How

How
often are you invited into the lives of complete
strangers?

While on a road trip in the Gasa district of Bhutan a temporary
village on the side of the road caught my eye. Scattered tarpaulin
tents, bay ponies and a small community of Bhutanese people
occupied the field.

Through questioning my guide, I discovered that this community
came from a small mountainside village called Laya, which is the
highest settlement in the country. Up in the ether, Laya’s altitude
is so high that rice does not grow, so the villagers regularly make
a three-day trek to Punakha in order to trade for food and other
goods.

While it was clear that the villagers were resting after their
long pilgrimage, I was welcomed into their community
enthusiastically. Much like in India and Nepal, the Bhutanese
people love to have their photograph taken so I was quickly ushered
into tents where individuals posed and others excitedly introduced
me to their families while children rushed in and out. During my
stay, I took a continuous stream of photographs capturing glimpses
of the lives of these villagers. While all of the Layap people
embraced their impromptu photo shoot, Rinchen Wangdi, Leif Dorji,
Pena Jamtsho and Rinzin Wangchul became the focus of my lens.

@lludus |
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