft, whereas the correct reading should be: either 3,109m / 10,200ft or 3,080m / 10,109ft. The road should count as the top of the pass and not whether you still walk up to the chörten. The altitude of the pass is not that important. It is higher than the highest peak in Germany (Zugspitze 2962m) and significantly lower than the Khardong-la in Ladakh at 5430m [2]. What bothers me more is the imprecise handling of data at a time when data is sufficiently available. Unlike around 1905 when J. Claude White conducted his first mission to Bhutan. He writes: "From Simtoka a good road led us up the Lhung-tso Valley to the Dokyong-la (9570 feet), ...". [3] He also mentioned the pass on his second mission. Was there another pass back then? I'm pretty sure that this is not the case. At that time there wasn't any more precise information abvailable. He did not see any of the high mountains on his first mission, but he writes about his second trip: "From the pass, the Dokyong-la, we had a magnificent view of the snow ranges for the first time, as on my previous visit the whole range was never visible, but was enveloped in clouds, ...". Unfortunately, I always had clouds and fog on both trips, i.e. four pass crossings, although the trips took place at different times of the year, namely 2000 in October and 2023 in April. Too bad, I would have liked to see Mount Masanggang (Highest Peak of Bhutan with 7,158m).
Above the Dochu-la, in a northwesterly direction, there is a Buddhist monastery called Druk Wangyal Lhakhang. It was completed in 2008 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the monarchy under the patronage of Queen Ashi Dorji Wangchuk [4]. You can visit it - we didn't have enough time - and inside are murals showing a modern Bhutan, which in and of itself would be worth comparing with the murals you see at other places in Bhutan; described as: "Examples of these are images of a Druk air plane, a monk with a laptop, the royal family and the 4th King of Bhutan leading his army against the militants".
And with that, we come to the 108 Druk Wangyal Khang Zhang Chörtens. They were erected as a memorial to those who died in the confrontation with the rebels / separatists from Assam. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck led the troops in 2003 and expelled the separatists who had set up camp in 30 camps in the jungle of Bhutan [5]. The military operation was called: All Clear and was the first operation ever conducted by the Royal Bhutan Army [6]. At the time, on RAOnline it reads like this: “Bhutan King Jigme Singye Wangchuk is leading his troops from the front in the operations launched to flush out anti-Indian outfits from the Himalayan Kingdom. The king 'is risking his life' to protect the sovereignty and security of the Himalayan kingdom by 'leading the troops into the hostile jungles' to flush out the anti-India insurgents holed up here, a Bhutan government statement said. His majesty the king is in good health and is very well." [7]
There are still hiking trails and the botanical gardens, all of which would still be interesting, but like most tourists, there was no enough time for that. At least we could still see some school classes that were on their way to Thimphu or maybe to Paro for the festival, calling at the pass.
Links and annotations:
[1] Andreas von Hessberg: Bhutan. Unterwegs im Himalaya-Königreich. Trescher Verlag, Berlin 2019. ISBN: 978-3-89794-450-3. P. 195.
[2] https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2020/07/a-retreat-on-khardong-pass.html
[3] J(ohn). Claude White, Sikhim & Bhutan: Twenty-One Years On The North-East Frontier, 1887-1908. Edward Arnold (publ.). London 1909. Reprinted New Delhi 1999. Again available as Paperback, 2012: ASIN: B00AWKMGQY. P. 138 and picture opp p. 138 and p. 221
[4] https://www.tourmyindia.com/international/bhutan/druk-wangyal-lhakhang/
[5] Fun fact: Andreas von Heßberg [1] writes about Samen rebels. The Sami are an indigenous people of Scandinavia, specifically Finland. The correction program had struck here, because the Assam rebels are meant.
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_All_Clear
[7] https://www.raonline.ch/pages/bt/btbodo12c2.html More about this organization is here: https://www.raonline.ch/raoaboutfr001.html
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